I look up and down the hallway, and I know without even trying that nothing I can say or do is going to help here. Even the teachers are arguing amongst themselves. I spot Raven and Nexus going at it and I debate stepping in, but if Nexus takes Raven down a peg or two, then at least something good will have come from all of this.
Everyone who is arguing seems to be totally oblivious to everyone around them doing the same thing. Otherwise, I’m sure at least some of the students would have questioned what the hell is going on.
I spot Aziza and Mel and I think I’ve found some reprieve from the chaos, someone who might be able to help me calm it all down, but then I realize they too are arguing. I can’t hear them from here, but I can see Aziza staring Mel down, and Mel, totally unfazed by Aziza’s death glare, is yelling and waving her arms around to illustrate her point.
I start making my way through the arguing people to get to them anyway. Maybe out of everyone, they’ll be the ones I can make a difference to. If I can talk some sense into them, make them realize this is the effect of War being unleashed on the world, I can get them to stop.
I am halfway across the hallway when the first punch is thrown, and within seconds, I am in the middle of what seems like a full-scale riot. I totally lose sight of Mel and Aziza as a group of guys get into my path, shouting and punching each other. One of them has a black eye and another has a bloody nose, but if it’s bothering either of them, they don’t show it. They just keep on yelling angrily and swinging their fists around.
I manage to push my way past them without taking a stray punch, but before I can go any further, a blonde girl steps into my path.
“You bitch. You stole my boyfriend,” she snarls at me.
That’s when I realize who she is. Felicity. The girl Rye went on a date with when he was trying to ignore how he felt about me. I roll my eyes and try to ignore Felicity, but she’s not backing down and as I sidestep to go around her, she copies me and gets back in my path.
“I’m talking to you,” she snaps.
I can feel my temper starting to get the better of me. War’s powers don’t affect me, but Felicity’s attitude certainly does.
“I heard you and I don’t give a shit what you think. Now move,” I say. “I didn’t steal your boyfriend, because Rye was never your boyfriend. You guys went on one date, which he cut short because he couldn’t stand to be around you any longer.”
Felicity’s face is a mask of anger and I smirk at her. I know I should be the bigger person, that this isn’t really her talking but just War’s effect, but I really don’t like the bitch. It’s not just about Rye. It’s about the way she laughed at me on my first day at this school when I ended up soaking wet and covered in mud. Or at least that’s what I tell myself to condone my anger without coming off as a jealous loser.
She swings at me and I easily move my head back out of her range. She stumbles a little when her shot misses, and I laugh.
“Seriously, don’t do it. You will regret it,” I say.
She swings again and this time, her fist catches me in the shoulder and I really see red. I remember my training and I punch towards her, throwing my weight behind the punch. I catch her square in the jaw and her head snaps to the side and she crumples to the ground.
“I warned you, bitch,” I say as I step over her.
I can see Mel again now and I’m relieved to see that she and Aziza are no longer fighting each other. They seem to have teamed up to fight a group of girls I half recognize. I reach them and grab Aziza’s arm. She glares at me.
“What the fuck do you want, Sailor?” she snaps.
“To talk some sense into you,” I say. “Where are the others?”
“Fuck the others,” she says.
“Aziza, this isn’t you. It’s the effect of War. You have to get a grip and stop letting him affect you,” I say.
She continues to glare at me, but I see something change in her eyes, a self-awareness coming over her. She gives me a nod and I know she gets it. A fist flies towards her that she doesn’t see coming because she’s concentrating on me. I reach up and grab the wrist of the person who tried to punch her, stopping the shot, and then I pull the girl closer and punch her in the mouth. She falls to her ass, her hand pressed on her bleeding lips.
“Jeez, Sails, practice what you preach much?” Aziza grins.
“She was going to sucker punch you. I might not be affected by War’s influence, but I’m still affected by my friends getting hurt,” I say. “Now, where are the others?”
“Sunday and Jinx are down by the lockers. I don’t know where Rye or Ya-Ya are,” she says.
“Grab Mel and pull her into Nexus’s classroom. Explain what’s going on and hopefully she’ll calm down. I’ll go and find Jinx and Sunday and then we’ll find Rye and Ya-Ya.”
Aziza nods her head. She grabs Mel from behind and begins to literally drag her down the hallway. Mel is kicking and shouting, trying to get free from Aziza’s grip. It’s not quite what I meant when I said grab her and drag her into Nexus’s classroom, but I can see Aziza saying something to Mel and she seems to calm down
