Teachers never got it.

[mitochondriaaya]

Billy McCain was a brat. A real, honest to god brat. And a bully. He was always the first to say something mean and cruel, and he certainly hadn't missed the chance when she'd come in on crutches. Of course, she'd bided her time until recess. It was never a good a idea call someone to task inside on a tile floor. She'd even given him a full five minutes once recess started to leave her alone.

If he'd let well enough be he'd have been fine.

Course, Billy McCain was also dumb.

He'd said they all deserved broken legs, being girls and freaks (and freak friends).

To make the long story short, Mrs. Breshire had taken away Aya's crutches 'Until you can apologize. And I'm calling your father'. This, of course, meant Aya was still sitting in the chair, leg propped on another, as the bell rang.

At least she could get her homework done?

Comments

[sliceitwithwind]

Dilan is stuck in a wheelchair. He reaches his hand out and holds hers when the bell rings, "Braig's mom is probably going to come and get us. She'll talk to everyone."

Aya will be fine. Braig's mom is scary.

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya slumped sideways on the chair so she could huff on Dilan's shoulder. "I'm not going to apologize." even if Braig's mom told her to! "I'm not sorry, so apologizing would be lying. And she took away my crutches hours ago...and I gotta pee." That? Was just unfair.

[sliceitwithwind]

"Okay, okay. Help me out of my chair and into another and you can use it to go to the bathroom." Dilan says, struggling to move without hurting himself again.

[mitochondriaaya]

"No no no" Aya straightened in panic, then reached over to hold his shoulders down. "Don't you even try to get up! You know you need Braig or grownups to help lift you so it doesn't hurt!" and that was a hell of a lot more important.

Speaking of which..."Where's Braig? He has crutches, I could use them!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Braig tripped earlier and managed to knock himself out." Dilan says with authority, "I saw 'em taking him back to the hospital."

[mitochondriaaya]

"...why'd he go and do that?!" she yelped, face going pale at the idea of him going back there. Alone. Well, with grown ups but still, alone. "That was really dumb!" she really...didn't sound angry.

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah, I know." Dilan says, sighing and fidgeting, "You can help yell at him later."

[mitochondriaaya]

"So...Braig's mom went there right? To make sure he doesn't die." Aya reasoned, still kind of clinging to Dilan. "So it could be a really long time until she comes for us right?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"No, his dad went to go with him. His mom came for us."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Oh" she tried to reason out all the ways Dads going to hospitals was bad in her head, and didn't really figure any of it out. "I hope she hurries." is what she settled on.

"So she can go to the hospital next. Do you think you could wheel me if I squished in beside you?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"I think so, but you're a girl." Dilan says helplessly, "I can't go in the girl's bathroom!"

[mitochondriaaya]

She rolled her eyes and started her own, slow climb into the chair "Well, just get me to the door, duh. I can hop from there I think! Or we can go into the boys. I think all of them are on the buses by now..."

[sliceitwithwind]

"No!" Dilan squeaks, "Just - lemme get out, Ayay! Sheesh. I can sit still!" He starts trying to climb out while she tries to climb in and...




"ow."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Eeeeee!" it wasn't exactly loud, but it was high pitched as Aya flailed and tried desperately not to land on Dilan. She succeeded. Where succeeded meant she had one hand in the seat of wheelchair, her other on one of the foot rests, and her good leg tangled somewhere between.

"Are you okay?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah. Even if someone is an asshole...lets not fight until we can walk?"

[mitochondriaaya]

"I don't think you're allowed to cuss even if you're hurt." Aya blinked at him, trying to figure out if that was true. "I dunno about fighting. People are really mean. Can you get up? Need help? I can scream for a teacher..."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Don't care." Dilan says, "No, you're too close, it'd hurt my ears."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Okay" her arms shivered, and that meant she had to...get up. It was a very slow process, but she managed not to step on Dilan? "How bad does it hurt? Can you move a little? You can climb on me..."

[sliceitwithwind]

"I'm gonna stay right here until Braig's mom gets here." Dilan decides.

Braig's mom is on her way, loudly angry about Aya's crutches being taken away from her.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Okay, that's a good idea" Aya agreed, deciding that holding still was awesome all around. She wasn't sure she could keep from tripping on Dilan without her crutches...and that'd make things worse...

Oh. That was a very angry mom. Aya kind of stared mutely at the door, eyes wide, as several choice bits filtered down towards them. "My Mom never yelled like that..." she confided quietly.

[sliceitwithwind]

"They're just lucky it's not my mom. She's serious about medical things." Dilan informs her with a tiny sigh. The floor is cold. Very cold.

The teacher and Braig's mother get in the room and there is some inelegant squawking as Aya and Dilan are detangled. Dilan has no shame at all in clinging to Braig's mother for a couple of moments.

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya didn't wait for them to yell, as soon as they swept into the room she stood up just a little straighter and said "It's my fault! Dilan didn't do anything! I just really needed to go to the bathroom and I was going to use his chair, but we fell, and it's my fault!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Get that girl her crutches this instant." Braig's mother hisses, hugging Dilan for another long minute before setting him back in the wheelchair, "Dilan, are you alright?"

"Uh huh. It's not Ayay's fault, it just happened."

The teacher is sputtering about violence. It's not phasing Braig's mother.

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya didn't wait again. As soon as she had her crutches back, she was off to the bathroom. She did pass the crutches back to the still spluttering teacher when she got back though? And sat back down in her desk. "Thank you Braig's Mom!" she offered, really uncomfortable with adult first names...and calling anyone just 'mom'.

"Dilan are you okay now? You should take more pills huh? I can get your homework..."

[sliceitwithwind]

Braig calls Dilan's mom "Auntie Lenna". His mom probably wouldn't mind being an aunt. Dilan calls her "Mom", though. It's just easier that way, he sees her more often than his mother.

"Can we just go home?" Dilan asks plaintively, "I hurt."

Homework is procured and everyone is settled into the wheelchair van that Braig's mom is renting for the duration.

"Aya, I'm going to talk about getting the three of you home-schooling until you can walk on your own. I think it's safest for everyone." Braig's mom informs her.