Chapter 13

                                    

                                          
    Sorry about that, I had some business to attend to. So where was I? The fight, right? Yeah, the fight. You know I feel like this switching of points of view might be a little confusing, and I know some language person out there is cringing that the separate time lines don't add up or whatever, but I prefer telling a story this way. Some of it may be true and some isn't. Is it real? Maybe. At least to me. That's the true nature of a story though. I'm pretty sure Tim O'Brien said that... Why did I  waste time talking about that little tad bit? Well Gabby brought it up to me and suggested I fix my story but I really didn't feel like it. I am a rogue after all, I do things the way I want them to be done.
                          
    So anyways the rest of the day went better than that, Tristen didn't bother me. Yet something still bothered me. I wanted to get back at Tristen still. His words still rung in my head. I needed to forget. I was here to stop Helix Double. Speaking of my mission, I totally forgot about it. I have been so damn caught up with being a normal teenager, that I forgot about why I am really at this miserable school. What if Tristen is Helix? I have thought and thought on this subject, but it just doesn't add up completely. His fighting style is sort of similar and if he is under cover, he would probably not use his typical fighting style. He is too smart for not doing that. Hopefully smart enough anyway. Tristen is just too arrogant...? No... hmmm more like too mean. Helix is more Star-Spangled Banner All American Boy rather than Tristen's jock-like snooty bitch style. What I should be looking for is a guy in the student government or on the honor society. That's how I would see Helix anyway. Well anyways, I headed over to Mr. Hornstrom's office to see what punishment he had planned for us. 
                          
    "Please sit-down Mr. Arthurson," Mr. Hornstrom said to me, indicating to a chair in his office. It took me a second to realize he was talking to me, and I quickly sat down. 
                          
    "Got to get used to the name Arthurson. I'm not Leonardo Sutton, I'm Leonard Arthurson," I thought to myself. We waited for a bit, and then Tristen walked in. 
                          
    "Please sit-down Tristen," Mr. Hornstrom said to him. 
                          
    "So he gets called by his first name but I get called by my last?" I thought to myself. 
                          
    "Now, as you must know, I am very disappointed in the both of you. But, I have a proposition. You both have a fighting spirit that's for sure. Fencing season is coming up. I want you both to try out. After a month of training, we have a class battle to see who will be captain of the fencing club. You both have potential, so I am enrolling you both into it. Now I know Tristen was already planning on enrolling, but I expect you both to try your hardest. I have a feeling you will be the final two to fight," he told us. 
                          
    "Yes sir," we both said. 
                          
    "You are dismissed now," he said, and nodded at the door. 
                          
    "Good luck punk," Tristen whispered to me smugly, and strutted out the door. 
                          
    "Sir, I have a question. Why did you call me by my last name?" I asked. I was fine with the challenge and all, but that was the one thing that kept on bothering me. 
                          
    "Ah you noticed," he said chuckling, and then said, "It is something some of us teachers do. I only did it out of respect for you. A student being called by their first name is informal, but by your last name more formal." 
                          
    "Oh, thank you," I said, startled. 
                          
    "Of course. My full faith is on you. Tristen has been captain for the past few years, and shoving others out of his way to get what he wants. He never gets in trouble, but I want him to lose at something for once," Mr. Hornstrom said. 
                          
    "Thank you again sir," I said, and walked out. I was glad I wasn't the only one who didn't like Tristen. I was willing to take on this challenge, but I didn't know how to fence. I might have said I could, but you all know me. I'm all talk. It looked like I was going to have to learn.  
                          
    "Get him!" I heard some guy say, and I was tackled down. I had about four of five people on top of me, grabbing my arms and my legs. 

                          
    "Drag him somewhere more private," I heard Tristen say. I felt my body being picked up, and a rag shoved in my mouth. I struggled as much as I could, thrashing about, but to no avail. I started using my strength, pulling my arms closer to my body.
                          
"Stop.... moving," one of the guys said, elbowing me in the gut.
                          
    "Oof," I said, releasing the muscles in my arms for a moment. I decided to stop struggling, and to save my strength. 
                          
    "How in the world can I take on an entire complex of people to steal a crate but I get ambushed by six teenagers? Maybe I'm not training enough? I really hate school," I thought to myself. 
                          
    "Make sure he doesn't have any weapons on him," Tristen said, and they boys searched me and took the two knives I kept on my body at all times.  

                          
    "Well, at least he couldn't find my last resort knife," I thought. 
                          
    "I really hate you. I really, really, really hate you," Tristen said to me. 
                          
    "Mmmmpppmmmpp," I said with the rag in my mouth. 
                          
    "Take the rag out," Tristen said, and one of his goons took out the rag. 
                          
    "I said the feeling is mutual bud," I said smugly. Tristen swung and hit me in the face. 
                          
    "Weak," I said. He hit me again. And again. Then hit me in the stomach. I started laughing. 
                          
    "What's so funny?" Tristen asked. 
                          
    "Well, I would say you hit like a girl, but that would be sexist. You hit like a child," I said, shaking with laughter. He hit me a few times more. 
                          
    "You are so funny aren't you?" Tristen said. He then hit me square in the nose, and my eyesight blurred. 
                          
    "This is getting tiresome. Can't we move on boys?" I asked. 
                          
    "Take him to the bathroom," Tristen ordered, and they dragged me off. After a few whirlies and some more punches, I was left alone. I was relatively okay, not like I haven't been beat up before, but Tristen was really getting on my nerves. It was time I made him miserable. I was going to take away his chance of being captain. I was going to make him see how insignificant he was compared to me. This was the thought that came to mind when I was deciding on becoming Gabby's science project partner. Bit by bit, I would woe her, and make her mine. 
                          
    "Yeah, why not? We work on the labs together, why not work on this project together?" she asked of me. I said yes of course. Damn that was a long ass flashback, I really love the sound of my own voice huh? Anyway, that's why I was over at her house. It was my idea to be her partner. I would have some fun torturing Tristen while I was here searching for Helix. I was just evil like that. There was a part of me that did like her. Deep, deep inside of me, I felt the hard shell over my heart slightly crack, and felt a little bit of warmth. It disappeared as quickly as it came though, and my mind went back to the task at hand. I needed to do some old-fashioned investigation. 

                          
    "Where to look, where to look... no no, more like, who to talk to..." I mumbled to myself. Who would know about the specific person I'm looking for? Someone that is in control of the student government, or at least keeps an eye on the student government. What about... the principal? As much as I hated the idea, it would make sense. It looked as if I needed to talk to Mrs. Ambrosone. Hopefully I didn't run into Tristen again. This time, if I did, I would be ready. No one humiliates me twice.