Edge of Seventeen

This is an old fic that I've written in 2001 that apparently some people have been looking for and wanting to read again, so I'm posting it here a few chapters at a time. If any of you have read this before, I apologize for that and for the so-so quality of the fic. I fixed some major grammar errors, but otherwise kept it as is, so that I can look back on it and compare with how much I've improved on my writing skills.

So, without further ado, here's one of my oldies but goodies. Enjoy!

Edge of 17- chapter one

Author: Lunadeath
Contents: Shonen ai, AU, slight angst, some violence, Duo POV, BAD language, a couple OC’s
Pairings: 2+4/4+2
Notes: felt like going back to my other favorite pairing. Was thinking about doing another one similar to this one later that is a 1+4
The title to this ficcie is a Stevie Nicks song. The lyrics to the song will be presented at the end of this fanfic.
Status: 1/23
Date first written: April 22, 2001
Discription: Duo and Quatre become good friends, and then later find out that there’s more to their freindship.
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Gym class. It was one of the best subjects for me, but the worst class. I hated this class. The people in it were a bunch of jerks, especially to those who were different than them. I wasn’t quite in the loser circle, and I wasn’t in the popular click. I was what one called the average kid, I guess.

Shawn McDonald was the worst. If you even had so much as one little pimple, you heard about it from him for months or however long it takes for the stupid thing to go away. Of course, once in a while he’ll bring it up anyway just to score more brownie points for himself and the clan of friends that he has. It’s so disgusting and degrading that it makes me puke.

Today was my favorite subject in gym class. It was basketball. Last week it was tackle football, or touch football is what the teacher called it; but some of the kids, especially Shawn, didn’t give a crap and tackled anyway. I almost got into trouble for fighting with him. I would have clocked him when the teacher wasn’t looking, but the bell rang. Lucky shit.

So here I am, shooting basket after basket, making all at awe and gaining some brownie points of my own, when I heard it…Shawn’s big stupid, insensitive voice laughing and bellowing at someone. I look back and watch as a blond kid wanders over to the bench and slumps down with a giant frown plastered on his face. What a way to live. In fear of some stupid bully that think he’s hot shit. Well, I have a heart, so I stop my fun and walk over to see how he is.

I sat down next to him. He was very surprised to see me and I think that I shocked myself as well.

“Are you ok? What was that all about?” I asked. He tried to smile despite his depression.

“They won’t let me play,” he pouted. It made me frown. “Shawn said that…”

Just then, speak of the devil; Shawn comes up to us, towering over us like some kind of evil villain from a comic book. He’s grinning like one too, not to mention he’s got his idiot squad with him as well. Oh yes, by the way, he’s got sandy blond hair and dark blue eyes. Someone as mean and closed minded as him doesn’t deserve those kind of eyes. But that’s my opinion.

“What are you talking to this queer for, Maxwell?” he asked. I glared up at him.

“I was just being nice.” I growled. “Unlike some people I know.”

Well, it didn’t just hit me, but Shawn’s insult was actually on the mark. This boy IS gay. I just thought that he was insulting the poor boy. A big smile spread across Shawn’s puss, and then he turned around to face his so-called buddies.

“Look at this everyone! Maxwell is in love with the Winner boy!”

I blinked a few times in surprise. “Uh…what??” I shouted.

“Duo loves the queer??” I heard someone else shout.

“Maxwell and Winner??” Another voice yelled.

I snarled at them. This wasn’t fair! They shouldn’t be making assumptions like that! Even though I am open-minded…still, they shouldn’t be doing this. Poor guy was turning beat red, and I was red with anger.

“We are not!!” I shouted, mainly from embarrassment and fear.

“Kissy kissy!” Shawn’s best friend Jake said, making a kissy face at us.

“Do you want us to give you guys some privacy?” Shawn grinned like an idiot.

“Shut up!!” I shouted. My legs forced me to get up and in his face. It didn’t help any that I have long hair done in a braid and that my facial features were sort of…baby-like. They all know that I’m fairly strong, but Shawn was just a bit stronger than I am.

“Why don’t you just go away, queer lover!” Shawn shouted at me. Then he knocked the ball that I was still holding out of my hands. “Or are you his lover?” he teased.

“Just leave him alone.” I sneered.

Shawn’s friend Jake grabbed my ball from the ground and started to dribble it, “Duo Maxwell and Quatre Winner sitting in a tree…” he threw the ball and made a perfect shot, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

“First came fag love…” Shawn continued the song, “Then came fag marriage…”

“I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!!” I screamed. It’s too bad that the damn teacher had to leave for a bathroom break now. And his usual bathroom break consisted of a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.

“Then came some fudge packing…” Shawn sang, thrusting his hips. He kept singing like that, over and over…chanting it like it was some kind of cool new song that should have been out on record already. Then, just before I could say anything else, a different voice crowed out that surprised us all.

“LEAVE DUO ALONE, YOU ASSHOLES!!”

We all turned around, wide-eyed, and saw that Quatre was standing up; fists clenched tightly and he looked like he was in some kind of fighting stance. Shawn took this as a cue to picking on Winner, wanting to make more brownie points for himself.

“Looks like the faggot wants to fight.” He laughed. At that, Jake walked up to him and grabbed Quatre by the wrist and pulled him into the middle of their gang. I could say that they were manhandling him, but that sounded too suggestive. But whatever you wanted to call it, it was mean. I had to do something.

What did I do? Well, I went into the fray of pushing and shoving and rescued him. That was when it all begun. The fists went flying, and surprisingly I stood my ground and then I punched him back. I finally realized that it was Shawn I was fighting, and that brought on a slight smile to my face. At last, he gave me an excuse to kick his sorry ass.

But he really packed a punch as well, and sent me tumbling to the floor. I got up, lunged myself at the idiot, and landed another lucky punch to his jaw. He got in a few more hits on me and then he turned and faced Quatre. The poor boy was in the middle of this whole thing, trying his best to dodge everything. Shawn suddenly went after him, and then he did something that he will soon regret for sure…he hit Quatre!

I got up faster than I thought I’d ever done before, and then I got in the way of Shawn’s fist and took the blow that was aimed for Quatre’s head. I went tumbling over the blonde and we both fell to the floor. Let’s just say I was a mess after that fight. And before the fight could continue any farther, I grabbed Quatre by the hand and hauled him out of the gym. As we left, I heard them laughing and calling us names like, “Wimps!” and “Chickens!” and I also thought I heard that F word again, but I blocked it out of my mind.

“We’re going straight to the Principle.” I told him. With sympathy in his eyes, he let me lean on him and helped me walk straight.

“Maybe you should go to the nurse’s office first?” he suggested. I shook my head.

“Don’t worry about me. We need to tell the Principle about this. It’s discrimination and harassment of the worst kind. We need to tell him.” Quatre tried to protest some more, but I told him that first thing is first and that I wasn’t going to let a bunch of assholes get away with this.

I limped all the way up the stairs as Quatre helped me. A teacher was on her way down the stairs as we were going up. She stopped and saw the condition that I was in and gasped, “Are you alright, Duo?”

It was Ms. Sally Po. I heard that she was getting married soon and that the guy she was marrying was the 18-year-old Karate teacher Mr. WuFei. I’m happy for her.

“I’ll be fine, Ms. Po. Just going to the principle’s office.” I say quickly as we turn the corner that leads to the office.

“Make sure you get yourself to the nurse.” She called back at me.

“I will.” I tell her as we disappear through the office doors. The secretary at the front desk gasped at my condition as well and told me the same thing. I dismissed it and told her that I needed to see the principle right away.

I was finally able to go in and speak to the principle. He was surprised by my condition as well, but before he could say anything, I told him about what happened. He noted that the whole thing was clearly discrimination and he said that he’d take care of it right away. “Don’t worry, Duo. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you, Principle Khushrenada.” I bowed respectively and then Quatre helped me to the nurse’s office. He also granted that Quatre stayed with me in the nurse’s office until next period.

We arrived at the nurses’ office, and Ms. Une took care of my wounds and bandaged me up. She told me that I was the first person to ever stand up for Quatre. Other times Quatre had to come here to get tended for his own wounds. I frowned deeply.

Suddenly, over the intercom we hear: “Shawn McDonald to the office please. Shawn McDonald to the office.”

I smiled.

~TBC~