Confrontation (Tate) (and no one else plzkthanx)

[Tobias Vaughn]

((ooc- we're going somewhere with this... so it's a closed thread. For now. I'll have an aftermath thread later, when this one is done. Because it will rock.))

Tobias was in the hallway just outside of his last period class. The final bell had rung, signaling the end of the very, very long week. So many things had happened to him recently. After finding out that he was gay there were some issues on the wrestling team. He couldn’t function as captain if half of the people there were so awkward about his sexuality. It got to the point where half the team wouldn’t change while he was in the locker room! After a slight confrontation with some of the other wrestlers and the coach (who seemed to be on his side throughout all of this) he decided to do what he thought was best for the team; he quit.

Toby was pissed. He knew that he shouldn’t have to quit, that in some sort of idealistic world everyone should just accept the fact that he was gay and that he had come out about it and that nothing should change. But he supposed that something like that did change things, a lot of things, and most of them were not for the best. Of course, he had to give credit to Tate. He’d been on his side about the whole wrestling thing thus far – at least, he hadn’t said a word against him. Things had been a little weird since he had been named captain, since Tate’s dad was the coach and all, but if they had weathered that he figured they could weather anything.

Of course, Tate didn’t know that he quit the team. Toby didn’t confer with him in that decision at all. Actually, it had been made completely on a whim, in a moment of anger that he couldn’t quite control. Looking back he wondered if he had done the right thing, but he was just so sick of the drama. All he wanted to do was sit back, fade away from the public eye, and try to go unnoticed for the remainder of his Senior year.

Grabbing the books he needed from his locker, Toby shoved everything into his book back before shutting the door, spinning the combination around a little before he turned around to face the crowded end-of-the-day hallway.

[Sumner Tate]

Tate braced himself for the moment Toby would turn around. It had all happened so quickly - he'd barely entered the locker room before he heard the screaming of his teammates. Immediately on the defensive, he'd rushed into the room to find three nude wrestlers running for the showers, clutching at their... areas. It wasn't long until their pain turned to anger, and that anger was directed at the obvious culprit.

Tate thought he was the only one who knew about Toby quitting, but apparently word had spread, and quick. Kevin, Mike, and Joe were on him as soon as they'd redressed, demanding that he "teach that little faggot a lesson, once and for all". What could he do? What could he say? It was only yesterday his dad had appointed him replacement captain - everyone was expecting him to make it all better. Make it like the 'Toby incident' had never occurred -- and now, it seemed as though Toby was only trying to exacerbate things.

And now, as he stood behind his estranged best friend, questions plagued his troubled mind, ranging from 'Where does he get off?' to 'This really doesn't seem like Toby, does it?'. It was hard to think rationally with three of the school's strongest jocks standing behind him, pissed as hell, fists clenched, minds focused on two things: how much their private parts were burning (still!) and how bad Tate was going to beat Tobias, the little queer, for violating their jockstraps.

Then Tobias did turn around.

And Tate couldn't help himself, he didn't know what else to do. He punched Toby in the face.

[Tobias Vaughn]

As he turned around Tobias found himself face-to-face with his best friend, Sumner Tate. At least, he was face to face with the boy he had previously associated with the mutual feeling of friendship. Seeing him now, standing there with several other wrestlers behind him, well, it didn’t look like he was there to catch up on old times.

He could only assume that Tate and the others had heard about his quitting the team. But that seemed like it had been what the vast majority of the guys had wanted! So why were they standing there now, looking accusingly at him. He didn’t have very long to wonder what was going on because no sooner had he turned to face away from his locker did a fist, Tate’s fist, come flying at him, connecting with his nose with a swift ‘crack’.

The sound that Toby’s face made was nothing compared to the pain he felt, a pain which he could only associate with his nose breaking. Breaking or bruising, he wasn’t sure because he couldn’t fully comprehend what had just happened. Tate? He had been on his side, he was supposed to be his best friend. Tate? Really? The betrayal hurt almost - almost – more than the punch, which hurt pretty damn much.

The force of the blow added to the fact that Tobias had been caught completely unaware made it easy for him to stumble backwards, dropping his backpack to the floor as his back slammed against the locker. Several people nearby closed their own lockers and jumped out of the way, sensing the immediate danger that was brewing.

“What the hell was that for?” Tobias said, once the confusion had worn off a little. There were no words to describe how he felt at that moment; everything was muddled in his brain. He brought a shaky hand up to his face, gingerly resting it on his bruised nose. He was unable to hide the bewildered look from his face as he looked up into his former teammate’s face.

[Sumner Tate]

"You know goddamn well what it was for, fag!"
"You're lucky it wasn't me, you wouldn't be moving!"
"You queer sonofabitch, don't you try to get up, I will take you down!"

Tate heard all of this behind him, hateful words from hateful boys. He heard it, but he didn't listen. He couldn't concentrate on anything but the confusion in Toby's eyes, the confusion that was reflected on his own face. Why would Toby do this, now? And why wouldn't he be expecting this revenge? It couldn't have been him, it couldn't -- but Toby had lied before. His face had lied. Tate never had the slightest clue that his best friend was gay. BEST FRIENDS should know that. Every practice, every night they spent up at the top of the incline, drinking and shooting the shit -- everything had been a lie. An act. And he was acting now, he had to be. Who the hell else would have done this - targeted the team the day after Toby quit - after he had shouted profanities at his coach, Tate's dad?

Suddenly his surroundings came back into focus, and the confusion on his face shifted to anger. His voice started loudly, and slowly got quieter as the crowd that had formed strained to listen.

"Toby... if you don't want to be on the team, fine. We can do it without you. We will. But this petty shit is NOT going to get you back the championships that you just threw down the drain," he squatted down, close to Toby so only he could hear, "because you couldn't deal with the intolerance of a couple of assholes. You are not the only person going through a goddamn difficult time, you prick." His last two words were spoken loudly, so the testosterone trio behind him could hear them loud and clear. They did, and joined in on the name-calling, which Tate tuned out as he stood up and began to walk away.

There was so much more he'd wanted to say. He wondered if he'd get the chance.

[Tobias Vaughn]

The hateful comments reached Toby’s ears before he had the chance to look at the people they were coming from. He recognized them as three of his fellow seniors from the wrestling team. Three of the ones who had started this whole mess in the first place. What the hell were they doing here, with Tate? Rather, what was Tate doing with the three of them?

“If this is about me quitting, you got what you wanted already, didn’t you? Now I’m not your fucking problem anymore,” Tobias said, the words leaving his mouth before he had a chance to think about them. He forced himself to stand up which took a considerable amount of effort after everything that had just happened. After the past week he was physically and emotionally drained, and this on top of everything else was not doing much to ease his pain.

He saw the confusion of his own face mirrored back at him in the eyes of his best friend. Surely Tate had to know that quitting the team had been difficult for him, but that it had been his only option? Surely he understood the pressure that was put on him, and the added stress of these homophobic comments coming at him from every corner. There was no where left for him to turn. Tate had to sympathize; he had to at least realize that Toby was only trying to do what was right!

That confusion quickly melted away and was replaced by a more hardened expression, one filled with anger. The words that followed came from somewhere deep down, and it pained Tobias to realize that his former best friend meant every loathing comment that left his lips. As he called him a prick then stood up to leave, Tobias knew that something was wrong. This wasn’t like him. Reaching a hand out, he grabbed a hold of Tate’s sleeve and roughly spun him around by his arm.

“We’re not done here,” he said, his own voice rough and demanding. “What is this about? Are you pissed off that I quit? Or because you’re only captain by default?” Tobias knew that speaking without thinking first wasn’t going to make the situation better, but he wasn’t thinking rationally. He was thinking that he had just been punched in the face by his best friend. “Are you doing this to win over the guys? To prove that you’re tougher than the queer that was in charge before?”

Tobias was confused, hurt, angry, and several other emotions he couldn’t quite place. He just wanted to get to the root of this problem so that he knew what the hell he was dealing with here, and what his best course of action would be.

[Sumner Tate]

Tate shook his head, not wanting to hear what was coming out of Toby's mouth. They were conclusions he was jumping to because he was angry, and they only made sense to Tate because he was angry as well. He only needed a moment... the boy took a breath, and jerked his arm out of Toby's grasp.

"No. No, I'm doing this because you're such a goddamn PANSY that you resort to idiotic, dangerous STUNTS, obviously intending to hurt your former teammates. So they call you queer. YOU ARE! You have to deal with that -- not everyone is going to accept you as you are! You can't give up all of your obligations, your responsibilities, your SENSE OF DECENCY because things aren't working out in your favor. That's what being a goddamn captain is about, and you've fucking lost it. You've lost it, man."

Tate looked into Toby's eyes, unable to hide the disgust on his face. The pair of them -- hell, the entire team had done a lot of shit that they could never be proud of. This, though... this was fucking unforgivable.

Apparently Mike agreed. After he took a moment to comprehend what Tate had said, he laid Toby out with a punch to the temple.

[Tobias Vaughn]

Tobias waited, holding his breath for the few moments that Tate didn't respond. Was he finally starting to think rationally about this? Or was the pause just allowing the blind rage to take over? There were so many ways that this scene could play out that Toby was trying to prepare himself for the worst. He wasn't about to hit Tate, he couldn't bring himself to do it, even in self-defense (which was pretty sure he qualified for at this point).

"I quit so the team could function properly! Better one guy gone than half a dozen who couldn't focus on practice and keep their head in the match. And what stunts? What the hell are you--"

But Toby would never know what Tate was talking about, at least not during this encounter, because Mike decided that he was going to step in and have his say in the matter. His say was his fist colliding with Toby's temple, a rather sensitive spot that sent him once more reeling backwards into the lockers before slumping to the floor, unconscious. He had just enough time to give a feeble attempt to lift his head before everything faded away to blackness.

[Sumner Tate]

Without thinking twice, Tate pulled out his cell and dialed 911 while shouting orders to the crowd, who seemed to be in shock.

"Someone get the nurse. You, run to the bathroom and get me some wet paper towels. Everyone stay the hell back!" he shouted, already kneeling beside Toby. The mob went quiet, and a sudden voice in his ear surprised him as he held his hand above Toby's mouth to check for breathing.

"911, please state your emergency."
"A boy has been punched in the temple at George Washington high school, he's unconscious. He was also punched in the nose, I think it's broken. He's breathing, and his heart is still beating," Tate related quickly, having just finished checking for a pulse.
"An ambulance is on its way-" was all he heard before he snapped the phone closed, his own breath coming in shallow bursts and heart hammering in his chest. Just then, a dripping paper towel was thrust into his hands by a nervous looking girl. He nodded briefly in thanks before beginning to wring it out over Toby's face.

"Toby... Toby, wake up. Wake up, Toby. Goddamnit, Vaughn, come on!" Tate's voice came out slightly strangled and rough-sounding as he shook the boy's shoulder lightly. In the distance, he could hear the clicking of the nurse's shoes running down the hallway. The sound didn't do much to relieve him.

[Tobias Vaughn]

Toby had a brief moment when he could hear everything that was going on around him. The 911 call, the orders to the crowd, Tate's concerned voice shouting at him to wake up, the feel of cool water on his face... his eyes never opened, but he managed to mutter a disconcerting string of incoherent thoughts.

"What time is it... mom... don't tell..." but then the voices started to fade away, and he lost all conscious thought.

Soon thereafter the ambulance arrived, and a cart was used to carry Toby out of the hallway (in case he had sustained a neck or serious head injury). Then both he and Tate were on their way to the hospital.