NEXUS TRIAL: The Rise of Liam Parker

Breaking Point

Derek’s friends gathered around the table like vultures circling prey, and Liam could feel their eyes on him as they waited to see how he would react to their leader’s taunts. Nathaniel Harrington stood directly behind Derek with his arms crossed, a tall athletic boy who played on the basketball team and enjoyed using his size to intimidate smaller students. Jessica Foster leaned against the wall nearby with her phone out, probably recording the whole interaction so she could post it on social media later for everyone to laugh at.

“What’s wrong Parker, cat got your tongue?” Derek pressed, clearly disappointed that Liam wasn’t giving him the explosive reaction he was hoping for. “Or maybe you’re just too busy figuring out which park bench you’ll be sleeping on tonight. I hear the ones near the library are pretty comfortable if you don’t mind the smell of homeless people.”

The other students laughed at this comment and Liam felt something inside him crack just a little bit more. He had endured years of this kind of treatment from Derek and his crew, always choosing to stay quiet and avoid confrontation because fighting back only made things worse. His father had taught him that some battles weren’t worth fighting and that people like Derek would eventually get bored and move on to other targets, but right now that advice felt hollow and useless.

“My dad also said that your uncle Collins is a smart businessman who knows how to make profitable decisions,” Derek continued, apparently not done humiliating Liam yet. “He said Collins was carrying dead weight for too long and it was about time he cut loose the parasites who were draining the family resources. I guess that means you and your mom are the parasites he was talking about.”

Liam’s vision went red around the edges and he stood up so quickly that his chair scraped loudly against the cafeteria floor. Several students nearby jumped at the sudden movement and the conversations around them died down as people turned to watch what was happening. Derek took a small step backwards despite his size advantage, clearly not expecting Liam to actually stand up to him, and for just a moment Liam saw genuine surprise flash across his face.

“Say that again,” Liam said in a low voice that was barely more than a whisper, but there was something dangerous in his tone that made even Nathaniel shift uncomfortably. “Say one more thing about my mother and see what happens.”

Derek’s surprise quickly morphed back into his usual arrogant expression and he puffed out his chest to reassert his dominance. “Oh what are you going to do Parker, cry about it?” he sneered. “Everyone knows you’re all talk and no action. You’ve been letting me push you around for three years now and you’ve never done anything about it because you’re weak.”

The words hit their mark perfectly because Derek was right and they both knew it. Liam had never fought back, had never stood up for himself in any meaningful way, and his reputation as an easy target was well established throughout the entire school. Teachers ignored the bullying because Liam never reported it and when he did try to tell someone about it once in sophomore year, he had been told to just ignore Derek and not let words hurt him.

“That’s what I thought,” Derek said with satisfaction when Liam didn’t respond immediately. “You’re just like your dad was, weak and pathetic. No wonder he got himself killed in some random alley like a nobody. The Parker family is cursed with failure.”

Something snapped inside Liam’s mind and before he could think about the consequences his fist was flying toward Derek’s face. The punch connected with Derek’s jaw with a satisfying crunch and the other boy stumbled backwards into Nathaniel with shock written all over his features. Blood started trickling from the corner of Derek’s mouth and the entire cafeteria erupted into chaos as students jumped up from their tables to get a better view of the fight.

Liam didn’t wait for Derek to recover before launching himself forward again, and years of suppressed rage and frustration poured out of him in a flurry of wild punches. Most of them missed their target because Liam had no training in fighting and his technique was terrible, but a few connected solidly enough to make Derek cry out in pain. Nathaniel tried to grab Liam from behind but Liam twisted away and accidentally elbowed him in the stomach, causing the bigger boy to grunt and loosen his grip.

The fight probably only lasted about thirty seconds before two teachers arrived and pulled them apart, but to Liam it felt like time had slowed down and stretched out forever. Mr. Harrison was one of the teachers who broke up the fight and his face was purple with anger as he gripped Liam’s arm hard enough to bruise. The other teacher Ms. Adams held Derek back while he shouted threats and curses at Liam, and blood was dripping onto his expensive designer shirt.

“My office now Parker,” Mr. Harrison barked while dragging Liam toward the cafeteria exit. “You just earned yourself a suspension and possibly an expulsion depending on what Principal Matthews decides.”

Liam didn’t resist or try to explain what had happened because he knew it wouldn’t matter anyway. In situations like this the student who threw the first punch was always the one who got blamed, regardless of what provocation had led to the violence. Derek would probably get a slap on the wrist at most since his father was a major donor to the school’s athletic program, while Liam would face the harshest possible punishment.

The walk to the principal’s office felt like a death march and other students stared at him as they passed in the hallways. Some looked shocked because they had never seen Liam do anything remotely aggressive before, while others seemed excited by the drama and were probably already texting their friends about what had happened. Jessica was definitely posting the video she had recorded by now, which meant the whole school would see it within the hour.

Principal Matthews was a stern woman in her fifties who ran the school with an iron fist and had zero tolerance for violence of any kind. She listened to Mr. Harrison’s account of what happened with a grim expression on her face, and then she dismissed the teacher and turned her attention fully to Liam. Her office was decorated with various awards and certificates that highlighted the school’s academic achievements, and a large portrait of the school founders hung on the wall behind her desk.

“Mr. Parker I am extremely disappointed in you,” she began, folding her hands on her desk. “In all my years as principal I have never had to deal with a student attacking another student in the middle of the cafeteria during lunch period. This kind of behavior is absolutely unacceptable and there will be serious consequences.”

Liam sat in the uncomfortable wooden chair across from her desk and said nothing because there was nothing he could say that would make any difference. His life was already in ruins and getting suspended or expelled from school was just one more disaster to add to the pile. His mother would be devastated when she found out, and this would probably make it even harder for them to find stable housing since many shelters and assistance programs required students to be enrolled in school.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Principal Matthews asked after a long moment of silence. “Any explanation for why you decided to assault Derek Whitmore unprovoked?”

The word unprovoked made Liam want to laugh because it showed how little the adults in this building actually paid attention to what happened between students. Derek had been tormenting him for years and nobody had ever stepped in to stop it, but now that Liam had finally snapped and fought back suddenly everyone cared about violence and proper behavior. The hypocrisy of it all was almost impressive in its completeness.