Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Ocean O'Connell Rosenburg, Brandon Johnson, Chrissy Martin, Travis Campbell and Sophia Wilson, please come to the front office"

The second Ocean heard that, she knew exactly what she had done wrong and what she was being called for.

Ocean stood up out of her seat in study hall and walked out of the library, all eyes on her because what could she have all people have done to be called to the front office.

Her phone rang with a notification. She looked at it to see it was their choir group chat, which was not used for the purposes Ocean created it for.

Connie<3:  Ocean what did you do? It’s highly unlikely for you of all people to get in trouble.

Ginger: I don’t know. An award maybe? I’m sure it’s nothing

Poet#1: who wants to bet she skipped class?

Penny❤️: That’s highly impossible with Ocean

BAD3GG:  yes this is orphan a-hole we are talking about

Ginger: Will you guys stop? I didn’t do anything!

Connie<3:  omg okay 

Poet#1: fill us in during choir!

Ocean shoved her phone into her bag. When she reached the door, she was shoved out of the way as Brandon opened the door and let himself in. He glared at her before heading in.

Ocean took a breath and walked in, finding the other four kids and the principal in the room along with their English teacher. “What’s going on?”

”Take a seat please” 

Ocean reluctantly took a seat. She kept her eye contact on the adults in front of her and not the teenagers next to her who looked like they were planning a murder.

The principal put five papers on the desk. “Do you know what this is?”

Ocean knew. It was their English essay. One thousand words on your favorite movie. Characters, setting, plot and all. Ocean would get an A. Just like she did on all her assignments but not on this one.

Ocean had been cornered after school by the same four kids who had been tormenting her since fourth grade. The ones right next to her. They basically forced her to do their assignments. They gave her the movie they wanted and didn’t talk to her until she finished them.

Ocean spent the majority of the time at the library after school using the computer to search up said movies because her parents didn’t believe in technology and had no Tv or DVDs. The only time they watched anything was to watch porn and they had forced her to watch it a couple times.

It took four days total to right everyone’s essays and though the successful girl was used to not sleeping to complete stuff. She was up for six days this week after already being up for two.

But it was something she was used to. So she could power through. 

Right now, she was more scared about her punishment for doing the work for them.

”Our English essays?” Ocean spoke after a moment of silence making the others glare at her.

”Yes. They are. But there’s only one problem with them. Care to take a look” the principal pushed the papers toward them and spread them out.

They all instantly saw the mistake.

The handwriting was the same.

Ocean was so tired, she forgot to switch fonts for each essays like she did for all their other work.

Ocean turned to the popular teens and oh, if looks could kill.

”The handwriting is the same” Sophia said. “But we can explain!” She pointed at Ocean. “It was that ginger headed b*tch!”

”Language!” Their English teacher finally spoke.

Sophia rolled her eyes. “It was her! She came up to us and forced poor Chrissy to write her essay! We were all busy and Chrissy wrote ours too. But Ocean is the real villain here!” She huffed.

Brandon rose his hand. “I agree. It was probably not the best thing we’ve ever done but Chrissy offered and all she did was write what we said”

The principal turned to Chrissy. “Is this true?” Chrissy nodded. He turned to Travis. “Travis?”

Travis also nodded.

Their English teacher then took out a folder full of assignments from the five of them.

The only one who’s handwriting looked similar to the one on the essays was Ocean’s.

”Sh*t” Ocean heard Travis mutter.

”Weeks detention for the four of you and Ocean, we’ll talk after school”

The four other teens protested at the punishment.

“What?! That’s not fair! How come she gets it easy?!” Sophia yelled.

”Simple. She did nothing wrong. You most likely forced into doing something she didn’t want to”

The four teens began to glare at Ocean again.

”Dismissed” the principal said.

Ocean grabbed her bag and basically sprinted out of the room. She took shelter in the girls bathroom and locked herself into one of the stalls. They were coming. They would hurt her for sure. How could she have been so stupid? 

The loud banging on the stall door pulled her out of her thoughts. She stayed quiet.

”Come out here, short bus!” Brandon yelled. “That stunt you pulled was smart but your dumb to do it”

”It was an accident!” The words left her mouth before she could stop them. “I didn’t to! I swear!”

”You accidentally messed up all of our essays? How dumb do you think we are?!” Travis banged on the door and Ocean flinched.

Eventually, Ocean decided to try and get out herself. The next bell was twenty minutes away. Then she had choir then school was over. All she needed to do was get out of this.

She gripped her bag and slammed the door open, hitting Chrissy. She tried to run but Brandon grabbed her hair. “Where do you think you’re going?” She stepped on his foot then elbowed him in the crotch before dashing off again.

She had the keys to the choir room. She could take refuge there.

She made it to the stairwell and began to steep down the stairs to the ground floor. Her hair was grabbed, this time by Travis, he threw her to the ground.

Chrissy held her bleeding nose and started recording with her non-bloody hand.

Uh Oh.

They always recorded these moments. She would catch them in the cafeteria sometimes watching them and laughing. Sickos.

Sophia grabbed her and made she stand up. “Thought you were slick huh? We get in trouble and you get a warning?” She shoved Ocean against the wall. “Smartass. Always walking around thinking you’re better than everyone. I bet your parents think of you as an angel. Meanwhile, my dad was the most abusive piece of sh*t to me and my mom”

”That’s no reason to hurt me!” Ocean cried.

Sophia slapped her. “How can you say that? You have everything! The grades, the extracurricular, no trouble, never late. Your all the teachers talk about”

”Such a priss” Brandon grabbed her and made her stand in front of Sophia “Apologize to her! Now!”

Ocean looked Sophia in the eyes. “I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. I will never apologize when I’ve done nothing wrong!”

”You ugly little-“ Sophia went to slap her but Ocean grabbed her hand. Reflex from her parents.

“Let go!”

”You’re just like your father!” The words left Oceans mouth before she could stop them and regret flooded through her.

It was dead silent.

Ocean stepped on Brandon’s foot again and attempted to run but Travis grabbed her and pushed her onto the stairs.

Ocean fell down the stairs. The hard concrete scraping against her legs and she banged her head on every step. Her knees slamming into the concrete when she tried to move.

Ocean finally made it to the bottom. The loud sound of laughter in her ears. Her ears were also ringing at the same time. Her legs were in terrible pain. Her knee and ankle especially and oh god, her head was killing her.

She grazed her forehead and pulled back to see blood. Horrified, she sat up to see her legs scraped, bruised and bloody. The blood staining the tights of her uniform and she was scared to move her ankle.

Ocean felt something hit her stomach and fell back. She looked up to see her bag had been dropped on her chest. Ocean took it off her chest and onto her head to help support. She looked back down at her legs. “My legs…oh god…”

Sophia smirked at her. “What were you saying, dork?”

Ocean stayed quiet and they laughed even more. Chrissy still filming.

Brandon laughed. “Your so stupid for saying that”

Ocean turned to Brandon. “I may be ‘stupid’ as you say but at least I’m not lazy and abusive like you guys! I mean look at you! You’ll grow up to be future 7/11 cashiers! I’m working towards a goal here” she turned to Sophia. Ocean never swore but she felt her anger (and fear) rising just looking at Sophia. “B*tch”

Sophia snapped her fingers and just like that, Brandon and Travis began kicking Ocean in the side. Ocean had Chrissy’s hand over mouth as she cried out.

Eventually, the kicking stopped and the hand was removed. Oceans figured it was over only for Sophia to grab her throat and begin choking her with one hand.

Ocean saw a clock five minutes to the bell. When it rung, they would find Ocean like this and hopefully know who did it.

After two minutes of choking her, Sophia let go. Ocean tried to take a deep breath but coughs came out. She kept trying to breathe but she couldn’t. She was full on wheezing now.

Ocean dug through her bag for her inhaler and when she took it out it was snatched. 

“Want this back? Apologize” Sophia said, holding out Ocean’s inhaler.

But Ocean couldn’t apologize. Not only because she didn’t want to but also because she couldn’t breathe. “Give it……give…..it..back” she managed out between wheezes and coughs.

Sophia then dropped the inhaler on the ground and as Ocean reached for it, she stepped on her hand. “Come on guys, let’s report this freak for hurting Chrissy” 

Chrissy stopped recording and followed her friends. On the way out, Travis stepped on her inhaler, crushing it.

Ocean couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t stand. 

But she forced herself to stand up and began limping (mainly leaning on the wall) to the choir room. It was now one minute to the bell and it would be harder to get to the choir room or breathe with all those people around.

Ocean did something she never thought she would. 

She pulled the fire alarm.

As the alarm blared she made it to the choir room and closed the doors behind her. She sat in the empty room, wheezing, as she heard the students racing out the building.

Now what?

Chapter Text

Ocean leaned up against the wall. She kept clawing at her throat and tugging at her collar as if it would let air in. It wasn’t doing any thing. 

Loud wheezes and coughs filled the room. The world was spinning. Black spots were clouding her vision.

Ocean, who could barely keep her eyes open at the moment,  dug through her bag and took out her phone. With shaky hands, she typed:

Ginger: help me 

Connie<3: wtf? You didn’t use grammar?

SpaceMan;): who are you and what have you done with ocean?

Poet#1: REAL

BAD3GG: LOLLL

Penny❤️: lolll

Connie<3: haha

                      ………

Connie<3: Ocean?

Poet#1: i see all of you except ocean 

Penny❤️: oce? You there?

Ginger: pleace halp me

Connie<3: wait Ocean seriously are you okay?

SpaceMan;): ocean?

Poet#1: seriously Ocean what’s wrong

Ginger: i cant broath

BAG3GG: what’s wrong? why are you spelling everything wrong?

Ginger: serry the blood is smearing the screon

SpaceMan;): BLOOD?!

Poet#1: hold up Ocean where are you? 

Ginger: choir roem

Penny❤️: on my way 

BAD3GG: me and space jesus heading over to

Poet#1: coming

Ginger: phsnk you hurry 

Noel, Penny, Mischa, Constance and Ricky all stood together. They had to get in the school. Good thing Noel and Mischa had snuck out a few times enough to know the way back in.

After helping Ricky in, they all basically ran to the choir room. The hall ways purely empty.

They all burst in and were met with the sight of Ocean, beaten up and slouched against the wall. Her face blue, almost purple. 

They all raced towards Ocean.

”Oh my god. What the fuck Ocean?! What happened?” Penny shrieked.

Ocean continued to wheeze and cough as she grabbed and scratched at her collar for air.

”What’s wrong?! Why can’t she breathe?!” Mischa as trying to calm down but failing. To be fair, they were all pretty panicked.

Penny’s eyes widened. “Oh my god! She’s having an asthma attack!” Penny dug through her bag and found the spare inhaler she always kept with her. For Ocean specifically since she didn’t have asthma.

They had been secretly dating for about four months and when Ocean had an asthma attack on the middle of doing homework one day because of the air freshener she used, Penny took extra measures to make sure nothing like that would happen again.

Penny shook the inhaler and put it up to Ocean’s mouth.

Puff.

Ocean felt sleepy and started to close her eyes. Penny shook her. “No! Ocean, you can’t sleep right now!”

Penny waited a couple minutes and did it again.

Constance had tears rolling down her face. “How could I not know you had asthma?!”

”She didn’t want anyone to know. She thought she’d be bullied for it. I mean they found out anyway…” Penny suddenly stopped herself. Could it have been them who did this to Ocean? If so, she’s coming for their asses.

”How do you know she has asthma then?” Noel rose an eyebrow.

Penny almost said. ‘I’m her girlfriend! Of course, I know that!’ But instead said, “She had an asthma attack at my house” Penny shook the inhaler.

Puff.

Ocean was now breathing normally and gasping for air a bit. Penny rubbed her back to soothe her and make her relax.

Ocean’s world was blurry and spinning. She wanted to sleep. She felt very tired. And hungry. And dehydrated. Her head hurt like hell. And her legs were very sore.

Penny kept shaking Ocean and tapping shoulder. “No Ocean, you have to stay awake”

“I-I think we need to take her to the nurses office” Constance said between shaky breaths.

"The nurse isn't in the school Constance! No one is!" Noel exclaimed.

"Well then I don't know!" Constance sobbed.

Penny sighed. She nudged Ocean. "Ocean, baby, can you please tell us about what happened?"

"Baby?" Noel repeated.

Penny's face turned red realizing she was caught but that was a conversation for later. "Please, Ocean, tell us what happened"

"I.....I.." Ocean tried to get the words out but couldn't. She didn't want to tell them. It was embarrassing. Plus they'd laugh at her and side with them. She was annoying, a prick, a waste of space......

"Ocean?" Constance snapped her out of her thoughts as the five of them watched tears roll down her face. She sighed. "Maybe we should take her home"

That made Ocean perk up. What?

Noel sighed. "Good idea" 

No! Not a good idea!

Some of these bruised weren't from her bullies. If they took her home, her parents would do worse.

Mischa sighed. "I'll start the car"

No! No! No! No!

"I CANT GO HOME!" Ocean screamed causing her friends to flinch and for her to go into a coughing fit.

"Ocean?" Constance reached a hand out. 

Ocean scooted farther away from them which was hard because she was up against a wall. "No! No! No! Please don't take me home!" She started sobbing hysterically and hyperventilating to point that they were all sure she wasn't breathing. "Don't take me there.....please...ill do anything....I dont wanna go home" she began scratching at her arms and drawing blood, she pulled at her hair, she bit her lips till they bled.

The others stayed frozen not knowing what to do as Ocean broke down. 

Ricky was the first to move.

He sat next to her and slowly pulled Oceans hand away from her herself and onto her lap before she could more damage.

Mischa was next, as he sat down next to her too and began whispering comforting words to her in Ukrainian. 

Noel was next, he then began to play with Ocean's hair like he did when they were kids and started repeating a montage, "In for 4, Hold for 5, Out for 3". Ocean slowly but surely followed his instructions.

Constance sat down next and wrapped her in a big hug.

Penny couldn't help but smile. She loved her friends. She was glad her and Ocean had them. Penny took a photo. She might be called crazy for it but this was a cute moment.

Soon, Ocean was calm enough and her friends smiled at her.

'Well, if we can't take you home, can we at least take you to the hospital?' Ricky signed.

It took Ocean a bit longer than usual to understand but eventually nodded. Mischa carried her to the car as her friends grabbed their stuff and walked out if school and to the parking lot.

She didn’t know what happened after that but she could recognize the nurses voice and the concerned voices of her friends. 

She heard a doctor saying something about ‘concussion' and ‘sprained ankle’.

Suddenly, she snapped back to reality by a loud and firm, “Ocean”

Ocean blinked a few times before registering being in a hospital bed. She was laying on a bed, a nurse on her left and her friends on the right.

"W-what happened?" Her voice sounded so tired and raspy.

"Good, your awake" the nurse tapped on a clipboard. "Lucky your alive after that asthma attack. What happened to your inhaler?"

Ocean bit her lip. "Um..." 

After a moment of silence, the nurse spoke again. "You have a concussion, a sprained ankle and one busted knee cap. You should take it easy these next couple of days"

"B-but school-"

"Ocean, both your legs are fucked up and you're worrying about school?!" Noel shrieked.

Ocean turned red and looked at her lap.

"I would listen to your friends. I mean both your legs are entirely bruised and battered up! Not to mention, you're dehydrated and your blood sugar is extremely low, are you even eating enough? Or at all?"

Her friend's eyes widened at this new information. They turned to Ocean with a look of concern and pity.

Eventually, the nurse left after informing them that Ocean could be discharged in an hour, and they bought Ocean a bottle of water and painkillers. But hey suggested giving the pills to her after eating something. Ocean downed the bottle of water so quickly that her friends sprinted off to get her one from the vending machine. It was also decided that the choir would have a sleepover at Constance's place.

Great. Now she would have to explain herself.