DISCLAIMER: Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja is owned by Jed Elinoff, Scott Thomas, and Disney. I am, in no way, affiliated with the show.

Sophomore year, despite what any frightening rumors the upperclassmen would spread, actually wasn't bad compared to freshman year; it was worse. Yes, everything the sophomores of yesterday had told the sophomores of today, from the harsh teachers to the mountains of homework and projects, were true, and it was every student's nightmare; every student except Debbie Kang, of course.

Unlike her classmates, Debbie loved a good challenge. Strict teachers didn't scare her and a couple of difficult homework assignments were mere child's play. Debbie knew she was the best, and she had no qualms with proving it to anybody who questioned it. It was just her luck, however, that the one who dared—who had the very audacity—to do so happened to be in her first period biology class.

Randy Cunningham, whom she'd had the displeasure of sitting behind in Spanish class last year, would be haunting her once more with his presence. If that wasn't bad enough, fate decided to play some kind of sick joke, placing the only available seat left right next to his, and if that wasn't bad enough, the seats were literally right next to each other; two seats, two people, one table. The school year barely started and already it was at a terrible start.

With a soft groan and a roll of her eyes, Debbie forced herself to move toward her designated seat by default, hoping not to catch the attention of her classmate. His head was down, so naturally she assumed was asleep. Typical, she thought. I swear, if he drools, I'm going to…

There was a loud cracking sound, made from a ruler snapping hard on the table, waking Randy from his zombie-like state with a yell. Even Debbie had to admit the sudden sound was startling, especially since she hadn't even heard the woman whom made it come in the room, let alone shut the door.

Probably no taller than five-foot-five, wearing a black pantsuit and a firm scowl behind thick, black-rimmed glasses, the woman standing beside their table had to be their teacher, Mrs. Locklear, and Debbie could swear everything she'd heard about the woman was true. The woman's skin was practically white as the snow, probably from the deadly cold aura emanating around her; her dark brown eyes were practically soul-piercing, and her ash-blonde hair pulled tightly back into a bun only seemed to add to her intimidating appearance. She looked like a saleswoman for Satan, complete with long, red fingernails.

Was Debbie afraid of her? Not at all, but she could swear that she saw Randy—and a few other students—shaking a little bit out of the corner of her eye.

"Good morning, class," Mrs. Locklear greeted, her voice coming out as calm and smooth rather than malicious and venomous like everyone, including Debbie, suspected. She crossed her arms, cold gaze drifting over to Randy. "I'm aware that the first day of class can be rather tedious, Mr. Cunningham, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't fall asleep in my class."

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

Debbie couldn't help but grin. The class hadn't even officially begun and she already liked the teacher. Mrs. Locklear made her way to the podium in the front of the room. If the rumors held any water, she would be reviewing the syllabus before assigning the first project, and that was fine. So long as she didn't have to be partners with the bonehead beside her she'd gladly take five projects.

After about twenty minutes of reviewing the syllabus, which every student, including Debbie herself, had pretty much tuned out since it included the same content every other teacher's syllabus entailed minus the lab protocol, Mrs. Locklear began going over the first project they would be assigned for the semester. "We will be spending a lot of time on cells, so each of you will be paired up to build a model of the cell of your choice, eukaryote, prokaryote, or plant, and write a report on the cell's contents and functions," she explained.

That didn't sound too bad; first grade work, in Debbie's mind, though her classmate's groaning seemed to indicate they thought otherwise. Unfortunately, before she could even think out her work plan, regardless of who her partner would end up being, Mrs. Locklear continued with the assignment plan, an unsettling grin on her face.

"And just so no one feels left out, I will be assigning your partners."

The students let out a loud and mutual groan of disappointment. Even Debbie found her hopes sinking a little. She was confident in her ability to do the work perfectly and without any trouble, though she had a feeling that, depending on who her assigned partner would be, it would prove to be a bit of a headache.

Mrs. Locklear started announcing partners, and Debbie slowly started to get her hopes back up. Rachel was to be paired up with Julian; Bucky was with Doug; Pradeep was with Dave; everyone Debbie knew she would have a frustrating time working with were quickly being eliminated from the list of potential lab partners. The only ones left who would cause her to tear her hair out were Ranginald and…

"Randy Cunningham will be working with Debbie Kang."

Debbie's muscles tensed as Randy snapped back to reality the moment his name was said. This was it; her worst nightmare had come true. The one person who could possibly make this project a living hell was assigned to be her partner. Just when she thought the school year was getting off to a good start with their teacher, it takes a sharp U-turn for the worst.

Once the class ended, Debbie gathered her things and quickly made her way towards Mrs. Locklear's desk, managing to escape the crowd of students exiting the classroom. Her efforts might be fruitless, but perhaps if she asked politely she might be able to change partners. Randy was infamous for his laziness and stupidity, maintaining a C and D average throughout freshman year; he was pretty obnoxious to boot. There was no way she'd be able to do this project without murdering him in the process.

Mrs. Locklear didn't seem to pay Debbie any mind as she sat down at her desk, more than likely assuming she was simply waiting for the crowd to die down. The perfect time to pop the question. With a heavy breath, clearing her mind of doubt, Debbie stated her request. "Mrs. Locklear, I'd like to request a new partner for this project."

Mrs. Locklear looked up from whatever documents she been glancing over, giving Debbie a look that seemed to say, "Are you kidding?" The blonde sighed, stacking the papers she had in her hand and placing them to the side. "Miss Kang, my word is final," she said. "There will be no partner exchanges. However, if I might ask, why do you wish to work with someone else? And don't give me petty excuses such as 'I don't like him' or 'he smells weird'."

He's an idiot. That was Debbie's first thought, but naturally that wouldn't fly, especially not with Mrs. Locklear. She tried to think of something else, another reason for her wanting a new partner that wouldn't sound hateful or egotistical. "He's… Randy is incredibly difficult to work with. I've had to work with him in the past, and I just don't feel we're compatible. I believe that our working together will only sabotage both of our grades."

Much to her surprise, a smile seemed to stretch Mrs. Locklear's lips. Debbie wasn't too sure why, but there was something discomforting about that smile. "Miss Kang," the teacher began, "grades are of little importance to me, as they should be to you. While students need passing grades in order to graduate, I believe the bonds students form with one another and the memories they're left with are richer and much more valuable than any degree you'll receive in life."

Bonds and memories? The woman was starting to sound like someone out of a movie; she was speaking nonsense! Debbie couldn't help but grumble with disappointment.

"If there are any problems between the two of you, please come to me about it or the guidance counselor, but I'm sure you're both old enough to work it out yourselves. This project is a team effort, so do try to cooperate with one another."

Howard's bellowing laughter was actually much more distracting than Randy would have ever thought possible. Before their next class started, he thought he'd tell him about Mrs. Locklear and how she assigned him and Debbie Kang to be partners for their first project, hoping he'd get some sympathy or even some advice from his best friend; instead he got some mocking laughter.

"Thanks, man. Yeah, thanks a lot. You're a big help."

Finally the laughter started to die down, but the amused grin was still wide on the ginger's face. "You and know-it-all Kang working together has gotta be the most hilarious thing I've heard all morning. Man, it sure does suck to be you."

"You are literally the worst person I know," Randy sighed. He had to admit, however, that Howard had a point. Working together with Debbie was going to suck. It wasn't because she was obnoxious or a 'know-it-all' as his best friend put it, but because she had the itching urge to always point out that she was an obnoxious know-it-all. For whatever reason she always felt the need to remind her peers that she was the smartest in the class, not that seeing her name on top of the honor roll every semester wasn't enough evidence of that.

Randy didn't hate Debbie per se; he'd just rather suffer through Julian's rambling, Bucky's horrible puns, and Heidi forgetting his name every five seconds combined than put up with her ego. "Maybe it won't be so bad," Howard added, sounding less than convincing.

"Yeah, and maybe I won't have to shove scissors in my ears."

Perhaps he was being a bit bitter, but there were plenty of other people Randy would much rather do the project with; people who wouldn't belittle him for being, for lack of a better term, less intelligent than them. He mumbled to himself as Howard continued making jokes about the situation. Randy knew that these nest couple of weeks were going to go by painfully slow.

Debbie had planned out a perfect work schedule over the course of an hour or two. If she and Randy worked on their project during lunch in the library, they should be able to get it done weeks before it was due. This way they wouldn't have to spend as much time together and they wouldn't have to meet up after school. The less painful the better.

When the next bell rang, releasing the students for lunch, Debbie made a beeline toward the purple haired boy, hoping to catch him before he sat down in the cafeteria. The only thing she hadn't counted on with the study plan was Howard, Randy's best friend whom he was practically glued to the hip to. She knew they'd be together once she confronted him, and she knew Howard would probably try to tag along once she pulled his best friend away.

I guess that's just the risk I'm going to have to take.

With a swallow of her pride, she made her way to catch up with the taller teen, hoping to look as casual as possible. The last thing she wanted was to draw attention; she didn't need any rumors to start going around. "Randy," Debbie called his name, grabbing a hold of his shoulder before he could walk off any further.

Randy seemed to flinch a little at her touch, muscles growing tense as he whirled around to face her. She had let go of him by then, but she would assume he started to relax once he saw that she wasn't any threat to him. Weird, she thought. Never took Randy as the anxious type.

"Ugh, what do you want, Kang?" Howard asked with a rather unfriendly tone. This was no surprise to her. She expected a relatively irritated greeting from the two of them; not that she cared, of course.

Debbie wasn't going to grace the ginger with a response. She was above his kind of childish jeers. Besides, she was just here to talk to Randy. "Eat your lunch quickly and meet me in the library. The sooner we get this project done, the less we have to see of each other. Bring your biology book."

"Wait, you want to work on it right now?"

"Did I stutter?"

Randy simply rolled his eyes, which Debbie took as her cue to turn on her heel and leave. She didn't bother asking him if he actually intended on showing up, and she didn't intend on waiting for him. Even Randy Cunningham knew better than to test her patience. While she wasn't like Heidi, taking secrets and rumors and exaggerating them on her web show, Debbie could be cruel in her own right, and she had known Randy long enough to make working together his personal hell on earth.

Don't test me, Cunningham.

Debbie made her way to the library on the second floor. Sometimes she had to remind herself just how huge Norrisville High actually was; three giant floors including a gymnasium, an auditorium, and a cafeteria. Actually, with how large the school was and how many students were enrolled it was a wonder why they didn't have two cafeterias. Nonetheless, throughout freshman year Debbie acquainted herself with each hallway of the school and managed to map it out perfectly in her head. Unlike quite a few of her peers, she quickly found herself getting lost less and less as the year went on.

Due to it being lunchtime, and on the very first day of school no less, there didn't seem to be anyone else in the library except the librarian himself. That was fine. They could get more work done and won't be seen doing it. Debbie put her books down and took a seat at one of the closest tables by the door. She wasn't sure how long Randy would keep her waiting; hopefully not too long. She didn't feel like marching into the cafeteria and dragging him by the ear. No, that would only look suspicious.

Before she could lose herself too deep in thought, the faint sound of a creaking door grabbed her attention. There was a slight suspicion that it would be a teacher or even Bucky, but the disheveled purple hair sticking out like a sore thumb pushed them aside. A part of her was actually a little surprised he showed up, without Howard, no less. She should probably be grateful, though. Thinking about it, she could have probably worded her request a little better and with a friendlier tone.

"Alright, I'm here by your dictatorial request," Randy sighed, taking the seat across from her. "I know how much you like homework, but are you seriously that eager to get this stupid project done?"

"Quit your complaining," Debbie snapped. "I don't want to work with you, and you don't want to work with me. If we get the project done weeks in advance, we won't have to put up with each other. Sound like a plan?"

Randy bit his lip. He was more than likely taking her words into consideration, and with another sigh and a shrug of his shoulders, Debbie knew she had won the argument. As much as fighting with him annoyed the hell out of her, it was always worth it to come out of the debate victorious.

"The first three chapters are all about cells, so we'll start from there."

For about ten minutes or so, Randy has been tapping his pencil on the table, trying to follow all of Debbie's biology jibber jabber. They had decided, or rather Debbie had decided, that their project would be on plant cells for a reason he didn't bother remembering or argue with. Science wasn't his worst subject, be he certainly did find it the least interesting next to history. It definitely didn't help that he had the misfortune of being partners with the most infuriating girl in the entire class. How was he supposed to keep himself from tearing his hair out?

"Are you listening?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening."

Debbie was giving him an irritable glare, looking him over as if she were trying to determine whether or not he was telling the truth. He actually had been listening, sort of. He tuned in for what he needed to know and that was about it; everything else was filtered out by his daydreaming. How long did lunch even go on for?

"Then what was the last thing I said?" Debbie asked, crossing her arms.

"Something about chloromill."

"Chlorophyll."

Oh, of course, and if he knew any better she would go off on a rant about his lack of focus. Chloromill, chlorophyll, either way it was weird word to both say and write. To be completely honest, Randy really wasn't interested in listening to what she had to say. This project wasn't due for weeks, and while he would love to get it out of the way and never have to work with her again, there was simply no motivation.

Just as he suspected, she started going off about his laziness, something he easily tuned out. It was a similar song he had heard before; nothing new to him. Once you received the same lecture from a various set of teachers, you really start becoming unaffected by it.

"This is exactly why I wanted to hurry and get this project over with. If you're not going to take this seriously, then I'll just do the whole thing myself like always. I don't need you slowing me down."

Randy was about to retort until something about her statement made him pause. "Like always?"

Not even a second passed until a loud crash broke the harsh tension between them. Debris from the freshly broken wall had flown across the room, causing the two teens to duck under the table in panic. The sound of a whirring chainsaw and a monstrous howl was enough for Randy to recognize one of Viceroy's wolf-robot hybrids, and by the sound of screaming students he could guess that this hadn't been its first stop. Damn. I gotta get away from Debbie.

Randy glanced beside him where the mall girl had hunched over, covering her ears to try and tune out the sound of the chainsaw. Would she notice if he left? No, he couldn't just leave her here, but he couldn't let that abomination run wild, either. He had to come up with something quick before anybody got hurt. I gotta lure it away from here.

"Debbie," he turned toward her, hoping he didn't sound alarming, "I'm going to lure that thing away from here. When you get the chance, get out."

For a moment it seemed she hadn't heard him, or if she had his words hadn't registered. After a moment or so Debbie turned to look at him, her brow quirked in a rare form of fear and worry. "Are you insane? You'll be killed!"

"It'll be fine!" Randy argued. "Head for the back door once the coast is clear."

She probably had more arguments for him, but he wasn't going to waste more time to listen to them. He slid out from under the table and waved his arms wildly, gaining the attention of the hybrid. "Hey, ugly! Looking for someone?"

It was no surprise to him that his taunts only angered it. With another growl the chainsaw whirred back to life again. Randy had to think fast; he had to give Debbie time to escape, but he couldn't risk her catching him with the ninja mask. Once the hybrid pounced, he had to time his dodge just right or risk getting sliced up like Christmas dinner.

The second he saw the hybrid's leg twitch, Randy knew his time to move would come any second. The hybrid lifted it's large, mechanical hand, bringing it down in a quick swing. Randy managed to jump out of the way with just a few milliseconds to spare, trying not imagine Debbie cringing at the sharp blades of the chainsaw digging into the floor so close to where she hid.

Sure, she was annoying, but naturally he didn't want any harm to come to her and the very idea of her scared out of her wits made his stomach turn.

"Is that all you got?" Randy continued to taunt the hybrid, hoping to distract it long enough for Debbie to escape and for him to put on the mask. He broke into a sprint as he left the library and made his way down the hall. A few stray students dashed into nearby classrooms as they saw the hybrid chasing after him. So far so good.

When he finally came to a janitor's closet, Randy took the opportunity to quickly hide inside and put on the mask. The urgency he felt, wanting to end this battle as soon as possible, seemed a little odd to him. He never wanted these battles to last long due to the fear of innocent bystanders getting injured, but there was just something different about today, a tightening in his stomach that made this fight more serious.

You'll be killed!

That's right. Debbie. Despite their history she still showed genuine concern about his wellbeing, and if he were to be completely honest he hated leaving her back there. Debbie Kang wasn't the type to scare easily, but for all she knew he was dead right now. On top of that, he was worried if she made it out okay. Surely she did, but the thought continued to gnaw away at him. There's only one way to know for sure.

Bursting out of the closet, now donning the ninja gear, he found the hybrid tormenting a few wayward students, his cue to end this fight. He drew a katana from wherever the suit magically keeps it and charged at the abomination, taunting it some more along the way. "Hey, swamp breath! Your fight's with me!"

This quickly grabbed the hybrid's attention. It turns to him, howling angrily and swatting him aside with ease. Randy manages to catch himself before crashing into the lockers, pushing himself off the ground with his hand and landing back on his feet. He was relieved to see the students seized their opportunity to flee. Despite the large hallways, it would be difficult defending a group of students while fighting off a killer werewolf robot.

Randy ducked to the side as the hybrid brought down its chainsaw arm. He took his sword and jammed it into its side, cringing a little at the pained howl. No matter how many times you hear similar screams, one never got quite used to them; at least Randy didn't. Nonetheless he couldn't let them get to him; the ninja had a job to do, a job in which hundreds of lives depended on him. There was no time to be squeamish.

Drawing his blade back, Randy jumped over the hybrid, hoping to get a clean cut through its neck in order to finish the fight. Unfortunately, before he could do so, the hybrid caught him by the scarf and yanked him back, throwing him across the hallway. Randy fell to the floor, his shoulder practically slamming into the tiles, dropping the sword in the process. "Dammit," he mumbled under his breath, coughing slightly after having been nearly strangled to death.

The sight of the mixture of blood and oil oozing at the hybrid's side definitely wasn't helping his mild coughing fit, but he's managed to stomach worse. Can't stay down for long. Randy made a grab for his sword, the pain shooting across his shoulder blades making it a little difficult, but not even a moment later the hybrid lunged toward him. Though he managed to grab a hold of the sword, his reaction time had been off, allowing the hybrid to dig its claws into his forearm.

Randy let out a shrill cry of pain as the skin tore. The muscles in his arm felt as if they had been set aflame, but he couldn't let it stop him. He had to take this opportunity; destroy the creature before it backed away. Biting his lip as an attempt to block out the pain, Randy forced himself to slide underneath the hybrid, knowing full well he wouldn't have a chance going over it. Finally, in one swift motion, he brought his blade down to the metal monstrosity's neck, cutting its head clean off.

In a matter of seconds the hybrid fell to its knees, the corpse eventually collapsing to the floor as Randy landed on his feet not too far away, victorious. The ninja's breathing was heavy, his heart pounding against his chest. Just like after every battle, Randy found himself exhausted, only this time he was hoping that lightheaded feeling wasn't coming from the loss of blood from his arm. As time went on he found himself getting better and more efficient in combat, but he still seemed to be making careless errors in judgment resulting in injury.

Well, that could've gone better.

Students and faculty started pouring out of their hiding places in classrooms and behind corridors, clapping and cheering about their savior's latest victory. In spite of what was supposed to be a joyous moment, Randy didn't really feel like celebrating; not just yet. Debbie… Her name played over and over again in his mind like a mantra. The last time he'd seen her there had been the rare look of fright in her eyes, something that just didn't sit right with him. I have to make sure she's okay.

"Smoke bomb!"

It wasn't in Debbie's nature to take orders from anybody, so naturally when Randy told her to leave the library as soon as she could, she had absolutely no intention of doing so. Was he honestly expecting her to just let him run off and get himself killed? I don't think so.

Only a moment or two had passed after Randy and the monster left the area, leaving Debbie to get her composure back together and follow in suit. Twenty minutes had passed since then, and twenty minutes she'd been wondering how she could have possibly lost sight of them. The school was big, but was it really possible for her to lose them so easily? It was a boy with purple hair and a giant robotic werewolf; pretty hard to miss, in her opinion.

Finally, in one of the many English hallways, she came across the slender boy, walking slowly with a slight hunch and holding onto his arm as if it could fall off at any moment. A wave of relief washed over her. Debbie was glad to see him alive and well, but the relief was short lived once she noticed why he had been holding onto his arm so firmly. Though barely noticeable at first, Debbie could spot three claw like gashes on his left forearm, oozing with fresh blood.

Her stomach tightened, heart jumping into her throat as a sudden jolt of panic flooded her body. "Randy!" she cried, her voice surprisingly sounding more like a shriek rather than a composed yell. Debbie couldn't help but run toward him. This was nothing like the minor cuts and bruises he'd often receive after some ridiculous stunt with Howard; these were serious injuries, ones that required immediate medical attention.

"Are you alright?" Stupid question. "What happened?"

Randy looked at her with a quirked brow. He seemed to be surprised to bump into her, but for whatever reason that look of confusion faded into his own look of relief. His lips stretched into a small smile, which Debbie found both comforting and annoying. What did he have to be smiling about? Did the fact that his arm was tore open not bother him? Was this just another day in the park for him? The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to smack him, and if he wasn't obviously hurting she probably would have.

"Oh, hey, Debbie," he greeted with a sigh. "I was just coming to look for you."

Upon further inspection, Debbie noticed a small bruise on his forehead, just barely hidden by his bangs, and a small cut on his lower lip. It was a horrible sight. "Did that thing attack you? Should I call an ambulance?"

"No!"

Debbie was honestly taken aback by Randy's sudden outburst. It wasn't often he'd shout like that, let alone have the look of absolute fear in his eyes. He seemed pretty adamant about not wanting to go the hospital, but why? Those were some pretty nasty injuries. He couldn't possibly be serious about not seeking professional help.

"I, um," he started to mumble, as if wracking his brain for a logical reason for not wanting to see a doctor. He bit his lip, which made Debbie cringe, even more so when it started to bleed. "Y-You know, it's actually not as bad as it looks. It's just the blood… It makes it look a lot worse. I'm fine, really."

Randy refused to make eye contact, and Debbie refused to believe he was anything close to fine. His skin was beginning to look a little pale. She was sure if that if he lost any more blood he'd pass out, then he'd have no choice but to go the hospital. Debbie knew what she had to do, and she'd be damned if he prevented her from doing so without an excuse. "Fine. I won't call for an ambulance," she sighed with defeat, "but you should at least let me clean that up for you. The last thing you need is for a wound like that to get infected."

By his grumbling, Randy didn't seem to want to comply with her, but it was obvious he wasn't going to argue with her. Debbie couldn't blame him. They hadn't exactly been the best of friends in the past, and having to take help from someone he clearly wasn't very fond of had to be difficult. No matter how she felt about him in return, there was no way she was going sit back and let him make his injuries worse.

So with some reluctance and care not to run into any other students or faculty, the two made their way to the nurse's office. They knew the nurse would be doing her rounds, going around the school in search for anybody who might have gotten hurt. If Randy didn't want to go the hospital, Debbie could imagine he didn't want to run into the nurse, either. I wonder why, she thought to herself. I know he's hurting, and he knows I know, so why keep it a secret? Is he afraid of hospitals or something?

When they arrived at the nurse's office, Debbie made a quick peek inside just to make sure it was vacant. Once the coast was clear, they made their way inside, Debbie quietly closing the door behind them so nobody could peer inside and catch them. Being inside the nurse's office, let alone using any of the medical items would get them in some serious trouble.

"Take a rag out of the cabinet above the sink and run some warm water over it," Debbie ordered, making her way over to the metal cabinet across the room to get the rest of the supplies. "Once you clean up the blood, rinse it out and get a clean rag to press down on the wounds. Don't rub it."

Randy didn't say anything but followed her orders regardless. Debbie hated turning her back to him, because every time she heard him groan she imagined him cringing in unimaginable pain. She didn't even want to think about the pain she'd be inflicting once she applied to the hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin on his arm.

After a moment or two of digging around, she found a first aid kit with bandages, gauze, and other materials she'd need to dress the wound. "Come over here. We need to make this quick before the nurse comes back."

The two of them seemed to be dragging their feet toward the bed. They both wanted to get it over with, but neither of them were mentally prepared for it. It was hard to imagine that only a half hour ago they were in the library, bickering with one another. Now they were in the nurse's office, tending to one of the most gruesome injuries Debbie had ever seen on a classmate. It was actually kind of funny how she thought she'd never feel sympathy for Randy, and yet here they were.

Debbie took out a few bandages and the hydrogen peroxide out of the first aid kit. Carefully pouring some hydrogen peroxide on the bandages, she motioned for Randy to move the rag away from his arm and hold it up for her. "Try not to yell or scream," she warned quietly. "This might sting a little."

An understatement on her part, actually, for the second she placed the bandages on his arm, his muscles flinched and he let out a small yell, yanking his arm back. "Ow! Dammit! What the juice is that?" Randy exclaimed.

"It's hydrogen peroxide," Debbie explained, trying not to sound as annoyed as she suddenly felt. "It's a disinfectant. This and the Neosporin will keep it from getting infected, now quit whining and give me your arm."

She could tell he wanted to argue, but her helping him was probably what was keeping him from doing so. With some hesitancy, Randy raised his arm once more and allowed Debbie to do what she needed to do. She could feel his muscle tense up when she placed the bandages over the lacerations, dabbing at them every now and again to make sure she covered them all. It must have taken all of his will power not to cry out in pain.

Once that was over, Debbie threw the bandages into the nearby trashcan and took out the Neosporin from the first aid kit. Everything had fallen silent between as she applied the antibacterial cream. Debbie was left to assume that after the hydrogen peroxide the Neosporin wasn't such a big deal to him. Even his muscles started to relax a little, only cringing here and there once her fingers and the cream made contact with his injuries.

Three minutes or so had passed without a single word exchanged between them. Debbie had begun wrapping the wound by this point, much to her stomach's relief. Perhaps it was better if neither of them said anything. Most of their conversations ended up in a fight, and they were trying to keep a low profile at the moment as it was. Nonetheless, if she were being honest, the silence was starting to make Debbie feel a little awkward.

"I, um," Randy fidgeted a little as he forced himself to start a conversation, "I mean, I… Th-Thanks. You know, for helping me."

Another minute of silence passed as Debbie tried to register his words. Did he just thank her? This was both out of character and… Actually kind of nice. She wanted to smile; she wanted to say something nice in return, but then she remembered why he was thanking her to begin with. "You're welcome," she said softly. "Can I assume you're not going to tell me how this happened?"

"Sorry…"

Debbie sighed, taking that as a no. Things started to fall silent between them again, dropping her into another awkward state. It was strange enough being alone with him, but tending to his wounds made the whole ordeal uncomfortable. Thank goodness it was only his arm and nowhere else on his body.

Finally the gashes were wrapped in bandages and gauze and the task was complete, allowing a wave of relief to wash over both of them. Now all that was left was to clean up the mess and hopefully make it look like nobody had been here. "Where did you learn to dress wounds like that?" Randy asked, helping Debbie by throwing away any excess trash or used bandages.

"I took a first aid class over the summer," Debbie explained with a shrug. "I figured it would be something useful to have with how often the school is attacked."

"So, you're like, CPR certified or something?"

"Something like that."

Debbie placed the first aid kit back into the large metal cabinet across the room and closed it up. Hopefully the nurse wouldn't notice any changes once she returned. "Make sure you clean those wounds every few hours or so," she said. "If you don't have hydrogen peroxide at home, you can just use soap and water. Either way it'll sting a little."

She could hear Randy groan behind her, not that she blamed him. If this past hour made Debbie realize anything, it was that Randy wasn't as insufferable as she once thought. He could be annoying and even obnoxious, but there was more to him than that, and a part of her was a little ashamed of how she'd treated him up until now; not that he didn't have his fair share of disrespect, either, but that didn't excuse her actions.

"That was, um," Debbie turned towards him, "that was pretty brave, what you did back there." She was biting her lip and trying to avoid eye contact with him. Giving a compliment certainly wasn't a difficult task, but swallowing her pride and confronting somebody she had loathed for so long definitely proved to be a challenge.

"I mean, it was stupid, but also pretty brave."

When she finally looked over at him, Debbie could see that Randy was merely staring at her. He seemed surprised by her words, and he looked her over as if trying to determine whether or not she was being completely honest. Once he turned away, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to hide a sheepish smile, she could tell that he hadn't found any signs that indicated she'd been lying.

"Th-Thanks…"

Boy, they sure had been stuttering a lot in the past ten minutes. Debbie was actually impressed with how long they've gone without yelling at each other. She remembered reading an article about people coming together after a traumatic experience, and while she wouldn't consider this traumatic per se, it definitely seemed to bring them together at least a little. They hadn't necessarily bonded and Debbie wouldn't go as far as to call themselves friends, but everything between them was going to be much different from here on out.