Author Note: Trigger warning. If you are likely to be triggered by mental/physical abuse, violence, or mental health topics, I advise skipping to the author's note for a recap of the episode.  -Rainfall

"What the hell is your problem? Do you think you can turn around and be all buddy-buddy with me after what you did?" A jock yelled at his friend. Ricki and Ezra were walking into the school building when they came across a fight in the courtyard. 

"Oh no," Ricki whispered to himself. One of the things that he hated the most was watching people fight. The angry aura radiating off the fighting duo reached him and flipped his stomach uneasily. He jumped when a hand grabbed his arm tightly. It was Ezra, his face stony as he stared straight ahead. Ricki felt some of the tension melt in his chest. 

"Do you want to leave?" Ezra asked, leaning down to speak near Ricki's ear. Students were pressing up all against them and forcing them near the two boys. Shouts and chants roared in a mess of noise that made Ricki's head pound. He nodded, moving closer to Ezra when more people shoved around him. 

Ezra, still gripping his arm tightly, turned to leave the crowd. One particular group of rowdy sophomores pushed into them and sent Ricki crashing onto the ground. His heart dropped like a heavy stone when he realized that he had landed two feet away from the fighting boys. 

"Ricki!" Ezra called. Ricki could feel the start of panic as everyone moved back. He was ringed in with people fighting. There was too much noise. There was no way out. He picked himself up and tried to walk away. The last thing he wanted or needed was to be roped into this. 

"Get in there NOW! You worthless trash!" Ricki was slapped across the mouth and kicked into a tiny closet. The darkness closed in on him as he heard the scrape of a lock. Too small. The walls. The walls are moving. Blood.  

Ricki gasped and shook his head wildly. He had no idea what the flash was. It couldn't be real. He had no memories of that even happening. But the panic, hurt, and the pain was all too real. It came back in full force. Ricki forced himself to breathe. He was standing on the cement. He focused on the row of lockers. Their ugly tan color helped bring some clarity to his mind. 

Ricki staggered over to the sea of people. Though he hated crowds, at the moment he wanted nothing more than to melt into it. 

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The students chanted as the jock punched the other kid in the mouth. 

"Worthless." Ricki was pushed down the steps.

The other student socked the jock in the chest. 

"Disgusting." Ricki was smacked in the head. 

The two guys were kicking and punching. Ricki fell to his knees, unable to walk anymore on his shaky legs. He felt frozen. What was happening to him? These weren't his memories. Right? Blood was gushing out of the jock's nose. Two security guards came sprinting past Ricki to the two boys. They each seized them by their arms and pulled them apart. 

Through the haze of panic, Ricki was amazed at how quickly the crowd dispersed after the fight de-escalated. He sucked in heaving breaths as he stared at a crack in the ground. 

"Ricki!" A pair of strong arms wrapped around his middle and pulled upward. Disoriented, he stood up with the person. "Look at me." Ricki raised his a fraction of an inch. He was wobbly. It was as if he had just gotten off an extreme roller coaster. His eyes collided with Ezra's. The arms didn't move. 

Ricki let out a shaky breath and melted into Ezra's hug. He couldn't speak yet. He was thrown off. He had panic attacks before, but it was never something like this. And those images- Ricki shuddered deeply before burying his face in Ezra's chest.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here. I'm here." Ezra softly stroked the top of Ricki's head, carefully avoiding his sore spot. Ricki's rapid heartbeat calmed in Ezra's embrace. "I'm here, Ricki. I'm here."