Did that actually just happen?

Sometimes, while working in the school I do, you have to ask yourself the question, did that actually just happen?

Yesterday, at the back gate after school, we were trying to shoo the kids home so that we could finish parent teacher conferences (Read:the smart ones who finished the conferences before Friday could lay by the pool).

Ivy and I were shooing away the kids when we look at the giant field behind our school and see a circle of 7th grade boys. We immediately begin walking towards the circle, because a circle means only one thing: potential fight. (Oh how I wish it was for duck, duck, goose.)

I start running, thinking, crap crap crap I hope they don't fight and look in the middle of the circle. THERE are 2 FIRST GRADE boys in the middle. I sigh with relief, and then see the FIRST GRADERS start kicking each other's asses. They were punching, throwing each other to the ground, and generally beating the shit out of one another.

I yell, "STOP." They all look around, see me, and one of the first grade perps BOOKS it across the field. I break out into a full out sprint, trying to chase this boy, while Ivy goes after the other one, and all of the other boys stare at me as I'm sprinting across the field. (Think giant park. Like a football field.)

As the first grader is running away, he throws up DOUBLE MIDDLE FINGERS at the kid who he was fighting, then at ME.

WHAT? Shut the front door. Oh no you didn't just throw up double middle fingers at me and another kiddo.

So I run faster. And as I'm catching up with him, his older brother picks him up and sprints into the neighborhood. I lost him. Crap.

But as I walk back to the other boy who didn't run, we found out these things
a) the boys really didn't want to fight
b) the 7th graders pimped out their brothers to fight so they could watch

I'd like you to re-read b. That's right. They made the boys fight each other.

Did that just actually happen?

And please imagine a sweet first grade boy throwing up double middle fingers. I couldn't stop laughing. Although it was inappropriate.