RED HEAD
McBurger's is Ninten's favourite place to go when he's in the mood for a quick bite, so it's not rare to find him as he is at the moment, sitting at one of the rickety tables munching on a large double burger and fries. Baseball practise dragged out later than usual today, so he decided it wouldn't hurt to treat himself to some fast food before going home for a proper dinner.
Ninten usually doesn't attract much attention with his appearance. A simple striped shirt and denim jeans, a basic style shared by many other 13 year old boys in the city of Ellay, along with a mop of dark hair settled over a youngish face, nothing out of the ordinary.
Yet, he's gathering quite a few passing glances from other customers as they pass by his table.
It's all because of the gorgeous baseball cap he's wearing.
Nicknamed the Testa Rossa, meaning 'Red Head', this sleek, shiny new baseball cap is the envy of all sports and fashion fans alike. Its perfect hemisphere shape, unyielding bill, and rich vibrant red colour all attested to its superior craftsmanship, as well as its ludicrous price and rarity. Only 250 were ever made in the whole country.
But having a rather wealthy and influential father has its advantages. Suffice to say it was the best birthday present ever, and Ninten has worn it every chance he got, partly to show his love for baseball, partly to show… off. As humble a boy Ninten is, he can't help but indulge in the 'wow's that his Testa Rossa draws now and then.
Though it can be a bit annoying at times. Like now, being interrupted constantly to satisfy curious customers who want a closer look at his red cap is getting rather unbearable when he's trying to eat, so he pulls the Testa Rossa off his head and sets it aside.
The burger and fries finished, Ninten feels like a soda would compliment his dinner nicely, so he heads up to the cashier for just that. Handing the employee some coins and receiving his pop in return, he turns to go back to his seat…
His eyes shoot wide open.
Walking out of the McBurger's is a rather large and muscular man in a red wife beater with two capital letter B's on the back, his great broad shoulders and biceps tattooed with an identical design. The man's hair style is wild, the black hair sculpted to stick out like a cannon from the front. A pair of dark, sharp looking sunglasses completed the brazen appearance.
And on the man's head, leaving the store with him, a Testa Rossa hat.
His Testa Rossa hat.
Because when Ninten quickly looked back at his table, he couldn't find his prized red cap sitting on it with his food tray.
That man stole it.
Ninten had often been approached about the wisdom of openly wearing something as valuable as his Testa Rossa as frequently as he did, especially in such a big and crowded city like Ellay, but he'd always conclude his cap was better off worn on his head than sitting in some glass case and never to see the light of day. At the moment, that decision feels quite unwise.
Of course, his first reaction is to rush out after that man in a flurry of anger and snatch it back. But he hesitates. And rightly so.
The double B design on the back of that man's clothes is infamous in Ellay. It signifies the Blah-Blah Gang, a group of rough, destructive, dangerous menaces that prowl the many streets of the city, looking for targets to terrorize. And as incompetent as the city's Police Department is, the Gang has mostly free reign to do so. Even though actual, publicised examples of their violence are quite rare, they have developed a reputation that demanded fear from the civilians.
Ninten is no exception. He is scared of them. Especially the guy who took his hat, he looks absolutely hazardous to cross.
But his Testa Rossa... one of only 250 in the country...
His drink completely forgotten, he rushes out the door after the thief. Thankfully, the Gang member had an exceptionally easy to spot build, made even easier by the red cap on his head showing like a beacon. He was strutting away from the store in a slow swagger, hands in his jean pockets.
Ninten determinedly follows after him, but pauses in his step after seeing the large Gang member roughly push aside another teenager that had accidentally stepped in his path, before continuing his slow pace.
His uncertainty and fear intensifying, Ninten dispels any ideas of a direct confrontation, which is seeming less and less likely to gain him anything other than broken bones.
But the Testa Rossa… his red hat seems to call out to him as it slowly shrinks with distance. He jogs a few steps toward it, but then slows down again, unable to make up his mind on what exactly to do. He eventually settles to matching the slow stride of the Gangster, keeping a safe distance behind but close enough to not lose sight of him, as his brain sputters and tries to come up with a plan.
They wind through the streets and buildings, unmindful of the other pedestrians sharing their sidewalk. In all honesty Ninten isn't even sure what he's doing. What's going to happen when the man eventually stops at his destination? Where is that, even? But his unwillingness to let his hat out of his sight keeps him moving.
The Gang member twists and turns along the roads, almost as if purposely trying to muddle Ninten's directions. The tall skyscrapers turn into small houses and shops. They go over a bridge. They head under a tunnel. They cross some railroad tracks. The Gang member never once breaks his stride, never once turns back. The hours pass and the distance stretches, the sun begins to dip down behind rooftops. Ninten continues to tail that Gang member almost hypnotically, with single-minded purpose yet no coherent plan. He is vaguely aware that it is long past when his mother expected him to be home, and his rational side has been urging him to abandon the effort and go back for a while now. Yet he continues to commit, stubbornly suppressing any notion that would lead him away from his Testa Rossa.
But his instincts are flaring up alarms now, as they walk into a well known 'bad' district of the city. A lot of run down brick buildings and garbage fluttering along the streets attest to that distinction. The streetlights sputter on as night begins to creep in. He forcefully swallows down his fear, large brown eyes set on the well built man and the red hat on his head.
Ninten loses line of sight for a second as the Gang member turns a corner. He picks up the pace to not fall behind.
When he turns the same corner, he finds himself in an empty alleyway paved with broken glass bottles and loose papers, surrounded with brick buildings covered in graffiti, many of which are the double B's of the Blah-Blah Gang. He looks around. Where did that guy go? He's sure that he saw him turn this corner…
As Ninten turns around to head out, he almost jumps out of his skin. The man he's been tailing appears as if melting out of a shadow, his wide shoulders and bulging arms slide into view, framed against the sickly yellow light from the street to make him seem like a monstrous silhouette with slim sunglasses. And a nice red hat.
Ninten finds himself completely engulfed by the shadow the Gangster cast. He is trapped.
His hairs standing on end, heartbeat accelerating, Ninten fixates on the Gang member's face. But it shows nothing. No wicked smile, no seething anger, no apparent intent that he's going to hurt him.
The beefy man takes a step forward. Ninten steps back.
He takes another step forward. The 13 year old boy takes another back.
He takes another step forward. Ninten stands his ground.
Even though his entire body from head to toe is hot with fear and adrenaline, he recognized that continuing to concede steps would do nothing but get him backed against a wall. So he rallies his remaining courage, and stands his ground, staring up against the Gang member's face.
The Gang member raises a sleek eyebrow, as if amused.
"What's your name, kid?" He asks in a voice as smooth and sharp as his sunglasses.
Ninten doesn't answer, trying to work out if giving his name would somehow give this Gangster more control over him. Though he is honestly surprised this was the first thing said to him, he expected something more blatantly threatening.
"C'mon. Ya gotta have a name." The Gang member presses. "I don't wanna have to call you 'scrap meat' the rest of the time. Here, I'll tell ya mine. I'm Teddy."
It takes a while for him to find his voice, and manage to say out, in a more or less steady tone, "Ninten."
"Ninten huh. Alright, I can roll with that. So tell me…" The innocuously named Gang member steps closer to the boy, further highlighting the size difference between them. The wife beater seems to make his muscles stand out, and the black ink of his double B tattoos gleamed ominously. "What are you doing around these parts?"
It goes without saying that Ninten wants nothing to do with these parts whatsoever. He feels he can barely breathe, with the cold unwelcoming surroundings and the criminal looking man bearing down on him. But he followed him all the way out here for a reason.
"…that's a really nice hat." He decides to play it coy, see if he can get around any possibility of getting hurt. He forces himself to sound normal.
"Huh?" Teddy pulls the Testa Rossa off his bulky hair. "You mean this? Well you got good taste, Ninten, I'll give you that. I'm guessing you know what this is and how rare it is?"
"Where did you get it?" Ninten asks innocently.
The Gang member chuckles lowly. "You like it, don't ya?" He holds the Testa Rossa out in Ninten's face, as if trying to provoke the boy to do something rash.
Ninten's eyes are glued to the red cap, the red fabric looking flawless as usual. As it should, he takes very good care of his prized hat, making sure not a speck of dirt remains on its scarlet surface at all times.
Then it's pulled away, and his eyes are drawn back to Teddy's bony face and sharp sunglasses. And he feels a stab of rage. That's his hat that his father bought for him, and this... hooligan is getting his grubby fingers all over the bill.
But a part of that rage stems from his own helplessness in the situation. He's just a kid. Facing a man whose tattooed arms look like they could swing a punch that's enough to outright kill him. So he swallows his rash anger, as he watches this Teddy person continue playing around with his cap.
"So tell me Ninten, how long have you been following me?"
Clearly he was not as inconspicuous as he though he was being. He's unable to find enough air to answer.
"You're not from these parts, are ya?" Teddy continues, leaning forward slightly. "I know all the guys around these parts, but I've never seen you before. And there ain't nothin' out here that a kid like you would want. Unless you lookin' to join the BB Gang… nah, a good kid like you wouldn't want that. Then why were you following me…?"
He twirls the cap in the air. Ninten's eyes follow it.
"I want the hat." He declares before he can stop himself.
Too bold, it seems. Teddy's sunglasses flash as he reaches forward and snatches the young teenager by his striped shirt. Ninten's breath speeds up, he feels as if he's suddenly breathing through a straw, as if there's a sudden icy grip constricting his windpipe, stopping him from speaking...
"Ya know, Ninten, it's dangerous around these parts." The Gangster says slowly, voice low and perilous. "A bright kid like you must know about it, right? Your mommy must've told ya to avoid these areas, right? You know why? It's 'cause people like me are here."
Adrenaline spiking through the roof, Ninten finds his eyes glued to those opaque shades. Every part of him is screaming for him to try to break away and flee, but he forcefully reins in those instincts and maintains what he hopes to look like a cool, controlled expression. There's no use in trying to run. He wasn't going to run.
His hat is still not in his possession yet.
But then all though is obliterated as Teddy puts the hat back on his head, and reaches behind him to pull out a large knife. The man lazily brings the sharp weapon toward Ninten until the tip is barely touching his face. Ninten feels his skin buckle against the cold tip, and immediately his instincts do a one-eighty and force him to stand still as a statue... any movement from him now would cause the metal to cut straight into his cheek...
"You know... you ain't a bad looking kid." Teddy hisses. "You got a cute face. I know a few guys in the Gang who'd love to get their hands on you…"
His blood runs cold.
Teddy chuckles, dragging the knife with surgical precision down Ninten's cheek, never breaking the delicate skin. Ninten feels all the nerves in his body fail except the ones on his face.
"I'm just scaring ya. I wouldn't do that to a kid like you. You've still got a nice life ahead o' ya, it'd be a shame to break you." With that, the knife leaves his skin, and Teddy releases his grip on his shirt.
Very slowly, Ninten releases a shaky breath through his nose.
"Alright then, tell me. If you followed me all the way out here, to such a dangerous place, just for this hat," The Gangster takes the red cap off again, holding it by the bill just in front of his face,"you must be willing to do anything for it. Right?"
Ninten stares at the man, still frozen in his spot.
"Well? Would ya? Would you do anything I tell you to, just for this beautiful, beautiful hat?" Teddy solicits.
Would he? Ninten feels his eyes once again being dragged to his Testa Rossa. The hat that he wore proudly for so long, is now causing him a lot more trouble than it's seemingly worth.
Now that the overwhelming fright has died down a little, he's able to gauge some of his other feelings. One of them, of course, being that sensation of regret for being careless with such a prized object, leaving it so easily to be swiped by people like this Gangster... this Teddy person, who presented himself more like a civilized Mafioso than a rowdy street criminal. But it doesn't detract from the fact that he took something that isn't his. Ninten feels that his suffocating fear and hot anger toward this man has blended into one uncomfortable emotion. This man, who dangles his Testa Rossa inches from his face, but never letting him get it...
In a way, Ninten feels like Teddy's getting enjoyment out of toying with him. And he's letting it all happen because of the hat.
But he's already come so far for it, walked all the way out to these boondocks, ignored his rationality and self-preservation just for a slim chance he would get it back. But how much farther would he be willing to go? Yes, the hat is valuable, very valuable, but he'd already stared down the blade end of a bayonet for it... and it seems that this Gangster isn't finished playing his game with him yet. What will he do then? Let himself be played, taken advantage of, twisted and screwed over and over... just for what amounts to an expensive object?
"Ninten, I'm asking you a question." Teddy commands with a frown.
Ninten swallows thickly, then shakes his head.
"Wussat?"
"...No." Ninten says clearly, glaring up at Teddy.
"You wouldn't do anything I asked for the hat?" Teddy says. "Why wouldn't you? You know how rare these things are… you'd probably never even get close to one ever again. Ya already came all the way out here for it, so why stop now? What, ya think your life's more important, right? Going back home to mommy tonight's more important, right?"
"…my dignity."
Ninten stands with his fists balled, chin up, standing straight and defiant.
Teddy raises his eyebrows, and a chilling silence fills between them.
Then the edges of the Gangster's mouth curves up.
And the silence is broken by raucous laughter. The empty streets echo his mirth.
"Gotta say, Ninten, you're really something. Followin' me all this way just for a hat, then managin' to not piss yourself even with a knife to your skull." Teddy shakes his head, still smiling. "Ya got balls, kid. Can't say that about many other boys your age these days, whole lotta wusses they are."
Ironically, Ninten feels like that compliment means a lot more to him coming from Teddy.
"So tell ya what. You can have it."
And with that, the Testa Rossa's being shoved in front of his face. Eyes wide, he looks up distrustingly at the Gangster. But Teddy's face somehow seems less menacing, as he motions for him to take the cap. Ninten slowly raises a hand, and gingerly grabs his hat. When it's apparent that Teddy isn't going to turn this into some cruel trick, he pulls the Testa Rossa into his possession, and Teddy lets go.
"Enjoy the cap, kid."
He gapes down at the beautiful red cap in his hands, tracing the familiar flawless fabric with his fingers. He can't believe it. He got his hat back. Only now does he feel safe to admit that his pessimistic, and perhaps realistic, side had constantly told him all this time that there was no way that he'd get it back. Not after it's been claimed by a Blah-Blah Gang member. But here it is. He turns it around, flipping it over, inspecting its perfect red surfaces for blemishes.
Then his heart drops again.
On the bottom of the Testa Rossa's bill, two capital B's have been carved into the cloth with a knife.
"Oh that? Don't mind it, it's just a little handiwork I put to personalize it. The cap's still fine, dude." Teddy explains nonchalantly.
Fine? Fine? It's not fine! The baseball cap has a criminal group's insignia permanently etched into it! Ninten feels like he's going to cry.
His prized hat is ruined.
And then overwhelming loathing starts bubbling up again.
"You know what, Teddy?"
"What?" Teddy asks, hands in his pant pockets.
"I don't really want it anymore. You can have it back."
And with that, Ninten uses all his strength and tears the red cap into two, fabric ripping loudly as the precious Testa Rossa is destroyed. Then he flings the frazzled halves of the hat at the Gangster's face.
And he bolts past him, out of the alley.
Ninten doesn't stop running until he's back out onto a well lit, busy street. Panting, he turns back.
Teddy never chased.
He takes solace in the look of pure shock that he caught a glimpse of as he ran past the Gangster, but it's nowhere near enough to counterbalance the fact that he just lost his beloved baseball cap. One of only 250, destroyed and never to be worn again. He will come to regret what happened today more later, but for now, the feeling's made bittersweet by a sense of twisted victory.
Backtracking the best he can, Ninten walks briskly back into the city centre, en route to his home as fast as he can. Even though he has no curfew restriction, his mother must be very worried.
He passes McBurger's just as they close for the night, an employee locking the door outside right now. The employee turns around and catches sight of Ninten.
"Hey kid!"
Ninten stops, giving him his attention as the worker jogs over.
"You're the kid who ate here earlier today right? Lucky that I caught you just now. Here." He shoves something into Ninten's hands. "I found it on the ground when I was mopping tonight. It's yours, right? I saw you wearing it when you came in. It must've fell on the floor somehow, and you dashed outta here without it. You should be more careful next time, this thing's very valuable."
And with that, the employee walks away, leaving Ninten with an incredulous expression, his hands carrying his bright red, untouched, untampered, Testa Rossa.