Title: Dead Man Walking
Chapter Contains: Violence, Sexual Harassment
Author's Note: Time to meet the bad guy of the story—then it's the end of exposition and time to start this plot!
( ) ( ) ( )
"Oh, come here! Your tie is crooked!"
"Mom, it's fine!"
"No—No, it's crooked!"
Rex was trying to steal away out the front door of the home, his backpack slung casually over one shoulder, his freshly dyed bangs perfectly in place, but his mother would not let him leave. First she insisted that he needed to eat more for breakfast, then when he was eating she insisted that he brush his hair again, now it was his tie. It was like she wanted him to be late.
"Mom, stop it! Weevil is here. We're going to walk together—you're embarrassing me!"
"Walk together? I thought he went to that private high school."
"He does, but we're walking the same way. Now let me go!" Rex had to pry his tie away from her hands in order to successfully escape through the front door. Outside, Weevil was cackling at him, having heard the entire argument from the front steps.
"You're such a momma's boy, dino-brain," Weevil said, cackling shrilly.
"Shut up. I tried to get her off me, but she wouldn't let go!"
"That's not something you should brag about. People will know your whole family is strange," Weevil said, still laughing.
"Ugh! I didn't mean it like that, bug-boy!"
Weevil continued poking fun at him all the way to the gates of Rex's new high school, and even for a little longer as he walked away. Rex spouted a few insults after him and rushed through the gates. Only a few students were still making their way into the building and Rex really didn't want to be late on his first day.
After being shown the school the weekend before, Rex was quickly able to find his way to his homeroom class and found an empty seat in the back of the third row of desks where he collapsed—out of breath—three minutes before the bell rang.
Immediately, the whispers began when people spotted his trademark, lavender bangs. Was that Rex Raptor? The Dinosaur Duelist? No, it's gotta be a look-alike, right? (Or the more painful whispers like) Who would want to look like him? I heard he's a jerk. Didn't he lose his first match at Duelist Kingdom?
Once the teacher arrived and introduced him, the whispers all stopped. He did his best to act humble since his former attitude had lost him every friend he'd ever had except Weevil.
After homeroom, Rex had Algebra which was a total bore. Once again he had to deal with the whispers, but time a shy girl with a long braid actually approached him. She asked him if he really was Rex Raptor, and he replied (as humbly as possible while grinning like a mad man from the pride of being recognized) that he was.
"Is it really true you make people give you their rarest cards in order to get your autograph?" The girl asked, her innocent eyes suddenly becoming very bitter and harsh. Rex sweatdropped and scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Eh—Well… Yeah. But i-it was meant to be a joke. It was stupid. I-I've moved past that now," Rex said nervously.
"Because he doesn't have any fans left," some kid sitting behind him mumbled.
"My brother…he's got a dinosaur deck too," the girl said, blinking again. Innocently.
"Does he?" Rex asked, blushing at the attention. Deep down he was terrified that she was about to say he'd swindled her brother out of his rarest card. Actually, he was praying that he hadn't. If he did, he'd give it back—he swore he'd give this girl's brother his card back. Maybe even some other cards too, just to pay down his karma.
"Yes. He's a really big fan of yours."
"Um… I hope I didn't do something to offend him," Rex said, unable to take the anxiety building up inside of him.
"No," the girl said, laughing politely. "He'd just be really excited to know I go to school with you now."
"Oh," Rex said. He was about to tell her that he was nothing special—that she didn't have to be nervous to talk to him or anything like that—but a paper ball smacked into his head and fell down onto his desk. He looked around and a boy in the front row was glaring daggers at him. He didn't have to un-crumple the paper to know what it said. Trying to play it off, Rex laughed and turned back to the girl. "Well, if your brother is ever around after school I can give him some dueling tips."
"He'd like that," the girl said, smiling and turning to face the chalkboard as the teacher walked in.
Just before lunch, Rex was assigned to a gym class. He already had his own locker with clothes to change into, but the locker was the least of his concerns. At first, everything seemed normal. The other boys were yelling to one another about their classes and what they did over the weekend. A couple of kids exchanged a wad of cash and a small brown bag. It was fine and Rex was able to start changing without any unwanted eyes staring at him.
Then it all changed. Suddenly, everyone stopped talking and Rex—pulling on a pair of red gym-shorts—felt a piercing gaze on the back of his head. When he slowly turned around, pulling the shorts on over his boxers, a tall guy with short black hair was staring at him.
"What?" Rex asked, reaching into his locker for his white t-shirt.
The guy said nothing, just stared and started to smirk. Rex looked around at the others, but everyone else was busily tying their shoes. They didn't look like they wanted anything to do with the tall guy or his interest in Rex. It was like they were all afraid of him.
"That's a pretty hair color. It matches your eyes," the guy said.
"Thanks," Rex spat, his tone spiteful.
"Does the carpet match the drapes?"
"Does the what match the what?" Rex asked, pulling on his shirt quickly and glaring at the tall guy who was still smirking.
"The carpet," the guy said, sneering. "Does it match the drapes?" He reached for Rex's face as if he really thought Rex would let him touch his hair. Rex backed away, his body striking the lockers behind him.
"That's none of your business!" Rex shouted, trying to sound fierce but sounding more like a cat that had been stepped on. "Who asks someone that!?" He looked around at the other boys, but they were all leaving with their heads down. All Rex knew was that he didn't want left alone with this guy.
"You're right. How rude of me. I'm Takeshi." Rex shuddered and quickly grabbed his gym shoes out of the locker.
"You're gonna make me late for class," Rex growled, slipping on the shoes while Takeshi stared at him.
Rex escaped to the gym, muttering under his breath about how much of a creep that guy was.
"You'll wanna watch out," one of the boys waiting in the gym whispered when Rex arrived.
"No kidding. The guy's a freak."
"Really," the other boy said, staring Rex dead in the eyes. "Watch out for Takeshi. His dad is the school's superintendent. He can do anything he wants and the teachers won't do a thing about it. He beat up Shinohara in the lunch room last month and didn't even get detention."
Great, Rex thought. That was exactly the kind of person he needed watching him change clothes for gym every day.
Takeshi was late to class, but as the other student had predicted, the teacher didn't say a word to him. They played a game of basketball, and the entire time Rex could feel Takeshi's eyes on him. If he looked in Takeshi's direction, the boy would be staring and grinning. It made Rex more than uncomfortable.
When class was over, Rex was determined to change as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the school didn't make post-gym class showers mandatory and he wouldn't have to get naked in front of the boy with the predatory eyes.
Once Rex's shirt was off, he immediately reached for his uniform undershirt. Once it was on and his chest was at least covered, Rex stepped out of his gym-shorts and tried to pull on his heavy, black uniform pants. Unfortunately, Takeshi stepped into sight as soon as Rex had one leg in his trousers.
Rex froze for a second and then tried to quickly get the pants on the rest of the way. That was when Takeshi pushed him over, causing him to fall over the bench in the center of the locker aisle and hit his head on the concrete floor.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Takeshi said, offering Rex his hand. "That looked like it hurt."
"Why did you push me?" Rex snapped, pulling away from Takeshi's hand.
"No, you see, I don't answer your questions until you answer mine," Takeshi spat, his eyes going dark. Rex swallowed hard and quickly worked his pants up the rest of the way before getting off the floor. "You got a purple patch down there too, dinosaur boy?"
"You're sick," Rex spat. He changed his shoes and then grabbed the rest of his uniform out of his locker and closed it, making sure the lock was closed. He put on his uniform button-down shirt and tie by the door of the locker room, ignoring the sad and worried looks his classmates were giving him as they left. Rex pulled on his blazer in the hallway and waited in the gym for the bell to ring.
