His sole connected with the boy's stomach. The boy clenched his gut as a result, so then his face got stomped on. Realizing a face hurt more, the boy covered his head. The beating continued, but on his abdomen, ribs, arms, and legs. It was the longest minute in the boy's life. His attacker didn't stop until he couldn't keep up his fierce and quick rhythm. When his movements became sluggish and he couldn't help but grunt with each kick, he stopped.
Looking down on the boy, the aggressor reached in his pocket and pulled out a bundle of loose cash. He let it go midair. The bills split and draped on the beaten boy.
"Next time you're supposed to pay, you pay in full. Not fucking half. Better have the rest by next week," said the assailant.
He turned away before getting a response. Stepping away meant coming out from under a staircase, up two sets of stairs, then into a hallway. There was a door on the bottom of the stairs, where he just was, but it was locked. The basement floor was locked months ago and won't be opened anytime soon. So now, the spot at the bottom of the staircase served as one of the only spots in school where the likelihood of someone witnessing him was almost non-existent.
As he walked the halls, he paid hardly any attention to anyone who passed him. Despite the fact there were many. Most saw him and made sure they didn't collide. A couple weren't as observant. Light shoulder bumps hitting him every couple yards. Almost all of these he could normally brush off. They either said sorry or kept walking. Only one person had a different reaction. Another boy, around the same age, bumped into him. It didn't feel like a small accidental thump. It felt more like a jolt, like it was done with intent and some power. He wasn't going to stop, since he had somewhere to be, but then the other boy said something.
"Yo, watch where you're going, bitch!"
Stopping in his tracks, he turned to face the boy. He thinks it was someone he had seen before, likely just walking around campus. About his height and age. Slightly smaller build. He could take him.
"You watch it," he said, walking up to the boy. He got within a few inches of his face, before the boy took a step back. By now, most of the hallway was cleared, barring a few stragglers. A group of girls had stopped their journey to watch.
The boy had been staring at the face of the one he yelled at. A calm face, with eyebrows slightly furrowed. No worries. Opposite of his. A bead of sweat began to form at his hairline. He was nervous about having to fight. Despite being in fights before, even fights he thought he couldn't win, the boy he was staring at seemed different. He wasn't the biggest guy he ever faced. Probably wasn't the strongest. But he still sensed he couldn't win. He knew he couldn't.
He said nothing, but slowly turned his body around. Stopping when his shoulders were perpendicular with his would-be opponent. After one last eye-lock, he walked away. The group of girls started giggling, but stopped when the more intimidating boy started to turn towards them. Though only his body faced them. His head quickly swiveled around and he walked off. Never so much as glancing at the girls.
Not until he was in front of his class did someone come up to him again. Someone grabbed his hood and pulled it down, tugging him back as well. He expected it to be a teacher, but instead turned to one of his classmates.
"Yo, Hilbert! Nice haircut."
"Fuck you want, Vic?" said Hilbert angrily. He slipped his hood back on and glared at the boy in front of him.
"Aye, relax," The boy said with a smile. He defensively put his hands up in front of him. "Just came to see how you're doing. So, why'd you cut your hair?"
Hilbert rubbed his head and sighed through his nose. He knew Victor didn't come just to talk, but yet he still wasted his time on pointless conversation.
"Was annoyed how it was growing on the sides, so just decided to shave it all short."
"Nice, nice. Aye, Red wants to know if you did what he asked."
"Yeah, I did it. Like I fucking said I would," Hilbert tried walking away, towards his class. But Victor quickly pulled him back by his arm.
"Aye, look. Red also wants you to meet him at lunch. So go straight to the table, alright?"
Jerking his arm away, Hilbert continued to his class.
"Fine."
There were two more periods before lunch. Hilbert did what was asked of him and headed straight to the cafeteria. He was already going to go there anyway, but this time he didn't waste a second. Sometimes he would talk with someone first or just enjoy the walk. But now he was on someone else's time.
Upon entering the cafeteria, he ignored the long lines still forming. Had he been there to eat, he would've cut to the front of the line. Instead, he went for a table in the middle of the massive room. Sitting at the table, were people Hilbert knew well.
The first two were sitting on the far edge of the table, just before the gap where it folded. There was also a bit of space between them and the rest of the group. Hilbert guessed it was because they had only started working with them just weeks ago. One was a boy with cream colored hair, with some yellow highlights near the ends. Despite being inside he wore a pair of black and blue sunglasses. Across from him was a boy with dark blue hair wearing a tracksuit.
Passing the boys without acknowledgement, Hilbert moved on to the main group. Two blonde girls, a large boy, and the one Hilbert came to meet, Red. The leader of the group sat beside one girl, Serena, and across from the other, Bianca.
As Hilbert approached Red, from the opposite side, the boy sitting beside Bianca stood up. He brought one leg off the table seat and blocked Hilbert's path. Hilbert stopped and made eye contact, but said nothing.
"Take it easy, T. I called him over here," said Red. He took a bite of his food while smiling. The boy sat back down, but never fully took his eyes off Hilbert. Ignoring the large boy, Hilbert kept forward, passing the boy, then the girl, before standing at the head of the table.
"What do you want, Red?"
"Just wanted to see if you got the job done. You did, right?"
"Like I told Vic, I got it done. Alright?" Hilbert huffed. The large boy again tried to stand up and get in Hilbert's face. Stopping when Red put his hand up and gestured for him to sit.
"Easy, Hil. Just need to double check. T, give him the money."
The large boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. Without standing up and with only a glance towards him, he handed the money over to Hilbert, who snatched the money away. He had noticed it looked small, but he just thought it was composed of larger bills. Upon inspection, he found out it was only two twenties and a ten.
"Fifty bucks?" he asked, annoyed. "You said the job was for a hundred."
"It was, but I figured you would've kept the money from Elio. Think of the fifty as more of a bonus.
"But I didn't keep it. You never said I could."
"Well, maybe next time you'll know better. G and H both know they can take whatever they want on the job."
Hilbert glanced at the two boys at the end of the table. The one in sunglasses snickered. The other, however, returned a similar look of ire.
"But if I took his money, how the fuck is he going to pay back two hundred? He barely got the hundred in a week."
"What do you care? I'm sure a freak like you would enjoy beating someone's ass again for paying late."
"What?" said Hilbert. He took a step towards Red and the large boy stood up. This time Red didn't stop him. Red stood up himself when the other boy was behind Hilbert. He and Hilbert were face to face. Despite the inch or so height difference Hilbert had, Red didn't look the slightest bit worried.
"Look, I said one little thing, alright? Now you can either let it side, or you can act on it," said Red. Hilbert looked away from Red and glanced at the boy behind him. "So, what's it gonna be?"
Hilbert huffed before turning back to Red and took a step past him. Without any words, he walked past him. He could hear the girls behind him giggling. When he walked past the boy in sunglasses, he took an apple off his tray.
"Hey!" said the boy. He got up and tried to catch up to Hilbert, but was called back.
"Leave it alone, G," said Red. He stopped in his tracks and turned to Red. Both Red and the larger boy had sat down.
"But he-"
"Gordie. Drop it," Red's tone was serious. Knowing better to argue, Gordie sat back down. He looked across the cafeteria to see Hilbert was already near the exit.
"Tch..."
Hilbert approached a small wall of concrete that surrounded a recently planted tree. It had been there no more than a couple weeks, yet was already filled with carvings of people's initials, crew symbols, and whatever else someone with a knife might do.
Finishing up his apple, Hilbert looked around for a trash can, but there were none near him. Sighing, he tossed the apple core behind him, into the soil.
With his elbows on his knees, he hunched over and faced the ground. Since he hadn't done much, there was still a lot of time before his next class. With the beating he gave out earlier, he was a bit tired, and the apple wasn't immediately helping. He closed his eyes to get a little rest, but someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning up, he saw the face of Victor.
"What do you want?" Hilbert sighed.
"Was at the table and Gordie told me what happened. Personally, I wouldn't let that slide," Victor held up his hands, showing he was just trying to state an opinion. Despite that, Hilbert got a different vibe.
"And? Do you actually want something or just trying to piss me off?"
"Hey, I don't want anything at all. But Red does. He wants you to meet him in the bathroom in the cafeteria."
"What? But I was at the table earlier, why didn't he just say something then?" Hilbert stood up and got close to Victor.
"Look, I'm just the messenger. If you got a problem, take it up with Red. Got it?"
Victor dropped his smile. He stepped closer to Hilbert. Both boys locked eyes and tensed up. Hilbert had never seen Victor fight before, but he was curious. He was ready to throw the first punch, when Victor froze, looked past him, and widened his eyes. Glancing behind him, Hilbert saw some girl.
He had no idea who she was, but her outfit was similar to Victor's. Aside from his blue jeans, Victor wore a mix of black and white. A half-black-half-white beanie, a black jacket with white t-shirt, and black sneakers with white laces. The girl was similar, a black leather jacket, a short white sundress, black tights, and boots that matched Victor's shoes. The girl came forward, passing Hilbert without even a glance, and stopped in front of Victor.
"Babe, what are you doing?" she said. Her voice seemed a little shaky, like she was upset.
"Uh...nothing," said Victor.
"Bullshit nothing. Were you planning on fighting that kid?" the girl pointed to Hilbert, who grit his teeth in response.
"Look, Marnie. Nothing was gonna happen. Just two friends having a friendly chat. Right, Hil?" Victor went back to smiling and looked at Hilbert. He ended up just watching the boy slip his hood on and walk away.
"Whatever..."
Hilbert hated the boys' cafeteria bathroom. It had no redeeming qualities. Tiles on the walls and floors were cracked, there wasn't any clean paint on the stalls, and it smelled horrible. The smell alone was what kept Hilbert from ever using it, even when he could barely hold it in.
On top of the personal issues he had with it, it was also almost always filled with a group of boys as well. Sometimes you'll walk in on them smoking. Other times they're forcing a random kid's head into the toilet. Almost no one used the bathroom for its intended purpose. If someone truly needed to use it, they always brought at least two people with them, just in case. Almost no one dared to enter the bathroom alone, such as Hilbert was doing.
As he expected, the bathroom reeked of cigarettes, on top of the already disgusting bathroom smell. Ahead of him, he saw who he was looking for. Red, and his crew, were surrounding some kid in a corner. He had no idea who the kid was, but could tell on his face he was scared. The boy Red called T, turned as soon as Hilbert entered the bathroom.
"Hey, Red, he's here."
Red turned his head around and scowled. Turning his head back, he muttered something to the kid, who then began to run out of the bathroom. Hilbert watched the kid as he ran out.
"What was that about?" he asked as he stepped towards the group.
"Don't worry about it," Red huffed. "We'll deal with him later."
Red walked towards the middle of the wall, away from the corner, and leaned his back against it. The rest of the boys stepped out of his way so Hilbert had a full view of Red.
"So what did you need me back here for? Could've said something when I talked to you earlier."
"I was still thinking about it. Didn't want to rush things."
"Just hurry up and spit it out."
"Watch it, Hilbert. I'm not gonna stop Tierno this time."
Hilbert looked at T and frowned. He knew if they fought he'd likely lose. Despite that, he gave little thought to his next words.
"Then save us both the headache and just tell me what you want."
"...Fine," said Red. "I want you to join my crew."
"And why would I want that?" asked Hilbert. He was about ready to turn around and leave.
"You roll with me and you won't have to deal with anyone's bullshit anymore. We'll run the school together," Red held his hand out for Hilbert to take. Instead, Hilbert kept his hands in his pockets.
"How exactly do those two run anything?" asked Hilbert. He gestured to Gordie and the boy in the tracksuit, who stared at him with malice. Red dropped his hand and got off the wall. He went forward until he was face to face with Hilbert.
"You don't talk about my guys like that. Now are you joining or not?"
"Not interested in being your lackey," Hilbert said as he turned around. Two sets of arms grabbed him from behind and turned him back around. One of the hands holding him pushed his head down, forcing him to stare at the floor. Looking at their shoes, Hilbert could tell it was Gordie and Tierno.
"Fucking let me go!" he shouted. He tried his best to pull away, but the combined strength of the boys kept him in place. He saw Red had stepped forward and was now only inches from him. The hand on his head pulled away, but then another, smaller hand took its place. This hand moved to his forehead and craned his neck up. He and Red locked eyes.
"Last chance..."
"...Fuck you-"
A fist connected with his face, then a kick hit his leg. The force brought him down to one knee, but before he could do anything else, he was hit with more punches and kicks, causing him to fall on his side on the bathroom floor. The fists disappeared, but the kicks continued. Instinctively, his arms covered his head when he was kicked there. Despite it now being covered, the stomps towards his head didn't stop. His arms, head, stomach, legs, and ribs were all being struck.
Hilbert doesn't know how long his beating last. At some point he passed out. When he came to, he was all alone in the bathroom. His clothes were covered in footprints and small tears. Both his pockets on his jeans were inside out and his money was gone. He had a few different cuts on his face, plus a busted lip and bloody nose. Though most of the blood was dried.
His head was pounding with each second that passed. Despite the desire to rest and feeling as though he'll fall asleep any second, Hilbert knew staying in the bathroom was a bad idea. Using his bit of strength left, he got to his feet. He stumbled towards the door, grabbing the handle for support, and rested his head on the wall. He took a few deep breaths before pulling the door open.
The cafeteria was studentless. There was no clock around him, but Hilbert knew it was the period after lunch at the earliest. It could even be later in the day if he happened to have slept longer. The only people around were the cafeteria ladies and a couple security members. Despite his rough look, security acted as though Hilbert wasn't there. As he exited the cafeteria, the security by the door looked away.
Outside, there were still no students. There were, however, several school buses lined up on the small street that cut through and around the campus. School was almost over. He had been unconscious for over a full period. After just a few moments of standing around, thinking about what he should do, a bell began to ring over the school's PA system. Seconds later, students started to emerge from the buildings. Glad he didn't have to look through different classes, Hilbert set off for two people he wanted to talk to.
Most of the students that passed him took a glance at him and winced. Though Hilbert ignored them and focused on his search.
The first person was surprisingly easy to find, since he was coming out of the building Hilbert was heading towards. As the boy came outside, he jumped down the steps and jogged up to two girls. He got between them and slipped his arms around each of their shoulders. Both girls began giggling.
"Brendan..." said Hilbert, just loud enough for the three to hear as they walked past him. The smile faded from the girls' faces once they saw Hilbert's bloodied mug. Brendan's smile only turned soft and his eyes were casual.
"Yo, Hilbert. What's up?" asked Brendan as he let go of the two girls. He wore his typical outfit of a muscle shirt, basketball shorts with compression pants underneath, and white sneakers with different colored laces. The two boys got closer and grabbed each other's hands, bringing them up and dropping them just as fast before letting go.
"I need your help with something," said Hilbert. Brendan looked at the two girls and told them to go ahead without him and that they'll meet later. They agreed, glanced at Hilbert, then quickly left.
"So, what's up?" Brendan asked again. "Someone bust your face?"
"A couple people did..." said Hilbert, rubbing the cheek that didn't have dried blood on it. "You know Red and his crew?"
"You mean that one senior kid that always has a couple fat kids around him and one creepy kid? Yeah, I know of him."
"Well, they're the ones that jumped me. I just need your help dealing with Tierno."
"You really gonna fight a kid more than twice your size?" Brendan laughed.
"Look...I don't think I can take him on my own. So I need your help. You gonna do it or not?" Hilbert's tone changed from a casual one to a fiery one. As if he was trying to pressure someone on a job again. Brendan only laughed harder.
"No need to threaten me, man. You helped me out when that Piers guy was bothering me, I'll help you out with Red. Just give me a time and place."
"There's a park near the gas station. Meet me there on Sunday, at noon. Make sure to go through the back."
"Woah, you're gonna fight someone just two days after...that happened to you?" Brendan's smile faded and he used his finger to gesture to Hilbert's face. Hilbert huffed and gritted his teeth for a second.
"I'll be fine by then."
"Alright, if you say so. I'ma go back to those girls, think I got a shot with at least one of em," said Brendan, his smile returning. He turned and ran in the direction the girls went. Hilbert watched him, until he disappeared out of sight. He then also took his leave to search for the next person he needed.
It took a little while of searching, but eventually he found her in a stairwell with a couple other girls. She sat in the middle of a step at the bottom of the stairs, with the girls around her. She wore hi-top sneakers, baggy sweatpants, and an oversized hoodie, with her hood up.
Laidback with her eyes closed, she was oblivious to Hilbert's presence. The other girls all stared at Hilbert in vexation. Despite the stares, Hilbert went forward and lightly kicked the resting girl's leg. While he held back, the kick was strong enough to shake the girl's whole body. She quickly opened her eyes and sat up. Staring up at Hilbert, her surprised expression turned into one of anger.
"The fuck do you want?" she said.
"Need you to deal with two girls for me."
"Why? You beat up other guys every week but two little girls is too much for you?"
"I got other shit to do. Plus no one is gonna look past me jumping two random girls."
"Sounds like a you problem," said the girl. She closed her eyes and went back to laying down. Her leg was kicked again. While she did open her eyes, she didn't sit up.
"Just do it," said Hilbert.
"Why? What did they even do?"
"They didn't do anything. The guy they're dickriding did this," Hilbert brought a hand up to gesture to his face. The girl looked his face over more carefully and grimaced.
"Gross...so some guy does something to you and you decide to take out his girls?"
"I'll deal with Red later. I just need a few things done first before I can."
The girl sat up.
"Wait, Red? Red jumped you? So, that means you want us to take on Serena and Bianca?"
"Yeah. And?"
"Nothing...we'll do it. Those two are so fucking annoying."
All the other girls collectively let out hms in agreement.
"Good. Just get them before lunch on Monday," Hilbert turned and went down the stairs, heading into the hallway and out of sight of the girls.
"Your cousin is kind of a dick, Rosa," said one girl.
"Yeah. He is," said Rosa. She laid back down, using her arms as pillows, and closed her eyes again.
One more chapter after this, should be out soon. Fav/Review/Follow
~~~Sikoh