Omega Kid

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the Kick-Ass comic or film written by Mark Millar, or any guest characters from other Kick-Ass fanfic's they are owned by their own writers and creators. However, original characters in Omega Kid belong to me.

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Chapter 5: The Horrible Truth

Wednesday 24th February 2010

Okay, so I wasn't a superhero celebrity just yet.

Since the Michael fight almost a week ago, there was no real further development in the news about it, and everyone forgot about the 'hobo in a Power Rangers costume' immediately. There was no kind of CCTV that captured the fight, and the parents of the kid who was being harassed have chosen to not let their son talk anymore with the media about it. The only thing of note really was that Michael was apparently still being held in police custody as far as I knew, which I thought was strange. Unless he was being questioned about past crimes, he should have no reason to be in custody for that

Though it wouldn't have surprised me if he had done some stuff in the past. Jason's reputation as a troublemaker didn't just go through Hallblock School, there were rumours he'd been done for underage drinking and drug possession before, but he'd always managed to get out on parole or some light punishment. Compare that to me where the most trouble I think I've ever gotten into was talking back to a teacher about banning comic books in the school.

Other than that, things have been relatively quiet. No more fights with anyone, which was a nice change of paces after getting beaten to a shrimp by bullies one day, then threatened by a gunman on the other. Because of the lack of any action popping up unexpectedly, I had more time to focus on training. At home, I worked on things like push-ups and pull-ups, to lifting some dumbbells and practice my kicks and punches. It was a work in progress, but I could tell that progress was being made, as I looked in the mirror and could see my biceps growing, and even a hint of a six-pack over my stomach. The faintest little hint of abs. I'd say that the home training was successful…it's a shame the same couldn't be said for the training with Marquez.

The Parkour itself wasn't too bad, and as today was my last lesson that I could afford to pay, so Marquez made sure I learned and practised as much as I could, even though I had a bad leg. I think he was still ticked off about me forgetting our lesson last Friday, and leaving him here to wait while I was a no-show. But I surprisingly handled everything he threw at me. He complimented that I was a quicker learner, and was doing well for a beginner. I managed to beat my time over and over again as I raced across and over the blocks. I stumbled and fell a few times, but always got back up to do better.

Like I said, the Parkour wasn't the bad part…the bad part was my futile attempts at rock climbing.

THUD!

''Ow!'' I groaned after I face planted into the safety mat.

''You froze up again!'' Marquez commented.

''I know!'' I jumped back onto my feet, turned to face the wall and tried once again. With my hands and feet on the rock-thingies, I rose higher and higher. I realised that there was a certain point on the wall where I would either have to try and climb without looking to see where my feet were being placed, or I risked looking down to see where to stand next. Either way, I would miss my step and slip, or be consumed by the ever-growing height. I hated being afraid of heights. I wanted to ignore it, but it was like the fear of falling was pulling me in strongly. As if a rope was forcing me towards the edge, and the endless drop calling for me to lose my balance and fall. It just seemed like this was a phobia I wasn't going to overcome anytime soon.

''You stuck up there?'' Marquez called out.

As I thought of some kind of witty comeback, my eyes shifted back down towards the ground, and that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach returned. For a second, it felt like I was glued to the wall, unable to move up or down, until my hands subconsciously grew numb and my fingers slipped…I think you can guess by now what happened next.

THUD!

''Ah! Goddamn it!'' I cursed, punching my hand into the safety mat as I picked myself back up, ready to go again.

Marquez reached an arm out and stopped me. ''Hold on there, your time is up. You want to climb this thing, you'll have to do it tomorrow at lunch or break.''

His intervention forced me to take a breather and realise that I almost went storming past him and up the wall, literally. I backed away from him. ''Sorry about that.''

''No, it's good. You now want to climb! Just kept at it and you'll get there.'' He walked over to the equipment, trying to tidy the gym up. I helped him move some of the vault boxes to the side. ''I'm almost going to miss watching you torture yourself over these!''

I laughed at his comment. Even though the training had run me ragged, I could tell it definitely helped. I felt stronger and faster, and my confidence with free running had improved greatly. ''Was it this hard for you?'' I asked him.

''What?''

''Learning to free run?''

''First off, Parkour and free running are two different things. I know they seem similar, but there's a difference. As for how hard it was…it wasn't really that hard for me. Then again, you're trying to learn in a couple of lessons what I learned over years of training. I have to ask, why are you going through all this trouble?''

I shrugged my shoulders, trying to play it off as no big deal. ''I wanted to learn Parkour!''

''I know that, but why? You don't just desperately overpay someone to teach you Parkour because you want to learn it. There has to be another reason.''

''Well…why did you want to learn it?''

''To impress the girls.'' He said with a smirk. ''Hold on, that's why you're doing this, isn't it?''

''What? No…I…'' The next few words after babbled incoherently out of my mouth, not helping my situation at all. I didn't want him to catch on to the real reason why I wanted to learn Parkour, so with a heavy sigh I accepted his theory and played along. ''Yeah.''

''Someone in this school?''

I avoided any kind of eye contact with him. This was not how I wanted to spend my last Parkour lesson with him. As he waited for my response, images of Rachael soon began to flood my mind. I pictured her smile, her laugh, even the way her eyes sparkled when she would sit in a classroom next to a window and the setting sun would illuminate her like an angel. God, I've been hit with the love bug. ''Ra…Rachael.''

''Hold on? You mean Rachael Nora?'' He questioned as if I was mad. I nodded, and he began to chuckle. ''Of all the girls in this school, why the one that's 20,000 leagues above your own?''

''She's just so…kind to others. She's really smart as well, I don't think even some of the geeks in the school can keep up with her…''

''She has a tutor from what I heard. I think she's had one since her parents divorced.''

''Her parents divorced?'' I gasped.

''Yeah, didn't you know that?''

I shook my head. ''How did you know?''

''Rumours have been going around the school about it for years now. Everyone who knows someone has talked about it.''

''Oh, well that's kind of my problem, I'm not really part of a group or friends with anyone.''

''It doesn't help that she seems like the secretive type anyway. Other than her friends like Sophie and Chloe or Stella, she mostly keeps to herself…''

''Probably doesn't help that people start rumours about her,'' I spoke out defensively. I didn't even mean for that to come out, it's just what I thought. Maybe she doesn't like to talk with other people because they say things about her or spread rumours behind her back?

''Hey, I didn't start the rumour, I'm just telling you what I heard. Look, if you like Rachael, that's fine. She's a very pretty girl. All I'm saying is if you want a chance with someone like her, you're going to have to really get to know her. Either she likes to keep to herself, or she's high maintenance…''

''She's not high maintenance!''

''How do you know that?'' He questioned. ''Unless you get to know her, no amount of showing off your Parkour skills is going to woo her.''

I wanted to defend her. I've seen the way she treats people, I've seen how kind she can be to others, hell, she's the youngest student counsellor ever! As far as I could tell, she was the personification of perfection…although saying that, as far as I could tell…that was all I could tell. Marquez was right, there's a lot I still don't know about her, like her parents. Having a crush is one thing, but acting on it and getting to know the person is another. Less than two weeks ago, I only just had my full first conversation with her, and that was interrupted by me getting knocked out by the school bully.

My thoughts were cut short as Marquez patted me on the arm. ''Come on, we've got to close up.''

I nodded and left the gym with him before we parted our separate ways once we got outside the school. As I walked home, I thought long and hard over Marquez's words, about getting to know Rachael. He was right, was Rachael really anything like I imagined she would be?

I know that we're going to be in the same history class tomorrow. Hopefully, I can start a conversation with her without my cheeks looking like burning tomatoes.

Thursday 25th February 2010

I took my usual seat and got all my stuff ready for the lesson. While History was a subject I was interested in and enjoyed a lot, the same couldn't be said for our teacher, Mrs Howard. Very stuck-up and rude to any student who couldn't keep up with her workload, which was usually me. Even though I usually work with a partner in History, they rarely ever helped or took credit for any work I actually did submit.

Rachael would sit at the table in front of me with her partner, Stella. And over the past year sitting behind her, I could see how easy it was for her to breeze past these lessons. She made it look so easy. Jeez, she's not even here yet, and already I'm gushing over her.

My head rested on the table as I waited for our lesson to start. I was so close to falling asleep when I felt a tender hand tap my shoulder. I looked up expecting the teacher to scold me for having a lazy posture, and nearly jumped out of my seat when I saw Rachael staring down at me. ''Hey.'' She greeted.

''Hi,'' I said. Already, I could feel the blush forming on my cheeks.

She smiled at me and pointed to her usual seat at the table in front of mine. ''Stella rang me to say that she couldn't make it today. So I don't have a partner, and I was wondering…''

''Yeah!'' I blurted out before she even got a chance to finish, surprising her. ''Sorry, I mean…yeah, I'll be your partner, work partner!'' God, someone please knock me out right now.

''Is that okay? You don't have a partner already, do you?''

''Oh, no, he's rarely in anyways. Go ahead.''

''Thanks.'' She said. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that someone was pranking me. She took her seat next to mine, as I shifted slightly to give her some room, and making sure I didn't make any unwanted contact with her. She pulled out all her workbooks and writing utensil, and I couldn't help but find myself staring a little. Sitting next to her, everything around me seemed to feel warm. Yeah, I got the love bug hard.

''So, how come Stella couldn't make it today?'' I asked shyly.

''I'm not sure, she wouldn't say. She's been acting off this past week and missing a few lessons. Then again, I'm not one to talk about missing lessons.''

''Well…'' I started before I even thought of what I was going to say. She turned to look at me, waiting for my response, as I said the first thing that came to my head. ''I'm sure you have your reasons to not be in. It's no one's busy but your own.''

She seemed to consider my words very carefully before a smile slowly spread on her face. ''Thanks.''

My mind said 'you're welcome', but my body was unresponsive as I was caught in the glow of her smile. Instead, I faced the front of the class as Mrs Howard walked in and began the lesson. I heard Rachael giggle quietly next to me. Hearing her laugh made me smile, as she didn't seem to be laughing at me in a mean-spirited kind of way, but in a cute kind of way. Cute…that word reminded me of what Sophie said the other day, hinting at the possibility that Rachael might find me cute. Maybe she was just teasing and she didn't really say that or mean it?

I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't even notice Mrs Howard handing out worksheets to each table until she got to mine and Rachael's. She finished talking about her instructions, just when I was about to listen, so I had no clue what we were even supposed to do.

''I have to warn you,'' I whispered to Rachael. ''As much as I love history, I'm not the smartest person you could have paired up with.''

''It's alright, I promise to go easy on you.'' She winked.

'Don't think dirty thoughts over that sentence! Don't think dirty thoughts over that sentence! Don't think dirty thoughts over that sentence!' I repeated over and over again in my brain.

''Uh…I…I didn't really hear what Mrs Howard wanted us to do…''

Normally when I drift off and miss the teacher's instructions and ask for help, my work partner would groan and scold me, like they've got something better to do than helping me out. Not Rachael. Straight away, she shifted her chair closer to mine and placed our worksheets together. We were so close that I could smell the scent of fresh apples flowing from her hair. I couldn't move any further away, so I was forced to be within touching distance of her as she explained. ''We're answering questions about the witchcraft hunt and trails that happened during the late 1600's and early 1700's. Just stuff about the laws sanctioned during that time or in later years. Nothing too hard.''

''I think I know a little about that.''

''How much?''

''I know about the trails and such. I also know about these certain doctors, dressed in crow masks, that would go about and test to see if they really were mystical or not. Inspired by the Plague Doctors that went around during the Bubonic Plague, it was said in some cases they could somehow alter memories so if they ever did find real witches, they could make it so that the witch would forget everything about their craft.''

She stared at me for a brief second, and I thought that I said something wrong at first before she spoke up proudly. ''I'd say you know quite a bit. I thought you said you weren't the smartest person to partner up with?'' She teased playfully.

''I'm not, but I do know some things. Especially when it sounds like something out of a comic book.''

She laughed at my last comment, thankfully not loud enough for Mrs Howard to hear. ''You're right; it does sound like something out of a comic book. Do you believe stuff like this actually happened all those years ago?''

''You mean the Men in Black mind wiping?'' I asked, and she nodded. ''I honestly don't know. My best friend, well, I have two best friends, but the older one is super into all this superstitious and mythological stuff. I think I learned more about the witch trials and Mystics from him than school.''

''Do your best friends go here?''

I shook my head. ''The closest person I can consider in this school my best friend is…'' I looked at Rachael and the words halted in the back of my throat. My head turned away from her so quickly, a sharp pain shot up the back of my neck. I moaned and rubbed the sore spot.

She covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. ''I'm sorry, are you okay?'' She asked. Even though the laughs continued, I could tell there was genuine concern in her tone.

''Yeah, I'm fine,'' I reassured her. Now that I know I hadn't broken my neck, I could also share a laugh with her about it. It didn't last, though, as Mrs Howard gave us both a stern look, warning us to stop with the laughter and we did so instantly. Once the teacher turned her attention to another group of students, I turned to Rachael. ''I guess we should get back to work.''

''My thoughts exactly.''

We never got the chance to talk much more after that. Anyone would be lucky to get just one strike with Mrs Howard, but I guess Rachael's reputation as a perfect student meant that she and I were pardoned with a free chance. So we spent the rest of the lesson studying and writing down the answers in our workbooks. While I managed fine, I couldn't help but feel like an amateur when I looked at Rachael as she worked. She made it look so easy. I was in awe at her.

The lessons after that were uneventful and not worth mentioning. The final bell rang, and everyone was free to leave school. I stumbled my way past most, hoping to meet up with Alex and Steph at Comic-City if they managed to get away from Crystal. It felt good to feel the cool breeze press against my face as I stepped outside. I think my cheeks were still flaring from my talk with Rachael earlier. Speaking of which, I noticed Rachael standing beside a fence outside the school grounds, leaning against it and looking up at one of the windows.

Would it be weird if I just walked up to her right now? I mean, we'd only just started properly talking together, and I didn't want to come across like some kind of stalker. She was most likely waiting for someone. I probably shouldn't disturb her. Though I figured I'd try something if I walk past her and she doesn't notice me and I'll keep on walking. Putting my plan into motion, I strolled out of the school gate and walked past the fence, edging away from her and about to head down the road.

''Hi.'' I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Rachael calling out in my direction.

I turned back around to face her, while she giggled seeing my shocked expression. ''Hey…'' I replied. ''You waiting for someone?''

''Yeah, I'm supposed to meet Chloe and Sophie out here, but they're going to be a bit late because of Football practice.''

I nodded and stood around awkwardly, unsure of what to do next. I wasn't expecting her to start another conversation with me, but then again, I guess she would be a bit lonely whilst waiting for her friends to come out of school. ''Want me to keep you company? Only if you want.''

''That would be nice. Thanks.'' She moved down the fence a little to give me some space to stand beside her. Slowly, I stepped closer to her, yet again, the whiff of fresh apples filled my senses, and my cheeks were most likely burning up. ''At least we don't have to worry about Mrs Howard scolding us now.'' She said.

''Yeah, I hate saying this, but I can't stand her.''

''I don't hate saying it, I think she's a ruthless old bat that would much rather demean a student rather than actually teach them.''

''No kidding, though to be fair, with how smart you are, I doubt you need much teaching!'' I said trying to compliment her, but I was fearful that it came across in a bad way. ''Not that you shouldn't need teaching, no…what I meant is…''

''It's okay. I know what you meant. Thanks. You seem quite intellectual, yourself.''

I could feel the goofy grin form on my face as I turned away, the feeling of butterflies in my stomach growing inside me. ''I think I'm more sensible than smart. Like I said before, lessons are easier for me to remember when they resemble something from a comic book.''

''Oh, I totally forgot to ask, how was that comic book I gave you the other day?''

''It was great, yeah…'' I trailed off, thinking about how the comic was one of my main inspirations for my own little, superhero secret. ''How's Gary been doing?'' I asked.

''He's been getting better. Though it looks like he'll certainly be moving to a new school.''

''I don't blame him,'' I said. The two of us were silent after that. There wasn't anything more that really needed to be said about Gary and what happened to him. It was a terrible thing, but at least he was doing better now and Jason was out of this school for good. Knowing that Gary was moving school, it got me thinking about Megan. ''Have you heard anything about Megan? If she's coming back or not?''

''I haven't, no. I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again. That was good of you to check up on her before, and wanting to be her friend.'' At first, I thought about thanking her for the kind words, but the more I thought about William and Megan, hearing about what happened to them, the guilt started to fill up inside of me. Rachael must have noticed because she advanced a little closer to me. ''What's wrong?''

''I just…'' I paused, wondering what to say, or how to even say it. ''William offered me a chance to go with him and Megan to the shops, right beside where he was stabbed…''

''You can't blame yourself for that!'' She said sharply.

''I can't help it! I keep thinking that if I went with him, then maybe he wouldn't have got attacked…or I could have helped him…or…''

''Stop!'' She exclaimed, silencing me instantly. ''Shaming yourself into a what-if won't help anyone. What happened was a terrible thing, but it's happened, and there's nothing you can do about it to help William. As for Megan, she'll need someone to be there for her, and it seemed like she opened up to you the other day, I think you'll be the friendly and kind person that she needs to help her through this tough time. Everyone can use a friend to talk to when bad things happen.''

It was impossible for me to argue against that. As much as I still thought what happened to William could have been prevented if I went with him, there's nothing I could do about it now, except be there for Megan. I doubt many others in school would take the time out to comfort her, so I'm going to have to fill that role as her friend if she wanted that. ''You're right,'' I said to Rachael. ''Thanks.''

''You're welcome.'' She replied.

Looking into her sparkling eyes made me feel so much easier. Although I shouldn't stare for too long, otherwise I might make her uncomfortable. So I look back towards the school and try to change the subject into something a bit lighter. ''How long does Football practice take for Chloe and Sophie?''

''It depends on how into it they get and trust me when I say they really get into it.''

''Yeah, I've seen them at games.'' I didn't go to matches often unless it was possible for me to get tickets for those outside of school and I could bring Alex and Stephen with me. Even though most matches would be just friendlies against other schools, the amount of passion Chloe and Sophie threw into every minute of game time was frightening…almost mad-Crystal level frightening.

''Have you ever thought about joining the team?'' Rachael asked me.

''Oh no!'' I emphasised the dreadfulness of that idea. ''I wouldn't even be good enough to keep the benches warm, let alone play for the team.''

''I'm sure you'd do fine.''

''Trust me, I wouldn't. I use to play Football in primary school, and it was not a pretty sight. I would score in the wrong goal! Get thrown about all over the place by other players! Or just collapse in exhaustion after three minutes!'' I'm not exaggerating, I really was that bad. I mean, sure, I've been working out recently and getting in better shape, but it takes more than that to be a good Football player, I gave up any dream of joining the school team a long time ago, especially when seeing the skill of others like Chloe and Sophie. ''Do you do any sports?''

Rachael hesitated to answer and had a look on her face that seemed to me like she had a story to tell, but was reluctant to share. I didn't want to force her to say anything she didn't want to, however, she eventually answered. ''I did a bit of gymnastics. But when I was about…seven or eight, I stopped. I suppose you can say with my group is that Chloe and Sophie are the muscle, I'm the brains, and Stella is a bit of both.''

''You heard anything back from Stella?''

She shook her head and a look of concern came upon her. ''No, I'm a little worried about her. She's been a bit distant recently.''

I could tell that Rachael was genuinely worried about Stella, not like it was just a case of her being off for a few days for some random reason, but as if she feared something was really wrong with Stella. ''Actually…'' I spoke up when something came to mind. ''Remember when you and the girls saw me in the hallway the other day? Stella stayed behind afterwards and thanked me for some reason.''

''You don't know why?''

''No, I can't think of anything I've done that affected her in any way. Maybe she got me mixed up with something that someone else did?''

''I wouldn't think so, either way, if she doesn't show up tomorrow then I'm going to pay her a visit.''

''You don't think she's in trouble, do you?''

''I hope not.'' She breathed worriedly. ''I don't want to say too much, but a lot has happened to her recently and she's been under a lot of stress.''

''Well…if you do visit her, tell her I'm wishing her the best, with whatever's going on.''

She smiled at me and looked as if she was about to thank me or say something else when our attention was turned to the front gate of the school. Sophie and Chloe had just stepped outside, still wearing their gym kit while carrying their bags over their shoulders. Their hair a mess, with parts stuck to their foreheads because of the sweat. The time really flew by, I hadn't even realised the other students had all gone and it was just Rachael and I standing by the fence.

Now that her friends were coming out to see her, I guess I could start making my way home now. ''I should go now, bye.'' I stuttered whilst walking down the road.

Rachael turned around to look at me. ''Don't be a stranger, and don't be shy around me. I'm always here if you want to talk.''

''I'll try…but if my cheeks start to light up, then sorry.'' I said bashfully, earning another laugh from her.

''I'll forgive you. Bye.'' She waved to me, just as Chloe and Sophie walked up next to her. The three girls wasted no time in engaging with whatever they wanted to talk about.

My mind was still buzzing trying to accept the fact that I talked with Rachael for so long that I actually lost track of time. Not only that, but it was like she really wanted to talk with me as well. For the first time, I honestly believed that maybe I could be friends with her. That would be pretty super. I may have a chance at hanging out with…

''Rachael Nora?'' I heard someone yell right in my ear from behind. My heart felt like it was going to thump right out of my chest as I turned and stared at my own chuckle brothers, Alex and Stephen.

''Jesus Christ, are you two trying to give me a heart attack?'' I gasped. ''What are you even doing here?''

''Really?'' Alex said, faking an insulted expression. ''We manage to sneak away from Crystal and her girl pals so that we can all hang out at Comic-City for the afternoon, and we find out you're a no-show because you're hanging out with your own girl pals…and we're the ones who are being questioned as if we did something wrong?''

Oh crap, I was so caught up in my conversation with Rachael, I completely forgot about meeting up with Alex and Steph. I sighed and took a moment to regain my composure; still recovering from the shock they gave me. ''I'm really sorry guys, I got distracted…''

''Yeah, we can see that…'' Alex smirked. He put an arm around my shoulder and turned me the other way so that I was looking back towards Rachael and her friends, who were all walking off in the other direction. ''So that's the girl you've been crushing on for years now? I knew you said she was beautiful, and you were actually right. Although, in my honest opinion, the one with the long, straight hair is sexier.''

''How long have you two been stalking me?'' I asked.

''About five minutes.'' Stephen blurted out, which resulted in Alex leaning over and smacking him across the back of his little brother's head.

After that bit of brotherly love, Alex turned back to me. ''So what's she like?''

''None of your business.''

''Oh come on, you don't have to go into too many details…''

I pulled myself free from Alex's grasp. ''We've only started talking properly today, I'm just getting to know her.''

The older brother smirked confidently and nudged his shoulder into mine. ''Listen, if you ever need tips on how to woo the lady of your dreams…''

''I won't be calling you.'' I taunted. ''There's still time for us to hang out at Comic-City if you want. I'll even buy the drinks as an apology for not showing up.''

Alex and Steph looked at each other, considering my offer greatly. It probably wasn't a smart move on my part to buy the drinks since I was pretty much broke after paying Marquez for Parkour lessons. I didn't even know if I could buy myself a drink, but if it'll get these two off my back about Rachael, then it was a risk I was willing to pay, literally. Finally, Stephen was the first to answer. ''That is a tempting offer. But you could do better…''

''Drinks and a comic book of our choice!'' Alex said.

''No.''

''Fine, just the drinks.'' He sighed in defeat, and we marched towards Comic-City.

In order to save a bit of time, we took a short cut by making our way through a street market, bustling with frantic and impatient people at different market stands of all kinds. It was more crowded, but I did waste time for the guys, I was forced to lead us through the quickest route, which happened to be the route that felt like we were getting trampled on during a stampede…as if I don't get that enough at school. To make things more difficult, behind the market stands that littered the narrow roads were a line of buildings selling off all kinds of products

Thankfully, it was later in the day than when we usually pass by here, so it wasn't too crowded for us, and we managed to shuffle through just fine. ''So you're not even going to give us a little bit of a hint about what you were talking about?'' Alex questioned.

I swear…these two were relentless like a pair of hungry dogs. ''No!''

''Are you going to ask her out?'' Steph inquired.

''Ask her out? I told you we've only just started talking!''

''But you've had a crush for ages now. She's practically the only crush you've ever had, not including celebrity ones!''

''I know but…'' I stopped walking and directed my full attention to them both. ''Someone in school pointed out to me that I don't know that much about her, and today I've realised that he's right. I don't. Have I ever mentioned before that Rachael is part-Greek?''

''No,'' Alex replied as they both shook their heads.

''Because I only just found out the other week, and there's plenty of other stuff I've just found out, which for the record I'm not going to share with either of you. But…'' I mumbled before I could stop myself. It was too late for me to walk away, as they both leant in close and waited for me to continue, so I did. ''At the same time, she's just as kind and smart as I thought she was…and she smells like fresh apples.''

Hearing that last comment, Alex chuckled loudly. ''Oh wow, you've got it bad!''

While Alex seemed to be enjoying his laugh at my expense, Steph seemed interested in what I was saying. ''Does it seem like she likes you back?''

That question caught me off guard. ''Uh…I don't know…'' She wanted to sit next to me in class, and she started a conversation after school when she could have just ignored me and let me walk on. But was she just being friendly because she's a nice person?

I turned back and kept walking through the busy crowd of shoppers through the market. It didn't take long for Alex to rush over until he was walking right beside me. ''Look, you want to get to know her, yeah?''

''Yeah?''

''Not convincing me, buddy!''

''Yeah, I do want to get to know her.''

''Then just think of this as day one! You don't have to know every little secret about her right away. Getting to know someone takes time and patience. If you really want to get to know her, and she feels the same way, it'll happen over time.'' He gave me a supportive pat on the back.

''You sure know a lot about this stuff for being…you!''

He laughs and nudges me a little. ''Hey, you know what my mum is like with her rom-com's. Occasionally I see the one out of fifty that does actually offer helpful advice. Not that I'll need any when I meet my lucky lady, which could be that cute blonde that was with Rachael earlier. What was her name?''

''If I remember, you said the one with straight hair earlier, so that would be Chloe.''

''Chloe,'' He cooed with delight. ''I will definitely remember that.''

''She's a part of the school Football team,'' I added.

''Seriously? She's stealing my heart already.''

Alex liked to think of himself as a big, old romantic…and he could be if he matured that little bit more. While he didn't have as much trouble talking with the opposite sex as I did, he wasn't any closer to having a girlfriend. The same could be said for Stephen, who was a quiet one like me, but again, without the trouble talking with girls. Although, come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen him try to flirt with a girl before. When reminding myself of Steph, that's when I noticed he wasn't walking along with Alex and me.

We both stopped in our tracks and turned back around to see Steph standing outside one of the shops, along with a gathering crowd, looking in through the window. ''What's going on?'' I asked.

''Probably watching a Football game.'' Alex guessed.

''There's no big games on Thursdays though.''

Alex sighed with annoyance before trudging back towards his little brother, and I followed closely behind, curious as to what was going on and making everyone stop and gossip. My friend had managed to barge his way through to Steph, while I was a bit more cautious with moving through the crowd of people, partly because of my good nature and another part because of not wanting to aggravate my bad leg any further.

Eventually, I made it through and caught up with Alex and Steph, both staring into the window of the shop, which was littered with a dozen TV screens of different sizes all playing the same news channel. I only glanced for a second and saw an old school photo of William on screen. Just that one-second was enough for me. I didn't want to be reminded of the person I could have protected. I turned back around and started walking down the street.

''Thomas!'' Before I got far, Alex called out for me. ''You need to come and see this!''

''Alex,'' I groaned and turned to face him. ''I'm not in the…''

I didn't have time to finish before Steph jumped out of the crowd. ''They know who the killers are!''

That made me shut up straight away. I wasted no time and rushed back into the crowd next to the brothers so that I could see the TV screens again. The photo of William was still on the screen along with photos of those the police have discovered are linked to the killing. Even with the names of the suspects scrolling along the bottom, I knew right away who they were…I've had the misfortune to see their faces enough times in school.

Jason Crews, and his buddies consisting of Freddy, Charlie and Michael were reported to be the ones responsible!

I stared in disbelief as the report went on. It turns out the reason Michael was being held for longer than I believed was because of his face being caught on CCTV near the scene of the crime. After days of questioning, he confessed to being one of those who was there when William was stabbed and watched as Jason committed the murder. Now there was a manhunt after the other three.

''Jesus,'' Alex's shocked voice broke me out of my thoughts. ''I know you said Jason was bad…but did you ever think he would go as far as killing someone?''

All I could do was shake my head slowly. Jason was a constant menace at the school since the start, but this was on a completely inhuman level, he killed someone! He had done some terrible things over the years; bullying, starting fights with students and teachers alike, there was even a rumour he got in trouble for underage drink driving a while back. But killing someone?

However, hearing this news and letting it sink in, the shock didn't stay long as I remembered him standing over Gary's beaten body in the playground when I last saw him, blood on his fists and alcohol coating his breath. Maybe it was only a matter of time before he would go this far. I felt light-hearted just thinking about it. I stood up to this guy, and only a few days later, he would murder in cold blood.

Now knowing it was Jason that killed William, the confusion and fear were replaced by something else…anger. My heart was burning with rage realising that all this time, the killer was someone that I knew, someone I could have stopped beforehand if I was stronger. He killed a good kid, and I wasn't going to stand for that.

By the time it reached nightfall, the whole city knew who the killers were, the chances of Jason and his gang hiding were shrinking by the second. They were going to be on the run. I could feel the dread around my area; everything and everyone seemed to die on the inside. Right now, only the police would be brave enough to look out for Jason. But I had one advantage during the early hours of the revelation; I might have an idea of where he could be hiding.

It was a long shot, and he could be long gone by the time I get there, as the police could get it out of Michael soon. But if not, and I get there first, I can stop Jason before he gets away, or possibly kills again. But I would have to wait for Jenna to fall asleep first. After she heard the news, she rushed home to check if I was safe and sound, especially since I was previously involved in a scuffle with Jason and got knocked out for my troubles. So the two of us were home, with me in my room, sitting on my bed and staring up at the ceiling as I waited for Jenna to fall asleep.

I kept thinking about Jason's smug personality, and how he would treat all this as nothing more than a bit of fame. It was tearing me apart inside. It was Jason who killed him. I could have been there with William to stop it from happening. How heartbroken would Megan be when she finds out her brother's killer was someone she was in the same school with?

The late nights working must have caught up with Jenna, because she was fast asleep in no time at all, and this was the perfect opportunity to go after Jason and put an end to this nightmare. Once I double-checked Jenna, making sure she was snoozing like a baby, I prepared myself and got into my costume.

Admittedly, looking at myself in the mirror with my costume on…it felt good.

To encourage myself, I repeated over and over again in my head. 'You caught Michael! You beat him! I've started my revenge, now all I have to do is end it tonight!'

This wasn't going to be easy. My first proper mission and I would have to track and locate my school bully who has been making life hell for myself and others over the years, with two other tough, deranged thugs to back him up, who have already murdered someone and already beaten me before…with one punch!

But this time, I knew I was ready for whatever came my way. Because this time, I'm not fighting them as Thomas Lanks. He lost. Now…they'll have to face Omega Kid!

To Be Continued…

If you'd like, you can follow my original stories on Wattpad. My penname is Thomas-LF. Thank you for your time, if you do read them, I hope you enjoy them.