Hey, hey, hey! It's time for another chapter of NCM! This is where things start to wind down. Bill and Russell are in a tight space, and unless Rudy comes to his senses, then they're both screwed. Let's see how this ends up! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 9: The Monster's Breakdown

"I'm surprised it took you this long to find your brother... when he seems to be so close to death..." Rudy chuckled, as he saw Russell tremble in fear, "Oh what's wrong? You see the error of your ways... I warned you of what would happen if you told ANYBODY about this!"

The child whimpered as he started to cry, "I'm sorry... I really am! Please leave Bill alone!"

"It's too late..."

Rudy has never seen so many tears.

Russell had never felt so many tears falling from his eyes.

There the little one sat, on his knees in front of the teen who had been tormenting him for the past few weeks. He looked over to see his brother in the corner, bruised and bloody...

He then looked back up at Rudy, who retained that sinister look. That spray paint on his clothes and face were taunting Russell... it was so red... like blood... like the blood Bill was covered in right now.

"Look at what you've done, shrimp..." Rudy spoke, his tone as dark as ever, "You just had to fill your brother in on the details between us, even though I warned you of what would happen if you did..."

"I-I-I-I..." Russell had a hard time trying to come up with what to say... he couldn't.

SLAP!

The child fell back, holding his left cheek. The tears continued to flow, as he heard Rudy laugh, "Whatever you have to say now, it won't make a difference. You just keep making mistakes, Rus... and the sad thing is... things wouldn't have turned out this way... if you never said 'No Class Ever' to me this summer..."

"That's not his fault!" Bill exclaimed with anger, "You just overreacted!"

"SHUT UP!" Rudy shot back, glaring at the older Cosby brother before turning back to the younger one, "Point is... you need to pay the price! You're gonna DIE, Russell! I won't actually kill you, but I'll make sure you DIE on the inside! I won't stop until you're a shell of your former self, with the knowledge that everything that I've done... was your fault. YOU let this happen! Now, your brother is suffering, all because you couldn't keep your big mouth shut! I'll gladly torture him too, and make sure you watch every. Single. Second..."

With that, the rich boy raised his big kitchen knife again and advanced towards Bill. Russell could only cry even more in fear of what was going to happen to his brother... but mostly... because he felt like what Rudy said was true...

It was his fault...

He said that 'No Class Ever' stuff in the first place... and now Rudy's become an absolute monster...

And... now his brother was in danger...

He had to do something...

He had to make things right!

Wiping his tears, Russell mustered all the strength he could, stood up, and jumped on Rudy's back, sending them both to the ground. He attempted to pin him down, but Rudy was much stronger... and now pissed off, "You little crap! You'll pay for that!" He now pinned the child to the floor as he punched him repeatedly.

Bill winced when he heard his brother's pained screams, "No! Rudy, please stop! Don't!"

By the time Rudy was done throwing punches, Russell's face was swollen, blood poured from his nose, and there were several bruises. The rich boy growled loudly as he grabbed his knife again, "I've just about had it with you! I should just KILL you for real!"

At this point, Russell didn't care... as far as he was concerned, he deserved to die... he caused this... now he was paying the price. So the child closed his eyes... as he awaited the stab to kill him.

... But it never came.

After a few seconds, he opened his eyes to see Rudy being restrained by Albert, and the others tending to Bill. The rich boy was struggling widely. All of a sudden, this was looking familiar... just like what happened this past summer.

"Release me! I'm about to destroy this brat's life!" Rudy growled.

"Haven't you done so already...?" Albert asked with a frown, "Rudy, what's gotten into you to go and hurt Russell again? What has he done to deserve this?"

"He started that stupid 'No Class Ever' mess this summer! He's the reason I've been getting nothing but judgment and tomfoolery thrown at me ever since we started school again! Everything would be fine if it weren't for Russell!"

Bill glared at him, "Again, you're overreacting! And you're taking it out on the wrong people!"

"I! DON'T! CARE!" Rudy screamed, tearing himself away from Albert's grips, "Lately, people seem to care more about Russell's wellbeing than mine! I KNOW I did some stupid stuff, but I try to redeem himself! I freaking SAVED the little shrimps life from that thug! I almost DIED from getting STABBED! But does anybody pity me for that?! NO! All they seem to think about is how I almost killed him! All I want is everything to be forgotten about! But no! It has to be brought up again! Just like always! Ever since that little shrimp came into my life, he's made it a living HELL!"

As he ranted, everyone could see tears streaming down Rudy's cheeks as he waved his knife around, "Whenever I do something, I get laughed at or judged. But no matter what little Russell does, it's seen as cute and people treat him like he's the best child in the world! He insults me 24/7, it's so hilarious! I put him in his place, suddenly I'm a monster! And you guys are no exception! You do this every day! Why does he get treated so nicely compared to me?! Why do people LIKE him more than ME?! No matter what I do, I'm still a no class JERK to people! It's not fair! It's not fair! IT'S NOT FREAKING FAIR!"

Suddenly, Rudy dropped to his knees, crying hysterically. This caught everyone, even Russell, completely off guard. They have never seen their friend so distraught. And even though Russell saw Rudy shed some tears when they had their talk in the hospital a few months ago, it was still surprising.

Somehow, it seemed that Rudy's problem wasn't just about the NCE thing...

Albert kneeled down beside the sobbing boy and attempted to rub his back, but Rudy moved away as he stood up. Through his tears, he glared daggers at Russell, "I hope you're happy, shrimp! You get all the love and sympathy! While all I get is dirt and misery! I freaking HATE you!"

With that, the rich boy bolted out of the building, leaving behind the knife by mistake...

None of the boys knew what to say about this. They were all speechless from Rudy's rant and breakdown. But they still attempted to help Bill. Thankfully, he wasn't as hurt as Russell thought, just a few bruises and cuts that looked more severe due to the lighting of the building. Thankfully, Bill and Russell's parents were still out of town, so that saved them the trouble of explaining things.

But Russell honestly felt worse than he looked. He thought back to Rudy's outburst from earlier as he sat in his room that night. The more he thought... the more he felt like it really was his fault. It wasn't just about the 'No Class Ever' comment...

His mere existence was an issue to Rudy.

And he realized that what Rudy said, for, for the most part, was true.

Whenever Russell did something or said something witty, people laughed and were amused. If Rudy tried to do the same thing, nobody was impressed, and Russell always had something to say about it, which also got laughs.

And it seemed like... no matter what Rudy did, or how he did it... people never changed their opinions on him. As Russell always said... no class.

But really... was it him who had no class...?

What really hurt was the last thing Rudy said to him before he ran out of the building...

I freaking HATE you!

Rudy... hated him. Okay, he knew Rudy never really liked him to begin with, but he had never heard the older boy say that he flat out hated him. Russell clutched his chest. He suddenly felt a pain he thought he'd never really feel.

The pain... of heartbreak.

I deserve this... Russell thought miserably, Apparently, all I've done was make Rudy's life terrible by just being here. To him, I'm nothing more than the shrimp that bugs everybody... him especially. Maybe it would be better if I died... then he would be happy...

The small child got on his knees at the side of his bed and began to pray...

"God. If you're listening... please forgive me. I feel like I did something bad... so I ask you to forgive me for my sins... Rudy won't forgive me... I won't forgive myself... but I sure hope you will... though if I died right now... Rudy would be glad... and so would I... so I won't be a thorn in his side again... and please forgive me for what I'm about to do... Amen..."

After that was done, the boy reached into the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out the pocket knife again. He told Bill he wouldn't do it anymore... but he wanted to punish himself. He rolled up his sleeves and began cutting over the previous cuts, even reopening a few. Tears fell, but Russell didn't care...

I'm doing you a favor, Rudy... I hope you'll be happy...

Wow, that was heavy.

So as it turns out, Rudy's more frustrated with Russell getting treated better than he is, and it isn't just the NCE stuff. And poor Russell now truly believes it's his fault and decides he needs to pay for his 'sins'. Next chapter will be a time skip, and we'll see how everyone's been doing since the waterfront incident. Let's hope things will get better. But judging by what happened here, it's unlikely to happen so soon. Until then, I'll see you guys later. And don't forget to review, please. Thank you!