7: Crybaby
"Okay mom I'm leaving." A ten year old Stanley Pirie stood in the front doorway of his house holding in his hand a black, plastic ax. The ax had a mechanical mastodon symbol in the shape of a large coin, which meant it was for the black ranger, on the side. Mighty Morphing Power Rangers was his favorite television show. Even though the power rangers changed every season he and his groups of friends liked the oldest episodes the best. They weren't on television anymore but his parents had them on VHS, or ancient recordings, since they were kids so they stayed around the house.
Angela Pirie descended the wooden staircase to the main floor. In her hand was a light weight jacket, its sleeves torn at the very ends due to Stanley biting at it. "It's chilly out today. Take this just in case you get cold." Angela warps the jacket around Stanley's shoulders.
"Thanks mom." Stanley gives his mother a great big smile.
"Now only stay around the block where we can keep our eye on you." She pats down Stanley's semi-long hair. His hair wasn't really long except for the bangs that went just above his eyes. Angela giggles to herself. "Look like someone needs a haircut."
"Aaaww…mom." He shakes his head to make Angela stop petting him like a dog.
"Oh? Am I embarrassing you? How about when I do…this?" Angela wraps her hands around Stanley's small frame and rapidly moves her fingers. The little strokes across his ribcage cause him to laugh uncontrollably. A little snort comes out of Stanley as Angela finishes her tickle.
Two kids walk up the driveway of the Pirie household. One of which was Aaron Welsh, he was the shortest of the bunch. He had over his face a blue mask of the blue ranger. If the mask wasn't covering his face you would have seen his round cheeks; his short, parted to the side, brown hair; and his sad eyes. He wasn't all that sad though his eyes just gave the impression. He wasn't all that smart either it just so happens every power ranger gets taken so he's left with the geeky one. Aaron favorite was the black ranger but Stanley always insisted on playing him and because Aaron didn't like to argue he let him have it…every time.
Standing next to Aaron was the very predictable and very shy Zoe Martin. She had on her favorite t-shirt, one she had been wearing for three weeks straight (washing it of coarse). On it was a man dressed up in a suit of armor acting heroic and brave. It was her knight in shining armor. Zoe's mother would try to hide the shirt but Zoe would always find it. She also wore a yellow mask which meant she was the yellow ranger. The yellow from the mask complemented her reddish-brown hair but Zoe could care less about fashion though her pretty face suited it well.
"Okay, give me a kiss and then you can go play with your friends." Angela says as she finishes helping Stanley put his jacket on. Stanley kisses her on the cheek and runs outside to join his friends. "Be safe." Angela yells out, as all parents do when talking about safety, while she shuts the door. Angela's mind was at ease because she lived in a nice neighborhood. Very little crime, mildly rich neighbors, and the fact that five houses on the block belonged to parents of Stanley's friends. There was always an eye on them. They didn't even have to worry about curfew it was so safe but they usually came home around nine because that's all their ten year old bodies could take.
"It's time to save the word from Rita Repulsa." Aaron jumps on top of the brick wall surrounding the flower garden and raises his blue, plastic lance with a mechanical triceratops coin on the side, in the air. Rita Repulsa was one of the main villains in the Power Rangers' series.
"Where's Ada and Joshua?" Stanley grabs a hold of Aaron's hand and joins him on the brick wall. They both try to balance as the walk down the street.
"I think they're still eating lunch…" Zoe says as she watches the two boys fall off the wall. She didn't feel bad laughing at them.
"They must be at Joshua's house. Race ya there!" Aaron takes off at full speed and not too soon after Stanley was as well. Zoe continued to walk casually as the two competitive boys raced a couple houses down.
Stanley and Aaron reach the light blue house at the corner of the street. It had three decorative bushes along the front of the house. On the right side of the house curving around the corner of the street was a huge rock jetting out of the ground. It would have been removed a long time ago but the land itself was mostly rock so it was too much of a hassle to move it. You would have never known how rocky this part of the neighborhood was because the rock was six feet under the surface.
Both of the boys run around to the backyard. As they reach the window to the kitchen they jump up and down to be seen by the people inside. The window was slightly higher than the both of them so it soon became a jumping contest.
Ada Velez opens the rickety backdoor while holding a half eaten peanut butter sandwich in one hand and her pink, plastic bow and arrow in the other. It had a mechanical pterodactyl coin on it to represent the pink ranger. The door squeaked every time she moved it the slightest bit. "Hi, guys. Josh just has to clean up his room and then we can play." Ada fully steps outside. The sun shining down onto Ada's face made her Moroccan skin glisten in its light. Ada takes another bite of her peanut butter sandwich as she looks around the two boys. "Where's Zoe?" Her sweet voice was very much like her appearance, sweet. She wore a pink skirt with a white and yellow flowered shirt on top. Even her cheeks were rosy which added to her cute face.
"Who ever finds Zoe first wins!" Aaron speaks up.
"You're on!" Ada quickly responds as she leaps off the deck to search for Zoe. Stanley and Aaron were not too far behind each one splitting up from each other. As Ada turned the corner of the right side of the house she saw her friend Zoe sitting under the shade of a Japanese Maple Tree. Its gorgeous red leaves blowing with the wind were like a sunset but in a tree form. Ada brushes through the short grass to join Zoe in the shade. "So what up?"
"Nothing much just looking at the leaves." Zoe said as she twirled one of the red leaves through her yellow, plastic daggers. There was a saber-tooth tiger coin on the side of the dagger to show she was the yellow ranger.
As soon as Ada places herself at the base of the tree the front door opens. Out walks Joshua Bailey wearing his red power ranger mask on the top of his head. In his right hand he held a red, plastic sword with a tyrannosaurus coin on the side. Like the red ranger himself, Joshua was also the leader of this group of friends. If it wasn't for Joshua their group of friends wouldn't be friends. Because of his outgoing, friendly personality he befriended each kid around the block. His look was a lot like Stanley's but his bangs weren't as long as Stanley's. Joshua jumps down the few steps coming out of the front door. He stretches out his arms toward Ada and Zoe and yells out, "Watch out the Putty Patrol!!" He pointed to an imaginary monster behind Ada and Zoe. He pulls off the coin from off his weapon and raises it to the sky. "Tyrannosaurus!" As soon as he said it he pushes the red mask over his face and swings his sword at the invisible enemies.
Both Zoe and Ada rise from their seated positions and they both pull off the coin that was attached to their weapons. "Pterodactyl!" Ada yells out while pushing the mask over her face.
"Saber Toothed Tiger!" Zoe does the same thing the other two did. All three of them go back to back attacking the invisible monsters.
"Wait where are Billy and Zack?" Joshua quickly searches the area to find his lost friends. While playing their game they called each other by the power ranger's names. It was there way of getting more enjoyment.
"Aaahhh! Help! Lord Zedd has captured me!" Aaron sat on top of the huge rock with his hands behind his back wiggling like a worm.
Stanley who just came around the corner of the house yells out, "I'll save you! Mastod…aaaaahhh!!" His word was cut as he came crashing to the ground. It felt like he was just smacked in the face with the string part of a tennis racquet. He lifts himself off the ground now soaked with water.
Wayne Kennedy, Jennifer Stevens, and Kenneth LeBlanc stood a little bit down the street. Kenneth whips another water balloon at Stanley's face causing it to turn red and for Stanley to tear up. "Why don't you run home and cry you fucking pussy!" It wasn't surprise that Kenneth was swearing. He heard these words everyday in his house it was no surprise when he started to use them as well.
The female with long, sleek, black hair joins in the taunt. "You're such a fucking baby! Why don't you cry home to mommy?" Jennifer runs up to Stanley and pushes him right back down on the ground. More tears escape his eyes as little scrap marks form on his elbows.
Ada runs in-between Jennifer and Stanley and pushes Jennifer away "Leave him alone!" Although Ada was sweet she knew when to raise her voice.
"You think you're so tough? Why not hit me?" Jennifer opens herself up for a hit.
Ada doesn't move she just grabs a hold of Stanley's hand. As she tries to help him up she looks at Jennifer and stares at her straight in the eyes. "Why don't you just leave us alone?!"
Jennifer laughs in her face, "Why don't you guys go jump off a cliff because no body wants you alive. Not even your parents. I know they told me." She laughs again and pushes Ada forcefully. Luckily Joshua manages to catch Ada before she hits the ground.
"Back Off." Joshua gets right into Jennifer's face.
Jennifer just smirks. She looks down to Stanley. "You're lucky you have your friends. Otherwise you would be in a world of hurt. You're such a loser, Stanley."
Stanley's lips starts to quiver as more tears roll down his face. He claws against the ground as he dashes down the street back to his house. He ran out of desperation just to get away, to be comforted by his mother.
Ada tries to grab Stanley's hand as he ran away but she wasn't fast enough, "Stanley!" She cried out for him to come back but he was too far away. Ada started to chase after him followed by Joshua.
Kenneth takes a couple steps forward and yells out a chant that they had made up. Not long after Jennifer and Wayne joined in as the repeated the chant as long as they could see Stanley.
"Stanley boy, Stanley boy
Everybody wants that boy destroyed."
Zoe and Aaron stayed hidden to not receive the same torture Stanley did as the three bullies continued to taunt the poor Stanley.
A burst of noise fills the island. The crackle of sound didn't seem to be too close but that fact didn't seem to ease Stanley Pirie's (Male Student #21) nerves. He wraps his arms around his knees as he shoves himself deeper into a small nook between the sofa and a wooden bookshelf. It calmed his mind to shove himself into a corner but his tears continued the flow. Another blast echo's the island. His body shakes with the shot. If he was at home he would have ignored the blast as members of his class shooting illegal fireworks but here…he knew it was not fireworks. It was death.
Stanley looks down to the object in front of him. The moonlight shined off his weapon of death. Its long wooden handle touched the tip of his shoe as the flat, sharp end pointed away from him. The second he saw the hand ax he didn't want anything to do with it but it taunted him. The shine transfixed his tear drenched eyes…he couldn't do it.
This is bullshit! Shannon…sh-she's dead… why can't things be the way they used. Friends…fun. No tears! No pain! No… Stanley thoughts were cut off. The front door of the house swings open. No death… A shadow of a person is outlined from the dim light outside. No, no, no!! Why did you pick this house? Go somewhere else!
The figure slowly enters the run down house. Every creak of the floor boards made Stanley's heart twist in the same way. Please…oh please go away. Another glimpse of moonlight shined from across the room. The mysterious figure also held tightly onto its weapon but instead of a solid beam of light its weapon had a wavy beam.
"This sucks!" The voice came from the mysterious figure. It came out more as a sigh then a clearly spoken word. Due to its lower voice it must have been a guy. No, no, no, guys will play! Please be Joshua or Aaron. Give me a friend! Or would they…play? No!...Yes? Just leave!
A soft pillow type sound occurred but it had small hits of metal as well. The mystery boy threw his supplied military bag onto the long wooden table. A metal candlestick, which was placed in the center of the table, topples over as soon the bag landed on the table. The moonlight coming from the blade rises as the mystery boy quickly lifts his weapon in a defensive stance.
Stanley looks down at the shining ax again. I could make him go away. I could be alone again…no…I can't…could…I…I? No… I want to go home…go away. My friends…where are my…frie-ends…we would be so strong together…us…together. Go away! The silence in the room is broken as the mystery boy thrusts the blade into the wooden table. The thud seemed to linger in the air, in his soul. He's playing! I know it!! Mom…
Bling
One of those annoying cell phone rings, the one with bells moving from an upper register to a lower register in a rapid motion, arises to the right of Stanley. The mystery boy pulls out his supplied flashlight. The beam of light stretches across the room where the sound came from. Stanley became a deer in headlights. Even his thoughts froze in the realization he might be caught.
The tall figure makes his way across the room his shoe's scuff across the wooden floor as he stops in front of the couch. Stanley resists the urge to stick his head out to see who it is. It was more than a relief that the hand ax on the floor in front of him was unnoticed by the mystery boy.
Bling
Another loud annoying ring echo's through the small house. The boy makes his way back to where he threw his military bag. His hurried self made the room seem livelier. Yes. Yes!! Leave! The figure stopped as he looked down at cell phone in his hand. No, No! Don't stop, keep going. The blue, hazy glow shining out of the cell phone lit up the mystery boy's face. His features started to form behind the blue light. The shadows on the cheeks gave the impressions of good cheek bones. It could only be a handful of guys Benjamin Barnes, Dean Miller, Kenneth LeBlanc…KENNETH!! No, no, no, no!! Anyone but him! Stanley still wasn't a hundred percent sure it was him but the feeling in the pit of his stomach told different. The figure was the same height as Kenneth he had the same facial structure, and the way that the boy thrust his blade into the hard wooden table all sighs pointed to Kenneth LeBlanc.
The light shining off the curvy blade was a warning. He's playing I know he is. He's planning with someone to kill me. No, maybe he won't notice me.
"Loser!" Kenneth's voice started to echo in Stanley's head.
Shut up! Shut up! Stanley's leg started to shake uncontrollably. The fear was getting to him. It almost hurt to cry but more tears came out.
"What are you crying about? Fucking pussy! Go cry home to your mommy! Stanley boy, Stanley boy everybody wants that boy destroyed. You're such a loser. Loser…Looosssseerrr….LOSER!!"!
"NO, I'M NOT!!" The room froze. Before the torment was only in his head but now…the outburst had words attached. Stanley was immobile again. How could he be so stupid to burst out like that?
It was too no surprise the flashlight got shined right on his face. "St-Stanley?"
"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!" Stanley screams out of desperation and fear. He burst out of his little nook. The bookshelf wobbles as Stanley wraps his fingers around the long wooden handle of his hand ax. He was actually quite agile with it considering he was trying to aim it at another human being. He kept his eyes closed shut as he swung it downward. It collided. There were no sparks or a loud blaster sound in fact in was nothing like it was in Power Rangers. Its sound was very similar to the cracking a tree branch followed by screams of horror.
It was done he hit his target. As Stanley opened his eyes he didn't see the face of Kenneth LeBlanc he saw Andy Griffen's (Male Student #5) face. What did I do?! Andy wouldn't be playing…he wouldn't. Now that he knew who it was he realized Andy and Kenneth had these traits in common good cheeks bones, their height. The dark brown tone to Andy's face was masked by the blue of the cell phone's light so how could he have known the difference. What have I done? He rushes to the side of Andy. Andy was a good kid, good grades, nice personality, good hearted, Stanley had to do something. "I'm s-s-sorry. Oh my god!!" Stanley frantically grabs the ax still lodged in Andy's chest and pulls as hard as he can.
With each pull Andy's body lifts up and drops back down to the floor. Andy cries in horror as the ax remained lodged in his chest. Stanley was not strong enough to pull the ax out. If only he could call on the power of the black ranger but this was not fictional. His classmate, his friend was dying right in front of him and it was all his fault. I won't let you die!! Stanley tugs on the ax again. Andy' chest was completely covered in his own blood. As Stanley tries to pull on the ax again a handful of blood squirts out of the open wound in his chest.
"S-Sto-op!! Pl-Pleease!!" Andy's voice became very broken. It became harder and harder for Andy to swallow but he continued to speak. "Uzuki…I…I…protect…" More blood spews out of Andy's mouth.
Stanley retreats under the table. He couldn't help but just watch Andy slowly die. In a short time Stanley became a murderer. Ke-Kenneth w-was bad. Andy…Andy was good…does…that m-mean…I'm bad? Help me with math problems again. Teach me to be better at baseball. Just don't…don't… Andy's body remains motionless on the floor. His blood pooled around him like a little pond. …die. It was too late there was nothing Stanley could have done. He just hid as he always did.
Bling
The annoying sound of bells is heard again. The cell phone in Andy's hand glows its sorrowful blue. Stanley couldn't help but see what it said. He flips open the purple plastic phone. It read: One New Message. He clicks its open. I trust you Andy. Don't disappoint me. – Uzuki
No…he…I…Uzuki and Andy…She'll know…when he doesn't show up. She'll…she'll know it's me…no I…I didn't…She'll want to… More tears fell out of Stanley's eyes. He had to run. He had to get as far away from his tears, his pain, and the death. He grabs both military bags and the renaissance dagger still attached to the table and runs out of the house as fast as he can. He wanted to run home and cry but there was no home now, so all he could do was run and cry.
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