Chapter 3.2: "Some freaking balls are really meant to be kicked"

"By the way bestie, this is Angelica Eunice Motto and Carlo Noble Salonga," Jannie still introduced to me the two other persons who are with us at the table which is oddly unexpected. "They've been my friends since Junior high school till now but we're taking up different tracks so we had separate classes with each other. They're not really as much as an approachable person like me but trust me girl, they won't bite. Anyways, just call them in their nicknames, Elica and Arlo."

"H-H-Hi, n-nice m-meeting y-you," Arlo stuttered as he greeted me and then slightly bowed his head while blushing. I looked at Elica next to him but I immediately averted my eyes away because of the depth of her nerve-racking stares at me.

I know it's too early to judge but yeah, I am certain that I'm currently surrounded by a bunch of weirdos as of this moment.

First, is this "Jannie" girl whom I just met this morning after I stumbled upon her at the corridor of our building. It may or may not sound offensive of any sort but she really freaked me out since we came up to each other's faces earlier. Out of all the people that I have encountered before, I'm pretty sure that she is the first person I knew of who seemed to be an unstoppable talking machine. She's an extremely chatty person, as if she could do that all day like a talk-show host. And the way she speaks is even more eccentric. She talks as fast as a running cheetah in savanna hunting for a prey — and that is somehow the reason why I can't even keep up with every single thing that she blabbers aside from the point that she seems like she doesn't ran out of things to say. Apart from that, she's also credulous, boy-crazy, and a book addict. We barely even know each other but she's talking to me as if I am her long-lost childhood friend or whosoever.

On the flip side, "Elica" is… Well, her physical appearance is kinda eerie. I'm not saying that she looks hideous or unattractive, I am pertaining to her perilous aura that could kill bugs or any living things that will accidentally approach her. I don't know if it's just me or she really has a 'Sadako' vibe because of her strange behavior. She had a pretty, long black hair and thick bangs enough to cover her forehead to the upper part of her eyes. She had a dull, bare face so you can clearly see those dark circles hooding on both of her eyes, her lips are also pale as well as her skin. Moving on from her appearance, I noticed that she has this mannerism of murmuring time by time as if she is whispering a mantra of summoning a supernatural force. And when she stares at you, you will definitely feel goosebumps from all over your body (including your pubic hairs) and this somehow makes you wanna pee. I don't know if she's acting on shows playing as a horror character or maybe that's her real nature. Either way, I know one thing's for sure. That she's a creepster and a killer-wannabe.

And last but not the least is "Arlo", who looks like the most normal compared to the other two I've mentioned. But then, I also thought wrong because that was just my first impression to him and little did I know that he's also no different from her two weirdo friends. If Jannie is too bold and blithesome as if she just came out from a Candyland on some random kid's imagination, then he is her exact opposite. Arlo is a shy person — no scratch that, it is an understatement. The fact that he is super fidgety and dithery around people makes me think that he had a social anxiety, but not clearly 'cause Jannie said he's more like scared about everything. Every minute he'll tend to look around nervously as if some gunman would appear out of nowhere and suddenly shoot him. He acts like a paralytic man due to the constant shaking of his hands and head, but her friends denied that he has an autism. He is nerdy and a bit of a weakling — a bully's potential target if I may say. And among the four of us, he is also the only guy in this freaky group.

But heck, who am I to judge when I am a freaky one myself? After all, Birds of the same feathers flock together, so the unexplainable fact that I am sitting along with them in one of the benches outside the school buildings at lunch break makes me a part of their cult now. Perhaps, I was still too overwhelmed with the feeling that after so many years of waiting, somebody finally approached me and fearlessly entitled me as a friend other than Sheena. But then, after analyzing this kind of situation, I get stuck in between the idea of being grateful for this social opportunity and otherwise.

"Supposedly, we are a group of four but then our other friend, Lyan, got so frustrated since last night to the point that she couldn't even come with us today. I don't know what's her exact issue but I'm guessing it's either about the animes she's watching or the games she's addicted to play. So yeah, we decided to leave her all alone in our apartment instead of dragging her here at school." We finished eating but Jannie still wasn't done speaking. In fact, she is the only one who talks among the four of us, but I appreciate that because it is more awkward if we're all quiet like the other two of her buddies. "However, she promised to come tomorrow so all is well, bestie."

"I see. Is she also as weirdo like you guys?"

"What? Are you saying something?"

"N-Nothing! Did I really just said something? I just whispered in the air and asked it to cool down a little bit. Hehehe," I lied as I faked a cough. Elica stared at me deeply so I averted my eyes away from her again.

I adjusted my seat. "By the way, what made you guys think to go to school just now? It's been almost two weeks since the first day officially started," I initiated a topic as I nonchalantly sip water from my cup.

Jannie scratched her nape. "About that Bestie, the truth is that our classes actually begins from 2 pm to 7 pm, not 8 am to 1 o'clock. Unfortunately, we find it difficult to adjust mainly because of the tight schedule the three of us' had in each of our part-time jobs at night, so we decided to change our schedule but the faculty took days before they manage to reschedule us. Anyway, the principal still approved our request so here we are."

"You guys are already working?" I asked, barely gasping. The three of them looked at each other before they all nodded in response. "No way. What are your jobs?"

"Well you know, just simple things we can handle with our invisible skills and underwater beauty," she casually answered. "I'm an online tutor for some young foreigners who do not speak English on a website every night. Arlo works as a waiter in a Prince cafe while Elica works as a cashier in a convenience store for night duty. As for Lyan, her godfather who is a doctor overseas supports her financial needs so she's a heck of a lucky person."

"Maybe. But having a part-time job after school sounds cooler than being a neet," I commented. "But, aren't you all too young to work? I mean, you're still a minor, are you not?"

"A-Actually t-t-there are s-several l-legal j-j-jobs po which d-d-don't have a-a-age r-r-restriction. B-Besides, w-we w-weren't f-f-financially s-supported by o-o-our p-parents a-anymore, so w-we w-work for o-ourselves p-po. "

(A/N: "PO" is a Filipino affix term used as a courtesy word for elderly or highly-respected people.)

"Okay, I got your point there. But please, you can drop the 'po' Arlo. We were just the same age, I'm not an old woman."

"O-O-Okay po." I face-palmed myself. What did I say just now?

As I shook my head in disbelief, I turn to Elica's direction. She was staring at a sweet couple minding their own business on another bench at the distance, and out of no reason at all she's aiming the fork she's holding to them. Strangely, that girl from the other bench suddenly choke herself, the same time when this scary girl next to me began murmuring weird stuffs again, making me thinking that she just enacted an ancient dark spell and casted it upon her target. I immediately turn my gaze away after she looked in my direction for the third freaking time.

Shit, she noticed me looking. I'm probably listed in her 'gonna kill later' checklist already.

"By the way bestie, I hope I'm not a bit of a nuisance but can I ask a question?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Well, I just figured about how different are you from all the other students here in school. We noticed that our schoolmates as well as the teachers tend to avoid you, but you don't look sick. Are you sure you're not a weirdo?" If only I had been drinking water at this moment, I swear to God that I would've immediately spewed it off to her very face.

Like wow, how terrific. And she's the one to talk to me about being a weirdo.

I took a deep breath before starting to explain things to them regarding me, including my economic status and all the basic information they should know about me. At first they were shocked after I told them who I really was, they probably couldn't believe what kind of life I am living now. I even thought that when I finally told them about it, they would leave me now and avoid me but they applauded me instead and praise me like a bunch of crackheads. Well, they indeed are, but that's not the whole point. However, that somehow made me smile because they still treated me the same way despite of knowing where I came from now. They may be too much odd for somebody you should probably hang out with, but so far when I'm with them, I felt the sense of belongingness within their circle rather than being uncomfortable. I really should take back all the negative things I imagined earlier about them. Maybe they're not that bad to be with after all.

"Hoodlum ... Hoodlum ..."

"Elica? You okay?" We both glanced at Elica when she started mumbling a word twice. By the way, this is how she usually communicate so bear with it.

We looked in the direction she was pointing and out of my surprise, my eyes landed on the exact point where a certain monster guy is standing in the middle of the open field near our location.

Correction, he is not just standing. He's riding his skateboard while chewing bubble gum in his mouth. His white polo is still unbuttoned like how I saw him on our first encounter which clearly displays his gray undershirt. The edge of his khaki pants is rolled on three or four folds to the knees so I can clearly see his hairy legs from here. He wears a cap facing backwards while a piece of cloth — more like a face towel — is hanging over his shoulder. And to add more item from his 90-ish fashion get-up, he wears a golden piercing in his left ear which is undeniably attracts anybody's attention especially when it gets illuminated even with just a little pinch of sunlight.

Wait, did I just checked him out?

"Bestie, where are you going?" Jannie asked me as I stood up and head towards my old foe's direction instead of listening to her, and stopped until I realized I was in front of him. He did not even flinched when he saw me standing before his stupid face.

He stared at me.

I stared at him.

We stared back at each other.

"Oh? And what's the matter with you again, woman? Don't say I did something bad again enough for you to sprint forward in my face this third time around?" he said in an irritated, half-assed tone. I bit my lip so hard as I lowered my head.

"I-I want to ask for an apology for what my brother did to you last Saturday night." I swear to God, I didn't know where on Earth did I get the courage to spit those penitent words out of the sudden, I just mercilessly wounded my ego for this prickly fella.

Rather than answering, he ignored me and carried his skateboard from the ground with the aim of walking away from me. It was only then that I noticed that there was a packing tape attached to the broken edges of the skateboard he's holding, as if it was stitched back together. I guess this is the skateboard that was broken last week.

So, does that means that the skateboard belongs to him all this time and not to the poor guy he strangled previously?

"Now, what? Do you have anything else to say?" He faced me with bored expression across his face after I quickly grabbed his sleeves and stop him from walking.

I gulped and swallowed my pride once more. "I said, I want to ask for an apology to you. S-Sorry because I threw my phone at you, and I slapped you, a-and I said bad stuffs about you even though I didn't know what was happening. Sorry for always wronging you."

"Tss. Let go."

"W-What?"

"Aish, damn it! I said let go, fucker! How deaf are you?" I released him right after he shouted at me. But before he could finally get away, I managed to block his path.

"Shit! Get out of my sight if you don't want to die early, little bitch!"

"No! I won't. I will keep my ground until you finally accept my apology. I want you to be nice to me."

"Are you nuts? What kind of drugs are you inhaling now and you want me to be kind to someone like you? Do you want me to hang you at the flagpole, you stunt?"

"That is not a nice thing to say to a woman."

"You are very much welcome," he answered sarcastically. I sighed as I calmed my inner self.

This guy is blowing my sanity away. I already apologized in the most sincere way possible but it still seems to have no effect. His cynical behavior is getting on my nerves already.

"Look, I know how rude and shameless I was in our first and second meet."

"I'm glad that you're aware."

"And, I also know that even though I was sorry earlier, deep inside you still can't fully forgive me."

"I'm glad that you're much more aware about that too," he replied sarcastically again. If only I hadn't sinned against this pathetic son of a man, I would have hired some professional boxer just to beat his freaking ass. This idiot. "Can you just go straight to the point and tell me what you're actually planning to say? You talk too much ad-libs like a shitty host in some shitty TV show! Fuck!"

"Fine, I'mma be straight to the point." I heaved a sigh. "What I'm trying to say is that, I wanna compensate you from the trouble my brother and I have caused to you last week. If it's okay with you, I can give you anything you need in return. I can also do anything you want. Just ask me. "

"Are you sure? Cross your fingers and hope to die?" He laughed as if he's insulting my entire ego. "So if I'll ask for a million, a car and a house worth another million, will you give that to me right away?"

"Is that what you want? Wait." I took a blank check and a small ballpen along with it from my purse. I wrote down the amount he said and handed him the paper.

His eyes widened, like obviously he did not expect me to give him a check. Is that a big deal anyway? "You can claim that today or whenever you like. If that is still not enough, just tell me immediately and I will increase the amount. About the car and the house, I will make sure to contact my uncles for it as soon as possible. But I'm afraid you won't get it today so it will take like, perhaps a day or two. You can wait, can you? After all, you have the check already."

For a couple of seconds, he just stared at the check. I could not read his facial expression so I also had no idea what was currently running through his mind. Is he satisfied or what?

My mouth popped open when he instantly tore the paper into smaller pieces in a not-so-delicate way as if he's even angrier because of it.

"Hey, I can't believe why on Earth did you do that. Isn't that enough yet? Or perhaps you want even more?"

"You're unbelievable yourself. I shouldn't be surprised knowing that you're no different from those rich bastards out there, and acting like as if money can solve any problems. But news flash, idiots! It doesn't apply to me!" I frowned with what I just heard.

"I don't get you at all. I ask you what you want, you gave me an amount. I gave you a check, but you'll just rip it off to pieces and tell shit about me?" I said as I shook my head in disbelief. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you? Then what else should I do in alternative just so you could forgive me?"

He took a step forward so I automatically backed away. He brought his face close to mine and then smiled foolishly.

"Oh, I know pretty well what else should you do, In fact my request is basically simple, and that is I hope you and the entire race of greedy rich people in the world to disappear like bubbles like you guys didn't even existed. If not, I also want you to experience grief, sacrifice, and all the hardships we experience especially from your hands. You all have no societal value. Coins are overflowing in your pockets and vaults but most of you doesn't even spare a single dime of what you had and give it with compassion to the poor and the needy. You're just chilling with your wealth and pretends that you care but in reality all of you are just faking it!"

I raised my hand to slap him in case he immediately caught it at the speed of his reflexes. I badly wanted to slap him real hard again.

"Let go of my hand."

"And why would I do that, so that you can hit me again with your heavy hand? Do I look stupid?"

I felt as if I still could not get my hand back no matter what I did to struggle. "Argh! Why are you like that, huh? I'm trying to lower my pride here but you still flaunts your ill behavior!"

"If you were just forced, then you shouldn't have bothered to waste MY TIME as well as YOUR TIME," he said. "Why not try harder then?"

I blinked thrice before trying to maintain my composure once again.

"What do you mean?"

"Kneel down."

"Excuse me?"

He rolled his eyes. "I said, kneel down! Are you fucking deaf?"

"And why would I do that?"

"You said that you wanted me to forgive you right? Then go ahead, kneel down before me," he said nonchalantly. I mentally shook my head in disbelief. This man is unpredictable.

I took a deep breath and decided to bended my knees on the grassy ground. I can feel a lot of eyes piercing through me from every angle right now but I effin’ don't care about it. If this will satisfy him, then fine I'll do it. Besides, I would just have to kneel down in front of him, right?

"That's right. Now, lick my shoes," he demanded another one before crossing his arms. My ears throbbed on what I heard as I looked up at him again. What the bloody heck?

"Oh? What are you waiting for? Lick it! Why do you look at me like that? I thought you wanted to make amends with me? It looks like you are actually not serious about it," He stated in a pitiful tone which made it even more irritating. He made me kneel, and then he wants me to lick his freaking shoes? Do I look like a dog here?

I shook my head. This is going overboard now. He's really overdoing it.

"Crap, can you do it faster? I'm about to fall asleep here but you haven't even started yet — ARGH! YOU SON OF A BITCH! FUCK SHIT!" He fell and rolled on the grass right after I managed to kick his huge freaking balls. Yes, I kicked him right in his where-the-sun-doesn't-shine thing. Curse him, who's fool will fulfill what he commands to me. He is losing his mind!

I rubbed my knee and lowered my gaze upon him as I stood up. He was also looking at me in an intense manner. Good thing that I just hit his weakest spot so he can't get up right away to get even for what I did.

"Damn you stunt Did you know that you just kicked my children for the future? What if I get impotent and lose my capability to reproduce, huh? Will you take the accountability for it? Ugh!"

"I hope it will, 'cause it would be better for sure if you get barren so that no one will inherit your monstrous behavior! To be honest, that still wasn't enough!" I bellowed at the very top of my lungs. I've had enough of him already. He destroyed everything including my patience. "You know what? Just forget that I wanted to apologize to you. Creatures like you don't freaking deserve it anyway."

"Does it look like I'm begging for your sorry either? Well, let me tell you this, it's not my fault that you're a fool to even approach me and apologize for your stupid actions! I have bad traits but at least I'm not as stupid as you are. So don't get surprised why you always humiliate yourself in the end. And that's because you're stupid motherfucker!"

"Argh! That is it! I'm gonna kill you!" I was about to kick him again when Jannie and Arlo suddenly grabbed both of my arms. I just noticed that they were standing next to me together with Elica.

"Bestie, come on!"

"Away… away…"

"Wait, wait! Where are you taking me? I'm not done with that monster yet! Let me goo!" I tried to get out of their grasp but they still managed to keep me away from the open field and pulled me to one of the hidden corners in the school.

And that is when they finally released me.

"This is totally and unutterably ridiculous. I just got myself embarrassed again back there and then you guys will just drag me here instead of supporting me earlier or backing me up?"

"Look bestie, we just did that because we don't want you to get involved in a bigger mess ahead. That guy is a major danger alert I'll tell you. You shouldn't be messing with him," Jannie said.

I laughed out loud. "Danger alert? Is that something that I should be scared of? I just kicked his testicles like a piece of cake earlier, therefore he's not that frightening."

"Dangerous ... Dangerous ..." Elica murmured who was now hugging herself in between us while staring at nowhere. Arlo, on the other hand, kept on trembling as his eyes still wanders everywhere.

"No, trust me girl, since our first year of studying in this school, we already know who that guy is and what kind of person he is. He's Maou Montega, the well-known campus rule breaker and bully here in San Ignacio. He's that guy whom all the students here are afraid of because apart from the things he does inside the campus, he is also rumored as one of the scariest hoodlums lurking in the streets. He may look like a gentle and kind person on the outside but actually, he almost killed a teacher here at school once. And for the record? That teacher is a woman," her petrifying testament made me freeze all over my entire system out of shock. I couldn't even move a muscle, not even an inch.

S-Seriously? That man almost killed? And not just any person, but a teacher and a woman? What on bloody Earth? Is he an ex-convict?

"So bestie, please. Be careful especially with the ones you bump into. We don't know what else he can do to you, he might even retaliate for what you did to him. You have barely an idea of what he is truly capable of," she explained. bit my lower lip before I slowly leaned against the wall behind me and slid down out of frustration.

Too late for that warning, Jannie. I already messed up with that delinquent. And I guess this is really the edge of my doom now.