Mikey's Lackey

It had been a few weeks since there was ever any news about a fight breaking out at the school. Things had been quiet, too quiet.

Lately, Saffi wondered if he was being paranoid or if they were really in peaceful times nowadays as even the usual delinquents from other schools who would come to challenge Mikey had been busy studying for their exams.

So apparently there was a ceasefire.

Everything was looking good, it had been so peaceful that Mikey got bored and would be found blowing bubbles on top of the school rooftop to pass the time whenever he would skip class.

And this was one of those times.

"Mikey! Mikeyyy!" Saffil groaned from behind him as he was getting closer over.

"What are you doing here Saffi?" Mikey asked as he laid down the bubble wand. "You skipping class too?" He smiled as he turned around.

He then got hit in the face with a backpack with enough force to push him onto the floor. Saffi had used quite a lot of strength when throwing it.

"My bad, I thought you would catch it!" Saffi said as he shrugged it off.

"You did not! You didn't even give me time to prepare!!" Mikey yelled as he rubbed his face which had turned a tad red.

"My notes from class, you're gonna need them for the upcoming exam next week. You've been missing class too much you know?" Saffi said in disapproval as he sat down near Mikey. "Oh, and classes are over early today, so no, I'm not skipping class."

"Woah! Thank you!!" Mikey responded as he opened the bag. He was filled with glee from not having to write down any notes today. He started rummaging through the bag but he wasn't looking for the notes, he was checking to see if there was any food left inside the bag.

And there was! An untouched lunch box. Mikey began opening it and digging his way through without even asking for permission.

"Gosh, you are carefree. And reckless," Saffi sighed as he shook his head in his hand. "You do whatever you want and just go with the flow with things whenever, but that type of thinking, well not thinking is what gets you into trouble."

Mikey didn't respond but instead kept chowing down on the food as he was moving his body around in happiness.

"Haah. And despite all that, I still see you as my little brother."

Saffi's face became a little sadder now. His voice had gotten weaker and he had curled his body up into a ball by wrapping his arms around his knees as he brought them closer together to him.

"Hey Mikey, what type of older brother can't even look after his younger brother?" Saffi asked.

"What do you mean?" Mikey asked with his mouth full. "You already look out for me plenty. You bring food, you bring me your notes. And you even tell me when a teacher is looking for me so I know who to avoid and when."

"Yeah but, sometimes I feel like, you look after me more than I look after you. And I mean I get that that's not a bad thing but you know, sometimes I just wish things were... different. Like I was the strong one," Saffi whispered that last part under his breath, hoping yet not hoping that Mikey would hear it.

"You don't mean what I think you mean..?" Mikey asked concerned as he put down the food and looked at Saffi.

"Never mind, forget it," Saffil said as he tried to brush off the topic. "I'm just stressed out about exams coming and got my head crammed up thinking about so many notes. I'm going home early, I really need a walk right now." He got up off the floor and started heading towards the door behind him.

"Wait, Saffi! Let me walk with you," Mikey said as he quickly packed the food and was about to get up as well.

"NO. It's fine, Mikey. I just... need to clear my head by myself for a while, away from people. I'll see you tomorrow," Saffi said as he smiled at him. He then lifted his fist up high in the air and pointed toward Mikey.

Mikey in turn did the same thing and after that, Saffi walked off.

That fist pump was a symbol between the two as a way of saying, "No matter the distance, We got each other's back." It was why they would never let their fists connect when they would do it.

After his conversation with Mikey, Saffi went on his way home. He was in distress with himself for the way he spoke to Mikey. 

"Argh, stupid stupid!! Why would you say that to him!? He did nothin' wrong and yet I go and say something that makes it seem like I'm mad at him, When really I'm just mad at myself!! GEAAAHH!"

*Haah* *Haah*

Saffi was now panting and recovering his breath as he had been screaming and walking around like a madman who was either lost, drunk, or both. IT WAS PROBABLY BOTH.

"Haaaa!" he sighed as he looked around. "Where am I?" He had been walking in a straight direction without taking any turns from the moment he left the school gate. His mind was elsewhere and it was only now that he was considering the direction to take to head home.

'Did I make it downtown?' he wondered.

As he looked around the area, and despite being in a well-kept area, there weren't many people nearby, it was almost like a dead zone.

Saffi looked around to see if he could spot anyone, and he did. 1 guy and two girls who were standing in an alleyway looking at something. Saffi couldn't see their faces but could see their uniforms and it was the same as his, so he decided to go and talk to them and ask for directions

But as he got closer, he felt that something was wrong, and once he realized what it was, he hid.

'Those guys, they aren't looking at something, they are talking to people, and not just any people.' Four extra guys were in the alleyway and not wearing the same uniform as the others. And 2 out of the 4 were the same high schoolers who had come around their middle school a couple of weeks ago. But he could not recognize the other two.

'What's going on here? Are these guys in trouble?' Saffi wondered as he looked at his schoolmates. He thought to himself and considered that since Mikey was always near the school even on days he would skip class, they decided to start targeting his schoolmates after classes were over to make things easier for them.

If that were the case then it would mean that Mikey wouldn't be there to stop them.

'I've got to get help,' he thought as he watched from his hiding place. 'But who can I call? I don't know where I am or how to get out of here, and who knows where Mikey can be now that school is done for the day, he most definitely isn't home.'

'Arghh! This is so stressful,' he thought as he placed his hands on his head and started shaking his body around by going up and down. 'Even if I did know where I was or where Mikey was, could I even get to him and back in such quick time? I don't think that's possible. Much less realistic, it's wishful thinking.'

As Saffi watched for a few minutes, it looked like the guy in the uniform was arguing with the other four guys as though trying to make a case for himself. The two girls behind him were scared but didn't leave his side or try to say something.

Saffi's schoolmates were actually standing right by the entrance/exit to the alleyway, so they could run if they wanted to. The only thing that was stopping them was the fact that they knew they wouldn't make it far.

As Saffi was starting to lose hope and almost cursing under his breath, he saw a light. To be specific, he saw a policeman who was walking down the street while moving a bicycle by his side. And judging by the direction he was going in, he would pass by the alleyway for sure.

Saffi was now relieved that some good fortune would come across them and that the issue would be resolved. The policeman kept on strolling down the road and once he reached the alleyway, he stopped and looked inside.

He saw what was happening and as he did, the two girls that were there went on their knees as they pleaded for him to help them. They were begging and crying and pointing at the 4 guys behind them as they tugged on the policeman's trousers.

The officer acknowledged them and looked up to see who they were pointing at and once he saw who they were, his eyes went wide as he lowered his hat down on his head and walked away.

Saffi was in denial of what he saw. He was one step away from falling into despair. 'The policeman walked away? No, that can't be right!?'

The girls were crying and pleading when the officer walked away and they were about to chase after him before a voice behind them told them to stop and stay where they were. But they remained on their knees after that. Crying.

2 of the 4 guys were laughing about this while the 2 high schoolers looked at each other as they awkwardly smiled along. Their laughing continued until one of them spotted something wrong.

There was 1 guy and two girls before the police officer had walked by but now there were two guys and two girls. And one of the guys walked up to him and punched him in his guts.

He was sent flying towards some trash cans and this had alarmed the other three guys on his side. Nobody had noticed or seen this kid join the group. He was just there.

One of the high school boys squinted his eyes to get a closer look at the maniac who did this and after about a few seconds of observing, he screamed, "It's Mikey's lackey!"