CHAPTER 36

I get up to Vicki and take her face in my hands, she's scared and I must look like a maniac as I smile at her. I look at the rest of the people gathered and smile before walking back into the school with my family following quietly. The rest of the day goes by quiet and fast as we get into the homeroom and see Coach Campbell talking with some of his team before noticing me. I get waved into his office off the court and once inside he closes the door after me and sits at his desk.

"What are you doing running around scaring students," Coach asks a visibly upset.

"Coach I'm just bringing in people to hear my word, when they come for me then I'll get you something better than names," I tell him," I'll give you what you really want sir, revenge for your girl."

"Not at school, you keep it off campus as much as possible but you better deliver," Coach says sternly," And I'm having my kids run with you as much as possible so nothing happens to them without someone to watch their backs."

"Tracy yes but your boy will have to be seen as one who knows," I reply cryptically before exiting the office.

We sit in silence in the Gym and school lets out on time as always. We head to the vehicles only to find a group of 'moralists' standing around my bike led by pretty boy Kyle. I stop and motion to the 'family' to fan out and we walk up as a line to the near twenty 'moralists'. Kyle tells his friends to stay back steps out of his group towards me.

"We need to talk about all this fighting, both sides have been hurt and it would be better if we all just made peace and went about making this place better together," Kyle says with a little arrogance.

I can see some of the punks taking notice and more than a few nerds are starting to gather on the fringes. I let Kyle see my smiling face before I started to speak to my 'family' and the small gathering of people.

"The snake never cared about the feelings of the mouse until the mice realized they outnumbered the snake," I say loudly," you talk of peace but you chose something different. You chose to be brought down by ones who are not anything like you."

"What are you talking about? The people who follow you are going to get hurt if you go against this," Kyle continues from his position of authority.

"I have no followers, only brothers and sisters in the name of cause," I reply before getting louder," Like a fool this one thinks that we fear pain, Brother Devin, Hit me."

I turn to Devin who pauses for a second and takes me by the coat collar with one hand and slams his fist into my cheek hard. People are gasping and whispering but Devin has a hold of me and I get my full balance again and start laughing.

"You think pain is something we run from, we enjoy pain. You talk about pain but you cannot hurt us, now is the time to get your affairs in order Kyle," I say with blood in my mouth," Because this is your choosing, we are upright and we know that we were chosen."

I watch as Kyle backs away from me slowly and his friends disperse amid whispers and talk about how I've lost my mind. Everyone gets into their vehicles except for Devin and me. I look at Devin and before he gets in his vehicle speak to him.

"Brother you are a monster today, but you are in a family of monsters and we will take care of you," I tell Devin, smiling.

"Yes brother, the one who wants to believe is waiting on you," Devin says pointing behind me to Vicki who is on my bike.

I let Devin leave and take Jun, Natsuko and Lilly home before addressing Vicki. I can see she still has some fear but something else is driving her right now.

"I will go with you to see Johnny," Vicki says, trying to get on my bike.

"You do not believe and you certainly don't know," I say stopping her," I solved the question in your mind that you couldn't even find words for. Now you want to believe but to do so you need to see?"

Vicki nods her head lightly and I stick a finger in my mouth and get some blood on it before holding it up in her face.

"Did you see this," I asked, getting another nod," Then you saw but didn't believe it. We are more than them, worse than them because we do not have their illusions and labels. We are things that they will never understand because of the lies they were raised with. If you wish to believe then you must find the lies they pulled over your eyes and see what you are in the event to come."

I can see Vicki is confused and I am a little myself but cryptic and charismatic has people talking and that's the start of it. I hand her the spare helmet and once we're both on my bike we head out to Johnny's home/compound. My arrival so many times in the past two weeks cause my arrival today to be less dramatic but as I show up Johnny still makes his way out to greet me.

"Hey Guy, you coming around here so much I'm beginning to think I need to get you a place to sleep," Johnny says being funny.

"Brother I need you," I say, throwing him off with the 'brother.'