CHAPTER 16: THE UNFAIR FIGHT

When a heavy hand clamped down on John's shoulder, John spun around. Peter stood there, staring hard at him with a dangerous smile twisting his lips. Peter's friend, Tony, stood beside him.

"Going somewhere?" Peter sneered. "Did you think you could just walk away from school like nothing happened?"

John frowned, confused and weary. "I don't understand," he said. "What have I ever done to you guys? I'm nobody special. I can't hurt you. So why do you always bother me?"

"You didn't bother us," Peter said, his voice low and threatening. "You bothered our boss."

"Your boss?" John echoed, even more confused. "How could I bother your boss? I don't even know who that is! We're in different classes, different sections of the school."

Peter didn't answer with words. Instead, he suddenly slapped John hard across the face. John staggered back, his cheek stinging.

"Look," John warned, rubbing his face, "you're going too far."

Peter just laughed cruelly. "Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it? Gonna run and call your sister for help? Hey, here's an idea – why don't you just send your sister over to my house?"

Hearing Peter talk about his sister like that made something snap inside John. Hot anger surged through him, chasing away the fear. He clenched his hand into a tight fist and swung with all his might straight at Peter's smirking face.

But Peter was quick. He simply tilted his head slightly, and John's fist flew past harmlessly. "Nice try, little man," Peter mocked. "But you're way too weak to touch us." Before John could react, Peter drove a hard kick into his stomach.

Pain exploded in John's middle. The force sent him flying backward until he slammed hard against the brick wall behind him. He slid down to the ground, gasping for breath, agony gripping his stomach.

Peter and Tony chuckled and started to walk away.

"Wait!" John choked out. He gritted his teeth against the pain and slowly, shakily, pushed himself back onto his feet. "Where are you going? The fight isn't over yet, you cowards!"

Peter turned back, an amused look on his face. "Wow, look at this guy. Still got enough fight left to stand up. Gotta admit, Boss picked a tough enemy. But you know what? We really enjoy breaking tough enemies. So, if you want to get beat up some more, feel free!"

Peter started walking back towards John. He glanced over his shoulder, and Tony tossed him a heavy metal rod. Peter caught it smoothly and advanced on John, swinging the rod like a club.

He swung it hard, aiming for John's head. The metal whistled through the air. John ducked low just in time, feeling the wind of the passing rod. As he came up, he drove his elbow hard into Peter's stomach.

Peter let out a grunt of pain and stumbled back a few steps. "You little…!" he snarled, eyes flashing with anger. Tony saw his chance and rushed forward, ready to tackle John. But John moved quickly, grabbing Tony's outstretched arm, twisting it hard, and sending Tony crashing down onto the pavement.

John barely had time to register Tony falling when Peter lunged from behind. A strong arm wrapped around John's neck, squeezing tight. John clawed at the arm, but it was like iron. Air hissed out of his lungs. He couldn't breathe! Panic seized him as black spots danced in front of his eyes.

By now, a big crowd had gathered around them – Joanna, students from his class, other kids, even Julie Ma'am was there. But they just stood and watched. Nobody stepped forward. Nobody tried to stop Peter and Tony. Not even the teacher.

John felt a terrible wave of anger and despair wash over him. Why? Why did this always happen to him? Why did nobody ever help? His eyes desperately searched the crowd and found a familiar face – Joanna. For a second, hope flickered. She took a small step forward, then hesitated. She looked around at the silent, watching crowd, and then, she slowly stepped back again.

The last bit of hope inside John died. Rage burned hotter than the pain now. They said those things about my sister… and I can't do anything! I'm helpless! He struggled weakly in Peter's chokehold, his heart pounding like a drum, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps.

And then… just as everything started to fade… something strange began to happen.