4. Lunchtime Brawl

I paid for both of our lunches, not because I was particularly nice, but because I couldn't be bothered with waiting for Damien to fumble around for his wallet. From the moment I saved his ass this morning, he hadn't left my side, even following me to the damn bathroom. It was like I had a lost puppy trailing after me.

"Thank you again," Damien said, smiling.

"Shut up and get your food already," I grumbled.

He nodded happily and piled food onto his tray. I eyed the school pizza. Unlike the cardboard garbage I'd eaten in public school in my last life, this actually looked good. This entire cafeteria was a different world from what I knew. The polished floors, the crystal chandeliers, the gourmet food stations—it was like a five-star restaurant disguised as a school.

I swiped my card for both of us, and Damien beamed at me.

"Thank-"

"Stop saying thank you so much!" I snapped.

"But I'm grateful," Damien smiled.

"Find another way to show it or something. This is getting really annoying for me when you just keep thanking me," I said, exasperated. "It's just food. Have you never eaten before or something?"

"I have. No one's ever bought me lunch before, though. And it's only polite to say thanks," Damien insisted.

"Whatever."

I made my way over to an empty table, but the second I sat down, the three other students already there cleared out faster than roaches when the lights turn on. Damn, I must be the plague or something. People avoided me like I was diseased.

The only perk of being a loser? At least no one tried to mess with me directly. Damien, of course, sat beside me, eating in awkward silence.

The cafeteria was full, every clique gathering in their usual corners. The jocks, the preps, the scholarship kids who looked like they were one bad grade away from a nervous breakdown—everyone had their groups. The potential for chaos in one place was high.

And I was bored out of my mind.

"Well, I have a really fun idea," I grinned at Damien.

"Idea?" Damien asked warily. "What is it?"

I snatched the banana peel off his tray and subtly tossed it in front of some poor idiot's feet just as he walked by, balancing a full tray of food. The kid stepped forward, his foot landed right on the peel, and—

SLAM.

His tray flew backward, the food soaring through the air in slow motion before landing directly on another student's head. Mashed potatoes and peas dripped down the guy's neck. The cafeteria went dead silent for a second.

Then the bigger guy, red-faced with fury, stood up.

"I'm gonna kill you, nerd!" he roared, grabbing the fallen kid by the collar and punching him square in the face.

"HELP ME!" the kid, shrieked.

Immediately, his scrawny friends jumped in, trying to wrestle him away. But the bigger guy's friends got up, ready to defend their own. One of them grabbed an apple from his tray and pelted it across the cafeteria. It missed its intended target and smacked the mashed potato-covered kid in the face instead.

"OW!" he yelped, clutching his nose. "My father is going to hear about this!"

I turned back to Damien, expecting him to be just as entertained as I was. Instead, he looked incredibly uncomfortable, shifting in his seat.

"Problem?" I asked.

"N-no, nothing at all," he said, shoving food into his mouth.

Liar. He clearly had an issue with what I did but was too much of a coward to say anything.

Pussy.

Alright, so maybe bullying wasn't the best way to bond with a friend. But what the hell else were friends supposed to do together? Damien seemed like some kind of gentle soul, while I was me—a guy who'd led a street gang for ten years. What the hell was I supposed to do with a guy like him?

***

After finishing my food, I got up, Damien trailing behind me like always. He looked twice as nervous now.

"If you've got an issue, just say it," I snapped, making him flinch. "Stop fidgeting around like a weak bitch."

"I, um, well..." Damien scratched his head.

That's when I noticed it—the fresh bruise on his arm, partially hidden under his sleeve.

I narrowed my eyes. "What's that from? That wasn't there this morning."

"Oh, this?" Damien looked away. "I got it at home."

I raised a brow. "You think I'm a fucking idiot or something?"

"N-no! I just... I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled.

[New Mission: Help Damien Anderson

Reward: Unwavering Loyalty

Penalty: Death of Your First Friend]

Fuck.

I really didn't feel like playing Nancy Drew, but I also didn't want a kid I could've saved to die. Which meant I had no choice but to get the truth out of him.

Without warning, I grabbed his shirt and dragged him into the bathroom.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Damien yelped. "I thought we were friends! What's going on?!"

I didn't answer. Instead, I grabbed two handfuls of his shirt and yanked it up over his head, pulling it off.

Holy shit.

I'd expected bruises—I didn't expect this. Damien was fucking cut. Broad shoulders, toned abs, strong arms—he had the kind of body guys spent years in the gym trying to achieve. If he wasn't such a timid mess, he could probably be an underwear model.

But I wasn't here to admire him or indulge my muscle fetish.

My stomach twisted at the sight of the fresh, dark bruises marring his skin. They looked bad. Too fresh to be old injuries.

Damien sniffled, his face burning red. "This is so embarrassing!"

I tossed his shirt back at him. "Wouldn't it be easier to just tell me what's going on and let me handle it for you? Are we not friends?"

"We are!" Damien said quickly, pulling his shirt back on. "I... I just didn't want to bring you any trouble. But those two guys you beat up earlier? They've been telling me to bring you to them. They said they just want to talk to you, but I know they're lying. I think they're planning to jump you."

Ah. So he was getting beat up because he refused to sell me out.

Props to him for loyalty, but I wasn't a fan of this whole sacrificial-lamb method he had going on.

I cracked my knuckles, my grin widening.

"Well, looks like it's time I pay those motherfuckers a visit myself. Don't fucking take hits for me," I rolled my eyes. "You know I can handle them. I appreciate you trying to help me out, but you need to take me to them. Now."

"N-no, these hits are nothing! I'm really used to it—"

"Damien, shut up and bring me to those fucking assholes already," I ordered.

Damien hesitated, his lips pressing into a thin line like he was debating whether to refuse me. But finally, he nodded, shoulders slumping in defeat.

***

He led me through the back of the school, past the empty hallways and toward the massive track field. The backyard of the school was mostly deserted at this hour, except for the two idiots standing near the chain-link fence, cigarettes hanging lazily from their lips like they were some kind of mafia bosses.

They looked ridiculous—bruised from our fight earlier, yet still acting like they ran the place. Wannabe gangsters trying to act tough. The sight alone nearly made me laugh.

"Hey, bitch!" I called out.

Damien tensed beside me like he was about to drop dead from a heart attack.

The two idiots turned their heads, their expressions shifting from casual to alert.

"It's Jack Spencer!" Idiot #1 hissed.

"Fuck, it's really true that he decided to come here by himself," Idiot #2 chuckled, taking a long drag of his cigarette. "Hey, we've decided to stop harassing you as long as you keep quiet."

Oh? One beating, and they were already tapping out? How pathetic.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. "As long as you leave me the fuck alone."

This was so boring. High school fights had no real stakes. No money on the line, no reputations worth a damn. Just a bunch of kids throwing punches over stupid shit.

"Let's go, Damien."

I turned to leave, but I barely took a step before—

"J-Jack—AH!!!"

I caught the movement in my peripheral. Damien was yanked back, nearly falling as Idiot #1 grabbed him by the collar.

"Where the fuck are you going?" the guy sneered. "Don't run. You have to work twice as hard to compensate for Jack! Don't you know the law of mass compensation? Whether you did it or not, you'll pay just for the association!"

"What?" Damien whimpered.

"What? Your parents never taught you about this?" Idiot #2 laughed.

Guess it was time for me to actually help Damien instead of just watching him get pushed around.

"Didn't I fucking tell you not to touch him?" I asked, my voice loud enough to cut through the bullshit.

The two idiots turned to look at me like I'd just grown a second head.

"We let you go, stay out of—"

I didn't let him finish.

I lunged forward, tackling Idiot #2 to the ground and slamming my fist into his face—hard. His head bounced against the pavement, his cigarette flying from his lips as I drilled my knuckles into his jaw, over and over. The dull thud of impact was satisfying, his grunts of pain music to my ears.

Idiot #1 just stood there, frozen, his face pale.

I got up, shaking the tension from my hands. "Let's go, Damien."

Damien scrambled to his feet and rushed to my side without hesitation.

"HEY, ASSHOLE!!" Idiot #2 wheezed, staggering to his feet. He was lucky I wasn't fighting to kill.

He charged at me with a wild, clumsy swing. Easy to dodge. I sidestepped effortlessly and drove my fist into the side of his face.

He stumbled back, swaying for a second before swinging again. I ducked under his arm, slamming my fist into his gut this time. He coughed violently, spitting onto the pavement, but the dumbass still wasn't done.

He roared and lunged forward, managing to grab me in some half-assed hold. From the way he positioned his feet, it looked like he was trying to flip me over his shoulder.

"Show him what you got!" Idiot #1 cheered.

Annoying.

I exhaled sharply. Seeing no other way to break the hold quickly, I slammed my forehead against the back of his skull with full strength.

He let out a strangled noise, stumbling. I capitalized on his dazed state, kicking the back of his knee, forcing him to drop. The moment he hit the ground, I grabbed the back of his head and drove it into the pavement.

"Dumbass," I muttered. "This is a street fight. No place for fancy shit."

I barely had to look at Idiot #1 before he completely lost his nerve, his knees buckling as he fell back onto his ass.

"Leave me and Damien alone," I said coldly, my voice cutting through the air like a blade. "Or I'll fucking kill you both. Got it?"

"YES!" Idiot #1 practically screamed, nodding frantically.

Good.

I turned on my heel. "Let's go, Damien."

"S-sure, I'm coming," Damien stammered, quickly following after me.

[Mission Accomplished! You have received Damien's aunwavering loyalty!]

I better have.

After all, I just stuck my damn neck out for him.