(2) How Did Jerkass Know!?

"That was close!" JerkAss shouted over the raging noise of our surroundings, "It's a good thing this place is near! That old woman can never find us now!"

I grumbled under my breath, "Yeah, by bringing me to this freak show." I said sarcastically.

He laughed. Yes laughed

What kind of a sane person would bring another sane person to an underground illegal fistfight!? Oh, wait, Langston is insane!!! 

Okay, we're not literally underground, because we're in a gymnasium just a few meters away from this town's high school, but still... it's illegal. 

"Why in all places did you bring me here? Do you know how stupid you are?" I asked rhetorically.

"I know how stupid I am-"

"That was a rhetorical question," I snorted,  "You're stupid."

He raised an eyebrow, "Did you just snort? Damn Porter, how unladylike."

I rolled my eyes at him, "Yeah sure, let's focus on my snort."

Looking around, I shuddered when chills crawled on my arms. The place was packed with people grinding with one another. I faced the other way and almost barfed out what I ate a few moments ago because there was a pool of blood on the floor and blood spatters on the wall. 

"-AND NUTCRACKER STRIKES AGAIN!!" Cheers are interrupted everywhere.

I felt JerkAss' grip (I didn't even notice that he was holding me) around my waist tightens as he glares at something from behind me. I looked around and gasped when it was actually the fighting ring. I winced when I saw a bloody man standing over a bloody -probably dead- man that is lying on the floor.

Holy macaroni baked in salsa! 

Now I know why the person who is obviously winning the match is called the nutcracker. Poor guy -not nutcracker, but the person who owns the nuts that just got cracked.

"Is he alright?" I -dumbly- asked Langston.

"WHAT!?" He shouts through the loud noise of cheers from the crowd around us.

"IS HE ALRIGHT!?" I repeated, shouting this time.

"WHICH ONE!?"

Which one? The one who's probably dead of course! I replied, "THE ONE WHO'S KNOCKED OUT!!"

He looked at me like I'm crazy, "IS THAT A RHETORICAL QUESTION? BECAUSE IF IT ISN'T, THEN YOU'RE STUPID! OF COURSE, HE'S NOT ALRIGHT!"

I gulped, feeling a sick twist in my stomach and a sour taste in my mouth.

So, the gymnasium I was talking about wasn't this town's school gym. Nope, it's the town's gym. Turns out, there was a hidden entrance at a certain alleyway beside this gymnasium, and that hidden entrance has a secret staircase that leads to this basement, and this is the basement. Correction, it's more like an underground prison cell!

I would sue JerkAss for bringing me to this place if I get out alive.

"Red!"

I looked at JerkAss to see him doing the 'bro handshake' to the red hair guy who called him out. Then, they bumped their chests like how dudes in a frat do in the movies. Cringe.

"How ya doin' Langster?" The red-haired guy asked with a southern accent, "What ya doin' here? Ey thought y'all quit illegal shit, eh?"

Eh? I thought only Canadians say 'eh'... or 'ey'... or any two-letter phrase that starts with the letter 'e'.

JerkAss grinned, then actually had the nerve to put his heavy, feathery arm around my waist, "I'm just touring my girl here."

My girl?

The red-haired guy, Red, laughs loudly while patting JerkAss' back, "Ya pick'em good! But what the heck are ya doin' with that.... clothin'?"

I snorted, isn't he so nice? He didn't even bother insulting him! Whatever this meanie is wearing, it isn't the usual "clothin'".

"A dare." JerkAss answered quickly, squeezing my waist tighter, "Right hun?"

Ahhh, so he wants it to seem as if I dared him to wear that. I mean, even if it was a dare, why? Unfortunately for him, I hate -no, I despise- his guts. And so I started batting my eyebrows like a good little girl and asked innocently, "Oh?"

As expected, his eyes threw daggers towards mine and he squeezes my waist tightly, warning me not to test him. Biting back a sarcastic remark, I rolled my eyes and laughed fakely, "Oh right, right." I looked at Red and gave him a nod, "Yeah, I dared him to do that."

Red's eyes crinkled as he started laughing hysterically, "Why would you do that?"

Exactly. Why the heck would I do that? 

Faking a sheepish smile, I shrugged slightly. Thankfully, JerkAss loosened his grip around my waist.

"Ey gotta go, I'm next for the ring" Red gave a mock salute to us, "Bye bro!"

JerkAss and I waved at him as we watch him enter the ring with ease. Sighing, I looked at him and said, "Let's go- We..." I coughed awkwardly then eventually looked at him in defeat, "Can we go home right now please?"

His answer? A smirk.

~-~

"I like grapes but I hate raisins," I said in a smart tone while biting on my fry.

No offense to all raisins lover out there, but I just really hate the little, black, cockroach-like, dry fruit. It tastes sweet but not the 'good' kind of sweet, it looks like my arch-enemy. Other than Langston, I mean. It looks like a cockroach so technically, every time I see that dry fruit, my appetite is gone. It's just a 'No. No' for my taste bud.

"Umm.." Freddie, my biology partner for this semester, muttered awkwardly. I call him Freddie but his real name is Friedrick. I call him Carly's best friend's name because the word FRIED makes me hungry and crave for fried chicken.

His reply made me elaborate more on my stand against raisins-ism. "I mean, it has a very weird taste, you know? And really though, the weird thing is that it's not only the taste that is bad but the texture too. It's like eating a deep friend rotten grape, right?"

"Ms. Porter, this is biology class, not lunch or culinary." Mr. Loner-creepy-kill joy A.K.A Mr. Locrekoy harshly grabbed my cheese-flavored french fries and frowned at me.

Sheesh, if he wanted some fries he could've just asked for one -nicely.

"If you are eating, get out. If you are thinking about raisins or how bad they taste; then you better get out of my class right now." He glares at me.

Ooh, looks like someone here is a raisin fanatic.

'Stop frowning so your wrinkles wouldn't wrinkle more!' I thought silently - Ah... That, that will only be in his dreams since it's impossible. He always frowns, glares, and shouts 'DETENTION' every day.

"Sorry, sir." I bowed my head to show respect. - Which, by the way, I'm totally lacking with.

"Anyways," He cleared his throat and continued torturing everyone with whatever he was supposedly teaching. Whatever it is, all I hear is "Bah blah blah blah blah."

Zoning out, I tried fishing out my phone from my jean pocket but flinched when I remembered that I was grounded. Grounded means NO PHONE, NO TELEVISION, NO CAR, and last but seriously not least, NO TALKING WITH FRIENDS. Thanks a lot, JerkAss. 

But I have one problem though, I didn't find my phone in my bag. My mom usually asks for it, it's not her to just take it away from me without telling me. Mom probably grabbed it while I was sleeping. Eh, it's okay. Unless if she is literally taking all her anger out on the small thing by smashing it to tiny bits. Oof!

Mom was furious when I got back because she said I left her alone in the mall with all the heavy groceries and the new clothes she shopped, and leaving her alone to drive her car -which is probably older than my Granny, by the way.

What did JerkAss do when we got back to my house? He freaking offered my mom a pair of chicken wings. He OFFERED chicken wings! -I don't know why, but he had a bucket of tasty and spicy chicken wings stocked at the back of his car!

My mom, being mom, grabbed the free opportunity noting 'taking food for free is a one-time thing.' then said her thanks before grabbing my wrist and pulled me inside the house, oh, and JerkAss winked.

Bastard.

Now, back to my lonely life, Mr. Locrekoy talking nonsense, Freddie furiously writing up everything Mr. Locrekoy is saying, and me sitting alone at the desk, thinking how good it felt playing Minecraft. It's sad. It is so sad.

"-s the answer, Ms. Porter?"

Building random things,

"-Ms. Porter?"

Building-

"-MS. PORTER!?"

"What!?" I snapped back into reality, facing a very hot-headed Mr. Locrekoy,

"I was asking what is the square root of 24?"

Are you kidding me? This is easy! It's like going back to the 7th grade again, which was years ago since I'm in the 12th grade!

Wait a minute,

"Is the square root of that specific number is the product of 24 x 24?"

He facepalmed.

~-~

"Hey, Loser!"

Bullies nowadays, gosh, they're so mean! Whoever that poor kid is, I pity him.

"Hey, Porter!"

Oh. Lol. I should be pitying myself then. I sighed while turning around to make an awesome comeback but stopped when I saw it was just JerkAss.

Raising an eyebrow, I gave him a glare as I wait for whatever he is supposed to say.

... Silence. I was greeted with silence.

Is he waiting for Santa to strip off his clothes or what!?

"How is life? Being grounded and all?" He smirked,

Glaring at him, I twirl around and continue walking. Thanks to the NO TALKING WITH FRIENDS rule, I don't really have to talk to him -Though, he is not counted as a friend.

"Porter!"

Keep walking.

He grabbed my wrist from behind and shoved me in front of him, "Stop walking CrazyHater."

Everything freezes in my point of view, the people around us stopped, the noise was mute and my heart stopped beating -not literally since I'm still thinking right now and all but you know what I mean.

But the million-dollar question is How did JerkAss know!?