I walked through the hallway, only the sound of my footsteps could be heard. Strangely there was no one. There was still some lunchtime, so there should not be any lesson going on at that moment. While I was walking I peek at some class doors to see if there was anyone, but oddly every class was empty.

  At that time in the gym..

  The gym doors opened, both at the same time. A strange figure appeared, the moment he stepped into it Ryan and Chris felt a huge pressure. Ryan murmurs to Crish. “Did you just feel that?”. Chris looked at him with some drops of sweat and nodded at him.

  Ryan talks to Ethan. “Okay you got this guy. Now… He turns back slowly. Behind him there was something crazy. Every teacher, the director and some personnel of the school were sitting in chairs that were put there just for this moment. “How did you manage to convince the teachers about this?.

  Earlier, Ethan, while everyone was in class, entered the school and went directly to the principal’s office. He reached at the door. There’s a plate right in the middle of the door. John Douglass, principal. He knocked on the door. “Who is it?” asked the director. “I’m Ethan from second year. I need to talk to you.” Replied Ethan.

  The director told him to enter. “What do you need? And why aren’t you in class?”. Asked the principal. Ethan sat. “Do you know who Mark is right?”. “Of course, he is a bully that has been expelled multiple times, he is truly a pain in the ass for me and the teachers. Why do you ask?”. Ethan opened his bag and took out some papers. “I have a plan to end his bullying, but I need the help of the teachers and yours.” Ethan handed the papers to the principal, who started reading it.”

  The principal’s eyes opened widely after reading it. “I don’t know if this is the right way to do it. Also, the reputation of the school would go downwards if this is how we deal with the problems.” Ethan smiled at his answer. “You don’t have to worry, my guy will take all the blame. The school just has to act as if they didn’t know it.” The principal lowered his glare and started rubbing his chin.

  After some seconds he raised his gaze and asked. “Is this guy truly trustable?”. “As long as I pay him he will do anything we ask him. I paid him enough just to beat Ethan and humiliate him in front of the school.” Answered Ethan. The principal looked at him some more time until he sighs. “Okay, we will do it”. “Everything I need to do is on the papers, right?”. Asked the principal. “Yes. You just have to follow my indications”.

  Back to the gym…

  The principal sat in the front row of chairs. He looked at the face of the guy who just entered the gym. . The principal John turned to look at a teacher that was sat with his legs crossed. He had a cap that covered part of his face. That teacher was the only one who was able to maintain Mark in his class.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Ethan stepped forward to talk to the guy. “You know what you have to do right?” Even standing a few feet away, he had to crane his neck to meet his eyes. The man was a giant, one and a half heads taller than Ethan, probably 185cm, with a build that looked like it had been chiseled out of granite. His broad shoulders and thick arms strained against the fabric of his black hoodie, the sleeves pushed up to reveal forearms corded with muscle. A faint scar ran down his left cheek, adding to his rugged, intimidating appearance. But it was his eyes that really got to Ethan. They were cold, piercing, and always watching, like he was sizing everyone up for a fight.

  The man’s presence filled the room, his every movement slow and deliberate. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and gravelly. “You got the money?” he asked, his tone calm but laced with menace. Ethan swallowed hard. Even the teachers, seated in their chairs, shifted uncomfortably just by hearing his voice, their eyes darting to the man and then away, as if they were afraid to hold his gaze for too long. “Y-yeah, here you have”. He handed him a briefcase full of money. Ryan looked and whispered to Chris. “How much money do you think there is inside? It can’t be that much, right? Ethan is just a high schooler like us”.

  At that moment Ryan felt some eyes piercing him. Like if he was being analyzed as a prey. Chris whispered back. “I think that he heard you”. The guy opened the briefcase and said in a high tone, as if he wanted everyone to hear how much money there was. “Exactly 5671 euros”. Everyone in the room got taken aback by the quantity. The principal opened his eyes widely.

  Ryan asked while starting to get more nervous than how he was. E-Ethan, how did you manage to..” Ethan cut him with an intense gaze. “Don’t ask. I won’t tell you. It is a secret that will come with me to the grave”. “Cruz Ramirez”. That was the name of the guy hired by Ethan. “You have everything you asked for. Just wait here for Mark.”

  At that moment the doors of the gym were open with a bang. The sound it made, made everyone realize that it was Mark.

  I stepped into the gym. I was angry. Really angry. The veins in my forehead were notorious. I had a t-shirt that allowed everyone to appreciate my big arms. My fist clenched with so much strength to show the veins on my forearms. I had my fist clenched so hard I thought they were gonna break. I then shout. “Where the fuck are you Ryan, Chris.” I was able to see Ryan and Chris next to Ethan. “Hey bitch, I thought you didn’t come to school today. What are you doing here with those two” I glared directly at Ethan with an angry gaze, but he didn’t seem to be scared. “I’m here to end with you. Well, technically speaking we are.” Behind him I could see every teacher and the principal. I could also appreciate ‘that’ teacher.

  “Ha, so what can you do?” I asked while looking at him. “I won’t do it. He will”. Behind me I felt an enormous presence. I turned back fastly just to see a guy behind me. He was huge. Well, technically he was a bit taller than me. But he had something that made me feel really small next to him. “Hey fucker are you on their side? Who the fuck are you?” At that moment I received a punch in my face. How fast was that? I couldn’t see it, much less react just when he threw me to the ground. When I looked up still feeling the pain I saw that I was at the feet of Ryan and Chris. I looked at them for a moment. His face was of someone who was nervous and scared at the same time, but in a moment a smug smile was drawn in their face.