Chapter 2 : Tiger’s Claw

The next day, Alvin was still absent from school. He texted me that he’d be back in two days. Shit. That meant from today until Saturday, I’d be spending my time alone.

At the lunch break, I went to the cafeteria to buy lunch to eat at the courtyard. I hated waiting in line there. The floor was always sticky at lunch, and the smell—ugh, it was funky. I don’t know how the other students and staff enjoyed eating inside so much. I ordered my pasta and went straight to my usual spot.

I really enjoyed eating in the courtyard. I usually sat on the bench under the big tree, sometimes watching the basketball team play. The spot was usually quite secluded; not many students hung out around there. Perhaps it was because I was there so often? Who cares.

"Look, boys, there’s a stray dog alone sitting there!"

I heard the laughter from the jocks. As usual, it was Brook and his clowns. I ignored them, not letting them ruin my peaceful lunch.

"Oh, it seems the dog became deaf, too." Brook and his group came closer.

I turned my head toward them. There was a big guy standing with them now.

"Ah, it seems the clowns became bolder because there’s a Shrek among them, huh?" I smirked at them.

"Who do you call Shrek?" The big guy stood closer and slapped my pasta to the ground.

I looked him in the eye and stood up. "You dropped my pasta. Now you must pay me, and you're going to eat that pasta off the ground, Shrek."

"Or you'll what?"

"Or I’ll slam your fat ass into the pavement."

The big guy’s knuckles went white as he bunched the fabric of my shirt in his fist. His breath smelled of sour milk and arrogance. "Don’t act big, Karate boy," he growled, pulling me inches from his face. "Or you’ll—"

I didn't give him the chance to finish. My hands moved by instinct, locking onto his extended arm. I stepped in, torquing my hips to find the center of gravity, and executed a Koshi Guruma. The air left his lungs in a sharp wheeze as I drove him into the hard concrete.

Before the shock could even register on his face, I had my shoes pressed firmly against his throat. I reached down, grabbed a handful of the ruined, dirt-caked pasta, and shoved it into his open mouth.

"Now you must pay for my pasta," I said, my voice cold and low.

Brook and his crew recoiled as if I were a live wire. "You psycho!!" Brook yelled, his voice cracking. He stood there trembling—all bark, no bite. Just a coward with an audience.

"Daeron!!"

The high, sharp sound of Jessica’s voice broke the tension. She was running across the courtyard, her face a mask of horror.

"Release him, Daeron!!"

I stared at her for a second before finally lifting my foot. The guy on the ground coughed and gagged, gasping for air.

"Brook, pick him up! Bring him to the nurse’s office!" Jessica’s voice was commanding, leaving no room for argument. The jocks moved like shadows, hauling their broken 'Shrek' toward the building without looking back.

She turned to me, her chest heaving. "What are you doing?"

"They threatened me and slapped my pasta down," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "So I just helped him eat it—"

The slap echoed through the courtyard. It wasn't a girl's light tap; it was a full-force strike that left my skin burning and my vision blurred for a split second.

"A hero doesn’t act like that!!" she sobbed.

"I told you," I replied, looking her in the eye. "I’m no hero."

"Yeah, and you’re just a sick fuck! A fucking psycho!" Her voice broke, and I saw the tears spilling over as she backed away. She didn't look back as she and her friends disappeared into the crowd.

I sat back down on the bench, the silence of the courtyard feeling heavier than the noise. I could feel the weight of a hundred eyes on me—gazes full of fear and pure disdain. I didn't move. I just sat there in the middle of it all, alone.

**

Later, the disciplinary staff came to my class to pick me up. I felt the weight of my classmates' stares with every step I took toward the door. They took me to the counselor's office. Herald, Brook, and the rest of the crew were already there. Was I nervous? Never. Did I regret it? No. He deserved it. I gave them a death stare that made their faces tighten; they couldn't even maintain eye contact.

The counselor questioned us one by one. Afterward, she gathered us all together.

"I don’t want this to escalate," she said. "If you want to avoid severe punishment, I want you to apologize to each other." She looked at the jocks. "Brook, Mario, Robby, Jay, and Herald—can you apologize to Daeron?"

"Yes, ma'am," they muttered.

"Now Daeron, can you apologize to them? Especially to Herald?"

"Never. Until they apologize to my best friend, don’t even dream of escaping my claws."

"Daeron!!"

"If you want to fix the issue, ma’am, you should look at the cause, not just delete the effect."

"What do you mean?"

"They’re bullies. They've bullied my best friend for over a year. I only stood up to protect him."

"Then why didn’t you report them?"

"Oh, I did. But you should ask your staff why those bastards are still hanging around like fucking flies."

"Mind your words, Daeron! I want you to apologize first!"

"Over. My. Dead. Body. BITCH!"

And then….. I got two months of detention. The clowns only got one. I didn't care; I was sick of the hypocrites who let people like them roam free without real punishment. I promised myself I’d make their detention hell. But the school was stricter than I thought, giving me no chance to make a move. I just went home.

**

On Saturday, after a boring session, Jessica was waiting at the school gate.

"Are you attending Saturday detention?" she asked.

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

"None of your business."

"Daeron! I just want to apologize. For slapping you... and for reporting this to the counselor."

"What the fuck? You reported this? I thought it was those clowns! Why? You wanted to get rid of the 'psycho' that badly?"

"No! I just wanted Brook and his friends to stop bothering you and Alvin! I told the counselor everything!"

"Scoff. Bullshit. The counselor didn't know anything about Alvin. She only cared about the brawl."

"I swear! If you don’t believe me, we can ask her!"

"Pfft. I don’t care. Just stay away from me. Don't hang around a 'psycho.'"

I ignored her and walked away.

**

On Sunday morning, Alvin came over to my place. He didn't waste time with pleasantries.

"Dude, I heard you got detention?" Alvin asked, dropping onto my bed.

"Yeah. I got into a fight with small-dick Brook and his cronies at school."

"Huh? Why did you fight with them?"

"He suddenly came up to the courtyard, and they brought a big guy to scare me."

"A big guy? Who is it?"

"I think his name is Herald?"

"Ohh, I know him. So you got into a fight with Herald? Why?"

"Because those clowns kept babbling and taunting me. I taunted them back and called the big guy 'Shrek.' He got mad and slapped my pasta to the ground. When he grabbed my collar, I used a Koshi Guruma to slam him down."

"And I bet either you stomped his neck or his head, right?"

"How did you know?"

"Dude, that’s exactly what you did to Brook before summer break. You should be careful, man. This kind of thing will get you expelled, you know. But honestly, it’s a pretty stupid move for them to report it to the school. They usually hate snitches."

"Huh? It wasn't them. It was Jessica who reported it."

"What? Why did she report it?"

"Ask her... but enough. Let’s play some games, Al. I miss seeing that desperate face you make when you’re losing."

"Fuck you, man."

**

For the whole week, I spent my time in detention after school. It suddenly became unbearable. The boredom was killing me. Alvin was usually there, waiting for me until my detention was over.

After Saturday detention ended, I saw Jessica standing at the school gate. I ignored her and kept walking.

"Daeron, please. You’ve already ignored me for a whole week," she called out.

"What do you want, Cheeto?"

"I just want to apologize and inform you that your punishment has been shortened to two weeks only."

"Huh? How? Then why didn't the counselor tell me this?"

"Listen first! So, I asked Alvin to talk with the counselor to explain and confirm everything. After cross-checking with some other students, the counselor granted a shortened punishment. They cannot remove it completely because you were still brawling with them."

"Still, you didn’t answer my damn question. If it’s true, why didn't the counselor or Alvin tell me about this?"

"Because I asked them to let me inform you personally. This happened because of me, so I wanted to inform you directly and apologize too. So, can you forgive me?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Please, Daeron. I’m sorry."

"Yeah, I forgive you."

"Really????"

"No. If you want proper forgiveness, buy me food."

"Alright, let’s go!"

"Huh? You’ll be the one who pays, understand?"

"Yes, yes, come on. I’ll show you a good place."

We walked for a few blocks from our school. I had no idea where she was taking me. Finally, we arrived at an Italian Restaurant.

"Yooo, Cheeto! What are you thinking?? Let’s go find hotdogs."

"Let’s eat here, Daeron. I know you like pasta, right? You often order pasta at the cafeteria. Come in."

She entered the restaurant, leaving me with no choice. We got a pretty nice spot. The scent of baked dough made my appetite rise instantly.

We ordered our food. Jessica kept insisting that I must order whatever I wanted. So, I decided to order the Bolognese pasta, since the price was quite moderate.

"I want to confirm once again, Cheeto. Are you sure?"

"Yes, Daeron. Chill out and enjoy."

She smiled brightly. Her smile managed to reassure me... a little.

"Alright then. Thank you again for this."

"I thank you too, and I’m really sorry you have to suffer through detention."

"Meh, it’s fine actually. And at the same time, it will give Alvin space too if those clowns got detention. Thank you for helping my friend, Jess."

"You’re still thinking about your best friend, aren’t you?" She smiled. "Even when you must face hardship alone?"

"I just do what I gotta do, Jess."

"Just like a superhero," she giggled.

"I’m no hero, Cheeto."

"Ah yeah, you’re more like a Firefighter, right? But after I heard from the counselor that you wouldn't let Brook and his cronies out of your claws before they apologized to Alvin... you sounded more like a Tiger, rather than a Firefighter."

"Ugh, that’s corny! You're downgrading me from a Firefighter to an animal now?"

We laughed.

"But, you’re more like a Tiger, you know? Big, firm, intimidating, charismatic... buuuut, deep down inside, you're basically a kitty. Hahahahaha!"

"Fuck off, Cheeto! Let’s eat, I’m hungry now."

We ended up chatting for hours. We talked about anything—mostly just joking around and talking nonsense. Eventually, we decided to go home because it was getting late, and we didn't want to miss our bus.

Jessica called the waiter and asked for the receipt. It didn't take long for the waiter to bring it over.

"Daeron!" Jessica whispered to me.

"What?"

"I only have twenty dollars... the food costs forty-five! Help me!"

"Uggggghhhhh."

And in the end, I paid for the whole meal. Sigh.

"Thank you, Tigerrrr! I didn’t know it would cost more than twenty dollars, teehee."

"Yeah, yeah," I retorted.

"Don’t be upset, okay? I’ll make it up next time, Tigerrr!"

"Ughh, fuck you, Cheeto."