Chapter 20: Too Little, Too Late

Once Zac got off the city bus, he scanned his surroundings. Seeing no one present, he sighed with a smile on his face and closed his eyes for a brief moment.

-Finally! Now that the coast is clear, maybe we can enter that shitty community service the way that I exited it there earlier. Hopefully people didn't notice when I was gone. So let's get inside before we get caught, Zac buddy.

Zac ran halfway around the building and still looked around behind it, still seeing children and adults placing boxes of food in the back of the trucks. Zac grinned viciously and said quietly, "Hmph!"

-To my surprise, I'm glad no one noticed me. I can't wait to get inside to untie Kayleb and take him to Mrs. A jus' to keep my hands clean, y'know.

Opening the back door, he entered the building and scanned the hallways sideways. He saw no one present. No one at all. Zac joyfully sighed.

-Okay, great!

He turned to the storage room door with his vicious smile on his face.

-Now let's go to the storage room, shall we, Zac buddy?!

He walked his way towards the door to the storage room. He then stood there and rubbed his palms up and down a couple times, excitedly smiling at the door.

-Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man. Can't wait to get back inside it. Get ready, Kayleb! I'm gonna turn your ass in to keep my hands clean, broh. So here I come!

Once he opened the door though, he held the door wide open, broadening and twitching his eyes a bit. There he saw the bag lying on the floor and Kayleb's disappearance shocked Zac. He let go of the door knob, placed his hands on his head and moved his eyes a little sideways, putting his head down, leaning forward like a hunchback.

-No! This can't be! I thought for sure that I locked the door. That means…I'm now in big trouble. I thought people didn't notice that I had disappeared from this building. Great! Jus' great! You know what that means, don't ya, Zac buddy?! That means twenty-three more days of bein' grounded-no money, no video games-instead of video games. I mean, think 'bout that buddy.

"Ah-ha! There you are!" Kayleb's voice echoed behind him. "We got ya now, Zaccai! There's nowhere to run as Sam and I jus' caught ya red handed!"

"Ah!" Zac slowly turned around and saw Kayleb standing with his former customer-the one that Zac sold the fake phone to. He broadened his twitchy eyes a lot more when he saw him. He put his hands out, opened his mouth and leaned back a bit.

Sam glared at Zac. "You!"

-N-N-No way! Is that-?!

Zac's heart suffered from memories of selling a fake product to his former customer at the alley last weekend.

-It can't be?! Jus' what the hell's he doin' at a place like this?! Huh?!

"Aaaahhh…" Sam finally said something, glaring at Zac with his eyes nearly closed. While he walked towards Zac, clenching his fists, Kayleb stood there and watched, also glaring at Zac. "I've been searchin' everywhere for ya for the past three days, and I finally found ya at last!"

As soon as Sam got close to Zac, Kayleb ran towards the end of the hallway. Sam pointed his finger at Zac and moved it back and forth as he got closer to Zac. "You tricked me! 'A now rare brand new dumbphone,' huh?! What a load of bullshit! I trusted you!"

Sam stood in front of Zac-into Zac's face. "Now I regret my decision back then, so I'll make you regret what you've done to me." He moved his fingers except his thumb backwards a couple times. "I want my money back…right now!"

Zac glared back at Sam for a second, crossed his arms and turned his head left with his eyes closed. "Hmph! No way, bruh. There's gonna be no refunds."

Sam glared at Zac even more, this time also growling at him.

"Once you gave your money to me…" Zac added, "It's mine forever. So get lost while you're at it, will ya?!"

Sam pushed Zac back against the door. "I said, 'Give me my money back!' Dammit!" Zac angrily turned to Sam and got into his face.

"So, you wanna get your money back, huh?!" Zac pushed Sam backwards. "You're gonna have to come and get it, bruh!"

"Oooo, you're so on!" Sam roared, screaming at Zac, raising his fist up in the air.

Zac growled at Sam more, shutting the door behind him.

-Oooo man, this boy's gettin' ready to get a beat down. Big time! Get ready, Zac buddy! 'Cause you're gonna need it!

As soon as Sam got close to Zac, Zac moved out of the way and Sam instead slammed his fist against the door. Sam widened his eyes when he felt the pain from his hand with his eyes closed, taking a couple steps back, shaking his hand sideways. "Ye-oooowww!"

After he shook his hand sideways for a while, he immediately turned to Zac and glared at him, until he broadened his eyes out of shock. "Wh-What the-?!"

Zac kicked Sam in the face, making Sam take a couple more steps back. Sam touched his face. "Owww-wah!"

"Oh? That hurt, huh?" Zac questioned with his vicious smile. "Well, that's what you get for pickin' a fight with me, bruh. Ready to give up now while you're at it?"

Once Sam felt the pain on his face, Sam turned to Zac and growled at him with his twitchy eyes. "Give up?! GIVE UP?!" Sam quickly stood up straight and looked at Zac straight in the eye, tightening his clenched fists. "No way in hell I would give up now, ya scam artist! I'm gonna take you down, whether you like it or not!"

"Oh, yeah?" Zac performed his fighting pose and moved his fingers except his thumb backwards a couple times. "Bring it on, bitch!"

Sam screamed again and rammed his punch at Zac's face, yet Zac caught his wrist and viciously grinned. That made Sam widened his eyes at his wrist, turning to Zac. When Zac swung Sam's arm towards the wall, Sam smiled at Zac and managed to jump up and kick one of Zac's cheeks, before he was slammed against the wall.

Zac's face was slammed against the same door that Sam kicked him at. Zac touched his reddened cheek and felt its pain, moving himself away from the door. "Owww!"

"Ha! That hurts now, doesn't it, Zac?" Sam asked, moving away from the wall, giving Zac his vicious smile back, panting. "Take that!"

As soon as Sam was getting ready to punch Zac in the face, Zac glared at Sam with only one eye. Yet Hadasa, her friends and Mrs. A arrived at the end of the hall far away from Zac and Sam, with Kayleb pointing his finger at those boys. "There they are!"

"Hey! Both of you, stop fighting this instant!" Mrs. A roared from the top of her lungs. "I will not tolerate anyone fighting in this building, is that understood?!"

Sam and Zac stopped fighting one another and turned to Mrs. A as soon as they heard her voice. They closed their embarrassed eyes and scratched the back of their heads, smiling, chuckling a little. "Yes…ma'am…"

"Sorry 'bout that, Mrs. A," Sam guiltily confessed.

"Yeah, me too, ma'am. Ha-ha-ha!" Zac also guiltily confessed, staring at Mrs. A with a frown on his face.

-Oh, great. Jus' great, Zac buddy. Looks like I'll be in deep, deep trouble. I'll be grounded twenty-seven more days now, instead of seventeen…jus'...great…ugh!

Mrs. A raised her hand up and moved her index finger backwards a couple times. "You two come with me to the office." Turning around, she tilted her head right. "Now!"

"Yes…ma'am…" Zac and Sam turned to one another, then followed Mrs. A to her office. Hadasa and others moved out of the way before the boys even came close to them.

-Oh, boy. Here we go, Zac buddy. Here we go.

Zac sighed with a frown as he and Sam walked past them. Hadasa and others watched those boys follow Mrs. A, glaring at Zac more than Sam. This was especially true from Hadasa, for she was angry about what he did to her brother. Zac glared at everyone else around them back while Sam just gazed at Mrs. A.

-But seriously though. I mean, screw this place. Honestly, I'd rather jus' remain at home, than bein' here. This community service sucks. Worst community service ever!

Then Zac turned to Mrs. A and watched her as well as scanned his surroundings, turning to Sam and her back and forth.

-Now I really hope I don't get to go to Hadasa's shitty hideout place and hang out with her and her shitty ass friends. I'm definitely not in a mood for it, especially earlier today. Definitely not. NOT…EVER!

As soon as Mrs. A entered her office, she stood by the door, holding it, waiting for those boys to enter it. Once the boys entered, Mrs. A immediately closed the door. Silence echoed the halls around that office.