When You Are At The Bottom

I’m sick of this place.

“Ha-ha, you’re so lame, Iori-kun. Try to fight back.”

There’s an invisible ladder that defines our very society. While some are on the very top of this ladder, others on the following steps below them. No one is equal, and even if we try to sing such modal songs on brotherhood and equality, in the end, we are humans. Some will always try to reach the top of the ladder, while some will fall lower because of them. After all, human are only born equal, and that’s that.

“Can’t you even fight back, dumb-ass?” Hiro-kun yelled, pushing me back against the wall. Azumane Hiro, their supposed leader, the one who acts to be on the top of the ladder. “All you can do is just act all high and mighty.”

“Yeah, you’re right, Hiro.” Sakata-kun grabbed me by my hair, slamming my head against the wall. “Stop it, it hurts.” Hiro-kun’s right-hand man, Daikichi Sakata. Always being alongside Hiro-kun, who acts like he also exists on the top of the ladder.

In a species that always role models to look upward, upward into the power structures and the methods of control - overt and covert. For there in the ways of behaving, in the language, in the patterns of respect or disrespect, there is the cause. Add to that a stressed out society often locked into the primitive brain, reactive rather than responsive, the stress trickling down to the youngest... and there you have it.

“Where did all your pride go now, Iori-kun.” He murmured, bringing his face close to my ears.

The last one, Yamai Ibuki, sitting over one of the desks, with a cigarette burning in her right hand. “Sakata, you’re so boring. I’m not having any fun.” Yamai-san got down from the desk, and stood in front of me. “Can’t you entertain me a bit, Iori-chan?” She took a puff from her cigarette, and brought her face close to mine, letting the smoke out through her lips. I coughed, pulling myself away from them. Sakata-kun grabbed me by the shoulder, and punched my face with his fist, while I crumbled down on the floor in pain.

Sakata-kun grabbed onto one of my arms, while Yamai-san pushed her burning cigarette over my skin. “It hurts, you wench.” I struggled in my place, trying to free myself from his grip. Sakata-kun forced me back on the wall, and pushed my face again. I could taste blood in my mouth. “Don’t think of trying anything funny.”

“What should we do with him, Hiro? He’s no fun at all.”

“Let’s lock him up in the closet.”

“Yeah, let's do that.”

Saying that, both of them pulled me up and locked me up in the closet from outside. After all the punches, I was barely in my senses to resist. After they were done, they left the classroom. I waited, listening to their footsteps fade slowly. I got out of the closet afterwards, barely pulling myself up against the wall. I was lucky that they didn’t know that the lock of the closet doesn’t work. My entire body was hurting, along with my left arm, the scar from the cigarette had turned dark purple.

Those who are on the top will always trample on those who are below them. But why does it work like that? When I never got to choose where I want to be.

“Iori-kun, spit out all the money you have.” Sakata-kun and Hiro-kun surrounded me from both sides.

“I don’t have any money with me. Leave me alone.”

Sakata-kun grabbed me by my collar, screaming on my face, “Don’t lie, idiot. Just give us what you have.”

“Don’t bring your mouth so close to mine…” I smirked, “Your mouth smells.”

Sakata-kun jabbed, “You do have quite the courage, speaking like that. Do you wish to play with us a bit?”

I stepped back, forcing him to leave my collar. “Like I said, I don’t have any money with me.”

“Then let us check ourselves to be sure.”

“You won’t find anything, just leave me alone!”

I looked around the room. I thought I was loud enough to grab everyone’s attention in the room, though no one looked back at me even for a second. It was obvious though, they just didn’t want to get into trouble for someone else. All they had for me maybe was just pity, though none of it mattered. For all these two would do to me, there was no one who would step out and stand for me. But why is it like that?

Classes were over, and most of us had already left the room. “Hey fatso, we know your mom’s given you quite a lot of money. So spit it out.”

“Like I said, I don’t have anything today.”

“Huh, are you joking with us? We know you have money with you. Spit it out fast and we won’t do anything.”

“Let’s go, Iori-kun.” Natsuki-kun looked at me, while pulling me along, “There’s no point at looking there. It’s not like we can do anything about that.”

Natsuki-kun and I were filling out a form’s for our club enrolments. Everything was happening just on the other side of the room, though we acted like we didn’t notice anything.

“But shouldn’t we at least try to stop them?” I insisted, stopping right after leaving through the front door. “We can’t just walk away like we saw nothing.”

“And what will you be able to do? It’s not like you can fight against them.”

“We don’t need to fight. We can do something else instead.”

Natsuki-kun sighed, as he placed his arm on my shoulder, “Don’t think that no one has tried anything before. The teachers were also informed of what those two do to him, but in the end nothing happens. Don’t try to mess with them, or you will also get stuck with this.”

“But it’s not like we will just walk away like that.”

Yeah, I can’t just walk away like that. I saw everything, heard everything, a part of me would remain guilty of not doing anything. Nothing happens in the end? Is that all we have to say to make up our minds?

I rushed back into the room, “You two, stop with that!”

That’s why I am sick of this place.