At one point during the night, it seemed as if baseball bats were continuously cracking his brain.

THWACK

THWACK

THWACK

THWACK

Odion kicked the covers off and sat along the edge of his bed, rubbing his fingers gently across his temples. He prayed his brain wouldn’t explode. Why does this keep happening to me? Perhaps it was time for Marcella to book him an appointment with Dr. Truman so that he could get to the bottom of this. Odion reached for the glass of water on his dressing table and took a few sips before glancing at the time on his iPhone: 2:32 a.m. He took it off charge and went to use the bathroom. Caution washed over his face after he dried his hands and opened the door to hear what the commotion was about downstairs.

“Where in God’s name have you been?” Marcella’s voice roared across the entryway.

Odion’s eyes popped wide. Apollo must’ve returned home! He quickly turned off the light and cautiously took his sweet time down the stairs, pausing midway.

“Answer ME!” she said, marching up to Apollo as he hadn’t taken his eyes off the floor. One strap of his backpack hung from his shoulder. “Do you have any idea what time it is right now?” She pointed to the watch on her wrist.

Apollo looked like he had been in the jungle tussling with a band of gorillas. His chinos had a few holes in the front with blood staining various parts of them, and the sleeves of his hoodie were torn away like someone had been pulling on his arms.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” Marcella ripped the hood from over his head. Apollo’s brown eyes reluctantly matched hers, revealing a bruised lip, a swollen left cheekbone, and a discolored patch underneath his left eye.

Marcella paused for a moment. “What in God’s name have you gotten yourself into?” her voice contained a hint of concern, but the seriousness in her tone diluted the matter.

Apollo stared at her in silence as if he were buried deep inside a trance. What did you go and do now?

“I asked you a question, you spiteful little creature!” Marcella bit off the end of the sentence, hinting at the bruises decorating his face. Apollo dropped his head back to the floor.

“If you ever,” Marcella grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie and pulled him in, “and I mean EVER pull a stunt like this again, you will no longer be allowed inside of this house. Do I make myself clear?” She stared into his eyes for a moment before speaking again. “Do I make myself clear, Apollo Biobaku?”

Apollo held his emotionless gaze without blinking. He looked like a lost child who had no semblance of reality. Marcella shoved him hard against the door, nearly causing him to knock over the vase on the table beside it. Her angry eyes followed him, limping up the steps one at a time after demanding he take a shower.

How Marcella managed to do all that without covering her nose from the horrendous stench lingering on Apollo’s clothes was anyone’s guess. He smelled like he’d been rolling in shit and vomit. A sharp sense of nausea tumbled inside Odion’s stomach.

“Don’t be coming in here stinking up the room—” Odion paused, watching Apollo bring his bloodied hands to his face as he sat at the edge of his bed. I doubt the blood on Apollo’s hands is his. Odion went over to open the window so Apollo’s raw stench could exit the room. “Go wash your damn hands inside the bathroom. Don’t forget I slee—”

“Shut up,” Apollo cut him off. His voice subtle like a whisper but with an added touch of severity.

“What?” Odion twisted his face, clenching his fists. “I ain’t gonna tell you ag—“

Apollo’s hands started to tremble.

Odion slowly trailed his eyes to the flickering lights above them, a pulsating energy now encircling the room. No sooner after, he found himself floating off the ground, clutching at his throat as if under the weight of heavy machinery compressing his lungs. I can’t breathe!

The door slammed itself shut with concussive force, screws breaking off from the knob. The dancing glass of water on Odion's dressing table developed crack lines while droplets of water rose into the air as if the laws of gravity were nonexistent.

Odion returned his gaze toward Apollo, who was taking deep breaths, his chest rising and falling with each puff. The look on Apollo’s face brought back terrible memories of the night he murdered Margaret and Hubert. The lights above started to flicker more feverishly, causing the room to dance in and out of darkness. Apollo’s work desk shuffled against the floor, scraping up pieces of hardwood in the process. An explosion of glass rippled across the room, spreading shards and water all over Odion’s mattress and the floor.

Apollo slowly matched his eyes, his pupils burning fiery red. Behind those broken squared glasses wasn’t a hint of shyness or timidity, but a look of I will kill you if you don’t leave me alone.

Odion dropped back to the floor with a thud, holding his throat, sucking in as much air his lungs would allow. The lights above them stopped flickering, Apollo’s work desk stopped dancing, and the pulsating energy surrounding the room evaporated.

Now there was only stillness.

“What’s going on in there?” Marcella’s voice boomed from outside the hall.

Odion winced as he cleared his throat. “Everything’s fine!” he said in hopes she’d heard him. “I stubbed my toe against my bed and fell, but I’m okay!” He scrunched his face. It was the only thing he could think of at the moment. Please don’t come in here! Odion waited for a response but instead heard the click of Marcella’s bedroom door closing. Thank God!

Apollo rose to his feet, gathered his pajamas, and headed outside, the knob-less door opening by itself as if pulled by an invisible string.

Odion caught himself staring at the screws, knob, and various pieces of glass shards on the floor. How much time did they have before Apollo decided to kill them all? If he managed to do all that with as little effort as possible, what the fuck did he do outside?

#

The final period bell rang.

“And don’t forget to read chapters eleven and twelve because there may be a quiz tomorrow on the effects digital media has shaped social behaviors in today’s society. So come prepared,” Mr. Skrinelli said as chairs scraped along the floor. Backpacks were hoisted over shoulders, and the class emptied into the hall as Odion waited until everyone left before tucking in his chair. He wasn’t in the mood to be shouldering his way through any crowds this afternoon. The things that had taken place over the last week seemed surreal and made him question if he’d ever wake up from this nightmare.

“Is everything all right, Mr. Biobaku?” Mr. Skrinelli strutted toward his desk, folding and stacking some documents into his drawer. He always walked like he needed to piss. “You seemed awfully quiet today.”

Odion nodded. “Just tired.” That was the default answer to go to when he didn’t feel like explaining himself, least of all to a teacher.

Mr. Skrinelli looked at him and gave a single nod. “Very well,” he said. “Just come prepared for tomorrow’s session. Your mind will need to be well-rested if you plan on passing tomorrow’s quiz IF there is one.” He smiled.

“Sure thing.” Odion threw up the peace sign before leaving, plodding the hallway and traveling down two flights of stairs toward his locker. He paused for a moment and squeezed the straps of his backpack when he saw Malachi and Toki waiting there. Shit. He’d been avoiding them for over a week now, ever since their spat inside the cafeteria. The muscles throughout his body tensed as he took cautionary steps forward, playing it safe. They didn’t look to be harboring any negative energy, judging from their expressions, but one could never be sure. Nothing was certain these days, not even life.

“Sup playboy,” Malachi said, sticking his fist out.

“What’s good, fam,” Odion said, bumping his fist.

“You look shook right now.” Malachi had a bit of a smirk on his face.

Odion punched in the code to his locker and threw a couple of binders inside, closing it afterward. “I fucked up.” He switched his focus to Toki. “I was outta pocket for what I said the other day and I’m sorry.”

Malachi and Toki looked at each other.

“Don’t even worry about it,” Toki said.

Odion shook his head. “Nah, you were only looking out for a brother, and the way I reacted was outta line. You didn’t deserve that.”

Toki extended his hand, and both of them engaged in a brotherly embrace. “It’s all smooth, bro, shit happens.” They separated. “I should’ve been more thoughtful about your feelings toward Serenity.”

Malachi grabbed both of them by the shoulders and held them in each of his arms. “Bruh, you know how many times this week I tried convincing Toki you weren’t gonna do anything to him? He swore you were gonna beat his ass once you saw him. I was like, ‘Nah fam, just reach. He ain’t gonna do nothing.’ I told him, ‘You see, that’s what pussy does to you. It turns you against your friends.’” All three of them burst out in laughter as they exited from the school’s back entrance and headed toward the bleachers in front of the baseball diamond.

It was great knowing he had two friends who were understanding and that the situation didn’t lead to them trading punches with one another. Genuine and loyal friends were hard to come by and damn near impossible to find, and it was a lesson Odion wasn’t going to take for granted. Sometimes friends needed to go through these sorts of situations to grow. In the end, it only strengthened the bond you had with each other.

“Speaking of which,” Malachi shrugged off his backpack and hopped on one of the bleachers, “have you spoken to Serenity lately?”

Odion shook his head. “Nah, I’ve been dealing with some other shit.” His mind quickly drifted back to the incident with Apollo.

“Speak of the devil,” Toki said, bobbing his head toward the exit they just came from. Odion’s heart fluttered at the sight of her.

“What you waiting for, fool?” Malachi nudged him with his foot. “She over there.” He pointed in her direction. “Go get it.”

“But why did she come out from this side?” Toki asked. “Doesn’t she usually exit from the front?” It was a good observation on his part. The only thing Odion could think of was she didn’t want to run into Donovan or any of his friends. “She looks like she’s heading into the woods.” Toki seemed curious.

“Aight, I’ma go see what’s up. If I ain’t back in like fifteen minutes, y’all head on home without me.”

“Never mind us,” Malachi said. “Go handle your business.” He stuffed a cigarette in his mouth and flicked his lighter to it. “If anything, we’ll link up later.” He blew out a puff of smoke to the side.

“Aight bet.” Odion took his time to steady his breathing before catching up to her. “Serenity,” he called, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She gasped and jumped away in fright. “Don’t scare me like that.” She drew her brows closed, darting her eyes all around the parking lot. “What do you want?”

She’s even gotten more aggressive since I’ve last spoken to her. “I’m just checking to see if you’re okay.” Odion adjusted the backpack over his shoulders.

“I’m fine.” She looked off to the side again.

“You sure about that ’cause you seem awfully jittery right now.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m fine,” she said, walking away.

“Hang on a sec.” Odion reached for her arm and spun her around.

“Get off me.” Serenity pulled her arm away. “I told you I’m fine. What more do you want?”

“Why you so angry today?”

“Because you keep touching me and you’re asking all these damn questions,” she said. Odion’s thoughts immediately went back to Marcella’s conversation. You want to get her talking about herself; however, you don’t want to make it sound like an interview by asking her too many questions.

Damn, I’m doing it all wrong.

Serenity turned her head left and right, and briefly glanced behind her. “I have to go.” She sped off into the woods.

Odion stood still for a moment, confused, agitated, and helpless. His mind screamed at him to follow her, the temptation surging ferociously in his veins. If I follow her, that’ll only push her farther away. If I let her walk, I’ll never be able to show her how much I like her. On the other hand, if I respect her wishes, maybe she’ll see that I care about her. “God damn it! What am I supposed to do?” he said through clenched teeth. Show her how much you like her. Odion again thought back to the conversation Marcella had with him around the dining table. “How can I do that if she doesn’t even want to be seen with me?”

A strong breeze of wind whipped across his body. No, I have to follow her. I know she’ll hate me afterward, but I’ll take that risk if it means she’ll be able to find peace in her life.

“The fact she has to change routes from home because she fears for her safety is already a red flag,” Odion said to himself, jogging into the woods as tree twigs crunched under his feet. He repeatedly flicked his hands in the air, swatting away any mosquitoes that wanted to fly in his face. “Serenity hold on,” he said, catching up to her. “Could you just stop and talk to me for a minute.” Odion stood in front of her to block her path.

“Would you just leave me alone?” She took a couple of steps back. “Why is it so hard for you to do that?”

“Because I care about you.” Was what he wanted to say, but in reality, he struggled for words. The irritation in her eyes only made the situation worse and much harder to answer. “Ever since I tried speaking to you in the cafeteria the other day, you’ve been acting all weird. Why were you so quick to leave when Patrick and Jasper saw us together?” She looked away and sighed, folding her arms across her chest. “Are they the ones who gave you that bruise at the corner of your lip, or was it, Donovan?”

“That’s none of your business!” Serenity's cheeks flushed pink.

“You’re wrong,” Odion said. “It is my business.” He took another moment of silence before speaking again. “How long are you gonna suffer like this?”

“You don’t—”

“I saw it, Serenity,” Odion cut her off. “You don’t have to lie anymore. I saw when Donovan pinned you against the wall and said you were his bitch. I was resting along the bleachers when it happened. I know those marks around your neck aren’t an allergic reaction or that your cat scratched you. I know Donovan's the one behind all this, and I wanna know why.”

Serenity shook her head. “I can’t. I don’t want anyone else getting involved. It’s too dangerous. He knows too many people.”

“So you’d rather suffer than allow someone else to help you?”

Serenity opened her mouth a little and then rested a hand over her quivering lips. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you,” she said in a squeak. Both of her hands covered her face, and Odion couldn’t do any better except to wrap his arms around her, pulling her body close as he felt her shaking from her sobs.

“Ayo, who the fuck is that!” Someone shouted from somewhere in the woods, their tone dangerously aggressive. Odion darted his eyes around, spotting a group of males approaching them. Serenity gasped as she broke away from him, looking back to see who it was. Her breath seemed caught in her throat as Donovan, Patrick, Jasper, and Tyron, filming with his camera, came marching toward them. “So this is what you be doin’ when I’m not around, eh. You ungrateful bitch.”

“Who the fuck you think you’re talking to!” Odion pointed at him, Serenity doing everything in her power to hold him back.

“Please, just get out of here,” she muttered, pushing him back far enough away from them. “Just go.”

Odion took hold of her hand and pulled her behind him. “I ain’t going anywhere.” He furrowed his brows, gauging the distance he had between Donovan and himself while Pat and Jasper stood in the background like two of his cheerleaders, mean-mugging him.

“I told Serenity if I caught her with another nigga, I was gonna carve him up real nice.” Donovan whipped out what looked to be a switchblade from his back pocket and sprinted toward him, holding the blade high in the air.

Odion’s eyes grew wide, and a rush of adrenaline swept through his body as he quickly shoved Serenity out of harm’s way. He sprung backward just in time to avoid Donovan’s blade from piercing his stomach. Donovan lunged at him again, stabbing forward, missing, then swiping at his face as Odion used his quick feet and head movement to maintain a safe distance.

“Quit running pussy,” Donovan said, drawing a breath, screwing up his face. He leaped forward again and thrust the blade at his mid-section. Odion jumped backward, keeping on the balls of his feet, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Donovan sprung forward again, this time noticeably slower than before, and Odion cracked him on his pointed chin with a straight right hand.

“Oh shit!” Tyron yelled in the background.

Donovan’s legs buckled underneath him as he staggered backward, half-conscious. Odion wasted no time and wrestled him to the ground, causing the blade to fly out of his hands.

“Who’s the pussy now, bitch?” Odion taunted, posturing his body upward to thunder down some right and lefts to his head as Donovan shielded himself with his arms.

Odion found himself knocked over to his side by someone’s foot just as he was about to throw an elbow. The world around him twisted and turned, the side of his temple hammering with pain.

“Ooof!” Odion yelped as Jasper’s shoe crashed into his gut and folded him up, causing him to cough a few times. A swarm of heavy stomps and kicks from Jasper and Patrick rained down on him, smacking against his arms and shoulders.

“Stop it! Leave him alone!” Serenity pushed Jasper away and hovered her body over Odion. “Please!” she cried.

“Bitch, get the fuck outta the way!” Donovan’s face was livid red as he yanked her by her hair and tossed her over to the side, where she stumbled across a tree.

A wave of hot anger grew inside as Odion attempted to stand, arms sore, head pounding, abdomen burning from their kicks. He still had a bit of fight left in him. Before he could even rise, Donovan cracked him across the face with a ferocious punt, knocking out every bit of strength he had within him. Warm liquid streamed from his nose and leaked into his mouth, tasting of salt, metal, and dirt.

“Where’s my fucking blade at? Get my blade!” Donovan ordered. “You. Pussy. Bitch!” he punctuated each word with a kick to Odion’s ribs, which exploded into a sharp array of pain, radiating to his stomach and back.

“Argh!” Donovan dug his knee into Odion’s chest, clogging his airways as Patrick handed him the blade. “Watch her!” he pointed to Serenity. “This is what happens when you fuck with me.” He rested the cold, sharp piece of steel against Odion’s throat.

“NOOO!” Serenity howled.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Someone yelled, rushing toward the scene, their voice familiar. “It’s done, man.” Malachi pushed Donovan off and shook him in his arms. “You won nigga! Put the blade away!”

A brief argument ensued, which lead to a shoving match between Donovan and Malachi while Toki and Serenity knelt to Odion’s aid. Just trying to sit up sent several screaming aches and pains to travel throughout his body.

“Next time it’s on-site, nigga!” Donovan looked to Odion and pretended he held a gun, pulling the trigger. “You’re dead next time I catch you, y’heard? Dead!” He looked to Malachi. “You better watch your shit too, Mali. Bitch-ass nigga.”

“Whatever nigga,” Malachi said. “Don’t forget I’ve known some of the people on your block longer than you. You ain’t the only one who knows a few hitters willing to catch a body.”

“We’ll see about that, pussy.” Donovan jetted out of the woods with his crew, Tyron going crazy talking to his camera.

“Sorry we couldn’t get here any faster, bruh,” Malachi said.

Odion’s back and ribs felt as if a thousand knives were stabbing them as he coughed. He mustered up whatever strength he had to drag his body so he could rest it against a tree. “Those cocksuckers are gonna pay for this,” he said, holding his sore ribs. “Mark my words.” He spat out blood to the side.

“What the heck did we just get ourselves into?” Toki asked, looking back between Odion, Serenity, and Malachi.

“Don’t worry about nothing. I got you.” Malachi patted him on the shoulder.

“This is why I told you to go home.” Serenity took out a few napkins from her backpack and dabbed some of the blood away from Odion’s nose.

“All of this could’ve been avoided had you—”

“Knock it off.” Odion pierced a sharp look at her, stopping what she was doing. “It was a lot better than watching him abuse you.” Odion wanted to say more, but saving his energy at this time was more important.

“Yo, let’s get out of here before cops arrive,” Malachi said, wrapping Odion’s left arm around his neck so he had someone to lean on. Odion groaned as Toki grabbed the other arm to wrap around his neck.

“Someone grab my backpack,” Odion forced himself to speak.

“I’ve already got it,” Serenity said as they made their way out of the woods.

“Thanks for having my back, y’all,” Odion winced as he said it.

“Anytime, bro,” Toki replied.

“We got you, playboy. That’s what friends are for.”

Odion would’ve smiled, but his focus was on the pain. Regardless of how many people Donovan knew, Odion was going to do everything in his power to get his revenge. Donovan may have cheated to win the fight, but this war was just getting started.

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