6/18 - NewPort Island - St. Merlin Boarding School - morning

It’s another morning like any other as I’m leaving the dorm building. The building isn’t too big or glamorous, but it’s big enough to fit multiple students all at once. The girl’s dorm is on the other side of the campus. Since the dorms are near the school buildings, it doesn’t take too much time to get there.

As long as I get out of the dorm at a reasonable time, I have about 10-12 minutes to spare before class begins; and that’s after I take a shower. Of course, I usually just play games on my phone before class starts. Proxy commutes from the residential district, which is south of here. If he can make it by 7:15 A.M. he'll make it, but I severely doubt he's going to.

Also, there are two school buildings on campus: one for middle school, and the other for high school. After the summer, I'll be attending the high school building, which is ‌far from the dorm.

Students that don’t live in the dorms are entering through the double gates.

Can't help but cringe every time I see those gates. Proxy tried to climb it once since nothing is covering the top. Of course, I had to stop him since it was a pretty dumb idea.

I make it to the junction where the pathway for the school entrance on the right, the boy’s dorm behind me, and the school buildings on my left meet…

Hey, Lauren's in the crowd! Seeing how Proxy isn't here, I might as well greet her. That's not to say I don't like her, we get along well.

“Sup,” she greets me without taking her eyes off her book.

“What are you reading?”

“A Light Novel. It’s kinda meh, but good practice.”

Glancing at the pages, she’s reading the original Japanese text. Man, I’m kind of jealous that she’s able to read that language. Been meaning to brush up on it further, but I've been busy with studying. Thankfully, summer is coming, so I'll have time to drill in the basics.

“Where’s Proxy?”

Lauren turns the page, paying me no mind. “Don’t know, but he said he was coming."

“Alright... You know, he’s been in a good mood lately.”

"Guess he’s really excited about it.”

“About what?”

“My dad got him something. Got no idea what it is. Seems like it's something good, though.” Considering that it’s easy for Proxy to get excited about stuff, that doesn’t narrow it down. “Excited for your final report?”

“Fine, my final grade is most likely good, so I'm not worried."

“You say fine, but I know you've been elected valedictorian.”

“Y-yeah. I guess it's a good thing…"

She curls the corners of her mouth, forming a dry smile. “Shitting bricks over the speech?”

“A bit. I never wanted to be valedictorian. Plus, I have to make a speech.”

“I hear you. Good thing you took my place.”

Coming from her, it's more of an insult than a compliment.

Lauren Birch is much smarter than me, so she could’ve taken the spot of valedictorian easily. However, from the start, she planned on not doing that by getting above-average grades. Meanwhile, someone else, mainly me, would score grades higher than she would produce.

Over the last three years, she’s been collecting information about who would most likely be valedictorian‌, then, if need be, she would adjust how she does her work from school, state tests, and so on.

How do I know this? From the girl herself… In short, she's the ultimate slacker in a league of her own.

“You know Lauren… Never mind.”

“What?

"It's nothing."

What's the point of calling her out on it? It's not like I care, so why should I tell her what to do?

“Hey, another one of our boys got messed up yesterday.”

Hm? That pin on his collar, the letters MB. He must be with the Merlin Boys.

“Who did? Was it Proxy, or maybe the 'monster' in the Entertainment district?”

I don't think the "monster" would attack the Merlin Boys.

“Nah, man. Some other guy from a different school. He’s been rolling into St. Merlin turf.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, and he sent a few of our boys to the hospital yesterday. Dude is a big ass punk at Franklin public high.”

“Shit, I heard they had a new guy. Wait, how big are we talking?”

“He’s a giant of a high schooler, and he’s a first-year at that.”

“Seriously? What are we gonna do?”

Not as uncommon as they make it out to be. Most gangs in this city preside in the Entertainment district, so fights are bound to happen.

“But get this, he’s going after the stronger punks around NewPort.”

“Shit, then we don’t have to worry?”

“Dumbass, of course we do. If he takes over, think about the shit we’ll go through since we’re at the bottom of the food chain!”

“For real!? Man, this sucks.”

If he’s going after strong punks, then he’ll go after Proxy, eventually. I have to warn him!

Lauren sucks her teeth. “He’s not answering.”

She must’ve been listening to the same conversation. I pull out my phone, immediately heading to my text app. “Proxy, be careful, someone might be out to get you," is what I typed.

There, it's sent. Hopefully, he gets it because Lauren’s calls are still not getting through. What’s keeping him away from his phone?

NewPort Island - Entertainment area - Gamez arcade - morning

It’s match point, both of us have one win against the other, and only a sliver of health remains for both of us. A game of footsies is going to decide this match. Moving our characters forward and back from one another, trying to bait the other to attack.

I can use a projectile, but if he jumps dashes over it, I’m boned. Then I got no choice, I'm going for a taunt! However, if I can't get out of the animation in time before my opponent reaches me, I'm screwed! Might as well risk it!

I go for the taunt, my opponent instantly bites the bait. He does a medium-attack, however; I cancel out of the taunt and then jump above his attempt. I'm airborne, mash medium! I got the hit! Yes, go mashing!

“Bitchin'!"

My opponent is practically foaming from the mouth on his arcade cabinet.

“You bastard, you cheated! That was a cheap move. Why I oughta…" He pauses as he shows his face to me. Hey, it’s that idiot who found me when Lauren gave me that envelope. “P-Proxy!? What are you doing here?”

“Beating your ass, apparently. Do I need a reason?”

“N-no, I was just surprised.”

“That right? Well, wanna go again? You weren’t too shabby.”

His eyes beam with joy at the request. “Yeah! Just watch. I’ll beat your ass and finally win a match against you!”

Man, he’s even willing to count games? Whatever floats his boat, I guess.

“Sure, but you have to beat me first.”

“Of course!”

My eyes ‌sneak a glance at the clock on the wall that’s six cabinets in front of me. It says 6:50 A.M. Shit; I lost track of time! I have to go, or else Birch is gonna ask why I didn’t go to school! My body jumps off the chair I’m sitting on. I grab my bag and move for the exit. The punk comes after me.

“Sorry, but I have to go,” I tell him.

“What’s the matter? Too chicken?”

“Nah, but have you seen the time?”

He checks his phone. His face goes pale after seeing what time it is.

“O-o-oh crap! I’m gonna be late!”

Guess he lost track of time as well. He grabs his bag and heads for the exit. His school is in the entertainment district while mine is in the financial district, so I have to book it if I want to make it for 1st period. As I exit the arcade, a group of guys I know walk in front of me. The guy in front notices me.

“Yo, Proxy,” he greets me, cool as a cucumber while pocketing his hands.

“Hey, shouldn’t you guys be heading to school?”

“Nah, that’s not important. Besides, I think you're the last person to talk.”

He’s not wrong. I am known for cutting sometimes, let alone not being the most punctual.

“Then where are you going?” I ask.

“We’re hunting the new guy.”

“New guy?”

“You don’t know? There's some new punk on the streets who's going around and kicking all sorts of ass. Just yesterday, he messed up a few of our boys, sending them to the hospital. Word is he’s rolling with only one other guy and that’s it.”

Sounds like this new guy is trying to make a name for himself, and he’s not off to a bad start. This guy sounds a bit interesting‌.

“Oh man, this guy sounds like a riot,” the punk beside me says, rubbing his upper lip with his index finger.

“Also, he’s been looking for you, Proxy.”

Can’t say I’m surprised. Plenty of punks during my 2nd and 3rd year of middle school came at me so they can gain a rep for beating me. Of course, most of them just went home with bruised faces. It was exciting when I first got challenged, but after a while, the appeal went away.

“Thanks for the heads up.”

“No problem. Say, if you find him, hit us up.”

“No thanks. He comes to me, he’s mine.”

“Well, then hit him a couple for the boys.”

“Sure thing. Tell your boys in the hospital I said hello.”

“Alright, I will. See ya.”

The Merlin gang members head down the sidewalk along with the crowd of people going to work.

“Man, looks like someone’s hot on your ass,” the punk/my stalker says as he slings his arm around my shoulders.

“Eh, nothing new. But you should be careful around the streets from now on.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“This new guy sounds strong. I seriously wouldn’t want to push your luck.”

“I ain’t scared of some new guy! I’ll beat him into the ground, and I might even become famous for it.”

This idiot. If he can’t stand a chance against me, then why does he want to fight someone making waves? He’d probably get sent straight to the hospital. Of course, I don’t have to stop him, but I’d feel terrible if he got himself badly hurt if I could’ve done something. In that case, I'm gonna have to lay it on thick.

“Listen, man… If you fight that guy, he’ll beat the shit out of you.”

He shows his shock with an enraged expression. “What did you just say?”

“Listen, if you fight him, he’ll beat your ass into the ground. I’m saying this for your own good. You’re just too weak.”

That must’ve sent him over the deep end because his face and body language express nothing but anger. He grabs me by the collar. People are looking at us, waiting for a fight to break out. I guess this is the perfect time to show him what I mean. I break his grip on my collar. Without error, ‌I grab his right arm and shirt while turning away from him. As if he weighs nothing, I throw him over me, flipping him to the ground. He hit the concrete, but I flipped him lightly.

“What the hell,” he yells, groaning in pain

“Listen, if you go and fight him, you’ll get your ass beat.” I let go of his arm and turn my back to him. “...Let other people worry about that punk. Keep your head low and you’ll be fine.”

I walk off for the financial district, moving past the crowd of people staring at me with judgemental eyes; not that I care if they do. That guy better get the hint. I’ll deal with this new guy gunning for me later. For now, I better come up with an excuse for being late…

…

My back is killing me after Proxy flipped me over. Not only that, but my pride! It’s not because people saw me getting thrown over. If I was worried about that, I wouldn’t constantly challenge him in public whenever I see him. No, it’s the fact he turned his back on me while looking down on me... Who the hell does he think he is!? I know he’s right about me being weaker than him, but ‌I wanna prove myself; I wanna prove to him I ain’t weak!

“Boss,” two voices call for me. I turn to see them running toward me. “Boss, there ya are? We’re late to school,” Ross, one of my underlings, tells me.

“Yeah, boss. We’ll be in big trouble,” the other one, named Jackson, adds on.

I know, and as much as I don’t wanna deal with the headache that comes from not going, I can’t let that shit from earlier go. Proxy’s words just keep ringing in my head. How the hell would I be able to let it go so easily!? I shouldn’t! If I did, then I’d be pissed at myself for letting something like that slide! So screw school, I’m doing this!

“Ross, Jackson.”

“Sup,” they simultaneously answer, harmonizing their voices.

“You guys head to school. I got something else to do.”

They share glances. “Where ya goin’?” Ross asks me.

“I’m gonna go fight that punk everyone is talking about and beat that bastard to the ground.”

“Really? But that dude is insanely strong,” Jackson warns me.

“Yeah, he ain’t a normal punk, boss. He’ll…”

Before he can even finish his sentence, I grab him by the collar. “Finish that sentence, I dare ya!” I can see the fear in his eyes, shielding his head from an attack… Gah, what the hell am I doing? I’m just taking my frustration out on the wrong people. I let him go gently. “...Listen, I’m gonna go fight him by myself. You guys don’t need to stick around if you don’t want to. I can do this on my own.”

I turn from them as I walk down the sidewalk. I’ll understand if they don’t want to, but either way, I’m going.

“Wait, boss! You can’t go on your own,” Jackson says, blocking the way forward with his arms.

“Dat’s right, boss, ya can’t go alone.”.

“We’re a gang, so if one of us fights, we all fight, remember!?”

Yeah, I do…

When we were kids, we got bullied a lot. I was a pathetic kid with no attitude to stand up for myself. But one day, someone came and beat up the kids bullying me. I remember how they were crying after one punch from him; it honestly pissed me off when they were crying after getting hit, even though they were hitting me with no problem.

After that, the kid picked me up from the ground and asked me, “why did you let them beat you up”. All I could say was, “I’m too weak to do so… At least that’s what the other kids called me”. What he said next was life-changing, “Then become stronger and beat the shit out of them”. It was so simple, yet filled with everything I needed to hear.

The next time I saw those kids, I hit them the moment one of them tried to hit me. Course, I got in trouble, but I didn’t give a shit; I felt proud of myself. Shortly after, I met these two guys getting bullied by some big kids. I tried to beat them up, but I got my ass kicked by them in the end. Yet, these guys thanked me even when I got my ass royally kicked. So, we became friends, fought back against the guys messing with us, and we eventually formed our own gang. And if one of us got into trouble, the others would come running… How could I forget that?

“Yeah… You guys are right. We’re in this together.” My jacket sways as I dramatically turn my back to them. “Come on, guys! We’re gonna kick this new punk down to the ground. And we’re gonna show Proxy what’s what!”

“Yes, boss,” they scream together in the middle of the crowd.

People are staring at us, but I don’t give a shit about that. We march through the crowd of onlookers. Watch out, you new punk, I’m coming to kick your ass.

NewPort Island - residential district - Birch residence - afternoon

Richard and I walked back with Lauren to her place, since we have nothing better to do. Plus, she said she wants to show us an anime she found last night, so who am I to say no to a good time?

She takes out her key to the house, unlocking the door. The first thing I always see when this door opens is two sets of stairs, one leading up to four rooms: Birch’s room, Lauren’s little sister’s room, a closet, and a bathroom. The other set leads to the basement, which is Lauren’s room. There’s a spacious closet under there where most of the junk goes. The basement itself is big enough for people to move around without it getting cramped.

The living room is the first room you see when you enter. A couch faces a wide-screen tv with a coffee table in between them. There’s a door at the far end of the living room that leads into the kitchen.

“Dad, Holly, I’m home.”

On cue, someone comes running from upstairs. A little girl with blonde hair and pigtails.

“Sister! Welcome home,” she gives an adorable welcome. She gasps when she sees me and Richard. “Glasses, Proxy!”

A while back, when Richard first met Holly, she heard me call him glasses, so that’s been his nickname ever since. Richard doesn’t seem to mind, so I guess it’s all cool.

“Sup there, Holly,” I greet her with a hi-five.

“Hello, Holly,” Richard casually greets her.

“Is dad here?” Lauren asks.

“He’s in the kitchen. Daddy, big sister is home!”

The door to the kitchen opens, showing the detective without a suit jacket on.

“Welcome home, Lauren. Proxy, Richard, nice to see you here.”

“Hello, Mr. Birch,” Richard warmly greets him.

“Yo,” I wave at him.

“How was school?”

“Good,” we all answer.

Birch just laughs from our shared answer. “Good to hear. Hey, speaking of which, I heard you’re the valedictorian, Richard. Congratulations.”

“I don’t know what that is, but congratulations,” Holly says with the cutest smile ever as she claps for Richard alongside Birch

“It’s nothing, really.”

“No, it’s a great deal. It shows you buckled down and worked hard to make it to such a point. Don’t be so modest.”

“Y-you think so? Well, I suppose I ‌deserve it…”

If his ego hasn’t been inflated, it definitely has been now.

“Yo, dad, you get anything from the store?”

“Just some drinks. I’ll get something for dinner tomorrow.”

“Don’t feel like cooking? If that’s the case, I can whip something nice for all of you,” I offer.

“Yay, Proxy’s cooking,” Holly cheers.

“As nice as that sounds, I was thinking we can all go out to get something to eat. I was going to call you to get Richard to meet us at a restaurant, but since you're here already, we can all go together.”

“Shi--” My voice cuts off before finishing. I can’t be cursing in front of Holly; I might be a delinquent, but cursing in front of kids is uncool. “...I mean, sweet! Where we headin’?”

“To Cheddar Factory.”

The mention of the place raises my eyebrows and gets my blood pumping from the mention. Richard and Lauren seem just as surprised.

“You serious, dad?”

“Of course, you’re all graduating middle school soon, and let’s call it an early celebration for Richard.”

This excitement can’t be contained! I must fist bump my hand! “Alright! Then let’s eat and engorge ourselves!”

“You just said the same word,” Lauren points out, slanting her head with her arms crossed.

“Thank you, sir,” Richard directs a stiff expression of gratitude to Birch “...I’ll be sure to not order too much!.

“It’s okay… But thanks.” Birch brings his attention to Lauren. “You wanna come, too?”

“Sure, sounds fun. Just let me go change.”

She heads downstairs to the basement.

“Big sister, help me change, too!”

Holly chases after Lauren, descending the stairs in a cute ass way.

Birch tugs at the fringe of his suit’s collar. “Well, I might as well go in this. Sorry, there’s nothing for the both of you to change into.”

“Don’t sweat it. These uniforms are good enough.”

“I guess you have a point. I’m gonna go see if we should take my car or transport.”

Yeah, traffic isn’t uncommon, so I’d say public transport is the best way to go. Still, I’m pretty excited about this.

Richard leans over to me. “So, Proxy. Did you pass your final year?” he whispers into my ear.

“Hell yeah I did. I passed 3 out of 4 of my quarters.”

“Ah, I see.”

Richard’s face tells me he’s surprised that I even passed in the first place.

“What, thought I failed?”

“What!? No, not for a second.”

“Man, you could at least cover your ass better than that.”

Birch emerges from the kitchen, his phone in hand. “Okay, looks like we can use my car.”

I pump my fist again, raising the hype thrashing inside me. “Sweet. Me and Richard are gonna wait outside.”

“Alright, we’ll meet you outside.”

With our plan down, Richard and I leave the residence, heading for Birch’s car

“Looking forward to the food?” I ask him.

“I can’t say I’m not, and to be transparent, I’m kind of honored.”

“Ah, don’t worry. Just enjoy the fact we’re gonna be having a good time.”

He lets out a hearty chuckle, loosening the tense look on his face. “I suppose you’re right… But besides that, it slipped my mind earlier. Did you get the text I sent you?”

A text? Well, it's not like I would know since my phone is dead.

“What was it about?”

“Some guy is gunning for you.”

Damn, this new guy again? I haven’t seen his face and he’s already pissing me off.

“I know. Some Merlin gang members told me about him. He’s nothing to worry about.”

“I don’t know. He might be stronger than you think?”

“Just relax. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Besides, I don’t wanna think about that dude. Let’s just focus on the food!”

Even though I told him not to worry, it seems as if he’s holding something back. I know he’s concerned, but I wanna worry about this new guy later. Shit, even saying that, I’m still worried about that punk from the arcade. I don't know if he's stupid enough to still go after the new punk, but maybe he’s smarter than I realize… Yeah, I doubt that.