---

  Ontreight second floor...

  The girl's name was Ivana.

  She was a senior to Vins and in the same grade as Dani, and she was also the daughter of the school's head counselor. She approached Vins, who was still grabbing Dani's collar in front of the counseling office.

  Edrik, who had left Vins, immediately came running back, worried sick about his friend. Doval followed, but his laziness was stronger than his concern. He took the stairs one agonizing step at a time, muttering to himself.

  When Edrik finally got there, he was completely floored. He saw his friend holding the neck of the school's most feared punk, a guy who was respected by pretty much everyone. Edrik couldn't believe his buddy was so thoroughly dominating his opponent—a guy known to be a member of the local gang of delinquents.

  "Yo Vins? You good?" Edrik asked, running over from a distance.

  Startled by Edrik's arrival, Vins released his grip on Dani.

  "You'll see what's coming tomorrow, you bastard! You and your friends are dead!" Dani said, pointing his finger at the freshman as he walked backward.

  Dani, who was backing up and muttering insults at Vins, suddenly froze when he heard Ivana call his name.

  "Hey Dani..." Ivana called.

  Dani turned to the familiar voice. Without warning...

  Smack!

  Ivana's hand shot out and landed squarely on his cheek. The sound of the slap echoed sharply between them.

  Edrik's face showed a look of pure, natural shock at the incident. The eighth-graders who had gathered around were just as stunned.

  "Can't you just cut it out with causing trouble at school? Don't make me rat you out to my dad, you hear me? You get suspended again, you'll finally learn! Aren't you tired of always ending up in the black book?" Ivana said, her tone full of annoyance.

  Dani just glared at them, especially at Ivana. His face was a mask of unspoken, seething resentment. Then, Dani turned and walked away, holding his stinging cheek. He kept shooting angry looks back at the girl and the seventh-grade student.

  "Hey there... You're fine, right? Dani's just like that! He's always a jerk to people weaker than him! If he ever bothers you again, just run over here, okay?" Ivana said, trying to calm Vins down.

  Hearing Ivana's words, Vins froze in place, lost in a daze, captivated by her extraordinary charm.

  "Hey? Are you okay?"

  Vins shook his head to snap himself out of it.

  "Oh, yeah, Sis? Yeah, Sis! I'm fine... Thanks, Sis! For helping me..."

  Edrik, seeing Vins's behavior, raised an eyebrow. He looked at his friend as if he was seeing something weird in his best buddy's behavior.

  "What's your name? Are you in the seventh grade?" Ivana asked Vins.

  Vins, scratching his head nervously, answered Ivana's question.

  "Yeah, Sis! I'm from 7-8! My name is Vinson Briliantino! But you can just call me Vins..." Vins explained with a smile.

  Ivana then offered her hand, intending to introduce herself to Vins, who still seemed stunned by the girl's presence.

  "Oh, hey Vins! I'm from 8-8! My name is Ivana Alia Alexandra... You can just call me Ivana! It's nice to meet you..." The popular girl said, extending her hand.

  Vins shook Ivana's hand, a sweet smile on her face.

  "Oh, hey Vins! You know the school requires us to join at least one extracurricular, right? Would you want to join the Scouts club?" Ivana asked, as she fixed her center-parted bangs.

  Vins, without even realizing it, nodded in response to Ivana. It was as if he was hypnotized by her words.

  "Okay, Vins! Don't forget... be here this Saturday at 7 AM! Don't be late, okay?"

  Vins just kept on nodding, like a buffalo with a ring through its nose.

  "I'm heading into the counseling office now." Ivana said, waving goodbye and opening the door to the student disciplinary room.

  Ivana then entered the room where her father worked. With Ivana and Dani gone, the crowd started to disperse. Edrik tried to snap Vins out of his hallucination.

  "Hey... Moron! Snap out of it!"

  Tap!

  Edrik lightly tapped Vins's cheek.

  "Dude... What the heck, Drik? Are you crazy? That hurt, you idiot!" Vins shot back, holding his cheek.

  Annoyed, Vins immediately left the place, abandoning Edrik who had been worried about him all along.

  "His brain's broken, I guess... Tsk... Tsk... Tsk..." Edrik muttered to himself, shaking his head.

  ---

  The next day, in Classroom 7-8, during lunch break...

  "Ivana ohhhh... Ivana... Why did an angel like you have to come down to Earth? Is even a heaven so calm, beautiful, and peaceful still able to make you bored? Then... Would you want to live deep in my heart?" Vins thought to himself, while writing 'I Love You Ivana' on the desk he was sitting at.

  "YO!!! VINS!!! EMERGENCY!!!" Doval shouted, running frantically toward Vins, who was sitting in the classroom.

  "Shut up, idiot, Val! What's wrong? Why are you so out of breath?" Vins asked, confused by his friend's behavior.

  "Bad news! Hahhh... Hahhh... This, man! Hahhh... It's from Bro Dani!" Doval said, his breathing completely out of control.

  Vins looked at his friend's behavior with a puzzled frown. He saw Doval clutching a hat, the one Dani always wore. He took the hat from Doval's hand, and was shocked by what he saw inside Dani's hat.

  -Come before dark... Come alone!-

  It was a clear message written in red marker.

  "Wait? This is Bro Dani's hat, isn't it? Where'd you get this hat, Val? Tell me!" Vins demanded Doval to immediately tell him the meaning of the item.

  "Bro Dani! Hahhh... I saw Bro Dani, Vins! Hahhh..." Doval replied, still panting.

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  "He was lying there! Hahhh... He just... just... just got beaten up in the first-floor bathroom just now! Hahhh... His face was covered in bruises! Then... Hahhh... He asked me for help! To give this to you... Hahhh..." Doval explained to his friend while still gasping for air.

  Vins furrowed his brow, filled with confusion. He wondered what Dani meant by giving him the hat with that message. He understood it to mean that he was being summoned to a certain place, alone.

  "Where's Bro Dani now, Val?" Vins asked bluntly.

  "He was taken to a hospital around here! As for the location...! I'm not sure where, man! Hahhh..."

  Hearing his friend's words, Vins clutched the hat and clenched his hands into tight fists. He understood one thing. The hat from Dani was not a threat. Instead, Dani was trying to warn him about someone who was now targeting him.

  "Val... please find out where Bro Dani is being treated, okay? Tomorrow, on Friday, you and Edrik come with me! We'll go visit him... got it?" Vins requested.

  Doval noticed something strange about the smile Vins gave him. It was the first time he had ever seen his goofy friend look so calm and collected.

  "Okay, Vins! If you need anything... don't hesitate to let me know!" Doval replied, offering his friend help.

  ---

  Ding! Dong! Ding!

  The final bell rang. Vins quickly packed his school books into his blue backpack. He put on his brown zipper hoodie.

  "Guys... I'm heading out..." Vins said, waving goodbye to his two friends.

  "Hey Val! Don't you think that moron's acting weird? It's not like him, man, to act so chill..." Edrik asked, whispering to Doval.

  "You wanna come with me after this, Drik?" Doval asked back, without answering the question from the chubby student next to him.

  Doval's counter-question left Edrik confused. He wondered if Doval was hiding something from him about Vins.

  "I asked you! Why are you asking me back? You idiot!" Edrik replied, annoyed by Doval's behavior.

  "If you want to know why Vins is acting like that... you should just come with me, Drik!" Doval said to his friend.

  Edrik's curiosity got the better of him, and he agreed to the short student's invitation.

  ---

  Then...

  The sky grew dark and a furious wind began to howl. The scent of damp earth hung in the air, signaling heavy rain was on its way.

  Vins pulled up his hoodie to cover his head. He walked past the same houses he always saw on his way to school. He passed an empty lot with a vacant house in the corner. Doval once told Vins that he sometimes heard a boy's voice screaming for help from inside, a story that only added to the house's ominous reputation. Still, his friend's stories about the vacant house never made him paranoid.

  CRACK!!!

  BOOM!!!

  The thunder rumbled loudly, followed by a sudden, heavy downpour. Vins ran toward the house to take shelter.

  "HELLP!!!"

  Vins was startled by the voice, and the hairs on his arms immediately stood on end. The voice sounded exactly like what Doval had told him about. A mix of disbelief and curiosity swirled together inside Vins.

  WHUMP!!! WHUMP!!! WHUMP!!!

  Vins grew suspicious of the sounds he had just heard. They sounded like muffled blows landing on someone. He began to search for the source of the noise, which grew clearer as he approached the back area of the vacant house.

  Finally, Vins found the source of the beating. He was shocked to see his classmate, Jafar, getting a serious beatdown from a group of middle schoolers, one of whom looked familiar.

  Vins hid behind a broken sofa, trying to make sense of the situation and figure out what was really going on. Jafar, who was already huddled in a corner, tried to protect his head. But then, one of the thugs managed to kick him in the face.

  THWACK!!!

  CRASH!!!

  Jafar went down. He lay there helpless, with blood pouring from his nose and temple.

  "Trash!" One of them said, spitting on Jafar's face.

  They then took the money from inside Jafar's wallet. Vins couldn't bear to watch his classmate get beaten like that, but he still didn't want to move to help Jafar. His gut told him that it wasn't the right time to come out of hiding.

  One of the thugs crouched down and grabbed Jafar by the hair.

  "Hey, you son of a bitch! I don't give a damn! Whether your mom's in the hospital, in a coma, or on her deathbed! I don't give a fuck! Not my problem, you liar..." The student said, spitting again.

  Watching how Jafar was being treated made Vins's blood boil. But then, seeing the scar on the temple of the student who was talking brought him back to a memory. A very painful memory from his elementary school days.

  ---

  One day at an elementary school...

  Vins, a fourth-grader at the time, was walking to the parking area where he kept his beloved bicycle. A moment later, he was approached by a cute girl who was his senior and was ten years old.

  "Vins... Let's go home together! My mom isn't picking me up today... because she has some errands to run!" The fifth-grader said, standing right in front of Vins.

  "Oh, Belina? Are you sure you want to go home on my bike, Bel?" Vins asked, pulling his bike out of the school parking lot.

  "Yeah... I'll ride on the back, that's okay, right?" Belina asked, her face full of hope.

  "Yeah... that's fine, Bel..." Vins replied with a smile.

  Belina then asked permission to get on the back seat of Vins's bike. The two created a cute and adorable scene. It was as if Vins were a prince, leading his princess to her steed. Belina held on tight to Vins's waist, which moved with every push of the pedals. From time to time, she rested her head on Vins's back.

  Belina was Vins's childhood friend. The two of them lived close to each other. They were like two souls created to belong to each other, both in love but never brave enough to express their feelings. And they had both decided to keep their feelings buried deep inside. Their parents even knew each other, maintaining a close and intimate relationship.

  Belina had been an orphan since she was five years old. However, that wasn't a reason for her to be plunged into sadness; on the contrary, she was a cheerful child, even though she had to grow up without a father figure. Whenever Vins went to an amusement park or somewhere fun with his family, Belina was always there, invited to enjoy the day with them. Belina's mom never forbade her from going. For Belina's mom, her child's happiness was her top priority.

  Back to the moment they were heading home together.

  Vins decided to stop at a small roadside stall to buy es cekek (a sweet iced drink made from flavored powder, hot water, and ice cubes, served in a plastic bag) because they were so thirsty. At the time, Vins was still very overweight, which made him tire out easily. With Belina's permission, he decided to walk his bike for a bit to recharge his energy.

  A moment later, Vins's shoulder was bumped by an elementary school kid who was quite big and tall for his age. He wore a blue gym uniform and had a buzz cut about an inch long.

  The student's name was Brando.

  He was walking toward the school with a friend who was just as annoying as him. Vins stopped after being bumped and looked at the two punks, but unfortunately, he wasn't their target.

  "Hey? Aren't you Belina from Public Elementary School Zero Five? Wow... So the rumors are true! Your face is really cute and adorable! I bet it'd be great to kiss..." Brando's friend said, grabbing Belina's wrist.

  "Ouch... What's wrong with you? Let go!" Belina cried out, wincing in pain.

  "Hey, Bel! Hand over your money! You have money, right? The proof is, you could buy that ice..." Brando demanded, grabbing her other hand.

  "I don't have any! Ugh! What are you doing? Le-go-of Belina's hands!" Belina replied, trying to pull her hands away from their tight grip.

  Brando and his friend looked at each other, giving each other a knowing look.

  Brando's hand started to reach for Belina's uniform pocket, which was right on her chest. Belina, not wanting to be touched by savage boys like them, began to cry. She was helpless against the two tall and big students.

  Belina's eyes met Vins's, hoping he would do something about these two little bastards. But she knew Vins was a coward and a loser. With his overweight body, he was often a target of bullying at school. But not this time. That day was the day Belina saw a cool side of little Vins, which made her fall even more in love with him.

  SMACK!!!

  The loud sound stopped Belina's crying. She clearly saw her crush throw a plastic bag filled with a large ice cube, the leftover from the es cekek he had just been drinking. Brando, who was shocked by what Vins had done to him, had blood gushing from his temple.

  "LET GO OF HER OR I'LL KILL YOU!!!" Vins yelled, glaring at Brando and his friend.

  Vins's eyes were bulging as if his eyeballs were about to pop out, and an uncontrollable fury was visible on his face. Vins's words made Belina a little shocked and sent shivers down her spine. She truly couldn't believe what she was hearing from his mouth. Because all this time, what Belina knew was that Vins was a crybaby, a snitch, a mama's boy, and a punching bag for bullies.

  What had just happened in those few minutes made it seem like she wasn't looking at the Vins she knew, but rather a completely different person. To her, he looked like a wild beast, ready to tear its prey to shreds.

  Thanks to Vins's actions, the two thugs let go of their grip on the cute girl's hands.

  "AAAAAHHHH... BLOOD!!! BLOOD!!!" Brando screamed, grabbing his temple.

  Brando cried, yelling in pain, and tried to stop the torrent of blood flowing down his face.

  Brando's friend, seeing this, became extremely worried and panicked about his friend's condition. Brando ran off, as the blood began to stain his gym uniform, and his friend followed suit. Like a blood-soaked ghost, he ran, all the while glaring back at Vins and thinking that he would get his revenge one day.

  "Vins!"

  Belina looked at Vins's hands; they were still clenched into fists. She ran toward Vins, who was still visibly holding back his frustration. She hugged him out of fear from the incident, and also to calm his raging fury.

  "It's okay... It's okay, Bel... They got what they deserved..." Little Vins said with a smile, while stroking his beloved girl's head.

  Belina looked up at his chubby face from below, giving him her cute and sweet smile.

  They rode home together...

  on Vins's beloved old bike...

  enjoying the blazing sun mixed with the gentle summer breeze...

  ---

  -To be Continue.