It was a bright sunny morning in Mchalmmond High School. A loud whistle made everyone position their thighs. Today’s lesson was all about Physical Education and health. The primary goal was to strengthen their thighs and hit the target. Soccer was the perfect example. Mr. Adamson gave each student a ball.
The students must shoot the ball, but like in any other soccer game, there was a goalkeeper. If the player wins, they would get 50 points. But if they lose, the points would go to the goalkeeper. The students took the challenge seriously. Some got mad about losing, and the winners would tease them.
“Let’s have a 10-minute break!” Mr. Adamson said. He left the students and went to the vending machine to drink some juice. Liam followed him to also drink some refreshments. The students were sitting on the ground, other boys were running around and throwing some grasses at each other, while some girls were under an umbrella. They were afraid to bake their skin. Their luxurious skincare routine would go to waste if they did.
Cade stood between the goal post because he was the last goalkeeper. The boys looked at him and laughed.
“Look at that nerd. So pale and fragile.”
“He looks more stupid when he’s alone.”
“His innocent face irritates me.”
“He looks like a slave when he’s with the Generals.”
“He’ll probably collapse when I throw a ball at him.”
“Why don’t you try?”
The boy hit Cade with the ball.
“Oops. Sorry. We’re practicing.”
He glanced at them and threw the ball back. Suddenly, they thought of a brilliant idea.
“Hey, guys! Why don’t we practice while Mr. Adamson is not around? Curt will be our goalkeeper!”
Everyone was giddy as they lined up. They kicked the ball at their own speed and Cade wasn’t able to catch up. They hit every part of his body and the boys were enjoying it. Cade’s shirt was covered in dirt, and his cheeks swelled. He covered his face with his arms.
“What a trash.”
Cade wanted to explode and kick everyone who hit him without saying sorry. He was Cade Robertson. No one should treat him like that. If Stan and Theo were there, they could’ve saved him and taught them a lesson. But they were gone. They hadn’t talked for a long time.
Cade didn’t have the courage to apologize. Back at the supermarket, they ignored him like a stranger. He knew they were mad at him. Their actions said so. Now he had no one.
“Alright. Stand back,” one boy said and kicked the ball really strong. Cade closed his eyes while covering his face. He waited for the ball to land on his body, but it didn’t.
“Playtime is over.”
Cade opened his eyes and saw Luke. He caught the ball with one hand and long fingers.
“Luke…” Cade whispered.
“We were just practicing, Pres.”
“Really? That’s nice. I wanted to practice too. Would you mind being the goalkeeper?”
Luke tilted his head for Cade to move out. The boy slowly walked to the goalpost while Luke was cracking his neck and stretching his legs.
“Ah. One more thing. My feet are kinda strong. Brace yourself,” Luke said.
The boy gulped. Luke began kicking each ball. His feet were too fast. The boy couldn’t keep up until the balls were hitting his body. In a few minutes, he collapsed. Everyone gasped.
“I think I strained my legs,” Luke said. He turned to the students. “Who’s next? And oh, please send him to the clinic.”
Mr. Adamson arrived. “What’s going on?” He saw Luke. “Luke! What are you doing here?”
“Good morning, sir. I was just passing by after my duty. They seem to enjoy your subject and it tempted me to try it. We were just practicing then the boy collapsed.”
“Alright. Go back to your classroom.”
Luke waved his hand to Cade. While looking at Luke’s back, getting farther away, Cade realized something. He might have lost Stan and Theo, but he gained someone better. Someone who had more authority and power to protect him. Losing them wasn’t so bad. He made the right decision.
The next day, Cade felt something different when he stepped inside the campus. No one was staring at him. In fact, the students seem to avoid him. During recess time, a group of girls approached him.
“Hi! My name is Stella!”
“Hi,” Cade replied in an awkward tone.
“This is for you,” Stella said and handed him a lunch box. “My father made these. He is a famous chef!”
“Oh. Thanks.”
What’s happening? Is she trying to poison me?
Cade opened the box. His mouth cracked. There were Belgian waffles, lamb rice, and Dulce De Leche donuts. There’s no way they put poison on these luxurious and delicious snacks.
“You can also share them with your friends,” Stella said with a broad smile.
The Generals came and called him. Liam spotted what he was holding.
“What is that?” he asked.
“Umm. My dad gave it to me. I think he misses me.”
Liam grabbed the lunch box from him.
“Wow. Your dad surely misses you so much.” Liam tasted the donut. “God, this is so good.”
“Can I have some?” Lewis asked.
“Sure. Eat up. I’m glad you like it.”
During their math subject, Cade forgot to bring his ruler and mechanical pencil. He was hesitant to ask for help because the last time he did, everyone ignored him. So, he walked to their teacher and asked if he could borrow his ruler and pencil.
“Class, Mr. Flemming forgot his ruler and mechanical pencil. If you have an extra, please lend it to him,” the teacher announced.
Cade expected his classmates to mock him for being incompetent, sloppy, imprudent, and absentminded like what they always did. But today, almost everyone offered their rulers and pencils to him. It was a miracle. He looked at Liam who just shrugged.
When Cade went to the restroom, he heard the boys talking.
“It serves as his warning that whoever touches that nerd will get on his bad side. No one wants to see Luke getting mad. He’s horrible.”
A lot of things were running through Cade’s head.
So, Luke threatened the students? Are they afraid of Luke? Being the president really comes with great power.
The next morning, Cade, Liam, and Lewis were late for class. It was a rare happening for them to be late on the same day. Of course, because they planned to piss Luke.
“We cannot do that. It will ruin our uniforms,” Lewis said when Liam suggested they would climb on each other’s backs to get to the top of the gate and jump over.
“Let’s go to the exit. I bet Luke will be there,” Cade said.
He was right. Luke was on standby when they came.
“Surprise!” they said.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Luke whispered in a harsh tone.
“Let us pass,” Liam said.
“Are you insane? There are rules.”
“Rules are made to be broken,” Liam said.
“It’s promises,” Luke corrected. “You have to face the consequences.”
“C’mon, Luke. We will not do it again. Just this time, please?”
Luke motioned to hit Liam’s head in frustration. He opened the gate and let them saunter inside. Later that day, Liam persuaded Cade to cut class. They also forced Lewis to come with them. Liam drove them to places and stopped by the beach to relax. They threw some stones into the sea. Whoever made the stones jump a few times in the water would drive the car back. Street dogs chased them when they stopped by a bakery shop. Cade slipped and hurt his knee. Liam and Lewis laughed hard before helping him stand up.
While they were having the time of their lives, Luke was busy saving their asses. He made up some valid and believable excuses for the teachers to exempt them from the activities.
“Lewis got an injury after their training, sir. Good thing it wasn’t fatal. He’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Liam got a call from his father, sir. It was an emergency. His mom had a heart attack.”
“Curtis has a training today for the upcoming chess tournament, sir.”
“Thank you for informing me, Luke. You are always reliable. Keep up the good work.”
“You need not to worry, sir. I’m doing my job as the campus president and class representative.”
“You are rightful for the position.”
The teachers believed him. After all, Luke got everyone’s trust and respect for his great leadership and achievements. As he said during the orientation, Mchalmmond favors the wealthy and top students. They weren’t biased. It was to unleash the students’ fullest potential.
Since that day, the students were being nice to Cade. He knew it was all an act, but it was better than bullying him without restraint. Cade got used to this fake world. Their perfect illusion. And day by day, his longing for his old friends faded.