The corridors were rowdy as the students marched out of their classrooms when the bell rang for the lunch break. The Generals were out early because of their special treatment from the school and the benefit of their ranking. Cade asked around if the students had seen them. They said the Generals were probably in the gaming room. Cade pressed the elevator and went up to the second floor.
Cade looked at the label on the door written on gold steel.
Gaming Room for VIP
"So cool," he whispered to himself. He was about to open the door when he heard their conversation.
"I cannot believe he's still clueless until now."
"He thinks he's on the same level as us."
"Don't make me laugh. He is way too far from us."
"But you were threatened. That's why you manipulated him and used him."
"Don't point the gun at me, Liam. We're on the same boat. I admit he has potential. If we let him shine brighter than us, we'll lose everything. Advantage. Power. Fame. Reputation. Would you let someone like him take over the school? It's called strategic thinking, boys."
"Poor Cade."
"Until when should we keep this up?"
"Till he's buying it."
"Besides, our image helped him get away with bullies and punishments. Think of this as charity work. We are not villains. In everyone's eyes, we are heroes. Let's keep it that way."
Cade stepped back. His chest heaved. He walked out and used the stairs. His steps were slow and he couldn't think straight. As he walked down, he tripped and came rolling down the stairs. There was a thud when his back hit the wall. But Cade didn't know what was more painful. His fall or their words.
He went back to the classroom, grabbed his bag without blinking an eye, and ran off the gate. Cade walked aimlessly. His body lost strength and his eyes attempted to shut.
The heavy rain poured down on him. Perfect timing. It was as if the rain was comforting him. For the first time in a very long time, tears flowed down his cheeks. The last moment he cried this hard was when her mom died. When they buried her body. The single person he loved and trusted the most.
Cade was the only person who had never left her side when everyone was calling her crazy. She was a doctor with anger management issues. A physician who was sent to a mental institution. When everything was in chaos, his dad was busy working. That's when he held a grudge against him.
History repeated itself. Because now, his world was tumbling down and he was alone, watching every bit of his confidence fall apart.
Cade hurried to the dormitory and packed his things. He couldn't stay in the same room with them anymore. He didn't plan to let them toy with his feelings. Cade was not an excellent actor and he couldn't possibly act like he knew nothing, nor hide his emotion.
Cade stayed in the cheapest hotel he found using his allowance. The pathway was narrow, and the room was smaller than his bathroom at home. All he could see was white like he was already in heaven. He would collapse in no time if he had claustrophobia. But he had no other options because his dad took away all his riches.
That night, he couldn't afford to sleep. He was thinking about what to say to the Generals and how to avoid them in a way that they wouldn't suspect anything. Cade stared at the ceiling and wished this kind of pain wouldn't visit him again.
***
Liam greeted Cade with his jolly personality as always. Cade just faked a smile as Liam followed him to his seat.
"Are you alright?" Liam asked.
"Of course."
"We waited for you to come home last night. Where did you go? You could've notified us."
Home? You're making me puke.
"Oh, there was an emergency. I had to move out. I guess my father can't afford the monthly expenses in the dormitory."
"That's too bad. I can lend you some money."
"No, thanks. I'm good. I don't want to be indebted to someone."
"We were so perturbed about you."
"Really? I'm fine. You don't have to worry."
During recess, Luke and Lewis came running to see Cade.
"Hey! Where have you been?" Luke wrapped his arm around Cade, but he removed it.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry. I can't hang out with you," Cade said.
"Why? Are you busy today? It's okay. We'll have some fun tomorrow," Liam said.
"No. I mean, not ever."
"What do you mean?" Luke asked.
"Well, the more I think about it, the more I realized they were right. I am so different from you, guys. I don't belong anywhere with you. Look at you. Popular. Smart. Powerful. While me? I am nothing compared to you."
"Don't believe them, Curt. They're just jealous," Liam said.
"It's true. Who am I to dream of becoming one of you? You are on top while I'm at the bottom. So, you better not stoop down to my level again," Cade said and left.
Cade sat beside the two weirdos he met on the first day of school as he ate his snack. Cade had a code name for them. Stickman and Jumbo.
"What brought you here?" Stickman asked.
"Where are your cool friends?" Jumbo added.
"They aren't really my friends."
"Why? What a waste."
"It's not my loss. They were just manipulating and using me, anyway."
Stickman and Jumbo looked at him, waiting for the full story. Cade fed their curiosity since he had no one to share it with.
The next day, a familiar vibe welcomed him. Everyone was staring at him while whispering. What's the big deal? Now that the Generals were gone, he's back to being a freak. Out of nowhere, someone pulled him to a corner not seen by the CCTV cameras.
"Liam—" Cade wasn't able to speak when he received a massive punch on his cheek.
"How dare you spread rumors against us?"
"What rumors?"
"Don't act dumb like you always are, Curt."
"Rumors say that we were manipulating and using you."
Cade's confused expression turned into a smirk. "Isn't it the truth? I heard everything in the gaming room. So take your mask off and reveal your true intentions."
"Now that you know... what are you going to do?"
"Nothing. I can threaten you without lifting a finger. You'll see what I can do. I will drag you down and strip you off your ranking."
Luke burst into a peal of evil laughter. "Are you sure about that? You've forgotten something. This is our territory. Our rules. You cannot do everything you want."
Liam kicked him to the ground. Cade diverted his attention to Stan and Theo who were passing by with some students who paused and looked at him.
"Aren't we going to stop them?"
"It's Luke. No one can stop him."
"I can only say one thing. Choose your allies wisely," Stan said.
"I'm done being a pawn," Theo added.
They ignored him and continued their group assignment.
To the astonishment of everybody, a girl appeared in between the boys. She kicked Liam's knees and made him kneel.
"What the—"
"Stop it, boys. It's not fun to watch the role models of the school harass someone," she said.
Liam held her shoulder. "Shut up, redhead."
"Do not fucking touch me, asshole," she said as she held his arm and twisted it. Liam ached in pain. "You'll pay for this, bitch."
"Oops. Did I just rip off your pride?"
Liam growled as Lewis stopped him from making a scene.
"Let me slap her one last time."
"We don't hit women."
"She's not a woman. She's a witch!"
"What a joke," the girl uttered.
"You. Don't get involved with this. You'll regret it," Lewis said.
"Actually, I'm starting to regret it. I used my precious energy to stop this handsome simpleton."
"What? Let go, Lewis. She deserves a scar." Liam's eyes were flaring.
"Please get lost before I'll let loose of this wild animal," Lewis said.
"I have no fortune to offer you, jerk. But we can have a rematch. By the way, I have recorded all the intense events. So, if you plan to catch me, you better think twice. I made a copy. You can't just get rid of me," she said and popped gum in her mouth.
"It's not over. I'll get my revenge," Liam said.
"You can try. Though it will make you look like a coward." She splattered a sinister look on her face. She walked closer to Liam and studied his facial features. "You don't fight girls with your fist, young man. You seduce them, make them fall hard, and break their hearts. That's how you get your revenge," she said while tracing the curves of his lips.
Luke stepped nearer to her and read her nameplate.
"Elsie Lynch. I'll remember your name."
Luke turned to Cade. He knelt and held his chin as he whispered, "Look at me. I am your karma, Cade Robertson."