Montello High: School of Gangsters

Chapter 2: The Bloody Welcome Party

Hindi ko na naging kaklase ang grupong iyon subalit ang ilan mula kahapon ay namumukhaan ko sa ilang subjects. And surprisingly, hindi nila ako pinagtuunan ng pansin. I doubted they even remember what happened in the cafeteria. If I was in an adventure, this was definitely a plot twist. Nasanay na akong unang araw pa lang ay may nag-bu-bully na sa akin. And most of the time, it ended with me giving them a taste of their own medicine. The school administration received complaints about me, and voila! I was kicked out of the school because apparently, I was a danger to the students.

And my first day in Montello High was too quiet. Too quiet that I couldn't help but feel suspicious. What if this was just the calm before a storm?

It was lunchtime again and I was having another pizza and Coke on my tray. I even added a chocolate bar and blueberry cheesecake just in case my pepperoni pizza suffered the same fate as yesterday. Patungo ako sa isa sa mga bakanteng mesa nang sumabay sa aking paglalakad sina Mirden and Jamie bitbit ang kani-kanilang lunch trays. Really? Para silang kabute na bigla-biglang sumusulpot.

"Malungkot kapag walang kasabay mag-lunch," nakangiting wika ni Mirden.

I sighed in silent frustration. At dahil mukhang kahit anong gawin ko ay hindi ko maitataboy basta-basta ang mga ito, hinayaan ko na lang sila na samahan ako sa mesa. Tahimik akong kumakain habang nagkukwentuhan naman ang dalawa. Paminsan-minsan ay sinasagot ko ang mga katanungan nila. Nasa kalagitnaan na kami ng pagkain nang muli na namang nabalot ng tension ang buong cafeteria.

Here we go again, sabi ko sa isip ko. At hindi nga ako nagkamali dahil sa entrada ng cafeteria ay naglalakad papasok ang may sampung miyembro ng Black Government. At katulad ng nangyari kanina sa English ay awtomatikong natuon ang atensyon ko sa lalaking nasa unahan nila. Kung hindi ako nagkakamali ay mukhang siya ang pinuno ng grupo.

Kusang umalis ang mga estudyanteng nakapuwesto sa mga mesang nasa gitna ng cafeteria. Para silang mga VIP sa club na may mga reserved seats. Ngunit hindi sila mga VIPs, they were just gangsters. And more importantly, they were not in a club—they were in the cafeteria within school premises.

"Remember them?" untag ni Jamie nang mapansin niya kung saan nakabaling ang aking atensyon. "Of course you do! They are supposed to be remembered so that you won't make a mistake of messing with them. They are like walking warning signs—well, hot and gorgeous warning signs."

"Who's that guy?" tanong ko na hindi binigyan ng pansin ang kaniyang mga babala. How could I focus on other things when the mere presence of that man was demanding my full attention? He was exuding arrogance and violence, cautioning everyone not to stand in his way. But there was something in him that continuously caught my interest.

"He is Van Freniere. Leader of the Black Government. Luxury cars and money, his family is filthy rich and damn powerful," sagot ni Mirden.

"So is Zach Martinia, the leader of the Dark Monarch," pakikisabat naman ni Jamie. "Halos lahat naman ng miyembro ng dalawang grupong iyon ay mayayaman. Para bang isa iyon sa mga criteria upang maging kasama ka nila?"

Nagbawi ako ng tingin at muling itinuon ang pansin sa pagkain. Spoiled, rich brats na nagrerebelde sa kanilang mga magulang. Nakaismid akong uminom ng soda. I was just like them—just not spoiled and rich; maybe more on the rebel and brat part.

"Mukhang wala ang Dark Monarch ngayon. Balita ko kasi nabugbog nang sobra ang ilang miyembro nila kahapon. It's obvious na mas nakalalamang ang Black Government kapag nangialam ang Freniere Mafia. But then, Van forbade them from interfering."

Muntik na akong masamid sa narinig ko kay Mirden. Mafia? They were just ordinary, high school gangsters! Paanong nauugnay sa mga ito ang mafia? Freniere Mafia. Right, it was because of that Freniere guy—enough reason to stay away from him.