"Well, that was pretty chilling," Ben commented as he waited his turn. "Did you see the look on that kid's face? What kind of wacky character is that?"
"Now that I've exerted myself like that, feels like I'm having a worse game," Alex said. "And can you explain why that chump tagged along?" He glared at Gerard. "I don't like him,"
"Don't get rude on me now," Gerard said as he hit the cue ball. "Think of it as a celebratory event for crushing Yoosun High,"
"I wonder what Stephen's up to though," Ben pondered out loud. "He kinda reminds me of you during your emo phase, Gogo,"
"Dude, don't bring that up!" Alex groaned. 'Though that guy was edgy as hell,'
'From what I observed, Stephen Ahn doesn't go around picking fights,' Gerard thought. 'He seems to be like me: wanting to just live life but everyone keeps causing him trouble. It's just like my middle school days where a lot of people targeted me,' He unconsciously placed a hand and felt his scar beneath his bangs.
"But do you think those bozos from Yoosun will just cut their losses on this?" Alex asked.
"Of course not," Ben answered. "Jimmy Bae's giant head wouldn't allow that to happen. He won't stay quiet. Hell, what do I know? Tell him to come over all he wants. What's the worst that could happen?"
XXX
Stephen returned to his apartment and treated his wounds. None of them were serious enough to warrant a hospital visit, but he'd take some painkillers if the pain became unbearable.
'Why were those guys acting so friendly towards me?' Stephen thought back to Ben, Alex, and Gerard. 'We're not friends. We only met each other just one other time. Actually, I only met with that redhead briefly when he dragged Oswald 2.0 out of the classroom. I never once met the broccoli-looking guy or the guy with a scar,'
'We're only schoolmates, not friends. We're not even in the same class. They have nothing to gain from helping me or being friendly towards me. At least I won't have to worry about interacting with them again as long as they don't bother me and stay out of my way,'
XXX
"Jack, I can understand you not bringing back Ben," Jimmy said. "But for you to be there yourself and still get your asses handed to you?"
Jack remained silent. He was upset with himself for failing to succeed with Jimmy's orders.
"Gerard Jin and Alex Go were there along with some maniac," Goseon reported.
"Hoo?" Jimmy looked over to Helmet and his injuries. "And that no name did all that to him?"
"What if Phillip Kim was behind all of this and trying to screw us all over by sending information to both sides?" Goseon suspected.
"That idiot never got to gain power in Eunjang High and even got kicked out of the Union because of Ben," Jimmy reminded. "Why would he do something meaningless like this?" He let out a sigh of frustration. "I tried to do things quietly to not be embarrassed and yet this was even more of a disgrace to my reputation,"
"And you, Helmet! You seem to be awfully proud of your headwraps and bandages to be showing your teeth in front of me. Should I give you a medal for getting your ass whooped by some no name? Helmet, you useless fuck, don't show your despicable face until I call you up again,"
'Fucking douche...' Helmet thought. 'I'm the easy target, huh? Wouldn't talk like that to Jack...'
"Where's your response?"
"Okay..." Helmet meekly replied. 'This would've been hard enough even if you were there. It's your fault for making us do your dirty work. I'm wrapped up in this shit because of you. Don't show my despicable face? So I look like a pushover to you, don't I? Fine, I'll report every detail of this to Donald Na...'
Jimmy dismissed everyone, including Jack. He sat in his plush chair in the abandoned warehouse and was alone with his thoughts. 'My rash in the moment decision made out of anger brought upon the worst possible outcome. I should've done it myself. All the hyenas lurking in the background have been looking for a chance for the past year. They were always nagging me. I should make a move first and crush him before the word gets out. I'm not the same person I used to be. I won't be able to live with myself unless I surpass Ben...and someday, that fucker too!'
XXX
The next day, Evan Yoo decided to still go after Stephen despite having been thrown across the room yesterday. He tried his luck against him and attempted to slap Stephen, only for the latter to catch his wrist, tug him forward, and punch him in the face. But Stephen wasn't done yet. He jumped over his desk and kneed Evan in the face, knocking him to the ground. He then began to mercilessly punch him over and over again. His eyes were filled with nothing but rage.
"WHY! WON'T! YOU! LEAVE! US! ALONE! OSWALD!"
Stephen continued punching Evan. Only once he was unconscious did Stephen finally stop and realized that his opponent hadn't been Oswald Yang, but Evan Yoo. 'This bastard isn't Oswald. He's the bastard that's in my class,' He stopped and wiped his hands as he returned to his seat to return to scrolling through his phone for job openings. 'I'm not in Byuksan, I'm in Eunjang,'
Several thoughts were swarming the minds of Class Five.
'Just who the hell is that freak?'
'How can someone like him be so brutal?'
'What did he mean by 'us'?'
'I thought he didn't have any friends since he's always alone?'
'Who's Oswald?'
'Whoever Oswald is must've pissed Stephen Ahn off,'
Eugene managed to glance at Stephen without drawing attention to himself. 'Everyone else can see he's clearly angry, but why does Stephen also look kinda sad and hurt?'
XXX
"Did you hear what happened in Class Five?" Ben asked Alex.
"Is it that Stephen kid again?" Alex guessed.
"Yep!" Ben grinned. "He beat the shit out of Evan Yoo,"
"Evan Yoo was a nobody anyway," Alex shrugged. "Even more of a loser than Colton,"
"I heard he was also screaming at Evan but he called him by a different name," Gerard popped out of nowhere.
"Where the fuck did you come from!?" Alex slightly jumped in his seat but tried to hide his surprise.
"I heard you guys talking about Stephen Ahn," Gerard answered. "Anyway, whoever this Oswald guy is must've really pissed Stephen off in the past. He was yelling about Oswald always bothering him and someone else since he used 'us' instead of 'me',"
"Does Stephen even have any friends here at Eunjang?" Ben asked. "He's always on his phone and by himself during breaks and lunch,"
"Maybe his friend goes to a different high school," Alex said. "Eunjang isn't exactly known for its academic achievements so if his friend's smart enough, he could get into the other schools in the area,"
"If Colton Choi and Evan Yoo were defeated, it's game over for that class, isn't it?" Ben pondered.
"Game over for sure," Alex replied. "Though I wanted to be the one to crush that fucker Colton,"
"Like hell you did," Ben joked. "You would've been beaten to a pulp by Colton,"
"Ah shut up!" Alex denied. "I could take that son of a bitch any day!"
"Yeah, yeah," Ben said. "Anyway, Jimmy Bae seems quiet so far,"
"His goons were completely defeated," Alex reminded. "He won't embarrass himself again with some half-baked plan. He won't make any rash moves,"
"Do you think Stephen's gonna get dragged into another fight against Yoosun?" Gerard questioned. "He really doesn't seem to be enjoying fighting and just wants to be left alone,"
"Hopefully he doesn't get involved much further," Ben said, but he knew that it'd be unlikely since Jimmy's minions probably remembered his face.
'Stephen Ahn?' Phillip Kim was secretly listening in on their conversation from the hallway. 'So that moron Jimmy Bae didn't even go himself. He sent Jack Kang and his goons instead? Come to think of it, it's almost like he's imitating Donald Na,' He started heading back to his class. 'Ah, what the hell!? Not a single thing is going the way I planned! Jimmy Bae, you overhyped piece of junk!'
XXX
'I need to calm down,' Stephen thought as he headed home first. He tossed his uniform into the hamper before throwing on a plain shirt. 'I can't be angry at a job interview. They'll think I have anger issues and would be less likely to hire me,'
He took a deep breath before heading back out. He had found a cafe that was hiring. It was far enough that he'd be less likely to encounter anyone from Eunjang but close enough to still be within walking distance. He'd also be able to stop by his apartment on the way to change shirts and drop off his stuff before heading to work.
Stephen arrived at Cafe Gamma and easily passed the interview. The waitress, Sylvelle, showed him the recipe books for the drinks and food. She showed him where all the ingredients were and how to use the coffee machines.
The door chimed as a group of Daehyeon high school students entered. "There's a new waiter?" The leader of the friend group, a boy with bright orange hair and orange eyes, asked.
"I'm just showing him the ropes right now," Sylvelle informed. "Stephen, these guys are regulars,"
"I'm Jake Ji," The leader introduced himself. "These guys are my friends, Dean Kwan, Timothy Park, and Eunchan Hong,"
"I'm Stephen Ahn," Stephen replied with his convincing fake customer service smile. 'Why do I have to introduce myself to them? They only need to tell me their orders and I'll prepare them. That's the only interaction needed between us,'
Sylvelle showed Stephen how to prepare the Daehyeon students' usual orders, although she did mention that Jake and Eunchan liked to sometimes change their orders from time to time if they were feeling like trying something different.
Once Stephen's training for the day was done, he could finally leave and go home. He made himself a quick meal of instant ramen for dinner and ate as he did his homework. He was careful to not spill any noodles or soup onto his papers or books.
'It's almost the weekend,' Stephen thought. 'Soon, I can visit Gray. I have enough money for a trip to Gangnam. I'll bring a bag of stuff with me on Friday night so I can also stay throughout Saturday and then Sunday morning and afternoon. I'll take the last bus from Gangnam to Yeongdeungpo on Sunday night,'
XXX
Friday finally came. Stephen impatiently tapped his leg throughout the school day and bolted once the final bell rang. He knew he still had to finish his shift at Cafe Gamma before heading over to Gangnam General Hospital.
"You seem happier," Jake commented when he and his friends stopped by. 'His smile actually seems a bit more genuine than last before. Something good must've happened to him,'
"Mhmm," Stephen hummed as he prepared their drinks.
"Hey Stephen, what class are you in?" Eunchan asked. "We haven't seen you around school,"
"I don't go to Daehyeon," Stephen said.
"Huh?" Eunchan questioned. "Then what school do you go to?"
"Why does that matter?" Stephen responded, this time with slight sharpness to his tone as a warning. "I'm just here doing my job as a waiter. Last I checked being from a specific school wasn't a requirement,"
An awkward silence befell upon them. Stephen set their orders on the counter. "Sorry about that," Jake apologized, wanting to clear the air. "We're just trying to get to know you more,"
"Just take your drinks and stop bothering me," Stephen mumbled.
"Stephen," Sylvelle scolded. "Don't be rude to the customers,"
"No, it's our fault," Jake said. "We were bothering him with a personal question while he's working. Sorry Stephen. Maybe we can talk after your shift?"
"I'm busy," Stephen refused. "I already made plans and have somewhere to be. Also, there's nothing to talk about between us. I'm here to work, not make friends. I'm being paid to serve food and drinks, not make friends,"
"Come on Jake," Dean pulled his friend towards an empty table. "Stop bothering him,"
Once Stephen's shift ended, he immediately clocked out. He rushed home to grab his overnight bag before heading to the bus stop. Once he got off at Gangnam, he headed over to the hospital and to Gray's room.
He stopped right outside the door and took a deep breath before entering. "Hey, Gray..."
If you've read my other fanfics, no one can get away with refusing Jake's friendship.