Jake and Austin block Liam and Tae. With nowhere to go, Liam steps forward and says to Jake:
"Seriously? Why are you blocking the door?"
"Isn't it obvious? We're going to have a little talk, faggot," Jake replies sarcastically. He looks at Austin, makes a signal, grabs Liam's arm, and drags him away. Tae is taken too.
They are dragged to a stairwell. The noise of people walking by — after all, it's the cafeteria — fills the space. They are forced up the stairs to the school rooftop. Near the safety railing, the wind brushes against Liam's skin. He is thrown to the ground.
"Now you're going to get out of my seat. Quietly. No complaints."
"Who do you think you—"
Before he can finish the sentence, Liam feels a sharp pain on the left side of his face. He feels blood running, the metallic taste in his mouth; he must have bitten his lip, and his nose starts bleeding. Jake slapped him.
Tae screams:
"STOP! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO HIM?!"
He is silenced by Austin's hand. Wiping the blood from his nose, Liam gets up and, on impulse, punches Jake in the face. He knows it's a lost fight. Jake is bigger and faster. Liam feels a kick to his stomach and falls backward.
Tae is on the verge of tears. Jake climbs on top of Liam like a damn psychopath and starts punching his face and stomach as if he's in a trance. Liam only feels the blows. After barely two minutes, Austin says:
"COME ON, THAT'S ENOUGH, MAN! WE'RE GOING TO MISS LUNCH!"
He stands up and heads toward the door. Jake turns to Liam and says:
"If you step out of line again, your little friend is next."
He leaves, keeping the door open.
In a surge of rage and adrenaline, Liam runs to the door at the end of the stairwell and kicks Jake in the back. Jake falls down the stairs to the next floor, crashing onto Austin. Austin immediately feels intense pain in his right leg. Jake, on the other hand, doesn't move. There's a cut on his forehead, blood running down from beneath his bangs — a terrifying sight.
A girl passing by screams:
"AAAAAH! TEA— TEACHER!"
Tae shouts:
"DUDE, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? WHAT THE—"
Before he can finish, Liam feels dizzy and collapses backward.
"Where am I…?"(My head hurts so much…)
Liam wakes up in a hospital bed. The bright light confuses him until he realizes he's in the school infirmary. He notices another boy lying nearby.
(Jake?)
Jake's head is wrapped in bandages, and he has several bandages on his arms. On the bed beside him, sitting upright, there's a boy with blue hair.
"Tae…"
"Man, you're alive. I thought you'd never wake up. We missed the rest of the classes and lunch too, but I brought you some food."
Liam leans back against the bed and looks at Jake.
"Did I do this?"
"Yeah, man… but Austin's worse."
"Worse?"
"Yeah. He broke his leg and was taken to the hospital. Looks like he cushioned Jake's fall. Jake only hit his head on a step. They took him to the hospital, but brought him back. I heard he's terrified of hospitals, so the principal let him stay here."
"Shit… what's going to happen?"
"I don't know. But you're not looking good either. Look at your beautiful face — you look like a potato now."
Tae puckers his lips like he's about to kiss Liam and squeezes his sore cheeks.
"Get away, idiot," Liam laughs.
"CAN YOU TWO FREAKS SHUT UP? I'M TRYING TO REST!" Jake snaps, turning away, a sharp pain pounding in his head.
At that moment, a tall, dark-haired man in a suit enters the room. His watch matches his tie.
"Good. You're both awake. Since you can chat, follow me to my office. Mr. Choi, right? You wait here."
Tae nods. Jake gets up, and Liam follows the principal out.
The office isn't very large. There's a desk in the center, a bookshelf, a filing cabinet, and two armchairs in front of the desk.
"Sit down," the principal says with an indifferent smile.
The two boys sit, suspicious.
"I heard Austin's and Mr. Choi's version of the story. First of all, I know my nephew, and I know he's capable of this. So, Jake, apologize to Mr. Jung."
"WHAT THE HELL? WHY SHOULD I APOLOGIZE? THIS GUY PUSHED ME DOWN THE STAIRS! HE TRIED TO KILL ME!"
Jake jumps up from the chair. Liam thinks:
(He doesn't even respect his own family…)
"One thing at a time. SIT DOWN."
Jake sits, surprisingly compliant.
"Let's try again. Apologize."
"I'M SORRY, YOU PSYCHOPATH," Jake spits out angrily.
"Huh. Look who's talking," Liam mocks.
"That's enough," the principal says. "Liam, your apology."
"I'm sorry for pushing you down the stairs," Liam says, reluctantly.
"Good. Now your punishment…" The principal pauses. "Let's give the cleaning staff a break. You two will clean classrooms 1, 2, and 3 together every day for one month."
"NO WAY!" they both shout at the same time.
"Or you'll stand in front of your classroom every day next month, holding hands, with a sign that says: 'I must not fight with my classmates.'"
They look at each other and finally agree.
"Liam, you can go. Your friend is waiting. Jake, stay."
Liam leaves the office and finds Tae pacing nervously.
"You weren't expelled, right? You're my only friend…"
"Of course not."
"Thank God. Hey… how about we go to ToofCoffee?"
They walk through the halls. The sunset shines through the windows; it's late, the sunlight mixing with the promise of rain. They pass empty classrooms and leave together.
Meanwhile, in the principal's office:
"I warned you, Jake. One day you'd meet someone crazier than you. Don't start more fights. Come up with an excuse for those injuries — you know your father is already fed up. One more mistake and he'll cut off your card… or worse, send you to a boarding school. None of us wants that."
The principal softens his tone.
"I know you're not okay after what happened to your grandmother, but there's nothing we can do now."
"I know… I'll try to be better," Jake says quietly.
"Thank you. You may go."
Jake walks down the hallway.
(I should check on Austin… maybe later.)
Blue sky. Green grass under my feet. The smell of flowers. The sun high above. Insects buzzing. The wind against my face. I feel calm. I feel happy. A warm, sincere hug. The smell of homemade cookies.
"I love you. You can come see me whenever you feel sad, my…"
Blood. A hospital bed. A dead flower in a vase. A broken plate. Anxiety. My arms and legs shake. I want to cry, I want to scream, like there are thorns in my throat.
"Please don't leave me… I need you…"
Jake wakes up sweating.
"FUCKING DREAM. I NEED TO GET OUT."
He leaves his room, walks through the empty house, gets into a car in the large garage, and drives with loud music playing(Dead Inside — I Just Wanna Feel Alive).
He heads to a club he knows well. Enters through the back, sits at the bar, and orders the usual. A tall girl with blue eyes, bronze skin, and a magazine-perfect body approaches.
"You got hurt, huh? You look like the aggressive type."
"And you like that? You seem more like the affectionate type."
"Don't judge a book by its cover. How about we get out of here?"
(Today's my lucky day.)
"Jake? Is that really you?"
A pink-haired girl steps closer.
"Patricia?"
"ANDRESSA!"
"Damn… I knew it was just a fling, but wow…"
She looks furious.
"I'm done. I'm leaving," Jake mutters.
"Wait! What about me?" the brunette asks.
"Not today. Maybe next time… if you're less desperate."
He leaves them both fuming. In the alley, he lights a cigarette and leans against the wall.
(Uncle Will's right. I should slow down. I'm already seeing the same patterns.)
He puts out the cigarette and walks back to the car.
Meanwhile, at the café across the street from the club, Liam and Tae sit together, talking and sharing a snack…