51- End of Shopping
Editing in Progress…
Chapter 51
Mexico City
Areas x19
Skateboarding race
Aban pulled out a cigarette from the packet. He stretched his arm to the left, where his best buddy Noah stood with his own stick of cigarette.
Noah raised his brows at his request, but still without complaint, lit the cigarette. Aban and Noah sat on the cemented make shift bleacher seats as they waited for the race to start.
"Hey, did you hear?" A hushed female gossip voice reached Aban's ears.
"Huh?" A masculine voice replied.
"I heard Hugo is going to race today!"
"Why? What the hell is wrong with these organizers? That asshole hurts everyone he races with. Like, hasn't put twenty-seven people in the hospital?" The male voice whispered-yelled. It was clear he was angry just by the tone of his voice.
"I know, right! I used to be a fan of his, but when he sent the fifth person to the hospital in his 'style' of racing, I just got disgusted and not I only watch just to see him lose. His presence is a foul taste to anyone's watch mouth," She said.
The guy rolled his eyes before answering the girl, "So it took you Five races for you to know he is an implorable asshole? Wow, I dare say you are a red flag yourself"
This time, it was the girl's turn to have an eye roll. "Red flag? You sound foolishly ridiculous. It is embarrassing to sit beside you," She insulted. Aban rolled his eyes whilst listening to them argue foolishly.
Despite that, there was something that Aban would agree to, and that was the fucker named Hugo. Hugo was a simpleton asshole who has just made his rounds in the underground. And for some fucked up reason, the idiotic kid thinks he rules it. Going around hurting every and any player he is matched with. He was now famous in nine areas because of his habit.
Another reason Aban hated him was he had put nine of his racers in the hospital. Aban was a car mechanic who fixed cars and sold spare parts for people, and by night he was an illegal racer manager.
And that was his principal source of living. That was where all his gains and 'wealth' came from. He was not about to have some brainless child, who has not even grown a single hair on his dick, to ruin his job.
For his racers that were in the hospital, it was going to take longer than eight months for them to stand, not even thinking about climbing the board.
Out of those nine, he had physically paralyzed two. So at the moment, he had placed nine of his racers in the hospital, put seven in physical suspense, and completely immobilized two of his men, completely putting them out of the race forever.
Aban didn't even want to think about the health cost he had to bear. And that was why he was here. He had to get money from these races. This was his job and livelihood.
It also didn't help the fact that his other four racers were not ready to race after a maniac who would rather injure these participants than win.
Which was completely true. Hugo, on a pure talent level, was lower than zero itself, but because of his rough skating and wicked tactics, that was all that boosted his chances of winning.
The race organizers don't do anything about it. After all, there were actually people who would pay billions of cash just to see and another race get injured and bleed out.
Though Aban didn't know how wide that demographics were, he was ultimately sure they were the rich bastards. He was sure of this because ALL races pertaining to Hugo had an abominable amount of prize money attached to it.
And Aban was dead sure that this was what boosted his morale to continue on his spree.
With a kick to his ankle, Noah pulled him from his thought, "Jake is here"
"Oh, I see," he replied with very little enthusiasm.
Aban had fourteen players on his belt. And that was quite a lot for people to manage, but he had his best friend with him, so he was good with it.
Nine were in the hospital, four said they would not skate any race Hugo was involved in, and the last of Jake.
Jake was a Canadian who moved down to Mexico for reasons only known to him. He couldn't get a good-paying job as his highest certificate was a high school one. He claimed he tried going to the university but dropped out. Aban didn't care for his backstory. His reasons didn't bother Aban so far he could race as he was in. Jake has opted to skate for his earns. He worked in a family restaurant in the morning and raced at night. He lived alone and had no partner, so there was no one he was spending his cash on other than himself.
"Hello, Aban," Jake greeted. He shoved his gloved hands into his pocket, as though to add an extra layer of warmth to his chilly hands. Aban nodded his head in response to his greeting.
"Your board?" he asked after noticing he didn't have it on him.
"It in the trunk of my truck," he said, pointing to his back.
Aban furrowed his brows at him in annoyance. "Go get it. Why did you leave it here? Don't you think someone would do something to it?"
"Relax man! It is not as if I left the trunk wide open or something"
He bit the head of his cigarette, making it bend in his mouth as annoyance played across his face. "Or something?"
Noah, noticing the sudden change on his friend's face, he took the initiative to butt in, "Why don't you go get the board, just to be on a safer side. Hmm?"
"Alright, I guess, Aban did not need to voice it like that. I am no kid, just so you remember," He said with irritation as he left. While Aban only glared at his retreating form.
He spat out the cigarette from his mouth and left out an exaggerated sigh. "You see, the idiots I have to deal with just because I am on my wit's end?" He asked, turning to Noah.
Noah, only, only let out a pitiable smile as he nodded. After all, he took understood the stress and pain Aban going through. Though he wasn't the official head of the team, he still some say and authority over some things. But the general idea of it was Aban. He was the one who formed their two-man management group. Therefore, most decision was riding on his back.
"Look at him, say, 'It is not like I left it wide open'. He is a fucking idiot, that's what I am sure about"
Aban's anger was valid, after all. The lock to his car or trunk could easily be picked, and hat would spell a lot of trouble for him, even without the race starting at all.
"Sometimes, I believe he was sent by someone to sabotage me or something," He complained, searching his pockets for his cigarette box.
He pulled it out, noticing the last stick he took before was the last he had on him.
"FUCK IT!!"
His sudden outburst gained some reaction to him, while Noah only chuckled as he left the amusing smile play on his lips. He reached into his chest bag and pull out an opened packet of cigarettes and handed it to him with the lighter.
Aban sighed in relief. As he was happy, he didn't get to watch the stressing race without a cigarette.
They were silent for a while as they only listened to the songs that played in the background and the noisy sound of the chattering people.
After waiting for half an hour, Jake still hadn't turned up with his skateboard, and this rose a disgusting bile in his throat.
Noah rocked back and forth on his heels, "I think it would be best if we rented a board for Jake"
And that was the exact thought that played through plan Aban's thought. Now he was spending money on something he hadn't planned for.
"That kid pisses me off," He stated as he left to buy the skate board.
Noah sighed, as he knew the night would be hectic for him and his friend. It didn't take long before Jake showed up. And their thoughts were right. Jake showed up with no board at all.
They didn't even ask him where it was, because why bother? They had being in the game for so long they already knew how the people there worked.
There was probably the high chance that the people who had stolen the board had planned for it the moment he passed through the gate.
Aban shoved the rented board to his chest hard, which made him double down. Because Jake was not built like a brick, as both Aban and Noah were.
"Don't fuck me up any more than you already have," Aban whispered the words directly into his ears.
"No amount of excuses would be permissible"