22 The Bar Brawl

"Hey buddy, are you done with the essay due tomorrow?" A young boy, with a muscular build, asked his friend.

"How. I ask how? You were right there in the baseball field with me?" His friend snatched his laptop to take a look at the essay.

"The word count for my essay isn't high, but I sure am" The third one pointed at his essay, which was almost blank, and laughed.

The dimly lit bar was herded by a bunch of baseball players, who were too occupied in the essay due the next day. One of them has requested the bartender to lower down the loud music, which was still pounding in their ears. Peanuts, and an order of fries, was placed on their table along with a couple of empty beer cans.

Men and Women, who looked older than they are, were still enjoying the music, too drunk to care about the change in the volume. Few of them, slumped on the bar, taking shots.

A group of women, sitting on the corner, consoling a crying stranger they found on the bathroom floor.

A couple, who was just seated in the secluded bay, stood up, the man with his hand on the small back of the woman, heading out after placing a big tip.

"So, I found out that Google is the best site, to get anything you want" the first one puffed his chest and declared.

"No no man, please don't turn back, I am starving, let me get my burger to please" Xander tugged at the sleeve of Noah, who had already turned around.

"Uh. Google is not a site, it's a browser. A search engine, hence you can search on it." Noah said with a smile and turned back.

The first boy stomped his fist on the table, making both Noah and Xander turned to look.

"Nobody asked you, loser"

Xander put his arm around Noah, and whispered "Please, no more comments"

Noah just nodded and took a sip from the beer kept in front of him.

"Just search for it, you will get anything," the first boy muttered.

"Are you paying the tab?" the second one asked the first, who has already pulled his phone out from his pocket.

"Damm man, why this site, keeps me logging out, again and again, Morons" he partly yelled over the low music.

As Xander was taking his first bite of the burger, he looked at Noah again, shaking his head "Man, I haven't had a vegetable, in three weeks"

"That's for your safety, kid. You see, these bank sites, have an access token, which has an expiry time of just a few minutes." He cleared his throat, "Suppose now, if you left it logged in somewhere public, anyone could easily access it, unless it gets logged out automatically" He smiled again, looking at the three muscular young boys sitting behind him.

"Is your dad with you?" "I just need to ask him why did he think it was a great idea not to pull out"

The other guys, along with a few of the people who heard him, burst out in the fist of laughter as the first boy smirked, looking at Noah.

"Sometimes it's a good idea to keep your mouth shut and give the impression that you are stupid, then to open your mouth and to remove all doubt" Noah barked back, staring at the first guy.

The bar had gone quiet, as the two of them stared at each other.

"Three and us, two, I think we can take them" Xander kept his burger back on the table and stood up. Rolling his sleeves, up until his elbow, he growled a little looking at the other two guys, who were also standing up now.

The first fist had caused Noah, an eye bruise for weeks hasn't dodged it, by tilting left, for his incoming right fist.

The boy, on losing his balance, fell face-first on the floor and helped. He grunted looking back from the floor, his lower lip, bleeding a little.

"I am gonna make you pay for it"

"I would like to see you try," Noah huffed, looking at Xander, who shook his head again.

Xander had picked up his burger again when one whistle, by the boy's friend, and more baseball players stood up from their tables and started to gather around them.

"You have to open your big mouth" Xander muttered under his breath, already counting the number of boys around them.

"Hold it" He handed the burger to the third boy, who looked high, and as soon he held it, Xander threw his first fist to the boy's face, taking the burger back.

While two boys had pinned Noah to the nearby pillar and had started to punch him in the stomach. Noah stomped on the feet of one, and as soon as he was down, he hit the other guy's belly with his elbow.

The others present in the bar had retraced their steps back, trying to stay away from the fight.

The first boy stood up, taking help from one of his friends, and picked up a table from beside him.

Another boy had held Xander by his neck.

"Yo dumbass, can't survive a night without me?" Xander chuckled and looked at the entrance of the bar.

The deep voice not only made the brawlers pause, but it sent a pleasant heat across many females present in the bar.

With a graceful leopard walk, Ace covered the distance in a blink of an eye. His almond-shaped, deep eyes took in the surroundings in just one glance as his lips formed a chilling smirk.

No one knew what it was, but the baseball group had already started shaking just from his mere presence.

"I think, it will be a fair fight now" without wasting any time, he turned around and punched the first guy who held the chair, landing him back on the ground.

He raised his gaze again and looked at the rest of the five boys standing in front of the three of them. One look at Noah and Xander, and they understood what had to be done.

Both of them took one guy each, while the rest three surrounded Ace.

Ace bends down, dodging the fist, and swiping his leg under the second one, making the guy land on the floor, with only two standing now.

As soon as he raised his body again, he threw a punch to the stomach of one guy and choked the other with his hand.

In no time, the fight had ended, leaving all six guys on the ground.

"What are you even doing in the bar, AT 4 AM?" Ace asked Noah, showing his card to the manager, so as not to risk any legal complaints.

While Noah took out 500 bucks and placed it on the bar table, "It's all his fault" he gestured to Xander.

"Take care of the hospital bills and any destruction of the bar property" the manager nodded as Noah placed another 100 on his desk, "This is for your service" the manager smiled and quickly took the money.

"I am going to be late for class" Ace complained about his way back, looking at the two of his friends, none of them much hurt from the fight.

"I wanted ice cream" Xander finally spoke looking out of the car window, nibling on the fresh burger.

"Uh-huh," Noah chuckled looking at Xander.

"I was jogging in the evening when someone called out asking if we needed ice cream" Xander's voice had barely become a whisper but it was still audible in the quiet night.

"I headed towards her, along with others.

She handed it out to everyone and as my turn came, she asked me ``Who are you?" Noah was holding back his laugh now.

Ace smiling with his gaze focused on the road.

"Turns out the rest of them were her family"

Both Noah and Ace started laughing, barely able to control it now.

"Jerks," Xander said under his breath, still looking out.

...........

"Come on both of you, you have to go home, and I have to go to my class now" Ace yelled as soon as he was back in his room from the gym. He had barely slept for a few hours, before getting up for the gym. His eyes red and burning with the lack of sleep. He threw his wet towel over Noah getting cranky.

"Everything about that girl is on the side desk" Noah yawned still sleepy, pointing to the desk near him.

"I will look for more" He muttered before falling back to sleep.

So after all there was something to look forward to for Today.

Without giving a second glance at the class that was about to start, Ace made his way towards the library.

.........

"I know you"

*Ring ring*

"Damm," Ace cursed, picking up his phone. Noah knew that he was here, so he would probably think a hundred times before calling him. It must be something important.

"What happened," Ace said, making a turn to the other side to look at the girl in the dark, but it was of no use. She was gone.

"The girl, librarian, uh..she was on her way.. when some guys started troubling her"

Without listening to another word, Ace signaled the librarian to pick up his stuff.

"Text me the address, I am on my way"