Punches

Nate spun around, pushing through the dark to face the figure. He was met with multiple boys. His age, or maybe a little older. It was hard to make out. They too wore dark hoods to shadow their faces. Nate glared up at them, as they were standing on a step above him. He didn't give them the satisfaction of being met with equal terms, so he kept his head tilted to the floor. His gaze was piercing. It somehow managed to make you feel burning hot and ice cold at the same time. Something made out perfectly with years of practice. Still, instead of backing off and running away, the boys laughed. It started with the boy in the front, causing the others to follow suit. It was as if it was routine.

"Would you look at that glare?" The boy in the front jabbed. His face was littered with piercings and scars. One especially deep one ran down his cheek in a sort of cliche way. He stood in the front was obviously the leader, and was dressed black pants like the rest. However, wore a red hoodie in place of the black uniform of those behind. "Wow, so scary! Chills. What should we do? He looks like he's about to kill me! I'm shaking." The idiot held up a hand and pretended it was trembling, while looking behind and putting on a fake face of fear. "Although, I have to admit, you've lost your edge. That look of yours." He got up close in Nate's face. "Looks a bit too soft. Should I fix it for you?" He grinned, and went for a punch. Cold, hard, and powerful. Nate was faster. He ducked under the blow with lightning fast reflexes, before dipping back up and delivering an even more powerful blow to the leader's face. It was sent to the side, so the boy kept it there for a second. Letting it rest in the position it had landed in. He then touched it tenderly, checking for blood before spitting some out along with what might have been a tooth and grinning. He cracked his knuckles and his pupils dilated. He looked mad. Eyebrows shooting down to the floor. Maniac, even. "Wow. $@#&. I forgot how strong you were. Hey. You never got to tell us when you got out. Did ya just abandon your gang. You know we don't take things like that lightly. We don't let anything slide her, isn't that right guys?" A couple nodded, but the rest joined in when the leader shot a death defying look at them. "I mean, it's only fair, right? Nothing goes unpunished. Not even for our big shot ex-leader like you. That's what I got this scar for, right? I needed to pay, right? Well now you need to pay." He motioned to the goons behind him and they gruffly shoved Nate to the floor. He collapsed easily, as if he couldn't care less about what happened to him. They dragged him to a nearby alleyway. He let them throw punches, but never made a sound as each connected. He simply took the hits as they came, then glared back up at the boy in red, almost like he was challenging them to keep trying. With each look shot, the leader threw harder and harder bone rattling punches. He grunted each time, but laughed as if he was enjoying the process. "Our own great leader left us. We waited, you know. We were loyal. Looks like you," He kicked Nate in the chin and punched him in the gut in sequence. "Need a bit of a lesson on that." When that didn't get any rise out of Nate, he kept going. "Wow. What a &#%$@!* %#$!& ! Acting all brave and $#!&." He wrapped his bloody knuckles in a cloth, before continuing. They actually seemed in worse condition than Nate did. "What are you gonna do? Just sit there and take it? C'mon." He elbowed him in the skull, causing his head to slam on the concrete. "We just want to hear you scream. We won't kill you. I'm just gonna make you beg for it." The gangster noticed Nate's possessions scattered on the floor. He talked as he strode toward the items for collection. "Why won't you fight back? Don't tell me," He paused, grinning sadistically. "You're actually sorry!" He picked up Nate's chips and popped them open by squeezing the air inside until it burst. A few chips were lost in the process. "Please." He nodded to one of the goons behind Nate, who then swung a wooden stick into his side. "You don't deserve to feel that." The gang leader crushed the chips in his veiny hand, then poured the contents into his mouth. They were gone in a matter of seconds. This, somehow managed to get more of a rise out of Nate than anything else had. The leader noticed this, and picked up his phone, using Nate's fingerprint to unlock it, then scrolled through the contacts. He landed on Abby's contact. He smiled, before shoving her picture in his face. "Well look at this. She's very pretty. Is she your girlfriend? This &#$%? Wow. Score." He let Nate's bloodshot eyes focus on the contact bubble. Nate mumbled something. "What was that?"

He glared up at the bully, now tilting his head up to look at him.

"She's not my girlfriend." He scowled, then looked back down.

"Really? She isn't? Well lucky for me, it's a pretty one. I'll send myself the number. Might wanna make her mine." Something snapped in Nate's mind, and he lurched forward. The other's scrambled to hold him back.

"Don't touch her. Leave Abby out of this." He growled menacingly. Nate wasn't awfully big. Certainly not any bigger than the rest of the gang, but right then, he looked much, much larger. The big man flinched, but recovered just as fast. He opened his mouth, perhaps to make another snotty remark. We never will know, though, because instead he was met with a deafening punch. Nate had left the grip of the goons and sent the leader flying backward. His head hit the wall, and the boy passed out. He was evidently much less durable than Nate was. He then turned to the others, cracking his knuckles and tilting his head to the side, a new glint in his eye. Nate bent over and picked up his phone, tucking it into his back pocket safely. Suddenly, he flew forward and began to fight the others. Soon after that, the rest was all a blur.