[XXXVI] - Joker Card

The voices came from behind the wall of lockers I was standing by. Peeking carefully from behind the corner, I noticed all of them surrounding a short boy on the other side.

"Why are you so short? You should go back and repeat the class with the 9 years old!"

"Why did you join our class? Where did you even come from, weirdo?"

The raised up voices were speaking one by one, coming closer to a boy I recognized.

Today in our class, a new student had come, and they didn't even introduce him. A short boy with big azure blue eyes glaring at as all scarely. His dark brown bangs were elegantly combed to the side. Something about this boy seemed different from everyone around. They were all surprised by someone new coming because there was never a new student to be heard of. Who lives in this metropolis, stays in the place they are right now. We were old enough to be aware of that.

"Can you even talk?!"

But the kid didn't respond. The bullies grew more and more angry, more than they did become towards me.

"Arrogant prick. I bet they exiled your family out for some treason against the metropolis… These clothes look quite expensive…" — The leader of the bullies, the tallest kid, stood against the small boy.

He grabbed him by his collar, and pulled up into the air a few centimeters, to the level of his eyes.

"You're gonna get out of these clothes, or should we tear them from you?" — The one speaking almost spitted on him. Words were getting out from behind the clenched teeth of the big leader.

"D-don't you dare to t-touch me…"

He finally spoke, with his voice sounding much more mature than a boy his age would have. His eyes sparkled with a dangerous blue color, and I could say that the bullies got scared for a second.

But what would a one short boy do against a group of six tall and developed teenagers.

Shortly after, all six of them threw themselves at him, trying to tear his clothes off him. He struggled around, kicking and attempting to free himself, but in vain. Yet, he didn't scream for them to stop nor begged for help. Maybe he knew none would stop and none would come to help.

And I was there, standing and hiding while they were doing those barbarian things to him.

But they've never pushed themselves so far as for taking my clothes… Perhaps because I was a girl? Or I was the same level as them, when it came to being the victims of the caste system. And this boy… his background was unknown.

Still, I was more human than them, so I couldn't just idly watch and not react to whatever they were doing. Despite them not targeting me, I didn't want anyone else to be harmed.

A brilliant plan sparked up in my head.

These weren't the only bullies in this school, not the only ones after me.

Whenever one of them came to me first, the other one gave up. There can't be two kings on the same land. But when there are, only a battle can occur. The two leaders of the groups didn't especially like each other. So, I hope to bring them two together for a fight more exciting than bullying a new student.

I took a few careful steps back, and quietly moved out of their hearing zone.

The other ones… Must be here somewhere…

Just right as I thought that, a solid obstacle appeared in front of me out of nowhere.

Bumping with force into it, I groaned in pain. I don't remember a wall standing there…

But when I opened my eyes, the one I was looking for stood there, like if subconsciously listening to my wishes.

"Ooooh. Miss Asha. Where are you rushing so quickly? Trying to hide away from us?" — The red-haired leader of the group grabbed my hand, and gave me a dangerous look. But this is just how I've planned this.

"No. Not at all. I'm quite sad, to be honest. Julio with his group found himself a new object of attention. And he told me I'm not worthy of focusing on anymore… I wonder what is so special about that boy they found…" — My heart was beating like crazy.

I never ever spoke so freely to them like that. I would never dare, afraid of their reactions. But now, I didn't care. Knowing there is another one like me, I didn't feel so lonely and scared, being the only one oppressed.

Maybe, from now on, it will be really as I said. Perhaps they will get bored with me, and move onto a new object of their demises… Will this… Be finally a redemption?

Damian, the leader of the group, sent me a confounded glare.

"What did you say?" — He clearly focused on me and not on the words I tried to deliver.

But it seemed the leader was thinking about something else than other members of the group.

"A new guy!? Who?"

"There is a new freak at school?"

"I've never heard of a new person coming to the school."

"I guess we should check him out!"

"I wouldn't let that fucker Julio mess with a new toy."

New suggestions were falling one after another, making the leader of the group visibly disorientated.

"Damian, leave her and come see the other guy!" — They grabbed his shoulder, and obnoxiously looked at me, trying to get out of me the location of the new guy.

With a neutral face, I pointed with my finger a route they should take.

Damian released my hand, and was pulled by the others with a confusing expression not leaving his face. He glared at me until the group left my vision, hiding behind a wall of lockers.

Was everything as simple as… this?

Maybe this new guy was actually my salvation. Them targeting him, will the bullies finally leave me alone and in peace after years…

…

But is this really acceptable?

Throwing my personal pain on someone's else back?

Just when I thought I could fix his problem by making two enemy groups collide, probably creating a route of escape…

I selflessly thought that perhaps it's not a bad idea of them actually bullying him instead of me.

But…

I just couldn't accept that an idea like that.

Am I losing my humanity too?

Or is coping like that more human than I actually was?

Standing before the door leading to the upper lever staircase, I wondered. Can I throw my role in the society on somebody entirely else?

I turned around and quickly ran to the place the small teenager last was.

I would rather suffer than make someone else do it in my stead.

And there they were.

But not beating him, or abusing, or humiliating.

Just scattered, lying on the floor inertly, all howling from pain and barely moving.

Their bodies were moving slowly like worms. And standing all above that, supporting himself against the locker, was him, casually putting on his shirt on a pale body.

Being a witness to all of this, there were no emotions in my head, other than just a deep confusion.

What actually happened here?

"Didn't expect you to bring me more assholes to beat the shit out of. I guess I should say thanks?"

His aquamarine eyes were staring at me from under the bangs that got messed up.

"Huh?"

"I couldn't bring myself to harming them all, while a girl was watching."

He slowly came up to me, and I was petrified then, not grasping with my mind how could a teenager shorter than me being them all down to the floor.

"If they ever bully you again, come to me. I'm Paul. Nice to meet you, sorry if by such a situation."

He reached his hand out in my direction. A slim and pale hand, not possibly able to overturn a man bigger than him.

I didn't know what to think anymore. A double-faced man, looking innocent and weak on the outside, but vicious and dangerous on the inside.

His face was refined, with a narrow nose decorating the center of it. His powder pink, pursed lips were curved in a slight smile. The mole under his eye marked his paper like pale skin. There was a charm to his person.

"A-Asha." — I hesitantly reached my hand forward in the return, and a solid grasp of his clenched it, almost making me yell from pain.

I pulled my hand out of his grip, and just stared. But his figure slowly disappeared in the depths of the corridor.

After seconds, All of the bullies started to become more lively, as the leaders slowly tried to get up from their places.

Quickly retreating from the place of events, before they could get up and question me, I left all of it behind me. My past and a closed chapter of my life.

Since the day it happened, suspiciously, none of them came up to me anymore. Almost like avoiding me, every time I saw any of them on the school grounds, they seemed to ignore me and run away from my person.

But that didn't mean I could do everything I wanted with whoever I wanted.

The others, seeing that not even the bullies wanted to have anything more to do with me, they avoided me even more. To the point that there was almost no person willing to talk to me.

Except of him. The new boy in the class.

Paul…

•••

"Waiting for a wishing star to fall from the sky?"

A faint voice reached me deeply inside of my memories.

I came back to the reality after reminiscing about the past.

Turning my head around, I saw a silhouette of a person standing next to me in a dark corridor I forgot I went into.

"And you haven't even eaten anything." — I couldn't guess whether his concern was real or not.

Silen, a man who has countlessly attempted to hurt me, just like the bullies in the past. He was the very person who reminded me of them, people who didn't know something like empathy existed. Only caring about their well-being and feeling of the present. Using strength to measure their worth.

"Don't pretend you care about me at all. No one cares about others in this world." — A cold voice came out of my body, almost like if not mine at all.

"…I know I haven't been the nicest, but believe me, I've come to regret all the things I've done to you." — His words seemed like holding real regret.

And just a while ago, he was ready to beat the shit out of me. How could the tides change so fast?

"What's the point of you lying?"

"Everything is a lie for you. Believe someone once, and your whole life will change."

"I believed people many times and look where I am now, in a facility for whatever sociopaths or psychopaths you are..." — My response couldn't be more true.

Yet, he just quietly laughed at it.

"Psychopaths are born. Sociopaths are made… Well, concerning you're here, you are one of them too."

I'm neither of these. I feel guilt while they don't.

"Just leave me alone." — I tried to pass next to him, but he blocked it.

"For you to run away again?" — A questionable gaze came from his gray eyes.

How did he… Am I so predictable?

"No matter how far you run away, you can't escape from the reality. And yours is here."

As he spoke, His words lost his usual sugar coat, making them sound as if someone entirely else told them.

But does he think I can easily forget?

"If it's like you're telling me, then explain why in the hell you all wanted to harm me back then? In the dark alleyways, you think I will forget the moment you pointed your gun at me and bullets flew right next to my head?" — I came closer to him, with our faces practically touching.

Becoming embarrassed all of a sudden, his silver eyes got confused and lost. He didn't know how to respond to me.

But right at the moment he was about to open his mouth to do so, somebody else came up to us two.