Chapter 17: The Safe Haven Part 2 (My favorite Chapter!)

"Alright boys I've got a special job for you today" Mr. Bené grumbled. His eyes burned a flame of intensity as he shook his fist, towering over the two teenage boys.

"Yes sir!" They said as detention finished

"Today you two will be both mopping the floors Aaaand cleaning all the lockers on each floor I will be right back with a mop.

'Yes sir!" the two answered diligently raising their hands in a salute.

"Hmph" Mr. Bené groaned, "Wipe that smile off your faces!"

"Yes… sir…" The boys answered making sure to sound less enthusiastic this time.

Mr. Bené left the room in a rage of fury. It had been 2 weeks, 2 whole weeks of extra detention with these boys and nothing he did made them sigh or even grant a look seeming the least unpleasant. Any other students given this predicament would have given up on life, and begged him to lift the severe after hour projects, but these two? No they were something else entirely.

It was almost as if as the time went on, the detentions had become more rewarding. The boys did not smile or rejoice at each scrubbing of the floor, but it was clear that to them every completed detention was a covert mission in some greater campaign.

"Were they up to no good?" He thought to himself.

"Ehhh probably not" He reassured himself.

Neither students had the brains or balls to perform some kind of prank or stunt under his nose.

"Was something happening at home?" He thought again.

This was certainly a possibility, but the chances of it happening to both of the children consequently at the same time was unlikely, and besides if that was the case they could just sit in the schoolyard with their peers.

"Just what could it be?" He pondered

He walked to his room finding two mops and a bucket he leaned against the window earlier. He gazed into the front of the schoolyard, observing the other students that had just escaped detention. A few of the students stood around talking in the courtyard, while the rest of the group of teenagers darted out of the school gates, anxious to get home.

"Didn't Axel and 6 have lives outside of school?" He thought "Surely they had better things to do! There was no way Axel enjoyed pretending to read a physics book that much!"

He took another look outside at the kids escaping detention and mingling with the already outside class. As usual there were a few who had no detention that were sitting around enjoying the summer sun.

There was Lance reading a book on a tree branch suspended a few feet off the ground. His back pressed against the base of the tree as one leg carelessly dangled off the side as he read. He, like Axel seemingly, had a weird predilection for physical literature. Not far behind him, a group of girls blushed at him from across the courtyard. They occupied the picnic table behind the tree gossiping in the coolness of its shade.

Regi and his small group of nincompoops had taken over the center of the Shift ball court, making some kind of mechanized bottle rocket with his friends. From what he knew from their grades, the two peers beside him seemed to have little to no knowledge of how basic math worked, but nevertheless seemed to egg Reggei on in his work for their own personal mischief.

Mr. Bené shook his head at this scene. Why a smart kid like Regi was surrounded by this reckless bunch he had no idea. As Reggei eyes glistened with the sparks of his welding, he could see it was the science that Regi truly enjoyed, not the mischief.

And there was Pb in the courtyard as he was everyday throwing a foot…

"Wait..." Mr. Bené said, scanning the schoolyard.

"Where was Pb?"

The boy hated going home and always stuck around in the courtyard until dark.

"Where could he be?" Mr. Bené said inspecting the field. As he walked across the room to the other side of the window he found PB outside at a different location than the usual.

He was waiting at the southern entrance to the school, like he was anticipating something.

"What was he doing there?"

As the door opened PB walked up to the students exiting the school and proceeded to make a series of hand gestures at them. After what seemed like an interrogation, in a fit of frustration, he kicked the ground with the metal tip of his toe slightly indenting it before heading to the other side of the school.

It was then that it all clicked. The boys, their behavior and why PB did what he did.

"He's waiting for them" Mr. Bené grumbled under his breath.

"How could I have been so stupid?!" He thought.

All the preliminary signs. Of bullying. Were there. The smart remarks the showing up to locker rooms and gym late even them skipping gym entirely! Given their state of relative powerlessness he should have noticed sooner. Was he a bad teacher? Surely the parents….

" That's right! Neither student had parents that were active or part of the board, for all he knew they didn't have any at all. If he turned his back now he could claim he never noticed and avoid scrutiny as the school year was almost over anyway. "

Mr. Bené shook his head, he felt bad for the children, but the politics of the issue were too hot. He would have to go through a slew of teacher meetings and scrutiny for two delinquent students who were not even interested in education!

As Mr. Bené reached for the buckets of mops he accidently knocked over a can of concentrated ammonia next to them. As he covered his nose to the pungency of the smell a memory came into his mind.

"Thanks Mr. Bené you're the best!"

"Awe don't worry about it kid you ever need anything just come to me I'll help you out"

Dustin, a kid from the badlands that had come on a sponsorship similar to that of Axel had come to his mid.

After a few weeks of bullying from PB, he had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. In fact, there were rumors that he hadn't survived.

Mr. Bené had let out his full fury and told the Board about the incident but they had taken no action against PB providing no corroborating evidence. It was only PB's father who had disciplined PB in such a volatile fashion that even that big mouthed pig did not speak for weeks following his punishment. Mr. Bené had taken his eye off the ball and thought that Pb had changed his ways, but it was evident now that he had just been operating on a lower key. A new admonishment was now in order. He would not make the same mistake twice.

As he returned to his room he looked on at Axel and Tristan. They were both cleaning the room diligently picking up filthy rags and towels off the locker room floor.

He felt terrible for the boys. Seeing their diligence in his absence made him recollect on his previous thoughts.

Maybe they weren't delinquents… Maybe the two had potential but Pb was holding them back. Whatever the case may be, he couldn't let them know they'd been compromised. He had to reduce the conflict as much as he could, Pb would think they tattled after all.

"Ok folks, change of plan" He announced.

He stood with his hands on his hips smirking at the boys who were still clueless of his revelation.

"In the two weeks you two have been in detention, something has come to my attention". He said scratching his beard.

"You two…. Have been acting quite… strange..." He said suspect fully

Drops of sweat began to form at the tops of Axel and 6's forehead as Mr. Bené spoke. It looked like the jig was up for them.

"Yaknow I'm not as dumb as I look... I'm in on your little scheme!"

Axel and Tristan raised their hands in defeat ready to cave in.

"Sorry but I'm not raising your grades! You're going to have to compete like everybody else!"

Axel squinted his eyes at 6, confused with Mr. Bené conclusion.

"You thought you could suck up to me by spending all that extra time with me huh? Well guess what? It didn't work!"

"No please you've got it all wrong" cried Axel.

"We truly deserve this punishment, we were out of line!" 6 added

"HAHA Nice try but you're not fooling me! Just to prove it, how about I move all your detentions to weekends? How's that for ya guys?"

Axel and 6 both looked at each other with despair, the jig was truly at its end.

"Well, alright then" Mr. Bené sneered crossing his arms. "You boys finish moppin this floor and you're free to go! Can't leave a bunch of mops and water on the floor now can we AHAHAH" he said laughing.

After the boys had finished their duties, he led them outside to the school gates.

"Good Job today Boys! Maybe you two should just become janitors after graduation!" He said laughing.

Axel rolled his eyes as Mr. Bené leaned his head back in laughter.

While he appeared to be ignorantly lounging around the entrance of the school he was in fact in a high state of vigilance. As Axel and 619 made their way Mr. Bené eyed down PB in anticipation. Surely enough, after seeing the sight of the two boys under the careful eye of a teacher, PB, and J retreated elsewhere outside the grounds.

"That settles it," Mr. Bené said to himself.

"I will put an end to this!"

As Axel walked on he thought of the dread of the day to come. Pb would find him on his way out since they had to report to homeroom to leave school. This was it, this was the last day on earth, and he knew it, but that shockingly was not his primary concern. For once he held the concern for something other than his personal wellbeing. As the thoughts of tomorrow's turmoil consumed him, all he could picture was 6 being pummeled into the ground by Pb's Metal fists.

"Yoooo Ax!" Regi shouted from the other side of the schoolyard.

It was 7:15, 15 minutes before the school doors were open to the students. Many of them were lining up or occupying various places around the schoolyard waiting for that first bell to ring.

Regi had noticed Axel near the steps of the school outside of the entrance to the main door where a large number of teachers had gathered.

"Ax! You're not gonna believe this one bro!" Regi said making his way to the boys.

He placed his backpack on the ground and stared into Axel and 6's eyes with a vibrant glow of enthusiasm spinning his head to either side.

"You're not gonna believe what I found yesterday on the shifter ball court!" He said laughing. His eyes glowed with excitement as he drew a small plastic badge from out of his backpack.

"Well…. what is it?" Asked Axel

Regi grinned from ear to ear, as if he had lifted out a present from a Christmas stocking.

"Take a look for yourself!" said Regi lifting it up for the boys to see.

Hanging from Regis's fingertips was a small picture of B.

"Ok so it's a picture of B? I don't get it?" Axel said, scratching his head.

"Hehe," Regi said giggling, "Why don't you read what it says" he said with a sinister laugh.

"Student library car-" Axel began

"Not that man1" Regi said face palming, "Read what it says under her picture!"

Axel squinted trying to clarify the tiny print that appeared under the picture as Regi brought it closer to his view.

"Rosalita, B, Hernandez…" Read Axel.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAH" said Regi rolling and kicking on the floor.

"What?" remarked Axel?

As he asked Reggei only laughed harder and harder spilling his tears all over the schoolyard. No matter what Axel said it only seemed to make Regi burst out in another fit.

Axel had never seen him laugh so hard, it was like there was an invisible feather rubbing his belly. It was at least a good minute before he returned to his feet gently wiping away at his tears.

"I don't get what's so funny?" Axel finally managed to get out.

Reggie stopped laughing. He stared directly into Axel's eyes searching for a sense of a smirk or a giveaway. After giving both him and 6 a good look, he stood back scratching his chin deliberating on what to say next.

"Are…. Are you OK" Axel asked earnestly.

Regi took a step back finally now realizing the situation. His pupils dilated at the sight of Axel's candid, confused, and naive expression. In that very moment he had come, to a realization. He could now see that he had stumbled upon a golden opportunity, an opportunity that if he were to let pass, he knew, he would surely regret.

"You know what, your right…" he said rubbing his hands together "This isn't funny at all! No NO NO! My friend, this is a serious matter!" He said motioning his index finger. "A matter of the absolute utmost importance! One that we shall work most urgently and most diligently to resolve!"

And with that Regi placed the card in Axels hand and whisked him off to the front of the schoolyard.

Axel and 619, at Regis's request, had moved to the front of the school where they could see all the students coming into the schoolyard. It was an attempt Reggie had said would "increase their chances of seeing B and returning her library card to her".

After a few minutes passed, Regiges's eyes lit up with excitement as he pointed out the pink haired menace in her tracksuit just a few feet away.

Motioning to Axel he yelled, "There she is Ax! Don't forget the plan!" He said, winking.

"Don't worry" Axel said brimming with confidence, "I got this."

Regi turned away from Axel and covered his mouth, desperately trying to hold back the avalanche of laughter on the tip of his tongue.

"Hey Rosalita! Over here!" Yelled Axel.

B stopped in her tracks and stared Axel down not believing what she had heard.

"Did this blue haired idiot just call me…? No I must be hearing things" she said shaking her head and continuing on.

"Axel Hehehe," Reggie giggled, "you're going to have to yell louder if you want to get her attention!" Reggie alarmed, barely keeping himself together now.

"Huuuuaaaahh" Axel said taking a deep breath in.

"Hey! Rosalina! OVER HERE!" Axel yelled again.

This time B whipped around at Axel giving him a stare that almost killed him on contact. She cracked her knuckles and began stomping her feet into the ground as she made her way towards him.

Reggie no longer able to control himself, burst out in laughter as he saw B creating seismic quakes in the pavement in her furious approach.

She stormed up to Axel grabbed him by the shirt and screamed into his face.

"DONT YOU EVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN! THE NAME IS B GOT IT!" She screamed.

Axel's hair was blown back from the shockwave of B's voice. Raising his hand slightly in capitulation he tried to motion for her to calm down. Taking one last look back at Regi, he received a wink and proceeded as Reggie had instructed him earlier.

"Sorry Rose," Axel said apologetically "It won't happen again!"

WHAAAM!

B picked up Axel like a barbell and lifted him over her head. With the full extent of her might, she threw him into a mound of leaves and soil a few feet from where they were standing.

Regi spewed out a plethora of laughter as he rolled in the grass next to Axel observing the scene.

B still grimacing, towered over Regi as he rolled on the grass. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the edge of Reggie's shirt and lifted him inches away from her face.

"And what are you laughing at?" B said picking him off the ground

"Oh… uhhh hey B! I didn't see you there" He said scratching his head/

"Uhhh uhhh and?" She said angling him toward the pile of leaves.

"Ohhh mee? I was just--"

WHAAAMMM!

She buried him into the leaves right next to Axel.

As the two graves were indented into the ground a pair of lilies erected from them.

"Here lies Axel and Reggie they will be remembered for their bravery" a girl said closing her eyes in a prayer giggling.

As it turns out on her way to class Lily had caught wind of the situation spectating the whole thing quietly behind a tree. After giggling to herself quietly Lily walked up to the body's buried in the pile of compost. She sprinkled a bit of dust over the leaves and had sprouted a family of lilies that bloomed from them.

Off in the distance the last man standing, Lance Nozuka, was resting on a tree branch, watching the scene from afar. He chuckled to himself as he went back to reading his book, both confused and amused by what he had just seen. After feeling a shake from the tree he looked up becoming face to face with B breathing heavily into his eyebrows.

"And what do you want?" He sneered looking up at B.

WHAAAMMMM!

Echoed throughout the schoolyard.

"Another life lost to the pile of leaves" remarked Lily sprouting flowers out of the top of Lance's still exposed head.

"Here lies Lance remembered for his... indifference" she giggled.

"What the hell did I do?" Lance yelled at B shaking off the lilies in his hair.

"Stop reading that book so arrogantly!" she said walking away.

Reggi, 6 and Axel nearly lost their small intestine laughing at that one.

"Wait….6? What are you doing in here?" Asked Axel noticing 6 buried in the rubble.

Somewhere in the chaos 6 had managed to find himself in the same compost heap as Axel and Regi.

. "I guess she really doesn't like the name Rosalita which is too bad, I wish I had a real name." 6 said

B spun around showing the full scorn of Satan on her face, pounding her fist, and cracking her knuckles.

"Too? Did somebody say round 2?" She yelled.

"AWW MAN 6 what the hell man really!" Regi yelped

"Here we go again" Lance remarked to Regi

"Hey man we don't gotta outrun B we just gotta outrun Axel!"(Regi)

"Got it" (6)

"Awe man getting buried alive once was bad enough" (Axel)

"They do say when plotting revenge dig two graves" Lily laughed, watching B chase after the boys.

"Why the hell are you chasing me? I wasn't even over here!" Lance yelled

"Stop getting out of the ground so arrogantly!" B screamed

"How can someone get out of the ground arrogantly?"

"I don't freaking know! But somehow you're managing to do it! She grumbled

B screamed and yelled as she chased the boys around the schoolyard. The boys jumped and ran through crowded lines as they desperately tried to escape the schools weight lifting champion. As they jumped over the main staircase Mr. Bené hair was blown up by Lance's powerful turbulence. As soon as he regained balance he was nearly ran over by Axel Regi and 619 trailing behind!

"Hey! You boys better run that fast at gym!" He barked.

"Give em hell B!" he yelled as she jumped over the staircase.

Axel was running side by side Regi and 619, laughing as they narrowly evaded death. Just a few weeks ago he had been all alone wallowing in the despair of his daily life. Now he was playing with his friends in the schoolyard laughing while death itself chased him down, just meters behind him.