"Maeda."
"What..?"
"I will help you, just don't die. But seriously, do you really want to settle this in the most dangerous way so badly? You are still young. Life is more than that."
"Those lines again. I'm sick of it, you know? I hear it almost everything. And hey, if there's more to life, just by seeing you, I don't wanna get older. I feel like I will just end up like you. Future doesn't exist for me and for you no matter how hard we deny it ourselves."
"Don't say it like that. There's still future for us."
"Maybe, there would be one if we both changed. I bet that like me, you're probably sick of your life too, am I right?"
"Yeah..."
In fact, I just lived my life full of regrets with no direction whatsoever. The thought of hope was just a pipedream for me. But that's for me alone.
This kid could still make it to normalcy without endangering his life. There really has to be a way to prevent what was about to happen.
I've been currently carrying Maeda for a while because he was too tired to walk or so he said.
I wasn't sure if we're near to his house or not but to pass some time, we've been having short-end conversations.
"Hey." This time, he started. "Do you know that you can make bombs out of soap?"
"Eh? No way, man. That's just impossible hahaha." I was glad he finally calmed down and was more casual.
"It was from a movie. I suggest you should watch it. It's a good one."
"You like movies too? Same. I mostly watch sci-fi and survival movies though... Ah! And speaking of sci-fi, I also watched this certain Korean film on TV back in high school. If I recall correctly, it's a story of a miserable guy told in reverse chronological older."
"Those are good but I prefer action. What's the title of that film you're talking about?"
"I forgot. It has something like 'Peppermint' in the title. I don't know. I'm not sure."
"..."
There goes another short conversation. I will tell him the title next time if I remember it.
Seems like there's no need for us to talk longer because it seemed that we're already at the front of his ー! Man, that's one heck of a building! So tall!
"I guess this is it for tonight." I gently put him down from my back.
"Yeah. We'll discuss a lot of things tomorrow. See ya."
We bid each other one last time with a hand wave before we walked separate ways.
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The next day came and nothing out of ordinary happened yet which I was thankful for, by the way.
It should have stayed that way for the better but time's up.
"You're awake, right?"
Even on my afternoon nap, I was forced to wake up by some kid who I really didn't even personally know. I was at a very comfortable position too and the weather was also nice.
"Yeah, I'm awake. Can't you see?" I slowly got up on the bench I was lying on and stared dead into his eyes. He was not intimidated though.
"So, you thought of something now?" Maeda pushed me to the side and sat down.
"Well to be honest with you, I don't know what to do yet. It was just too sudden so yep, I really don't know." I truthfully answered.
"I guess I will show you this then." Maeda stood up and removed his dirty uniform. All that was left on his body were scars and cigarette burns. Looks painful.
Most of the wounds were new while some were already old or reopened.
"Say, is this still not enough reason?" Maeda wore back his clothes and sat once again.
"These guys, they really did you dirty..." Even up to this day, I really doubt there's a good thing to say on this kind of moment.
"Since we're practically partners now, I will tell you this. Those guys were damn rich. Like lot richer than me or my family. Saying that they own the school won't be an exaggeration. Everything they do revolves on money and power."
"Oh." Maybe this was the part I should shut up.
"At first, I also have my pals since I have lots of money too but all of them left me out in the baseball field, running with my dick dangling and not even a piece of string to cover me up one morning. How did that happen? They drugged me to sleep by adding something on my lunch and dragged my body in the open. Turns out that they were payed by them to entertain me and keep me on check."
Woah, that's one crazy thing right off the bat.
"That thing damaged my reputation a lot. Later on, lots of rumors about me spread and I became the center of hatred in our school before I even knew it."
"Why did all these bullying started anyways, Maeda?"
"It all started from me, gotta keep it real with you. I was an unwanted unloved child. My parents just see me as some sort of pet. All I am in their eyes are a walking award, a carbon copy of their incompetent selves and nothing more. They don't care about me, they just want me to become something I don't want to. I don't want to be rich, I don't want to be the heir of some big-ass conglomerate. I just want my parents to see me as their child. You know what, I've been contemplating killing myself for a while now because imagine how much would it affect their image? 'Multimillion dollar businessman and famous designer's son killed himself'. That sounds like a good headline, don't you think?"
Sounds lame and too much of a spoiler.
I could totally understand where was he coming from though.
"But I realized, before I kill myself, I just want revenge one last time. I was once bad, that's true but I never stooped this low. Even I really don't get physical on people. I'm not saying that you should believe everything I'm saying but since we're partners in this, you should know a bit of my background so you'll likely cooperate."
"No worries. I'm in your side especially now that I got more or less the gist of everything."
"You know what's the worst part? The only girl who was with me throughout the entire ordeal I experienced, the person who was with me when no I did, my ex girlfriend, she's actually the mastermind's one of his throwaway girlfriends. Like his personal bitch."
"That's some fucked up story to wrap my head around. Are you sure you didn't do anything to them?"
"My ex girlfriend was really once my girlfriend even from before then the mastermind of all of these fuckery and I had a fight over her that escalated badly as you can see. This is too broad for a high school spat but this is really it. Just believe whatever part you want to believe."
Should I believe it?
The answer was yes.
My reason?
His wounds were already a proof enough. And the way he went insane last night was not a fake, it didn't looked like that. Kids couldn't fake that kind of high-tier acting for a show after all. His story was pretty solid that I couldn't see any holes in it. True, there's some unbelievable parts but this was bullying we're talking about that's why the chances of it being true was high.
"Maeda. Can you give me like two days more to think?"
Ahhh, all of these heavy things suddenly dumped into my shoulders made me cook my brain. I don't think I can come up with something good after two days but who knows.
Seeing Maeda like this, I really don't want to see his life crumble down more than it should. He's just a kid no matter how you look at it.
To be fair, being put in a jail was the least of my concern. My top priority was not to let Maeda hurt himself.
"Two days, huh. Okay. As long as you do your end of the deal. So, how much money do you want?"
"I just want you to be safe."
"If you say so."
Maeda was really an unsociable guy. He cut down the conversation shortly right there. After that, he wasted no time in running away. He seemed to be fond of running, huh. Well, whatever.
Thinking about it, I should have accepted the money...
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Two days had passed.
And...
"WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING?!"
Maeda came back yesterday and the day before that to checked up on me but I just avoided the topic as we talked on those days.
Like whenever he's about to mention it, I just ask him about movies because that aligned both of our interest. He's also a listener-type guy so sidestepping the topic was not really that hard.
On those days, I learned about Maeda's personality at some extent. He's quite reserved but he had this switch that changes his personality from shy kid to an angry man. What's the switch that makes him flip? Hint: The story of his life so far.
Whenever that topic is being touched, his personality flips. I really feel sorry for him and kids like him but again, violence isn't the answer.
Going back, what should I do? I haven't really thought anything about it at all. I keep saying that what he's originally planning is bad but I can't just give him alternatives too.
"You don't seem to have a plan."
He started.
"Yeah, sorry about that ー!"
Before I could react, Maeda already stabbed me on my shoulder! Damn! It fucking hurts!
"What I hate the most are liars and pretentious bastards like you, you know?" Maeda slowly twisted the cutter in my shoulder.
"AAAAHHHH!!! STOP IT!!!!"
"THAT'S RIGHT! BEG FOR YOUR LIFE!"
"WHY ARE YOU, WHY ARE YOU EVEN DOING THIS ー!!! AAAAAAHHHHH!!!" He's pushing the cutter deeper!!!
My arm won't stop bleeding and I was too immersed in the pain that I couldn't think straight.
Maeda, what is really going inside your head?!
"Since you are too much involved with me, you have no choice but to die. And I expected more of you too. How disappointing!"
"You are fucking nuts!" I kicked him away with the remaining strength of my body.
I used this chance to run away from him but he got up quickly.
With a big wound on my shoulder and the blood dripping on the pavement of the park, there's no way I could just escape like this. But I didn't really have any good ideas either.
And I was fool not to notice it but Maeda was a total psychopath! Just how much fucked up of a life did he went through?! Ahhh I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying!
It's no use.
For every steps I take, he's getting nearer. This was a dead end for me. Going circle in this park late at night would only spell death for me. I had no one in here but myself to save my ass.
Ah.
The city!
If I went there, someone could help me and I would be sa ー! "What the...?!"
He dashed from behind and stabbed me on my lower back.
He then rolled down the ground as we tripped... Somebody... Save me from this psycho...
I was literally a few steps away from escaping this devil's chase. The dead silent highway was already in front of me but I didn't make it... Just a few more...
"Hey."
As I hopelessly crawled for my life, he squatted down in front of me and began speaking.
"Did you know that you can make bombs out of soap?"
"He...lp...ー!! AAAHHHH!!!" MAEDA STABBED MY HANDS ONTO THE GROUND!!!
"I'm just saying in case you don't know but that's actually true. I tried it myself. I watched it from a movie about a guy with split personality."
I couldn't hear him anymore as I struggled with the bit of will to live inside me. Dying was scarier than I thought.
"And, did you know how it ended?"
From his position, he pulled a remote from his jogging pants with a smirk on his face. It felt like this was a different person from a kid I was talking with a few days ago.
"It ended with a bang!"
With a single tap on his remote, loud explosions from various places could be heard all of a sudden. Don't tell me..?!
"Ahh, that felt good. Why have I not done this sooner? Anyways, here. Take it." Maeda put the remote on the pocket of my pants. He then walked away as if he's talking to someone before returning back on his original position. This time however, instead of squatting, he's standing in front of me while looking down at my pitiful self.
He started laughing maniacally as he stabbed himself with his cutter too.
One, two... I couldn't count it anymore. It was too painful to watch.
When he felt like dying too, he slowly put the cutter in my hand at closed it.
Like a zombie, he ran away but immediately fell down before he could even walk a single meter.
I couldn't understand anything at all...
This must be it for me for tonight.