I accompanied Irina to her home, a luxurious apartment situated roughly half a mile away from my own residence.
"Well, uh, this here is me, I guess.." Irina mentioned as she reached the building's entrance. Pausing before she could open the door, she pivoted toward me and, while locking eyes, inquired, "See you tomorrow?"
"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow, momentarily puzzled before realizing what she meant, and nodded my head in response, "Oh, oh! Yeah, I'll pick you up in the morning. See you."
With that, Irina turned back, entering the building, while I started walking away. A long sigh escaped me as I made my way home.
"Whew.. I guess I can count that as my first date." I mumbled under my breath, a faint yet proud smile forming on my lips.
"Got yourself a cute girlfriend, huh.."
A sudden voice intruded into my ears. Now, if this was any other person, they might have jumped out of their skin. But this was me, a vampire that we're talking about here. Ain't no way your boy is-
"GYYYYYAAAT! FUUUCK!" I said calmly, ehem, as I turned around, only to find Anthony standing behind me with an irked expression on his face. "Good for you." He spoke with dripping sarcasm, and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Come on, man.."I answered, my expression a mix of anxiety and nervousness. "What're you doing here? And how'd you appear behind me all stealth mode-like? I mean, I couldn't even sense you until you revealed yourself."
"You fought with them..." Anthony responded without skipping a beat. Closing the distance between us, he adopted a stern demeanor, and I instinctively took a step back. "N-Now, hold on, man.." I stammered, trying to diffuse the situation.
"I specifically told you to cozy up to those bullies. I gave you clear instructions. I even repeated myself, just to be sure that you get it.." Anthony said, shaking his head and letting out a chuckle. I raised my hands defensively. "No, no, I did hear you! It's-It's just- I think I might have come up with a better plan."
"Oh! Oh, so you have a better plan, huh? You're a tactical genius now?" Anthony feigned surprise, his tone dripping with sarcasm. He continued, "Well, uh, why don't you please enlighten me, chief. Huh? Because I would really LOVE to know what you think is a good plan!"
"W-Well, I mean, I don't think that it's like, groundbreaking or anything," I replied, shrugging my shoulders with a nervous chuckle. "But like- you know, the Trilokas seem to really value their hierarchy, right? I mean, that's why they have all these rankings and rules and all that crap. They're not being fair, but they also don't prefer chaos."
Anthony raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat puzzled, but he gestured for me to continue. "Okay, I guess? But how does that relate to our situation?"
"Well, Rafael actually kind of tried to take a swing at my 'underling' right in front of me," I explained, using air quotes around the word 'underling'. "Now, while there's no specific rule against beating up the underlings of fellow members, I'm pretty sure that's considered a sign of disrespect."
Anthony's eyes widened with realization. "You're planning to use that argument against the Trilokas when they inevitably contact you?" He inquired, his expression serious.
I nodded. "Exactly. The Trilokas may be wannabe gangsters, but they follow certain rules that are similar to those of actual gangsters. I'm saying I can take advantage of that fact. I can cozy up to the bullies while also keeping my reputation intact."
"So that's what this whole change of plan was all about, huh?" Anthony's eyelids twitched as he spoke. "To keep your reputation among your classmates positive?"
"Well, excuse me for not wanting to be hated by my classmates!" I replied, my tone matching his sarcasm. Anthony rolled his eyes before continuing, "You'll be doing a great service to your country!"
"You know what? Screw the country!" I retorted, frustration seeping into my voice. "I'm doing this for me and the people I care about, alright? And the plan I thought up is definitely going to work, so why don't you just tone it down a bit? It's been a hell of a few days, if you haven't noticed."
"...tch! Alright, fine.." Anthony sighed, rubbing his forehead as he replied. "But don't fuck up again, you hear me?"
"I won't, I won't…" I placed my hand over my heart, assuring him, and Anthony nodded a few times before turning to leave.
However, just before he walked away, he paused, turned back, and added, "And be careful not to drag your new girlfriend into this mess, alright?" He pointed his finger at me for emphasis. "I understand that you're young and all, but what you're involved in is serious business. If you genuinely care about her, then you better make sure that you keep her out of it. Are we clear?"
"Of course." I nodded resolutely.
She's already gotten me involved in another mess, though. But I guess it's better to keep that one to myself, since I'm pretty sure that Anthony will try to strangle me to death if he ever found out about that little hiccup.
Anthony nodded once more before walking off, and I turned to head in the opposite direction.
------------------------
Inside a seemingly abandoned shed, located behind the school.
A group of students were gathered inside the shed. Some engaged in conversations, while others sparred within a makeshift ring, their dedication to fighting evident in their practiced movements.
A separate group of high schoolers occupied the tops of old concrete pipes, each one holding a cigarette in their hand.
Zoom!
With a sudden burst of sound, the doors to the shed swung open, and everyone's attention shifted to the entrance. A young man, donning a bandana and sporting a goatee, hurried into the shed, dashing past the other young boys and heading straight for the group of teens who were sitting on the concrete pipes.
"Rocky! Rocky!" The young man exclaimed loudly as he came to a stop right in front of the group, kneeling down in front of them as he breathed heavily.
"What's the matter, Paul?" The figure seated at the center of the group inquired, his countenance masked by an unattractive monkey-patterned hoodie. Despite him being a high schooler, the rugged beard he sported made him look like he was at least twenty five years old instead of a high school student.
"You remember that kid who beat up Gavin?" Paul inquired, prompting Rocky's eyebrows to furrow in confusion. "I do. Didn't we slot him into our ranking system?"
"Well, that kid apparently beat up Rafael and his entire gang of lackeys today," Paul proclaimed, his voice echoing within the shed, and an undercurrent of murmurs rippled through the group of high schoolers..
"For no reason?" Rocky's voice crackled, a tinge of anger evident in his tone. Paul shrugged his shoulders. "That's what Rafael said to me. Can't say I entirely trust his words, though. You know he's as slimy as they come."
Rocky didn't respond immediately. Instead, he took a deep breath, after which he turned, his gaze resting on the young man with a mohawk seated beside him. "Jay, get Harold to locate the kid's contact details," he instructed in a serious tone "We'll find the truth when we talk to him."
"....Harold isn't here, though?" Jay, the guy with the mohawk, replied with a nervous voice, his mohawk appearing almost deflated. Rocky's gaze turned towards him, a quizzical eyebrow raised. "What? Where the fuck is he?"
".....In the hospital. You beat him up yesterday for not being able to fix your Nintendo Switch, remember?" Jay explained with an air of caution. Rocky's fingers brushed his chin as he nodded his head in realization. "Oh yeah… What about Abdul?"
"He's… also hospitalized," Jay answered with a regretful face. "You fucked him up the day before yesterday for beating you in Mario kart."
"...That did happen, didn't it?" Rocky nodded his head, and everyone else nodded their heads in agreement, mumbling under their breaths.
"....Well, uh, does anybody else have his phone number?" Rocky's gaze swept across the group of high schoolers, only to be met with a collective shake of heads.
"......"
The shed succumbed to a palpably awkward silence.
"Ehem!" Rocky cleared his throat after a few seconds, redirecting his attention across the room. His gaze scanned the group as he posed an unexpectedly mundane question, "...Does anyone have a phone book?"