"I'll take it from here." Bone said as he got out of Pinball's bullet-ridden vehicle. Pinball bent down to look at Bone; they were still a few blocks from Bone's lodging.
"You sure, man? I know my ride looks like a block of cheese, but I can take you the rest of the way." Pinball said, waving at his car.
"I'm sure. My landlady wouldn't appreciate me arriving in that." Bone stated.
"Alright, no problem. Hey! I'll let you know when our next fight will be. We're going to make so much money!" Pinball laughed as he stepped on the gas and drove off. Bone only shook his head and started walking. It was late at night, and he wanted to return to his room and rest.
After a while of walking, Bone made his way through the quiet streets. Only hoodlums and a few people who stood outside to talk were out now. Bone paid them no mind; anyone who took a look in his direction immediately knew that he was not to be messed with. Bone's height and musculature were enough to deter anyone from attempting to rob or confront him.
Suddenly, Bone shifted his head slightly to the left. It was almost too minuscule to notice, but Bone's skills were too sharp. Someone was tailing him. Bone then turned right onto a residential street. He was ready for whatever this stranger had in mind.
•••
"Wait a minute, where did he go?" Harvey asked as he pulled down his hood.
He spun around and surveyed his surroundings. The street he was in was empty. Unsurprising, considering it was about three in the morning. Harvey cursed as he jogged a little further down the sidewalk.
"How? Is he a ninja, too?"
'Harvey! Above!'
Spirit shouted, causing Harvey's eyes to widen. He threw himself forward and landed awkwardly after a failed attempt at a roll.
"Why are you following me, kid?" Bone said as he stood up from the crouch he was in.
Harvey looked up and saw a fire escape above them, the ladder too high and out of sight. The man was becoming more impressive every second.
"Wow." Harvey was in awe. The man was a ninja!
"Answer me, kid. And it better be a good reason." Bone said as he walked up to Harvey, who stood up and raised his hands in a show of non-hostility.
"Okay! Okay! I was following you, but it wasn't for anything bad!" Harvey told Bone. "I just happened to be at that fight earlier and saw you fight."
"You shouldn't have been there, kid. Those types of places are dangerous." Bone told Harvey. He relaxed his posture.
"Yeah, that's true, but I couldn't help it. I was curious about what was happening, but then you showed up! You were amazing! I've never seen anything like that outside those crazy martial arts movies!" Harvey explained, a smile on his.
"Get to the point kid." Bone sighed.
"Yes, of course, Sir! I humbly ask that you become my teacher!" Harvey asked as he held his hands behind his back. Bone said nothing as he stared at Harvey for what felt like forever. His stare was heavy and pinned him in his spot. Harvey started to sweat. Bone started walking in his direction, causing Harvey to close his eyes. Bones' footsteps continued onwards, going past him.
"Huh?"
"Go home, kid." Bone said as he continued walking forward. Harvey turned around and saw Bones back. "I don't have time to play games. I'm sure your parents are worried about you."
Harvey watched Bone leave, and a sense of dread and anger rose. He knew it was unreasonable, But he couldn't help it.
"...They're dead." Harvey breathed out. Bone stopped walking and stood still.
"There's no one at home waiting for me. Parents? What parents? My mom was killed by a hit and run, and my sorry excuse of a father overdosed on drugs after running off to Miami after stealing all the money from my school's treasury." Harvey said slowly in anger. He didn't know why he was unloading onto Bone. Perhaps it was because Bone and him were strangers, making it easier to talk to him, or maybe he couldn't bottle up and shove down anymore. All he knew was that he wanted to say everything he had on his chest.
"Everyone at my school looks at me like I did it, and they treat me like dirt! I'm sick of it! Now, all I can think about is how everyone I love is dead! I was powerless when those two bastards broke into my house and killed my sister! Every day, when I look in the mirror, I'm reminded of just how powerless I am!"
Harvey yelled in anger. Tears were in the corners of his eyes. His fists shook in rage beside. Bone finally turned around and looked at Harvey; His face was expressionless. But he continued to listen.
"So please!" Harvey yelled as he fell to his knees and bowed his head to Bone. "Please teach me how to be strong like you! You fought for money, right? I'll pay! All I have is ten thousand! It's yours!"
Bone was still, unmoving. He looked at a still kneeling Harvey, motionless like a statue. Bone's eyes widened as he saw the familiar sight of a young teenager with black skin and dreadlocks kneeling in a similar position. That time felt like ages ago.
"Stand up, son."
Bone said as he walked up to Harvey. Harvey stood up slowly, a defeated look on his face. Bone took out a piece of paper from his pocket and wrote on it.
"Meet me here every day after school." Bone handed Harvey the piece of paper. Harvey's face twisted into a look of surprise.
"Wait... does this mean?"
"Listen, I will only be in this city until I finish my business. It could be a month or a few weeks. If you want to learn from me that badly, you must put one hundred and ten percent into your training. There are no exceptions. I won't teach you if you're going to half-ass this. Understand?"
Bone spoke while looking Harvey in the eyes. Harvey was stunned but immediately became serious. He couldn't believe he had convinced Bone to accept him as his student.
"Yes, Sir! I won't disappoint you!" Harvey spoke with conviction. There was a fire in his eyes. Bone nodded.
"You better. What's your name, son?"
"My name is Harvey Miller!"
"Isaiah Bone, From this point, you will only refer to me as Teacher."
"Yes, Teacher!"
•••
"Hey, Manny."
Luke placed down the can of soda he was drinking. Manny and him were currently hanging out at his house. They were in the family room watching a movie.
"Yeah?" Manny answered next to him on the couch. An explosion was going off on the TV.
"What do you think Harvey does every day after school? I tried asking him to come hang out, but he kept saying he was busy." Luke said as he grabbed the bag of chips and grabbed one, he then threw it in the air, and tried to catch it with his mouth. It bounced off his nose.
"You know, now that you mention it. You're right. He always runs off as soon as school ends. He's pretty fast." Manny said as he placed his hand on his chin.
"You think he's ignoring us?" Luke questioned as he paused the movie.
"Hm, I don't think so. He probably has a job; after all, he told me he doesn't have a phone. He's probably saving up for one." Manny hypothesized.
"Oh! I know! We should follow him tomorrow!" Luke stood and looked down at Manny. He was determined to find out Harvey's secret.
"I don't know Luke. There could be a reason why he's always in a rush." Manny exclaimed, standing and walking over to grab a fruit from the fruit bowl.
"Manny, What if Harvey is part of a super-secret fight club?! What if he needs our help!" Luke walked up to Manny and waved his arms around.
"Luke, buddy. That's the plot of the movie we just watched. How about we just ask him tomorrow?" Manny reasoned there had to be a good reason their new friend kept running off.
"Maybe, Maybe. I think it would be more fun to follow him." Luke said with a nod as he crossed his arms.
"Luke..."
•••
The next day...
Luke and Manny were walking alongside the sidewalk. They were heading deeper toward the city; Manny was becoming more uncomfortable the deeper they went. He was pretty sure he saw someone slide drugs to someone in an exchange.
"This is starting to feel like where I used to live..."
Manny told Luke as they kept walking forward. They were trying to follow Harvey's trail, but they'd lost him. Luke was determined to pick up the trail and find their friend.
"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure he went this way. Come on!" Luke said as he looked back at Manny. Luke then saw something move around the corner. It was someone wearing a red shirt. Harvey was wearing a red shirt today at school!
"Manny, I think I saw him! Let's go!" Luke said as he started jogging in that direction; Manny followed behind him.
"Are you sure?! This alley looks sketchy..." Manny said as he and Luke were nearing the corner.
"I'm positive it was definite- OOF!" Luke was interrupted when he crashed into someone. Luke fell back and bumped into Manny, causing them both to fall. They both looked up and saw three men look down at them. Annoyed looks were on their faces.
"The fuck? You got a problem?" A man in a red shirt and brown loose pants said. His skin was covered in tattoos.
"Hey, look, these two are fucking kids." A man in a black and grey hoodie said from on top of a trash bin.
"You two little shits lost?" The final man in a white tank top and white shoes asked after throwing down his used-up cigarette.
"Uh- Listen, gentlemen, We're so sorry about this. You see, we were looking for our friend when he-" Manny tried to say but was interrupted.
"HEY! Hey! I didn't ask for your life story! You think you can push me and get away with it?" The man in the red shirt said, walking up to the two boys, causing them to slowly back up.
"I'm sorry, I should've been looking where I was going! So we're just going to go now. It's getting late. Have a nice day!" Luke tried to say quickly as he and Manny tried to run away; they turned around and saw the man in the white tank top behind them. Causing them to freeze.
"You ain't going nowhere, peepsqueaks." The man said, his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"Your shoes are pretty nice. Hand them over. After that, maybe we'll let you go. How's that?" Black and grey hoodie said with a smile. Luke and Manny looked at each other as they immediately bent down to remove their shoes. Only to be stopped by a familiar voice.
"Luke? Manny?" Harvey said, standing a couple of feet away.