"Silver!" Bronze responded, pulling Wood to his feet.
"I think he's kinda cute." A lady whispered.
Bronze looked at her, a part of him felt disgusted. The other part urged him to lecture her.
"Don't be stupid." He said. "You can do a lot better."
Bronze said nothing more. They collectively began to walk towards the dorms. Wood rubbed his smooth chin and shook his head.
"I don't like his vibes!" He commented.
"Nobody did back in school. He was truant, lecherous and plain evil." Bronze spat with venom.
"That bad?" Someone from the back asked.
"Worse than you think. He once stole a girl's lunch and beat up the girl and six of her friends up to cover up for his theft. That happened when we were five. He got worse as we got older."
There were gasps and all manners of expressions that showed their disapproval and disgust.
Brady pulled a few strands of his hair and looked at it, muttering something about taking hours to wash off.
"He did you dirty, didn't he?" Bea asked, an amused smile on her face.
Bronze's eye twitched.
****** ****** ****** ****** ****** ****** ***
Five years ago.
While still in elementary school. It was a school day and it was Bronze's birthday. He came to school in a good mood. His many friends and class teacher surrounded him and sang birthday songs and gave gifts. Bronze was beaming. His long, curly black hair glossed beautifully. He happily showed his friends his new watch that was custom-made for him, it was powered by a small, beautiful, diamond-like stone that made the watch glow different colours every ten minutes. His classmates were wowed. His class teacher smiled with an understanding look. Like always, she recognized the watch almost immediately.
As Bronze and his classmates were about to settle down for the beginning of class, the classroom door banged open and Silver entered.
His clothes were torn, hair disheveled, he was bruised everywhere, his face was red and an eye was black and closed shut. He moved with a limp and a deep frown on his face.
"Silver!" Miss Sullivan sighed. "You've been fighting again."
It wasn't a question.
Silver gave no response. He quietly and slowly limped to his seat and placed his head on the table.
"Silver. Look at me! Can't you try to avoid fights? You don't have to fight and be angry all the time, you know. You can try to be nice to others and you will see that they will reciprocate that love, hmm, Silver."
Silver said nothing. He looked at her quietly. All he could think was; what did she know? OR rather, why didn't she know? She was supposed to know something about everything but yet she knew nothing about the dark streets of the same city she lived and taught in.
If only she knew.
If only she knew how bad and how hard it was living and sleeping on the streets. If only she knew that he had not eaten in two whole days because his mama had disappeared with the little money he had hidden for meals and in preparation for his birthday.
If only she knew that the reason he was so tattered and wounded today, on his birthday, when he clocked ten, was because the bastards he had worked for, for the past week, refused to pay him his wages. And when he complained, their gangster sons beat him up for daring to question their parents.
If only she knew that her advice was utterly useless where he came from.
If only
IF only she knew. If only she knew.
That sentence reverberated in his head. It made him mad. Very mad.
Then, a question came to mind. Even if she knew, what would happen next? He had no answer. It made him madder. So mad he wanted to cry. He could feel the eyes of his classmates on him. He put his head on his table and closed his one good eye. They must not see his emotions. They must not see his weakness. Street kings did not cry. He would not cry either. Instead, he would be mad. He would stay mad. He would take what he wanted by force because that was what the invincible Kings on the street did. No one will ever see his tears. He would be king. The youngest Street King to have ever existed. And then, he will find his mother and put her in a beautiful home like they have always dreamt of. And eat good food and drink good water and people will be at his beck and call, and he will make sure the unfortunate orphan kids on the streets were well taken care of.
And as classes went on, as break came and went, up until classes for the day were over, ten-year-old Silver plotted his revenge and his reign of terror.
Bronze usually would never have gone near someone so bad and dangerous, but he was in a good mood that day and he had read somewhere that those that did good deeds on their birthdays, would be blessed by the whole universe.
His young, innocent mind believed it. And so, after classes, he approached Silver's seat at the back of the class, farthest from the door, but close to the biggest window.
Bronze's friends tried to persuade him not to go. That people like Silver were best left alone. Bronze remained adamant. He wanted to be blessed by the whole universe. And a part of him was genuinely curious about Silver's story. And so, he did not listen to his friends' advices.
He should have listened.
He arrived at Silver's table and lightly tapped on his shoulder. Silver looked up at the person that tapped his shoulder and frowned.
"Hey!" Bronze greeted. Silver's frown deepened.
He was initially just going to ignore the prince charming of the class, but then he saw it. The beautiful, very expensive watch. Silver's eyes widened. It was so beautiful. He wished had something like it.
Then, the demon in his head reminded him his most recent plans. Not to mention, it was his birthday. He deserved something good for once. What's more, it was even the same colour as his name.
Bronze, unaware of the evil before him, continued.
"You look very hurt. You should see the school nurse."
Silver said nothing.
Bronze was unhindered, having inherited both his parents' unyielding characters.
"You slept through the class. You must be hungry. Come, let me buy you some food." Bronze said, extending his hand with a smile.
Silver stared at him for a while before he spoke.
"It is not food I want."
"Really? You are not hungry? What is it you want?" Bronze asked.
Silver pointed at the watch on Bronze's extended watch. "That!"
Bronze looked at his hand.
"Oh, this? Mummy said it is one of a kind. And I like it too. So sorry I can't give you."
Silver sneered.
"HEhehe!" He chuckled derisively and looked straight into Bronze's eyes with his one good eye that shone with a dangerous gleam. "It wasn't a request."
Bronze immediately shivered. He turned around to run for his life.
"Too slow!" Silver shouted and grabbed Bronze's shoulder. He pulled Bronze back and lifted him up, then, slammed him on the table.
"Aaaaaaaaahh!" Bronze yelled out in pain. His eyes watered.
Silver did not care. He grabbed Bronze's wrist with the watch on it and squeezed the delicate flesh tight, making Bronze scream out. It was so so…. It hurt so bad.
SiIver removed the wristwatch but Bronze quickly grabbed it.
"It is mine!" Bronze shouted.
It irked Silver. To think this little thing that had never known any suffering would dare to drag something with him. Him! Who was he? He was the future Street King.
He grabbed his victim's hand and furiously swung it against the chair.
Plonk!
Bronze's wrist hit the beautiful metallic rim at the top of the chair.
"Aaaaaaaaah!" Tears rolled down Bronze's face. He quickly tightened his loose grip and held the hurt wrist with his second hand. He rolled off the table to the floor.
"Leave it alone!" Silver shouted.
"No. Mummy and Daddy gave it to me today as my birthday gift." Bronze really was stubborn. Silver was incensed.
Just then, Bronze's friends arrived. The three boys. The girls were too horrified to go close. At least, the ones that were still in the class.
The first boy to reach them instantly received a well-targeted fist that broke his nose and took him out of the fight.
The other two boys stopped, shocked and scared. Silver glared at them briefly and returned his focus to Bronze who was trying to get up on his feet. He stomped on Bronze's shoulder and kneed his head. His knee hit his victim's nose. It bled instantly. Bronze began to feel dizzy.
Bronze's remaining two friends looked at each other, scared and unsure of their next line of action.
Silver raised his fist and pounded Bronze's head.
One time….
Two times...
Three times…..
Bronze's friends made a decision and jumped on Silver together, bringing him down with them to the floor.
Silver's grip did not loosen. HE held it as tight as ever. HE grabbed a hand of Bronze's friend and bit it.
The scream was horrifying.
At the same time, Silver butted the other friend with his head twice, causing a splitting headache.
Then, he released them and they ran away, in tears. The one with the headache fainted at the door, while the other one kept running till he got to the nurse's office.
Bronze saw all these happen. HE felt like the five year old girl that Silver had robbed and beaten back then.
Bronze saw red for the first time. He went full raging beast mode.
As Silver tried to stand, Bronze took the former's ear and yanked it, bringing him back down to the floor. Bronze then stood up and kicked Silver's ribs.
"Uh!" Silver grunted and grabbed Bronze's kicking leg by the ankle and squeezed. Digging his fingers into the skin. Bronze went down on that knee and grabbed Silver's fingers. HE attempted to stop that painful squeezing.
Silver took that opportunity and poked Bronze's eyes.
Bronze staggered back, rubbing his eyes. He had unknowingly released the watch.
Silver now had the freedom to run away, but he was raging mad. HE felt like if he did not settle the issue that day, he would never be able to feel at peace. HE rushed at Bronze.
Bronze was blinking his eyes. The brief moment his eyes were opened before he closed them again, he noticed how close Silver was. Partially due to anger, partially due to panic, he swung his fist.
Thwack!
Thump!
The swung fist hit Silver's jaw from the side. Silver's head violently turned in reaction. He staggered, lost his footing and fell on his face. Bronze saw a chance. He hurried towards Silver and stepped on his hand. He bent down to retrieve his wristwatch.
Silver suddenly turned and hit him in his underdeveloped nuts.