Todd shoved Abel toward his waiting friends like it was nothing, and Abel felt a shock run through him as if he'd been hit by a truck. The new quarterback didn't even break a sweat, yet the impact was enough to make Abel stagger. It was annoying, but Todd looked like he was made for this new role of his.
Ben, meanwhile, was frozen in place, his mouth opening and closing like he was trying to say something but couldn't get it out. He looked like he wanted to do something, maybe stand up for Abel, but he just couldn't. Abel didn't blame him. As much as he wished someone would help, he knew it was better for Ben to stay out of it. Todd had this twisted rule: he only went after his chosen victim and left everyone else alone—unless they dared to step in.
Resigned, Abel stopped resisting. The less he fought, the sooner it would be over. He let himself be dragged toward the restroom. The fact that Todd was willing to skip his usual audience for this meant things were about to get really bad.
"Hold on, Abel! I'll get Mr. Kempt!" Ben shouted as they rounded the corner to the restrooms.
Abel almost laughed at that. Mr. Kempt, the PE teacher, was known for not giving a damn. He might show up eventually, but it would be way after Todd was done having his "fun." And if he did show up, Abel knew he'd probably get blamed for "skipping" PE or some other excuse Mr. Kempt would come up with.
"You do that, Big B!" Todd shouted mockingly as he slammed the restroom door shut behind them, sealing Abel's fate.
The stinky smell of disinfectant mixed with the awful scent of unflushed toilets hit Abel hard as Todd's goons dragged him to the farthest stall. His heart pounded like crazy, like he was willing himself to disappear. He tried to fight back—anything to delay what was coming—but it was pointless. His scrawny arms, only used to holding a controller, were no match for Todd and his crew.
Todd tightened his grip on Abel's shirt, pulling him closer to the filthy toilet. Abel's knees scraped against the cold floor as he tried to brace himself, but the other guys had him pinned down. Todd loomed over him, a twisted smile on his face, his breath hot on Abel's cheek.
"Time to make it official, Poo Man," Todd sneered. "Gotta give you the full superhero treatment, right? Fair's fair."
Abel's stomach turned as he stared into the gross toilet bowl. Just the smell of crap and urine was enough to make him want to puke. The thought of his head going into that mess was beyond horrible.
His hands clung to the edges of the toilet with all his might—this was his last chance… his last hope.
"You filming this, Frank?" Todd asked one of his buddies, trying to yank Abel's hand away from the bowl. Abel wouldn't let go.
"Yeah, we're rolling," Frank answered, making Abel's fear spike even higher.
They were filming him. That thought echoed in Abel's mind, making the situation even worse. Not only was he about to face this disgusting fate, but it would be all over the student WhatsApp groups, making his life a total nightmare. Just thinking about Jessica seeing that video made him panic. Crap… why was he even worried about that right now?
"Just make sure my face isn't in the video," Todd ordered.
Todd wasn't dumb. The video would definitely reach the administration, but without proof, it'd be Abel's word against Todd's. And knowing Todd, he'd have plenty of alibis for where he was.
Even though Abel knew Mr. Kempt wouldn't show up, he tried to look around, hoping to see the teacher or anyone who might save him. But there was nothing—no one. The door stayed shut, and the only sounds were the dripping faucet and the muffled laughter of the other guys, too scared to come closer.
"Please," Abel managed to croak out, his voice barely a whisper. He hated how weak he sounded, but fear had taken his strength.
Todd's hand hovered over the flush handle, ready to make things worse. "Begging now, Poo Man? Too late for that."
"Come on, let's do this," Todd ordered, signaling his lackeys to push Abel's head toward the water.
As the cold porcelain neared his face, Abel squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the worst. Just as his forehead touched the rim, a loud bang echoed through the restroom.
All eyes snapped to the door.
The unexpected slam of the door threw everyone off, and all his attackers eased their grip on him. Abel took the chance to pull his head back and scramble to his feet, desperately trying to regain his balance. He turned around, hoping for a savior.
A girl with hair dyed in every color of the rainbow and a pin hanging from her nose walked in. She was casually chewing bubble gum, completely ignoring the hostile surroundings she had walked into. Her attention was fixed on her phone's display, recording everything.
Abel cursed in frustration. Out of everyone, why did it have to be Hilsa? Her life was pretty much like his and Ben's, only she was a girl—an introverted nerd who kept to herself. Even Ben and Abel hadn't managed to break through her walls.
So what the heck was she doing in the gents restrooms with just her phone?
The brief silence that had just saved Abel was quickly shattered, taking with it any hope of escaping his nightmare. Todd's face twisted in rage as he shouted, "What the hell is she doing here, and why is she recording us?" He started to march toward Hilsa, his eyes full of anger and threat.
Abel knew what was coming and felt a pang of sympathy for the girl who had risked her phone to help him. There was no way Todd was letting that phone go—not with a video of him in action. Abel braced for the confrontation.
"Back off," Hilsa snapped, taking a step back but keeping her phone aimed at Todd. Her voice was firm, but there was an edge to it. "I've got you live on the teachers' WhatsApp group."
The words hit like a bombshell, and Todd froze, his face going from furious to stunned. Abel felt a flicker of hope as he realized that maybe, just maybe, things were going to turn around. The teachers' WhatsApp? How was that even possible? Todd seemed just as confused.
It took guts and skill to pull off something like that. But seeing Hilsa standing there, defiant and unflinching, made it clear she had more to her than anyone knew. If anyone could hack into things, it was her. She'd done it before.
"Forget this, I'm out," muttered Frank, one of Todd's goons, as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. One by one, the others bolted from the restroom, like rats running from a sinking ship. Hilsa kept her phone trained on the last one as he scrambled out.
Abel could hardly believe it. He was actually saved… and it was Hilsa who did it.
When they were all gone, Hilsa turned her camera back to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.