I strolled into school early again the next day, same old routine. I hit up the cafeteria, and from a distance, I saw her waving at me, so I made my way over and plopped down in front of her.
"Good morning, Chris!"
"Good morning. Still the early bird, huh?"
"Yep... It's just more chill having breakfast here at school. Oh, by the way, did you hear that Cons is officially hitting on Jennifer now?"
I almost choked, couldn't really swallow right away.
"Y-Yeah... Well, Cons has liked Jennifer for ages. Remember how jealous he got whenever I was around her? It's good they're sorting things out, so my life's a bit more peaceful."
"Chris, you okay? You seem kinda affected."
"Yeah, I'm... kinda pissed. Cons always messes with me. If he keeps it up, I swear I'm gonna deck him. These jerks keep looking down on us just because we're from Manila"
"Hey, Chris, don't go through with that. Just avoid them. You never know, they might gang up on you. You can take Cons one-on-one, but I doubt he'd fight fair."
"He better not screw up again, 'cause I'm at my breaking point."
"I'll keep an eye on you, Chris. You won't leave my side."
"Don't worry about me too much. I can handle myself. I just want to show them who I really am."
"But if you can hold back, please do... okay?"
I just nodded. After Mags finished her coffee, we walked together to the park. We moved slowly, side by side, neither of us ahead or behind. I felt a bit awkward because Mags is tall, and every time we talked, she looked straight at me, making me feel like a basketball player.
"Hey, peace out, Pher... okay? No matter what happens, even if we fight, you won't tell anyone what I did in the bathroom yesterday, alright? Ha ha!!!"
"I almost lost my mind wondering why you did that!", Mags burst out laughing!
"I don't know, I must've been crazy! Ha ha!!!", Mags laughed loudly, and our classmates noticed us walking together. Cons and Jennifer were there. Moments like these were prime for teasing, so our classmates began their usual chorus of "Uuuuuuyyyy!!!" as we got closer. It felt like we overshadowed Cons and Jennifer's moment. I smiled, but I was on high alert. If Cons said anything, the day would go smoothly; if he joked, I was ready to throw a punch!
"You, Christopher, always chasing after tall and pretty girls when you're so damn ugly!", he said it loud enough just to embarrass me. So I picked up a trash can made from an oil drum and smashed it right into his face! The moment I grabbed the can, I swung it straight at him.
"WHOOOOOOO------PANNNNGGGKK!!!", my vision went blank, and I couldn't recognize any faces around me, not even Cons. I don't remember how many times I hit him with that can, but I kept bashing it into his head.
Something hit my head, just above my left eye. I saw a white star, followed by a smaller one. Then, there was a buzzing in my ear. People were pulling at my body. I couldn't move my right arm; I was trying to throw another punch. I wanted to land another hit to make the most of my rage! Come on! Face my wrath! I saw a figure in front of me, and I slipped my arm free from those holding me and threw a straight punch. My fist hit something hard, but I felt the sticky texture of skin. The guy I hit collapsed to the ground as my vision cleared.
The darkness faded, and I felt blood flowing from my left eye. I was in a boxer's stance, left foot forward, right foot back, knees slightly bent. My right fist was guarding my chin, and my left was in front of my body. Both fists clenched. Boxing wasn't my sport, but I cross-trained in it when I tried karate, so I knew how to react in situations like this. I didn't know who my opponents were. I just planned to be sneaky and try to get an advantage.
There were a couple of guys in fighting stances, fists up, near me—two on my left and three on my right. I had no idea if anyone was behind me. I crouched, grabbed some dirt, and threw it in their eyes to temporarily blind them! Then I grabbed the can again and swung it around as I turned, but I didn't hit anyone. My classmates and other students who had been watching stood there, looking scared and shocked. When someone tried to approach, I acted like I was going to hit them with the can!
"CHRRIIIIS!!! THAT'S A TEACHER!!!", Magnolia shouted.
"Enough! Let go of that, son! You've already hurt two people!", when I let go, two male teachers hugged me, one of whom I recognized as a fourth-year teacher. Then more male teachers and CAT officers arrived. The tension eased, but I was confused. Where was Jennifer? I looked around, but the teachers' bodies blocked the direction I wanted to see.
"GUIDANCE, GUIDANCE, GUIDANCE!!!!", the students who witnessed the incident shouted. The teachers took me straight to the guidance office. A mix of people crowded the Science-Math Building. It took us a while to get there because of the throng of people marching with us.
I stroll into the guidance office, and man, you could see my nosy classmates peeking through the big windows at the front and back, probably gossiping about what went down. And then, bam, the guidance counselor walks in.
"Sit him down on the sofa for now... Christopher."
"Find everyone involved in this mess. And those who started it."
"Who are they?" the guidance counselor keeps going.
"So, you, Christopher, Constancio, Bernard, Jennifer, Magnolia. Got it."
"You whacked Constancio with a trash can lid. We're waiting for his parents and he's gonna need a medical check. And Bernard, the dude who tried to stop you and got smacked and punched for his trouble. Plus the ones you threw dirt at, right in the eyes."
"Magnolia's here too. She was with you before all this went down. So, whatever she says is like a witness statement or something."