Chereads / A violinist and his crown / Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: fight back

Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: fight back

Stefan took a step back, but not far enough to see into the alley. He focused on the sounds. He wanted to be wrong, but Stefan was the kind of kid who knew the sound of a beating all too well.

Still, he had promised his mother not to get involved anymore. He didn't want to disappoint her so soon.

But he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

For him, it was a tough choice—on one side was his promise, and on the other, his only friend, if he could still call Vasil that. A real friend doesn't ignore you all day.

All of this made sense to Stefan, until he heard the unmistakable sound of something—or someone, about 33 kilogrammes —hitting the ground. After that, the only thing he could register was the sound of his own quick footsteps and, shortly after, his fist landing on the mouth of the annoying bully.

He glanced over at Vasil, who had fallen to the ground between two of the bully's friends, curling up in a fetal position to protect his vital organs. The two friends stared in shock at this new arrival.

It took a moment for the bully to recover and get up. He growled at Stefan, "Hey, new kid! This has nothing to do with you!"

Stefan gave him a scornful look and replied seriously, "it does. You're getting on everyone's nerves."

The bully clenched his teeth and shouted at his friends, "What are you standing there for? Get him!"

His friends, who seemed to have just realized what was happening—or maybe they were the type who needed someone to tell them what to do—lunged at Stefan.

Stefan tried to stand his ground, but there were two of them, and...well, he didn't know how to fight.

Actually, the main reason his mom made him promise to stay out of trouble was exactly that. He was always on the receiving end of the beatings, he was like a puppy with more bark than bite. And while he was great at barking, barking alone doesn't win a fight.

The bully smirked. "You should've just walked by and ignored it, new kid—like everyone else."

He raised his fist, and Stefan stared him down bravely. The bully wanted to see fear, but Stefan refused to give him that satisfaction. Instead, he thought about how today was the day he was supposed to get his video games back from his mom, and now his punishment was sure to be extended for another two weeks.

Because of that, Stefan didn't notice when the bully's first victim moved. He only saw him when he was standing behind the bully, raising his bag and slamming it down on the bully's head.

The bully lost his balance and fell to the ground again. Vasil didn't stop there; he raised his bag again and aimed for one of the bully's useless friends. That kid, having seen what happened to his leader, put his hands up to shield his face. This gave Stefan a chance to kick the other friend and free himself.

The second friend grabbed his shin in pain, while the first was smart enough to dodge Vasil's heavy bag and quickly run away. The second, seeing his friend flee, hobbled after him.

The bully watched in disbelief as his friends ran, then turned around when he felt two shadows looming over him. Vasil still had his bag raised threateningly, and Stefan, standing beside him, cracked his knuckles and said, "Maybe you should run too—like the others."

The bully took advantage of the offer, scrambling to his feet and fleeing. Stefan watched him go, then turned to Vasil. "See? I told you! If you stand up to them, it gets easier!"

Vasil lowered his bag slowly, saying nothing. Stefan noticed his red, tear-filled eyes and smirked. "What? Are you gonna cry?"

Vasil shouted, tears spilling down his cheeks, "Of course I'm gonna cry!"

Stefan stared at him, shocked by his outburst. Vasil, still crying, went on, "I had a horrible night! Did my day have to be just as bad? And....and when I thought things couldn't get worse, you showed up!"

Stefan, now angry, shouted, "Worse? I helped you!"

Vasil retorted, "You got yourself in trouble because of me! What if they'd hurt you? How could I ever forgive myself?"

Stefan snapped back, "If you had the guts, I wouldn't have had to get involved!"

Vasil shot back, "You call throwing one punch and then getting caught a fight? You're such an idiot!"

By now, neither of them realized they were practically yelling at each other.

Stefan shouted, "You're calling me an idiot? The real idiot is you, attacking people with your bag like an old lady! Is this how you say thanks?"

Vasil, in the loudest voice his tears allowed, screamed, "THANK YOU!"

When his voice echoed down the alley, both boys finally realized how loud they'd been. Stefan cleared his throat and said quietly, "You're welcome."

He took out a handkerchief and handed it to Vasil. Vasil muttered another thanks and wiped his tears. As he did, he asked, "You're not gonna get in trouble because of this, right?"

Stefan turned away, "Not if no one finds out."

Vasil reassured him, "I'll never tell anyone, I swear on my mom!"

Stefan replied, "...Thanks, but you didn't have to swear."

He looked Vasil over. "You alright?"

Vasil wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "This one stings a little, but I'm fine."

Stefan asked, "Why are you always hanging around here anyway? This alley isn't even on your way home."

Vasil stared at him for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh, you didn't see them!"

Excited, he rushed to the end of the alley. "Follow me!"

Stefan, curious, followed him. At the end of the alley, an overturned cardboard box lay on the ground, with an old rusty metal bowl next to it. Vasil sat down beside the bowl and took out a carton of milk he'd saved from lunch. He opened it and poured it into the bowl, and from under the torn cardboard, two dirty kittens emerged and walked over to him.

As one of them rubbed against Vasil, who stroked its white head, the other meowed and buried its grey head in the bowl of milk.

Stefan approached carefully, not wanting to scare the kittens, and sat next to Vasil. Vasil said, "I found them about two weeks ago. I waited for their mother, but it seems like they're all alone."

Stefan gently stroked the grey kitten. "Maybe she just got tired of them."

Vasil shook his head. "I don't think so. Cats aren't like people. They don't just get tired of their kids that easily. She's probably dead somewhere."

A sad look crossed Vasil's face again. Stefan remembered him saying something about having a bad night but didn't feel like it was his place to ask.

For a while, they played with the kittens in silence. Then Vasil said, "When I grow up and have my own house, I'm going to take in as many stray cats as I can and take care of them."

Stefan replied, "You'll need a really big house for that."

Vasil shrugged. "Then I'll work really hard!"

Stefan reminded him, "And study a lot too!"

Vasil raised an eyebrow. "Not all jobs need studying."

Stefan responded, "The good ones do."

Vasil sighed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Stefan glanced at Vasil's bruised face, messy hair, and dirty clothes. "...You wanna go to that park you told me about last time?"

Vasil, pleased with the change of subject, lit up. "Of course!"

They got up and left the kittens behind to play with an old crushed can lying on the ground.