Percy, blind and confused, sat in his room. Ronin had shut the lights and door when he left, which his parents had sadly found within an hour after.
The car's steady pace made an almost comforting environment on the ride home. His father broke the silence as he started to speak. "So you broke Percy's glasses with your hit?"
Quickly getting defensive, Ronin lashed out. "It's not my fault Percy's stupid-ass glasses got in the way of my ball," Ronin snarled.
Ronin's father's voice had gotten stern as he scolded Ronin for his language. A long silence had taken place before his father spoke again. "Sounds like you've got a strong force behind that ball."
A small grin made its way across Ronin's face. His father nudged him playfully, as Ronin hid the growing smile from his father, though he knew it reflected in the window. His father glanced over quickly, catching a smile; he grinned, looking at the road again before turning into the long driveway.
The cold house wasn't a nice welcome, but nothing had quite been welcoming since they moved in. Ronin slid his shoes off while his father had been getting the mail.
Hopeful for dinner, he sat in one of the two lonely chairs, his foot tapping on the wooden floor below him. His father came in shortly, a handful of envelopes in his hand. Setting them down, he glanced at Ronin. "Hungry?" his father asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Starving," Ronin replied, watching as his father surfed the cabinets. He was partially successful as he served a cheap meal to Ronin.
Opening the envelopes, Ronin watched as his father's face fell. "Dammit," he said sternly under his breath. Catching Ronin's attention, his eyes quickly flew toward his father.
The situation quickly escalated as his father's temper began to rise. Unintentionally, he had taken his anger out on Ronin. His father continued to stress about the bills; he scolded Ronin when he knew he shouldn't have.
Ronin stormed up to his room; he felt he had done something wrong. His father was left alone in the kitchen. He knew he had done the wrong thing, and it lingered in his mind the rest of the night. There were constant reminders of his failure as a parent and a father.
The next morning had come quickly, as Ronin could only remember his father's brief appearance in his room and a warm blanket he didn't remember wrapping himself in. Thinking back to last night, he had felt a pound of regret, as he recalled him and Percy's conversation.
His eyes widened as he was suddenly shocked when he heard Percy's kind and soft voice. "Hey Ronin," he could tell Percy's voice was hesitant, and he knew why. All Ronin could do was look at him with an attitude he forgot he had put on.
The two boys stood out in front of Ronin's house. His father's car was absent. "I-I'm sorry about last night," Percy said, gripping his bag. "It was wrong for me to push it."
Ronin hadn't said anything; he just followed Percy to school. If anything, he hadn't known how to take an apology. And never a sincere one.
Percy had seemed to follow Ronin throughout the school day. Besides their separate classes, he couldn't tell if he liked it or not. Either way, he couldn't let it distract himself from the spitball he had just created and the straw of opportunity that was practically leaping for his attention. He winced as he closed his target on the teacher.
"Augh!" The teacher cried wiping the wet paper off her cheek. Ronin hadn't tried to hide it. He began to laugh with the class, the straw from lunch wedged between his teeth.
"Ronin Dawson," the teacher scolded before sending him out of the class.
"Ronin, you understand that your behavior-" Ronin had cut the principal off bravely, avoiding eye contact. His mood shifted.
"Can I sweep the fucking floors," he snarled. "Young man, your langu-" Cutting him off again, Ronin continued, "I-i need a job, I don't care how shitty it is. Just give me the job." He then glanced at the man's old figure, breaking his own rule on no eye contact.
His mouth hung slightly open waiting for the principal's reply. "You want a job?"
"I was pretty sure that was what I just said. Do you need me to say it again?" Ronin began to get snotty.
"Hey, watch it, mister. You want it or not?"
Ronin laid off. "You'll mop the floors after school, and no pay for at least a week." The principal dropped his pencil scenically on the table.
"A week!" Ronin's voice had cracked for the first time in a long time. The principal's eyes were enclosed on Ronins. "do we have a problem?" He asked innocently.
Ronin mumbled before exiting the office, slamming the door behind him. "Hey!" The man's muffled voice roared from behind the door.
Ronin had left the room with a newfound pride and determination. He was proud of himself, and he secretly hoped his father would be as well, at least in a week or two.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a chirping voice. "Hey Ronin," he didn't need to turn around. He knew it was Percy and probably Wren.
He and Percy had talked through the halls, and occasional glares kept Ronin on his toes. "Aren't you coming?" Percy asked kindly. Ronin looked around at the remaining students. "No, I have detention," he answered as if that was cool.
"Oh-okay," Percy's voice began to get quiet. "In that case, could you check on Wren? The teacher held her after class, room 45." Percy asked, looking intently at Ronin.
"No, I'm not gonna watch you fucking girlfriend," he snarled, before walking away, hating himself inside.
After the school had cleared, Ronin got a long and unnecessary class on how to work the mop. He had skipped detention, hoping his teacher would have somehow forgotten about him completely.
Ronin gripped the mop, pulling it up. Heavy from all the water, suddenly he flew forward, falling over the bucket, soaked and beyond angry. He looked up as he was met with Noah's friends, in fact, Noah's gang, as he had recently decided.
"What the fuck!" Ronin barked, quickly bouncing up
"Hey! I'm just playing," the boy said. "We're just here to make sure you're on for tomorrow night". Ronin ignored them, filled with anger, and shoved the closest boy.
"You wanna go, you little shit!" The boy yelled, grabbing Ronin's shirt. He tackled him to the ground, gripping his fists that continued to fly at him.
Landing a punch, the boy's head whipped to the side. Ronin began to try and get up quickly. It wasn't long before the rest of the boys joined in, gripping his jacket and pulling his hair. Realization kicked in as Ronin's mind raced. "Th-there gonna kill me." The rest had become a blur, and the commotion echoed through the halls as his ears began to ring.
His body ached as he began to come to. The halls were empty from what he could see.
Ronin gripped the mop, helping himself to his feet. His breathing was heaving. He could hear himself wheezing. Looking outside, he could tell it had at least been half an hour that he had been lying there.
He picked up the empty bucket, dragging the mop on the floor behind him as he approached the water fountain. His knuckles stung.
He had barely wet the floors before his body gave up on him. The halls confused him as he couldn't find where he was. Looking up at the closest classroom, he continued down the hall slowly, watching his steps.
Ronin stopped, looking up. He was met with the familiar number and Wren's small figure sat at the table across from a man. Ronin glanced in, trying to control his breathing. He melted into the walls, eventually sitting outside the classroom, his head against the wall. It throbbed obnoxiously as He listened.