One thing that Duck was trying to know was if Boya was a real student of the school. There were many like him but Boya had an appearance that could not be hidden. With the mark on his face, muscular body and tall legs and arms, even teachers would be careful when dealing with him. He must have been hired. Maybe, the challenger of Bret knew he would lose and he needed someone to do the recovery. But how could he think like that when he was surely going to have upper hand.
Bret opened his pocket and started dishing out his hard earned money. He finally dropped the last money which was in a small bag into his hand. Boya was still waiting for him to produce the remaining and that made him insert his hand in the second pocket. With the money in Boya's hand, there was peace in the faces of the losers. Hopefully, they expected him to return their losts. But Dick approached to Bret and stopped him. Everyone was surprised but they wanted to see what he would do.
Boya supposed to have withdrawn his hand and keep the money away but he really wanted all from Bret. The boy had dropped all he had got from the bet and had none left but the hand remained. All those who praised him had deserted him except for Dick whom he only saw as classmate and he was not expecting any from him that being a spectator. When he stepped forward, Bret was one of those who felt Dick had made mistake and he was surprised about it.
Dick retrieved the money from Boyas' hand and returned to Bret. He opened his pocket and forced them inside. At that time, Bret had turned zombie. He was speechless and powerless.
There was sudden tension in the environment but Dick didn't mind them. He said to Bret..
"My guy, 'get out of here."'
Bret could not just take a step. It was like he was dreaming. Dick had to dragged him out of the midst of the crowd.
When Dick and Bret left, Boya came to reality. It was not that he didn't know what was happening but everything appeared unreal. The students around had nothing to offer here but certainly Dick had stepped on the tail of a cobra.
Dick and Bret reached the class but they know the battle was not yet finished. Dick was not really bothered about Boya but the betting. If the school authority get to know about this, he would be implicated. By intervening, he had made himself an accomplice in what was prohibiting. He knew that it would be foolish of Boya to report either, even anyone present. But he knew he had not seen Boya in the school before. His size was enough for recognition from far.
The school closed as usual and the first person to come to him was Bret.
"Dick, I must thank you." Bret said panicking.
Dick only looked at him without a word. That was the way he used to behave when Moore was in the school. Fear was written all over him and he could not really tell him that he needed help. Going home today would be another challenge he had to face.
"Do you want some money?" Bret said.
Of course, Bret needed help. His money would not be useful And had decided to give everything out, if asked, in place of safety. Bret thought if Poure was around, he could have been the saviour because he had seen him hold the class to ransom before. But Poure and his friends had not come to class since the fight they had with Dick at the lab of Dr Bin.
"Bret," Dick said. "You shouldn't go home now. Let the rush go down."
Dick said this to avoid involvement of other students who were novice. He didn't want the issue escalate beyond the present level. He knew he had to be able to see his surrounding better for necessary action to be taken.
"No, there would be no one to help us then. We should go now," Bret protested.
Dick didn't bother to reply him.
For the moment he remembered Homa's visit and how she had called him 'boyfriend.' That was ridiculous, he thought. He giggled with the side of his mouth. That name sounded sweet but he didn't know where that was coming from. The last of their meeting when they really talked did not end well. He had refused to hold down a thief who stole from them.
Talking of thief, he recollected he had his money nearby when he was watching hand wrestling and there a familiar face close by. Then he could not think it through to know that was the thief he had saved because he was enjoying the match. Now, he was making sense out of the event. The thief who stole from the girls was the closest to him. He inserted his hand in his pocket to check his money but it was gone. He had been robbed.
It was 2.45, he woke Bret.
"It's time to go," Dick said.
Bret's presence was especially puzzling to Dick. Despite their shared time in school, Dick never quite understood why Bret chose to stay so detached from everyone else. The boy was, by all accounts, a brilliant student, the kind who always kept his head down and focused entirely on his academic performance. He was always the top of the class, never causing any trouble or making waves. But for some reason, he had become entangled in this mess. Bret was not someone you'd expect to be caught up in anything like this. He wasn't a fighter, nor did he seem to have any interest in conflict or trouble. Yet, here he was, standing by Dick's side, as they were about to face something neither of them could fully comprehend.
His clothes, although neat, not always new and frayed in places, and his shoes had clearly seen better days. Yet, Bret had always kept his financial struggles to himself. He was far too ashamed to ask anyone for help, even though it was clear that his family was going through tough times. For Bret, asking for assistance was simply not an option. He'd rather go without than admit that things weren't going well at home.
When Poure had asked the students to contribute some money, Bret had been one of the few to provide coins, though it was obvious he didn't have much. This small act was enough to tell Dick that he wasn't a troublemaker. As they left the school, Dick couldn't help but wonder what had brought Bret to this moment. Why was he involved in betting?
The air outside was quiet and still, almost unnervingly so. As they walked along the path leading away from the school, Dick couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go wrong. It felt like they were walking into a trap, one that had been carefully set for them. He could sense the tension in the air, even though nothing was outwardly threatening yet. Bret kept close to Dick, his eyes scanning the surroundings nervously, trying to make sense of the silence that surrounded them.
Dick had already made up his mind: whatever happened next, he would protect Bret. He had no idea how, but he would. He didn't know why, but he felt responsible for the boy. There was something about Bret's vulnerability, his quiet demeanor, that made Dick feel the need to shield him from whatever was coming.
Before long, their path was interrupted by two familiar figures—Sagas and another boy, who Dick vaguely recognized from earlier in the day. Sagas, the one who had been involved in the arm-wrestling match with Bret, stepped forward with a hostile look in his eyes. Bret tensed up beside Dick, immediately recognizing the threat. The other boy, slightly taller but equally as menacing, stood beside Sagas, a quiet yet dangerous presence.
"Boya wants to have words with you," Sagas said, his voice dripping with contempt. He clearly wasn't here to have a casual conversation.
Dick, always calm under pressure, wasn't quick to respond. He had expected something like this, though not quite in this manner. His mind raced as he assessed the situation. Sagas seemed agitated, his patience wearing thin, but Dick wasn't intimidated. He had to keep his cool if he was going to figure out what was going on and how to get them out of this unscathed.
"Who is that?" Dick asked, his voice calm but firm. He needed more information before deciding on his next move.
Sagas's eyes narrowed at the question. He seemed genuinely annoyed that Dick didn't immediately recognize Boyas. How could anyone not know who Boyas was? Was Dick truly that ignorant, or was he trying to play dumb? Either way, it didn't matter to Sagas. He was growing more and more frustrated by the second.
"The guy you had a problem with earlier," Sagas replied through gritted teeth, his anger becoming more evident with each passing moment.
Dick didn't answer right away. He didn't need to. His mind was already working, weighing the options and calculating the best course of action. He knew one thing for sure: he had to stay in control of the situation. If he allowed himself to exprey fear, everything would spiral out of control.
He decided to follow them.
On their way, Dick could feel their presence stronger.
It wasn't long before they arrived at a building that looked like it had been abandoned for years. The structure was unfinished, with exposed beams and crumbling walls. It wasn't a place where anyone who was responsible would choose to meet.
This had to be a criminal lodge.