The chirping of birds filtered the noise the school made. I winced as I dragged my body towards the edge of the roof.
The usual daily routine, that was my beating, had ended. And I was sick of it. Sick of me. And greatly tired of all that my existence evidently was.
I was mediocre, worse in actuality. There was no one, hell nothing that deemed my presence worthy of their attention. Except those who thought of me as a stain, a figure of disgust who somehow had gotten the okay from God to breathe the same air they did.
The world rejected me.
'I guess this is my way of shoving the rejection back at it.'
I reached the edge, gazing at the distance my face was from the pavement. I chuckled. All I needed was a step to end it all.
But I stayed put and stared at the ground. It was the fifth time. I was pathetic. It should have been easy. But I couldn't do it.
'GO! END IT! DO IT, YOU FOOL!'
No matter how much my thoughts screamed, I was rooted to the spot. I took a few steps backwards away from the edge. I had failed, again.
I sat down, wrapping myself with my hands. Whether it was school or home, they were both the same. Actually, home could be much, much, worse. HE was there.
I glanced at my hands. Scars that trailed my palms. Burns covered most of what made my right hand. My left was covered mostly by cuts of various kinds, HIS favorite.
I bit my lower lip. A slightly metallic, yet salty taste materialized on my tongue seconds later. I took a big gulp of air in, then let it out.
I faced where I was standing, took another swig of oxygen, then picked myself up. I could hear familiar voices making their way to the roof.
'It's best I end it here. I really don't want to see that bustard's face.'
I moved towards the spot. Placing myself right at the edge as they walked in. Their grins, snarls, and disgusted expressions brought me into a realization I always had.
'I wasn't human to these bitches. I might as well die.'
For some reason, it felt easier to step back. The stable foundation of concrete I was previously on seemed miles away as I fully stepped back.
Their expression changing slightly, but my descent had already begun. It was refreshing, peaceful even. I closed my eyes and accepted the coming darkness.
~~~
*BAM*
The stinging pain that struck my right face jolted my eyes open. The tie I wore being pulled by a maniacal individual.
His wide smile almost growing beyond his actual face as he laid another punch on my face. The group of guys and girls either watching, flirting or not regarding his actions as one that needed their attention.
Aggressively tossing me unto the ground, he began to kick. My instincts came quickly. I balled up to try to reduce the area of impact he had access to.
It was natural at this point. I still needed to walk home and suffer from someone's far greater wrath than the fool who kept hitting me.
But I needed to get past this. He would be gassed soon, I hoped. I needed to think. I was positive, greatly positive that I jumped a few moments ago. So why? Why was I here still dealing with these bastards and their whims?
Did I not jump? Or was I being beaten so badly I dreamt the whole scenario up? The kicking soon stopped. I removed my hands from my face and watched his gassed figure retreat to where his friends were.
And then another came up like they were switching.
*WHACK*
His leg crashed into my legs. The pain shooting through my body like a wave. I bit down on my lip so as not to curse. Cursing would make it worse. You learn quickly what you aren't supposed to do while getting beat.
It was the same as any other day. They would talk, laugh and enjoy my ass getting beat as their entertainment till class started back again.
A couple of skinny, weak looking guys would show up with bands of cash to hand over, so they didn't get their assess beat.
'Q2 LOADING', a manly robotic voice entered my ears.
'Must be one of their games or something'
The voice went as fast as it came.
*BRRRAANG*
The noise the bell made came abruptly. The grumble of the group still outweighed the noise it created. Especially the one from whoever's turn it was to lay their frustrations on me.
But those who decided to use me as a mat as they walked back to class didn't change. At least it was mostly the girls, so they didn't really have much weight as compared to the guys.
Once I couldn't hear a single sound, I finally opened my eyes. But there he was. The leader of the group had stayed behind. He had a girl on his lap.
As our eyes made contact, I froze.
"Get out.", his low, almost inaudible voice sent shivers down my spine as I picked myself up from the floor with rabid pace.
With the enthusiasm I used to get down the stairs, I didn't realize when I had gotten to the floor my class was. Only realizing when I had passed it by two floors and had to go back up.
'Q2 Successfully Loaded.', the robotic voice came again.
A translucent screen materialized in front of my eyes. Gold was the color of the background. With black being the color the words were written in. It was primarily a bland looking screen all in all.
I gulped as I scanned the screen. I was sure I could have set a world record the number of times I blinked in the few seconds I stayed stunned at the fantastical phenomenon.
[++ [Q2] ++]
[++ [Rebate] ++]
[++ [Attributes] ++]
[++ [Skills] ++]
[++ [Quests] ++]
[++ [Q2] ++]
Pushing my legs beyond the stun the screen had caused, I stopped short of my classroom. The window allowing me to see that the teacher had yet to arrive.
Entering the room, I stealthily approached my desk and feigned sleeping. The screen, thankfully, only showed up where I faced so I could still see it.
'Q2 would like to begin explanations on features. Should I proceed?', the voice came through again.
'So, it was me the whole time. Sure, you can proceed', I believed no one could hear what it was saying so it was safe to conclude I didn't need to say anything either.
'The first feature Rebate will allow User gain back 5000 times any amount Q2 deems as an expense.'
'Wait, what…'
'The second feature Attributes will allow User the ability to control the changes affecting User's Strength, Dexterity, Agility, and Stamina.', as I was still baffled with the first option, Q2 trudged on.
'The third feature Skills will allow User gain and use a variant of abilities. These range from mundane to world bending. The User is cautioned as there could be great implications if the abilities were to be misused.'
'The fourth feature Quests has three different kinds. Main, Sub, and Side. These quests grant Skills, Attribute Points, and other kinds of rewards. The User is cautioned to take Quests seriously when making a choice on what to accept as the penalties are not to be trifled with.'
No matter how mind breaking the rest of what Q2 had announced, the first still had me in a chokehold. Five thousand times any amount I spend. Well as long as it is deemed an expense by Q2.
But what is considered an expense? What are the criteria to determine that? Does buying candy count as an expense? Or do I have to reach a certain amount of money before it is recognized? I'll figure that out later.
Looking up, the teacher was still absent. Picking my bag, I dashed out of the classroom.
'I'll test it out.'
Passing the school grounds, the air shifted. It got better. The fresh air was always great outside of school. There was a kiosk near the school, and I had a bit of money. Plus, a bit of candy never hurt anyone.
"Can I get the strawberry?"
"How many?"
"How many can I get for 100?"
"It's 5 for each."
"So, 20, I'll take it."
The kiosk owner took the money off my hands, handing a small see-through white bag filled with the strawberry bubblegum delight. It was my guilty pleasure anytime I had some change. And that rarely ever happened.
'Q2 has detected an expense.'
'50 Daqs spent. The Rebate function has been utilized.'
'No available bank or money storing establishment linked to User detected. Physical location function called up.'
'Where would User like the money deposited?'
'My bag', I thought as I glanced at the worn out, red bag I had been using since I was twelve.
'Location saved. Location can be changed anytime.'
'500,000 Daqs has been deposited.'
The bag I held suddenly became a few notches heavier. Opening the zipper slightly, I noticed the yellow notes that filled it.
'It's real, its fucking real. FUCK.'