— Are you deaf or something ? I asked who you were ! the girl with the bat said, irritated.
— I should be the one asking you that. You think I'm stupid ? I heard you. What do you want with Stacy ?
— Aw, how adorable. Who do you think you are, the knight on his white horse ? she said, with a mocking smile on her lips. This bitch really knows how to make things difficult for us !
Quickly, his voice exploded into a scream that sounded like thunder.
— SHUT THE FUCK UP, BITCH !
A heavy silence fell instantly. The girls, petrified, exchanged hesitant glances, disturbed by this unexpected reaction. Zayn, jaw clenched, pointed at the girl with the bat.
— One more insult, and I swear I won't hold back my punches just because you're a girl.
The leader frowned.
— You don't scare us, we outnumber you.
Zayn raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.
— Outnumber me ? Pff, what a joke. Have you ever actually fought before ? You're just a group of kids picking on weaker ones. But in front of someone stronger, what is your courage worth ?
His piercing gaze swept over the group, stopping briefly on each girl, making them indirectly look away, before returning to their leader.
— Have I fought before ? Oh, you have no idea.
She gave him an amused smile. Zayn ignored her.
— Do you know how easy it is to break an arm ? It's like a pencil, it looks solid, but with just a little pressure, it can snap. You get the idea ?
— What are you implying ? one of them asked, clearly uncomfortable.
— If that's not clear enough, I can give you a live demonstration to show you how fast it can be.
A chill ran through the group. Some girls stepped back slightly. Stacy watched the scene in silence, stunned by his confidence.
One girl whispered into the leader's ear :
— He looks dangerous… Should we leave ?
— Shut up, the leader replied curtly. He's just a big talker.
The girl who had spoken shrank back immediately and retreated without pressing the issue.
— You're completely wrong, breaking an arm requires a significant amount of pressure, and it's not that simple, she added.
"Looks like this girl is the pillar of the group. She's got some guts. She doesn't even let herself be intimidated. Let's try to get her to lose her cool instead."
— What's your name ? The girl who looks like a piece of plastic, there.
— Are you talking about me ? she spat, furious.
Zayn burst out laughing.
— Well, at least you recognized yourself.
Maddy gritted her teeth and took a step forward.
— I'm going to rip that filthy mouth off your face so you can match this dumbass Stacy. My name's Maddy, got it ? Now, tell me your name, so at least I know what to write on your tombstone.
— Me ? I'm Jean-Michel Dupont.
Stacy, who had been holding back until now, couldn't stop herself from laughing out loud this time.
— You dare make fun of me ? (She tilted her head to the side) Stacy ! I'm going to tear you apart ! Stop hiding behind others like a coward.
Stacy jumped. Zayn instinctively raised his hand to protect her.
— Aren't you the one hiding behind your gang of monkeys ?
— What did he just call us, that asshole ?! one of the girls shouted, nervously grabbing the arm of one of her friends.
Maddy's face twisted in rage. Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, she tried to warn Zayn.
— This isn't your business. So leave while you still can.
I need to be more convincing. If I pretend we're together, maybe they'll leave her alone for good.
— I'll do whatever it takes to protect the one I love.
— Excuse me ?! You love her ? Maddy exclaimed, before bursting into an insane laugh. Impossible ! Have you seen what she looks like ? Don't tell me you fell in love with that monster.
Stacy looked down, devastated.
— Yeah, I've seen her. She has the cutest outfit, and even though she's quiet, her eyes are so expressive. And her manicure, did you notice ? You can tell she put her heart into it. Not to mention…
— Ugh, spare me the nonsense. Let's talk about what matters ! Have you seen the state of her mouth ? How do you kiss her ?
"Crap, she wears a mask, I have no idea what her mouth looks like. If I say anything wrong, they'll realize I'm lying."
— Kiss her ? It's simple, I just hold her tight in my arms. (In French kissing and hugging is the same word so Zayn pretended that he thought Maddy meant hugging—they speak mostly French in Gehennie, also in some regions German is spoken, and Chinese is more rarely used)
— That's not what I asked ! Anyway, you're probably still stuck on that.
— Why do you care so much, anyway ? Are you jealous, maybe ?
— Pfft, whatever.
Zayn glanced at Stacy for a moment and couldn't help but ask the question.
— What the hell did you do to her for her to be so scared of you ?
— Hmm… Let me think… Oh, yeah, we put worms in the hole she uses as a mouth.
— Yeah, and one time we filled her bag with spiders. It was hilarious.
— And let's not forget the day we took her mask off in class. She cried like an idiot.
— It wasn't even original, we did that all the time.
— The best one was when we locked her in a locker and she had to stand there all night. The next morning, when we opened the door, she was so exhausted, she'd pissed herself, haha.
— That was my idea ! I remember it well.
— Oh, and there was also that time when…
— Shut the fuck up ! Maddy yelled, annoyed.
Maddy strangely didn't seem to enjoy talking about this, and neither did Zayn. However, Zayn was far too angry now, he no longer seemed to be pretending.
— How can you talk about all this like it's nothing ? Do you even realize what you're saying ? Don't you have any shame ? You're disgusting and repulsive. A bunch of degenerate psychopaths.
— Sorry, did you say something ? Maddy mocked.
It was supposed to be Maddy to lost her temper, but unfortunately, Zayn had cracked first. Had Stacy's past brought up bad memories for him ? In any case, his plan was completely falling apart.
Zayn snatched the phone from Stacy's hands with a swift motion, and in a surge of anger, hurled it as hard as he could at Maddy. The phone hit her forehead with such force that she lost her balance and fell backward. The girls around her didn't even have time to react before Zayn, as fast as lightning, charged at her. One of them, panicking, backed into the wall. Another stayed by Maddy's side but, seeing Zayn rushing toward her, screamed in terror and sprinted off to escape.
In his haze of anger, Zayn completely forgot that his foot was still injured. As he ran, he suddenly felt an excruciating pain in his right leg, causing him to cry out in agony before collapsing to the side. He was about to crash into a chair, but instinctively shielded himself with his hands. Again, the wounds from two days ago amplified the pain. His arms spasmed with pain, but he tried to push through it.
Both of them were now on the ground, but Maddy was clearly in much better shape.
— Is this a joke ? You're way behind, man !
Maddy, determined to retaliate, grabbed her bat and tried to strike him, but he stopped her movement by grabbing her arm. With a swift motion, he yanked the weapon from her hands and, in a fluid movement, threw it at another girl at random. The bat hit her right arm, causing her to scream exaggeratedly, not even realizing that the bat had barely brushed her. Terrified, the other girls all fled, running.
— Come back here, you bunch of cowards ! Maddy screamed, stunned.
Only Maddy remained, now completely at Zayn's mercy. With a firm gesture, he tried to pin her to the ground by grabbing her arms. But she kicked him in his already damaged foot. After that, she straddled him and began hitting him repeatedly for at least ten seconds.
Stacy couldn't just stand there. She rushed at Maddy, kicked her in the left shoulder, and sent her crashing into a chair, lightly hitting her head. She quickly rushed to help Zayn, but he was so battered that he was barely recognizable.
"You were supposed to protect me. Get up, please !"
That's what she would have wanted to say. Instead, she shook him desperately, letting out indistinct whimpers.
— Bitch !
Maddy slightly lifted herself. Filled with fear, Stacy tried to escape, but her hair was grabbed, and she let out a scream.
— You won't escape this time. You're going to pay, here and now. I've had enough of you.
Stacy was completely terrified. Maddy had raised her fist, ready to strike, but before she could attack, Stacy scratched her face. Thanks to that brief opening, she rushed toward the exit as fast as she could. In the middle of her run, Maddy was forced to stop abruptly, a terrible migraine piercing through her skull. The aftermath of the blow to her head hit her full force, without warning.
— Come back here, damn it !!! Maddy screamed as loud as she could, but it sounded more like a plea.
The shock made Stacy legs give away, causing her to stumble in her haste. Stacy crashed violently into shards of glass, cutting herself here and there. Tears streamed down her face, and she didn't even know if it was the pain or the fear that caused them. Her entire body trembled. She grabbed her arm, then her legs, trying to stop herself, but nothing worked. She struggled to get up, ready to keep running, but the light from the exit suddenly dimmed before her eyes. When she looked up, she saw two muscular guys blocking her way. At that moment, all her hopes faded, and her eyes darkened.
— Do you remember us ? It's been a long time since we had fun together, huh ?
"Why ? Why won't they leave me alone after all this time… How did it escalate to this point ?"