(External POV)
"It's funny, you see. I didn't think you'd come back begging on your knees."
A chuckle. That was all it took to ignite Tyler's sheer embarrassment. If he'd known that he would come crawling back to the crib, head bowed and begging for backup— he'd have paid more humility to Sancho.
Sancho Reeves. Ace of East High. But he commonly preferred being known as the boss of the Sancho gang, one of the smallest, most notorious gangs in town.
The best personifying character for Sancho was a snake. Silent, sneaky, but deadly. In his hunger for villainous leadership, he'd formed a gang, allowing students from other schools to join while promising them protection and power.
And regarding power? Tyler was up to the brim. He'd overused the opportunity, ignoring Sancho's warnings about the overuse of power.
And while Tyler thought that he would be fine as long as he only preyed on low tiers, things backfired quickly after Ren defeated him.
A disfigured face, bulged-up eyes. And with his chronic headache— maybe even a broken skull. And somehow, Ren had pulled this off even without any abilities.
That was the highest form of embarrassment Tyler could ever think of.
"This is important." Tyler groaned, trying to force words amid his chronic headache. "A member of your gang just got humiliated. Are you going to just sit down and do nothing?!"
Sancho had on a smirk that faded as soon as it appeared. He stood from his couch, walked up to Tyler, a cigarette in his mouth. He lit it, squatted before Tyler, and took a long drag.
"And so?" He removed the cigarette from his mouth, breathing out white smoke. "What if you got humiliated. What do you want me to do?"
Tyler looked up to meet his eyes.
"Teach him a lesson," Tyler said with a determined frown. "Ren Mora. Let him know who he messed with."
Sancho's eyes kept on Tyler for a while. Observing? No, he looked unimpressed, like Tyler's seeking revenge wasn't on his concern list. He took out his cigarette again, letting out the smoke on Tyler's face.
"Alright. I'll help ya." He concluded, then stood and turned away.
"Really?" Tyler managed a small victorious smile. He stood, dusting off his pants. "You're really going to?"
"Sure. But first..."
Tyler almost didn't register when Sancho turned, bashing a brutal punch into his face. The force alone sent him falling over, hitting the ground unguarded. Fuck, not again. He'd already suffered enough today.
"There. Now we're even." Sancho smiled, then took another long drag of his smoke. He dropped it afterwards, crushing it beneath his feet. "Now, tell me more about this...Ren guy."
******
(Author's POV)
"Unfortunately guys, the rumours were confirmed earlier than we expected." Mr Chen started after his session. "Registration for the BHA entrance examination proceeded as early as this morning."
Nothing was more sublime than a devasting news on a rough Monday morning. And of course, their reactions were just the icing on the cake. Murmurs that expressed just how terrified they were about it.
Who wouldn't be? The BHA was known for their rigid examination forums, so it was really hard to get into a school like that, except if one was fully prepared beforehand.
Unfortunately, it was part of their examination etiquette too to announce entry examinations impromptu. That way, students would be caught off guard and would have to pass the examination with what they knew.
Which, I guess was why they also organised the examination during random season selections.
The BHA was never predictable.
"Also, this year, they're expanding the terms for cripples to participate too." Mr Chen continued, his eyes stopping on me. "They want to ensure that everyone interested in the BHA gets to have a trial, regardless of their... inabilities."
Great. Just great. Which meant an open slot for experience. In reality, there was nothing a cripple could actually do in such an examination. If I do register, the other participants would overshadow me with their flashy abilities, and eventually, I'll end up exactly where they expect me to be.
The bottom.
"The examination would kick off from the 15th to the 17th of this month. So do well to make sure you're registered before the end of the week. Registration closes this Friday."
With that, Mr Chen walked out of the room.
And then it started. The noise. The concerned voices of low tiers who hadn't seen this turnout coming. Most of them were terrified, even the middle tiers. And Tyler? He was just silently seated, eyes glazing at me every ten minutes.
After that encounter at the arena, I'd expect him to act like that. And honestly, looking like a loser actually did fit him. Hopefully, he'd also told Mr Chen the truth about that cheat note. For some reason, sitting there didn't really fit the picture of consequences.
If he actually came clean, he should be suspended, right?
"Ren Mora, report to the principal's office immediately!" The voice sounded from the announcement speaker.
The principal's office. That was weird, I hadn't been summoned there since that one time I was alleged for raising a hand against a senior. And even then, the person who planned the whole setup was...
Tyler.
He'd been the highlight of almost all my past school misery. If anything, I suspected that he was certainly involved in this one too. All the clues traced back to him, especially after I got him beaten up on Friday.
I threw him a stiff pair of eyes— like a warning— before leaving the room. To decode, if he somehow turned out to be involved in whatever was coming for me, then I wouldn't hesitate to crush his skull again.
I headed to the principal's office, knocked and walked in before I could obtain permission. I just really wanted to get this over with.
"There you are, Ren." Mr Ross Williams. The three-year school principal of Silvic High. His voice never sounded like hospitality, even when he sometimes meant it.
And standing beside him was Mr Chen. He was holding up a piece of paper, a script I so recognised by my handwriting on it. That was my test answer sheet. And on Mr Ross's desk was the cheat note that Tyler had planted a week ago.
This isn't going to end well.
"I called you here today because, you see, Mr Chen here had important concerns to address with me regarding your last class test." He started. "I heard...really unexpected reports, that you were involved in malpractice."
"Those allegations are false," I said while my brain kept doing its own thing.
"Come on, Ren Mora." Mr Chen said tiredly. "You said you were going to take responsibility. Why are you still going back and forth, denying your own obvious actions—"
"This note." Mr Ross's voice cut him off. "It was found in the middle of your papers. What do you have to say about this?"
"Tyler was the one who put it there," I spoke up rather defensively this time. "He attested to it, and he agreed that he was going to tell the truth to Mr Chen."
Or at least, we came to that term of agreement.
The two men studied me for a while, Mr Ross more intensively, humming thoughtfully as he looked into my determined grey eyes.
"Alright then." He tapped on the end of his announcing device and spoke into it. "Tyler Wilson, report to the principal's office immediately."
A few minutes later, Tyler walked in, a frown settling on his face as he saw me. He stood right beside me, his gaze now directed at the principal.
"Clear me up on something, Tyler." Mr Ross raised the cheat note again. "Ren says that you're the one who planted this cheat note in his test script. Do you confirm that he's telling the truth?"
Tyler was quiet for a moment, just staring blankly at the cheat note. I was expecting an answer from him, the right answer. The one that eventually won't get me expelled. After all, he was yet to fulfil his own part of the bet he came up with.
"I don't know what you're talking about." The bastard said with feigned cluelessness on his face. "I don't know anything about a cheat note."
"You son of a bitch—"