Thud
A loud sound erupted from a table near the exit, a crowd of students were surrounding it and filming the unfolding scene with their phones. The murmuring got more intense after another loud noise was heard.
,,Leon…I looked for you in the entire school you know, you're my buddy aren't you."
The bully's expression may have looked genuine but his voice didn't reflect the same thing. Zypher abruptly stood up and tried to push the bully away from Leon. Leon himself had a look of horror in his face and slowly tears started rolling down his eyes.
Zypher protest had no affect, the bully just turned his head towards him and angrily shouted.
,,CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I AM BUSY?!!"
His voice was filled with anger as he tightened his grip around Leon.
,,That's no way to treat a 'buddy' , get away from Leon!"
Zypher looked up at him as he again tried to push him away.
The bully let go and Leon fell down to the ground, he was in a state of panic and couldn't even move. After letting go of Leon the man who was even taller than Zypher angrily approached him and a fist of enormous power rushed towards Zypher face.
By a hairs breath he was able to dodge but he didn't expect it to be a feint as the bully's other fist crushed against Zyphers abdomen.
The crushing force of the fist threw Zypher to the ground as he coughed up blood.
The man didn't stop, this just fueled his energy while he ran towards Zyphers almost unconscious body.
Zypher felt his eyesight drop and his body was stop to hurt to move around much, but seeing the danger approaching him he found enough strength in him to stand up and dodge the next few attacks. By now teachers were rushing in and then confined the bully.
After dragging the man out of the cafeteria, Zypher collapsed on the ground and he fell into a deep sleep.
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-Ugh my head hurts….What happened?!…Oh the fight against the buff dude. My entire body feels like it got crushed into pieces.
He tried to open his eyes but he couldn't proceed.
Laying at what felt like a bed he came to the conclusion that he was now in the infirmary.
-What a great way to start the school year, getting into fights at lunch break. Father won't be happy to find out, I hope they didn't notice my family….who am I kidding , of course they did
He heard the familiar voice of his father, he sounded angry. Finally Zypher was able to open his eyes. He saw his father arguing with some teachers.
-You just have to turn everything into a ruckus don't you.
He sat up straight and the nurse noticed him moving, so they approached him and did some check up's.
,,Are you alright Zypher? Do you feel any pain except in your abdomen?"
The nurse sounded calm but he saw the worry in her eyes.
,,I'm fine, I don't feel any other pain" he lied
Even though he knew it would hurt him, he decided to get out of the bed and started walking towards his father who was still arguing with some teachers.
The moment the father turned his head and looked into Zyphers face, Zypher got frozen in place. The intense and violent stare of his father made him want to crawl into a corner.
,,Good to see you healthy" his voice had no meaning in his mind, just empty words to sound like a good father.
The father grabbed him by his wrist.
,,I'm sorry if my boy caused any trouble, I'll talk with him later."
He stormed off and forcefully took Zypher with him.
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Home it was the same as always, just a tiny difference. Zypher was sitting on a chair opposite of his father.
,,Do you care to explain Son?"
-Calling me son as if he was my father
,,He attacked my friend and when I tried to protect him he attacked me."
He knew any explanation was futile but he wanted to at least be honest, just this once. Maybe once in a lifetime his father would understand.
His dads expression didn't change, a stoic but angry expression.
,,Never do that again. You're lucky your mother will be home again in a few hours so don't I won't punish you yet. Go in your room and dont come back out."
Zypher complied, any resistance would do more harm than good. Zypher didn't have a phone, a computer or anything else to contact or speak with anyone. All he had were some books and his school essentials. His room was almost empty but for him it was as full as it would ever be.
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A stormy night, lightning is striking down and the sound of thunder is the only sound to be heard. A voices of two individuals echoed through the house. Laying on the ground while crying, she didn't notice her father approaching. Another thunder and then a loud bang. Her body was covered in dust and bruises. Just before another thunder she woke up.
In panic she took deep breaths which then slowly started to slow down.
-A nightmare…how many days in a row now?
She looked at her hands which were shaking and then she glanced over to the clock.
5:48
-Let's just get ready for school, I won't be able to fall back asleep anymore so there's no point.
After changing into more proper clothes she decided to walk towards the train station. She was never this early and didn't expect to see anyone so it was a surprise to see her seat neighbor also waiting for the train.
-What was his name again?…Zo…no Zy…was it Zypher? Wasn't he in a big fight yesterday? Why is he already going back to school?
She approached the bench that Zypher was sitting on and sat down next to him , keeping a fair amount of distance between them.
,,Didn't expect anyone else to take the train this early. Especially not from someone who got beat up yesterday"
Zypher turned his head and she noticed a few bruises which she knew hadn't been hit during the fight.
Zypher looked down at her. His staggering height was significantly higher than Saphina.
-Around 187 maybe more
,,I always take the early train, it is calm in the morning and I can enjoy the fresh air"
He smiled yet she didn't see a genuine smile.
,,I suppose it is that way."
This was just a brief conversation but it told more than a dozen conversations with other people would tell.
As Zypher dozed off into the air she could see his face more clearly. He wore glasses which were a bit tinted but from this perspective she could finally look into his eyes. The blue eyes reflected sunlight as if it was second nature. She didn't want to be seen staring at him so she just turned around and also looked into the sky.
-Maybe I'll take the morning train more often
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At school many students turned their heads when seeing Zypher.
-I hope Leon is alright. I didn't have a chance to talk with him after the fight started. He looked so frightened.
The day progressed as usual with the sole exception that there were more eyes on Zypher than there were eyes focusing on lessons.
At break time he went outside to the school yard. The school owned a tremendous field and the students were free to go there during break periods. Zypher walked towards his friends who were already at their usual spot.
Max noticed him first and waved to him
,,Nice to see you again Zyph, we were worried yesterday. Are you okay now?"
,,Yes I'm okay, don't worry."
Zypher looked at Leon who then also turned around to look at Zypher. He knew he shouldn't be able to notice but knowing Leon since middle school he was able to tell that Leon was still shaken up.
,,Good morning Leon" He smiled as if to ease into the moment.
,,Good morning Zyph" Leon also smiled but the undertone of guilt was noticeable.
-I'll talk with him later about yesterday, now's not the time
As they continued their conversation Zypher was staring into the sky trying to look for answers to questions he asked years ago.