The door creaked open, and Blake straightened up as a shadowy figure stepped in, closing the door behind him.

The Boss.

“Hey… I need to talk to you about something serious,” Blake said, his voice lower than usual, the fear he’d been pushing down starting to surface.

He never wanted to appear weak in front of the boss, but this was different.

The figure said nothing, just motioned for Blake to continue.

Blake swallowed hard and started. “Someone’s been sending me notes. Threatening me. They said if I keep messing with people, there’d be consequences.”

The figure remained silent, waiting for Blake to get to the point.

“I-I thought it was just some idiot messing around at first, you know? But it’s different now. They’re serious. They said they’ve been watching me, and they even left a note at my house.” Blake’s voice wavered for a second, betraying the fear gnawing at him.

“And?” the figure finally asked, voice calm, controlled.

Blake clenched his fists. “I don’t know who it is! No one’s seen anything, but I can’t ignore it anymore. I figured… you’d want to know.”

The figure leaned back in their chair, the dim light casting long shadows over their face. “So, you’re scared now?”

Blake gritted his teeth. “No, I’m not scared! It’s just…whoever’s doing this, they’ve got something planned. I can feel it. They’ve got the whole school talking. Everyone’s acting like I’m losing my grip. I need to stop this.”

The figure stayed quiet for a moment, then leaned forward slightly. “And you think I should care because?”

Blake’s jaw tightened. “Because you always said we couldn’t let things spiral out of control. You said that we keep order in our own way. If I let this freak get away with this, it’s gonna mess with everything. People will think I’m weak.”

The boss sat in silence for a beat, then finally spoke. “So, you’ve already let them inside your head.”

Blake froze, his heart pounding louder in his chest. “W-What?”

“You let some anonymous coward make you run scared,” the boss continued, voice sharp. “You let them break your focus, and now you’re here, looking for me to fix your mess. Blake, I didn’t let you join so you could push me down, I have my own purposes, and you’ve your own. So clean your mess yourself, jerk. Or have you lost control?”

Blake’s hands clenched into fists. “That’s not it. I’m still in control. I just thought-”

“You thought wrong,” the boss interrupted coldly. “This is your problem. If you’re losing control of your people, then handle it. If you’re afraid of some words on paper, then maybe you aren’t as strong as I thought.”

Blake’s face flushed with frustration and fear. He hated being talked down to like this, but he knew better than to argue. This wasn’t the kind of person you argued with.

“I won’t let it get any worse,” Blake muttered through clenched teeth.

The boss stood, casting a long shadow over Blake. “You’d better not. Because if you do, you won’t just be dealing with whoever’s sending those notes.”

Blake looked up, eyes wide.

“You’ll be dealing with me.”

With that, the boss turned and walked out, leaving Blake alone in the dim room, the weight of their words heavy in the air.

Blake’s hands trembled as he sat there, replaying the conversation over and over in his head. He was furious, humiliated, but more than that- he was scared.

Not just of the notes anymore.

But of what would happen if he didn’t get things under control.

Stolen story; please report.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day at school, Ash couldn’t help but think about everything he had done.

It wasn’t hard to find Blake’s address- he had overheard some of Blake’s lackeys talking about it before.

But now, walking to the cafe, Ash felt a strange sense of satisfaction mixed with guilt.

He hadn’t expected his notes to actually shake Blake up, but from the way Blake had acted yesterday, it was clear something had changed.

‘Maybe I went too far.’ Ash thought as he absentmindedly glanced around.

‘But then again, Blake deserved it. He had terrorized everyone for so long without a single consequence. Someone had to stand up to him, right?’

As Ash chewed on these thoughts, his attention was pulled toward the entrance of the cafe.

Blake was walking in with his usual gang trailing behind him, like shadows clinging to his every move.

But today, there was something different about Blake.

He wasn’t his usual cocky self, not completely.

There was an edge to his walk, a tension that Ash, thanks to his observational skills, felt while a few steps away from him.

Blake stopped in front of a student who was walking towards the door too, minding his own business.

The kid looked up, startled, as Blake loomed over him.

“Hey, why are you in my damn way?” Blake growled, his voice low.

He grabbed the kid’s collar, yanking him up.

‘Eh? He is still keeping that crap up?’ Ash deadpanned inside.

His mind raced.

The kid stammered, trying to apologize, but Blake wasn’t having it.

He shoved the kid back down into his chair.

“Don’t let it happen again.” Blake hissed, his eyes dark with anger. Then he turned and walked away, his gang laughing and following close behind.

‘At least he is not beating people up, and that’s an improvement.’

He had rattled Blake with those notes.

The thought of it made his heart race. If he could shake Blake up, then maybe there was a way to stop him for good. But what came next?

This wasn’t an action movie where the hero wins with fists and fancy moves.

No, this was different.

This was just about getting into Blake’s head.

Ash was still pondering over these thoughts, when someone shooked him by the shoulders.

“Hey Ash! Stop spacing out buddy!” It was undeniably Lucas.

Ash blinked, snapping out of his deep thoughts. “Wha-? Oh, hey.” he muttered, still a bit dazed. His mind was racing with everything that had happened and what he had to do next.

Lucas dragged him to the nearest cafe table and plopped down next to him at the table, and right behind him was Jason, who looked far more animated than usual.

“Asher! Have you heard?” Jason said, practically bouncing with excitement.

“Heard what?” Ash asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn’t like how hyped they both seemed.

Lucas leaned in closer, lowering his voice slightly. “Someone’s threatening Blake.”

Ash nearly choked on his drink. “W-What?”

Jason’s eyes widened like he was about to spill the juiciest gossip in school history. “Yeah! Asher, everyone’s talking about it. Blake’s been acting all weird and jumpy, and word’s going around that someone’s been sending him threatening notes. I mean, how cool is that?”

‘How do they-’

“Yeah.” Lucas added, nodding in agreement. “Whoever it is, they’ve got some serious guts. Blake’s been shaking ever since yesterday, and I overheard him muttering about some ‘freak’ daring him. Dude, this person is a legend.”

Ash’s heart raced. He tried to keep his face neutral, but inside, he was panicking. ‘How did they find out already? Did I leave some clue behind? Is this getting out of hand?’

Jason, of course, was too caught up in his fanboying to notice Ash’s discomfort. “I mean, whoever this guy is, he’s gotta be like a ninja or something.” Jason chopped the air, “Silent, deadly, leaving messages for Blake like it’s some spy movie. Man, I’d love to meet him. He’s my hero!”

Lucas chuckled. “Yeah, Blake hasn’t bullied anyone today, and that’s saying something. Whoever’s behind this has done what no one else could. I gotta say, I’m impressed.”

Ash just sat there, dumbfounded. They were literally praising him without even knowing it. He wasn’t sure whether to feel proud or mortified.

“Uh... how do you guys know all this?” Ash asked, trying to keep his voice casual.

Jason waved a hand, dismissing the question like it was no big deal. “Oh, word gets around. Blake’s been acting off, and a few of his lackeys were whispering about it. Plus, some kids said they saw Blake freaking out over a note at his locker.”

‘Oh yeah, I…did leave a note in his locker, but that’s my job,...right?’

Lucas leaned back in his chair, smirking. “Whoever’s threatening Blake, they’ve got him rattled. It’s like karma’s finally catching up with him.”

Ash just nodded slowly, his mind spinning. ‘Karma, huh? I guess I did rattle him... but what happens now?’

He wasn’t sure if this was going to make things better or worse, but one thing was clear: the game had officially begun.