Chapter 3

~ The Decision ~

SW/SW/SW

The school was over and Kail was getting ready to go home. This was his first time doing homework until four o’clock. Honestly, he was uncomfortable, but for Alisa, he would do anything.

“Let’s go home, Kail. The sun will set and we don’t want to worry our parents,” Alisa smiled widely, leaning at him, who was practically shoving his books into his bag. “It’s been ages since we went home together. Speaking about going home, how is your sister? I heard she’s not feeling well.”

“Nah, just a cold. She’ll be alright in two or three days,” Kail stretched down before standing up. He had texted Nia to go home early, so she wouldn’t wait for him. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

Opening the door half-way, his vision was met by a familiar face leaning against the wall. He wasn’t alone. His two friends were there, waiting for him. In that instant, Kail felt like the world was ending.

He was the guy who extorted his money that very same afternoon.

“What’s wrong, Kail?” Alisa popped out from the classroom. She smiled to the new guy, “Good afternoon, Wawan. I’m surprised to see you here. Do you have any club activities after school?”

“Nah. I’m in the go-home club,” Wawan stepped forward and hugged Kail with one hand, “But today, I’m going to a bookstore nearby with him.”

Alisa blinked, “Eh? But Kail was supposed to go home with me.”

“Huh? He’d asked me during lunch break, though.” Wawan would make an excellent villain actor if only there were no vertical scars on his left cheek. The scars looked like a cat had scratched him and would never heal.

“Kail, would you mind explaining things to us?” Alisa looked at him and Wawan secretly tightened his hug, a signal for Kail about the consequences he would face should he tell her the truth.

Driven by fear, Kail obeyed immediately. Scratching his head and faking guilty, he apologized, “S-Sorry, Alisa... I just remember that I did promise to hang out with him and I forgot to tell you. Looks like we can’t go home together.”

Alisa gave him a reassuring smile and Kail gulped, wishing that Alisa wouldn’t be so dense at a time like this, “It’s okay, Kail. No problem. But you have to show me that comic when you’re done with it, okay? Bye, and have fun!”

Kail waved back and wished that Alisa wouldn’t run. Once she was out of their sight—

“That was awesome, Kail,” Wawan praised him, pushing Kail into a wall. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Wawan’s two friends quickly stood on Kail’s sides to prevent him from escaping.

“Give us your money.”

“B-But you already did...”

Kail flinched in fear when Wawan slammed his fist to the wall. A little bit left, and his head would be the target. “Shut up, stupid motherfucker! Don’t lie to us. I know you must’ve had some in your bag.”

He was scared.

He was so scared.

Why wasn’t anyone coming? Why wasn’t anyone coming to rescue him?

Wawan, irked just by seeing Kail’s expression, punch him in the face. It acted like a cue to his friends, who soon joined the party. They kicked, spat, punched, and hit Kail until he was black and blue.

After rummaging through his bag, they found that he had no money left. Angrily, they left grumbling and cursing.

Kail was alone in that hallway, lying on his side and crying. It hurt so much. It hurt. His left eye was black from Wawan’s punches and his body ached all over.

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He gathered his belongings on the floor and put them back inside his bag. Feeling dizzy, Kail leaned against the wall. He spent quite a time sitting like that, harnessing the energy to move. He slowly stood, ignoring the gnawing pain in his body.

“Gah...! Ah....” Kail coughed, placing a hand on the wall to steady himself. “Ah....! Ghhh...”

His chest was throbbing as he lifted his body. His head was spinning and his vision was blurred, but he had to go home. He couldn’t stand being inside this place any longer.

Dragging his feet, he managed to reach the stairs. Very slowly he stepped down, cringing in pain from.every step he made. Finally, he made it to the first floor and was glad that it was empty.

“Someone there?”

Ignoring his legs’ protest, Kail sprinted outside the building and hid behind the wall, under a window. It was the school caretaker. Someone, in fact, was there in the school, but why didn’t the caretaker show up when he was getting beaten?!  

Stealthily Kail peeked through the window to see the man walked up the stairs. He inhaled and was once again back on his feet. His face must’ve been awful and he could taste his own blood just by wetting his lower lip.

He should get home quickly...

0000

“Do you know what time it is?! Where on earth have you been?! What have you done this time?!” his mother’s outrage greeted him. She was literally blazing with fury at his appearance. “Why must you always into fights with people?! What if they reported you to the police?!”

Instead of helping, his mother was confusing other people with her unending rant.  

“They won’t,” Kail applied disinfectant to his bruise after washing it off. The instant the disinfectant touched the bruised area, it burnt like hell. Kail held his pained expression in well.

Nia carefully placed a band-aid on the surface and proceed to clean other dirty bruises with warm water.

“But what if their parents came here and demanded compensation?! What would our neighbors say?! You’re always making us look like a bad family, Kail! Why can’t you be like your nephew?!”

You are always—

The pattern would always be the same.

You’re always making us look like a fool!

You’re always involved in a fight!

“Mom, could you make something for big brother? It would help us,” it wasn’t apparent, but Kail heard Nia’s irritation under the layer of sweetness and politeness. She smartly requested their mother to cook something for him, which she gladly did.

Kail’s mother was a sucker for Nia.  

He was done getting all patched up. Although he wasn’t fully healed, the pain subsided. To his surprise, his mother had made him crispy, deep-fried chicken thighs. He happily ate them, marveling at how crunchy they were and how tasty the rice was. In an instant, he felt his energy coming back.

The clock pointed to six p.m. He was now resting on his bed. Arms and cheeks were covered in band-aids, but he was used to it by now. When he lay on his side, he felt something pricking his skin. He took it out.

Turned out it that it was the MMO-something game, GeaOnline.

He took a good look at it and then closed his eyes. If he played the game, then he could easily forget about the reality. If he played the game, he’d find a world where he could walk in peace without fear of being bullied.

Yes, everything was possible.

Slowly he opened his eyes and tilted his head to the left. There, on the table, stood his piggy-bank. Pink and cute, he’d gotten himself that piggy on his tenth birthday and he’d been saving up money since then.

He wondered if the money could get him the visor, whatever that was, to play the game?

Nah.

He’d save the money to escape from this house and all the while get rid of this stupid game. He never played any MMO games but he believed that they were nothing but ordinary, cheap, and time-consuming games.

Why would this GeaOnline be any different than any other MMO games out there?

“Brother, dinner’s ready!”

Kail sat up immediately upon hearing Nia’s voice. Turning his head towards the door, he shouted, “Yeah, I’ll be right there!”

He changed into some comfortable clothes and quickly descended the stairs. A familiar scene filled his eyes. His father was reading a newspaper, Nia was placing the food on the table, and his mother was taking off her apron.

The instant Kail sat down, his father opened his mouth, “What happened to you?”

Kail looked at him distrustfully and whispered, “Nothing happened.”

He ignored the disapproving look his father gave him and filled his plate with rice.

“You knew the consequences, right, Kail?”

He stopped moving and looked up to meet his father’s stern gaze.

“You, teenagers, are useless ruffians. All you do is use your faces as punching bags.”

The time had come to a halt.

Kail felt blood rising to his veins, making them swell and explode powerfully. Lost was his appetite, only rage and anger remained.

—All you do is use your faces as punching bags.

—useless ruffians.

He changed his mind.

He really needed that visor now.