CHAPTER 1

 

"Hand over your money, you ignorant fool!" Bruce angrily shouted at Aamon as he delivered a forceful blow to his stomach, while four of Bruce's companions restrained Aamon.

Aamon's injuries were severe, causing him to bleed heavily and struggle to catch his breath. His face was covered in blood, and his heart pounded in his chest. He yearned to retaliate, but the odds were stacked against him.

They found themselves on the roof deck of the university once again, engaging in their usual routine of ambushing and assaulting him for no apparent reason. However, this time, their motives had shifted—they were after his money. 

Aamon endured relentless torment from these boys, facing the cruelty brought on by his orphaned status. Despite the excruciating pain pulsating through his head, Aamon clung tightly to the few bills in his possession, not letting go of them. 

"This is my only allowance for..." Aamon attempted to speak, but Bruce simply chuckled and delivered another blow to his stomach, causing Aamon to cough up blood. 

Aamon found himself in a predicament; he had a $20 bill that he desperately needed to sustain himself for the entire week. Giving it away was simply not an option. 

Aamon struggled to rise and defend himself, but his frail frame left him vulnerable and powerless against Bruce. He had just enough to sustain himself. 

He was constantly struggling, unable to afford even the most basic necessities, and his clothes were in bad shape. 

They continued to hit Aamon without mercy, taking advantage of his inability to defend himself and the absence of anyone willing to intervene and inquire about their cruel treatment of the vulnerable boy. 

Suddenly, a young girl strolled by, her flowing brunette locks catching the eye. It was impossible not to notice that Bruce and his gang of bullies were up to their usual antics once more. that

She saw how they were tormenting Aamon, and she hoped to avoid getting involved, but Bruce saw her and knew that he couldn't possibly let her leave just like that.  As Bruce distanced himself from Aamon, he then approached the girl. 

"Hold there, babe. I've got some words for you." Bruce chuckled and playfully nibbled on his lip as he continued strolling towards the girl. 

Aamon grimaced, clutching his abdomen as blood spilled from his mouth. With effort, he raised his gaze to identify the intruder. When he realized it was Venice—the girl he had been secretly crushing on for years—his eyes grew wide. 

He had always held her in high regard, but he never mustered the courage to express his feelings. He believed that someone as beautiful as Venice would never be interested in someone like him.

Venice was filled with fear, aware that engaging herself with Bruce would only lead to trouble. She clenched her jaw as she trembled, unable to bear witness as she was on the verge of being harassed. 

Summoning his last ounce of determination, Aamon mustered the courage to seize one of the bullies by the legs. The bully squirmed and retaliated with a punch, desperate to break free from Aamon's grip. But Aamon stood firm, refusing to release his hold. 

He didn't want to seem vulnerable in front of Venice, the girl he had feelings for. Despite knowing that he was no match for the guy he was restraining, he took a deep breath and kept him pinned down. 

"Run now!" Aamon raised his voice, but Venice refused to comply. 

The very scene only infuriated Bruce. He swiftly turned to confront Aamon, who was already on his feet. 

"Who do you think you’re now? A hero?" With a fierce expression, he confronted Aamon, charging towards him. In a sudden turn of events, Aamon's grip loosened as a punch landed on his stomach. 

"What made you believe you could meddle in someone else’s affairs, huh?!" Bruce raised his voice once more, then swiftly delivered a forceful kick to Aamon's abdomen. 

Aamon took a step back, completely unaware of the obstacle that lay behind him. His lack of control over his movement only added to his surprise. Aamon tripped over the barrier, and, in a blink of an eye, he fell to the ground. 

Gripping the stick with all his might, Aamon peered down with a sense of dread. The overwhelming horror consumed him, making him aware that a single misstep could result in a fatal fall. He attempted to seek assistance from Bruce and his group; however, the stick broke, causing him to plummet from the roofdeck. 

The other kids yelled in shock as he tumbled down. With their hearts pounding and fear gripping them, they hurriedly gathered at the roofdeck's edge. 

All of them were shocked and immediately went to glance downward, where they saw Aamon lying motionless on the floor, drenched in a pool of his own blood. A wave of panic washed over them as they quickly retreated from the edge. 

"What the heck, Bruce! Just what the hell do you plan to do with that now?" One of the boys inquired, aware of the consequences he would face for what happened and, even worse, for neglecting to assist Aamon when he fell. 

“Is he really dead? Are we going to jail for this?" Another frightened individual exclaimed. 

Hearing the other boys speak in their frantic tone, Bruce strolled along the side, casually tousling his hair. 

He felt a sense of fear, but he quickly regained his composure by analyzing the situation. He realized that nobody had witnessed the incident, so the most prudent course of action was to leave the scene promptly. And they would all act as though they were completely innocent of what happened.

"Could everyone of you just calm down?" Bruce growled before eventually calming down. He glanced at the others, who remained visibly frightened, but he reassured them that there was no cause for concern. 

"We don’t have to worry about anything at all. Look, he's just an unfortunate orphan who's destined to die, and no one would even bother," Bruce began. "He has no family or connections to begin with. So if we all agree to keep it a secret, what happened to him will appear as an unfortunate accident. Get that?"  

The rest of the bullies reluctantly gave in, despite their fear, and they all shifted their gaze towards Venice. Knowing she was the only witness there apart from them.

“That won’t be a problem, unless one of us sings.” One of the bullies retaliated, and eventually his phrase made the rest of them look in Venice’s direction.

Suddenly, Venice’s eyes widened as she tightly clutched her book against her chest. 

Bruce walked towards Venice and asked, “I’m sure she didn’t see anything, right, babe?” He said this as he intently looked into Venice’s eyes, as if that meant a threat.

All of a sudden, she was in disbelief over the unexpected turn of events, feeling a chill run through her body. Venice noticed all eyes were fixed on her, causing her to gulp nervously before speaking. 

As everyone of them awaited her answer, Venice knew that the only safest answer would be, "Um, yeah, I didn't. I didn't witness anything. I promise to also keep the secret," she replied, confidently reassured them.