2. Rage

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The cafeteria buzzed with the sound of notifications on everyone's phones during this crowded lunch break. Then, a voice cried out, "Stop! Aaaa... It hurts... Stop! Stop!!" The pained voice and desperate screams of a woman echoed in unison from all the students' phones. Startled gasps and sudden silence swept across the room.

All pairs of eyes turned toward me as I stood there frozen, holding a lunch tray. Then, the familiar voice of the distressed woman, a voice I recognized all too well – what was happening? What had occurred?

Ding! A message came through on my phone too, and as I saw it, my jaw dropped in disbelief. The tray in my hand slipped from my grip and crashed to the floor with a resounding clatter.

Without a second thought, I sprinted with all my might toward Bash, Terry, and Lyan, who were sitting together, engrossed in a video on their phones. They saw me approaching with my fist clenched, and they quickly stood up, forming a protective barrier around Bash, who was at the center.

"What? You want some of this too? I'm sure you'd enjoy it, Har-ring-ton," Lyan taunted, a guy with a nose piercing and short dreadlock hair that made him look like a corona virus replica.

"You jerk!! You did this to my sister!! I'll make you pay right here!!" *Jabs* I threw a powerful punch at Bash, breaking his nose.

"AWW!! That hurts, you know!" he yelled, but I didn't show any mercy. My pent-up anger and frustration fueled me, and I continued to unleash a barrage of punches and kicks on Bash. Neither Lyan nor Terry escaped my wrath. It was three against one, but I had the upper hand due to my uncontrollable rage. I attacked all three of them recklessly, using anything within reach – an aluminum tray, a wooden bench – to vent my pent-up emotions. No one dared to intervene, for fear of becoming targets of my fury. The entire room was transfixed, witnessing my violent outburst.

"TOOTTT...!!!" A sharp whistle cut through the chaos. It was Mr. Rowan, the gym teacher, who had just arrived on the scene. "Danzel!! Stop!!" he shouted, but I paid him no attention. I remained steadfast in my assault, blinded by anger.

"STOP!!!" Mr. Rowen commanded as he rushed forward to block me, unfortunately, he got caught in the crossfire. However, my shock at seeing Mr. Rowan suddenly appear in front of me weakened my resolve as I snapped out of the rage that had clouded my mind earlier. "Hold him!!" Mr. Rowan ordered while holding his bleeding forehead to the students who were busy watching.

Several male students stepped forward and restrained my arms and legs, dragging me away from the scene. I briefly saw my three former opponents lying helpless on the ground, and in my heart, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

***

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!!" Mrs. Dayanah, the headmistress, yelled in her closed-off office. She stood up from her seat and paced back and forth behind me. "You won't get out of this, and I can't help you."

I rolled my eyes. Mrs. Dayanah was Merrick's puppet, of course. When it came to Merrick, she never acted like a headmistress but rather like a servant.

"I don't care. If you don't mind, you can send me back there. I want to finish what I started earlier," I replied coldly.

Mrs. Dayanah froze in her tracks. "But why?! Ugh... I don't care. This is beyond my authority now. Let Sir Tom Merrick be the one to punish you."

I chuckled. "Yeah, sure. If it's about Merrick, it's always beyond your reach, Mrs. Dayanah. I hope you never have any children if you don't want them to become one of Merrick's victims. I don't want you to regret your actions towards the students who are Merrick's victims. I want you to remain evil so that one day, when I'm strong enough, I can come back here and settle the score with you. I'll make sure your name is also on the list."

"Is that a threat? Watch yourself, young man. I will contact your parents as well," Mrs. Dayanah threatened, unfazed by my words.

"At least, why don't you ask why I did it? Why don't you care?"

"Is it worth it compared to what you did to Bash and his friends?"

"Less." My lips formed a grin, my hands clenched again, remembering the fight earlier, remembering the feeling of Bash's broken nose between my fingers, Lyan's cracked jaw, and Terry's ribcage. It still wasn't enough; what they did to Helen and taking Lyra from me had to be met with equally painful deaths.

Mrs. Dayanah scowled as she observed my change in attitude. She didn't care about Bash's actions that had triggered my anger, a student of hers who was usually quiet and smart. All she knew was that her position was now threatened in the eyes of the Merrick Family. She had worked hard to become a sycophant to reach her current position. Everyone also knew the comfort that came with being a Merrick lapdog. This spinster needed luxury to replace her lonely life, as no one was interested in her. She had a long face with sharp eyes and a crooked nose that resembled a vulture's beak.

"Hello, Sir... There's something I need to tell you. But I hope you won't blame me. What you need to know is that I've secured the main perpetrator. You don't need to bother looking for them."

[You know my time is precious to listen to your convoluted sentences, Mrs. Dayanah...]

"Yes, of course, sir, I apologize. This is about your son..." Mrs. Dayanah then explained the events and Bash's current condition, which I heard if all three of them had been transported by the school ambulance to the Merrick family hospital, and their conditions were quite serious. I chuckled with satisfaction as I listened.

After contacting Tom Merrick, the witch-like woman then called my family. As she repeated the chronology of events to my parents, I could hear a muffled scream from Mom. My jaw tightened, and I felt a pang of regret for adding to their burdens. I couldn't imagine how my actions would ultimately bring destruction to my own family.

My head hung low, and I covered my face with both hands. I didn't regret what I had done to Bash and his followers at all. What I regretted was why life was so unfair to ordinary people like us and my family when dealing with those in power.

***

Tom and Margaret Merrick arrived at Merrick High School as quickly as possible. His figure, as he strode down the hallway, was visible from the classroom windows and silenced both students and teachers. After that, without paying heed to the teachers' shouts to return to their seats, the students streamed out of the classrooms to see Tom and Margaret approaching the principal's office.

*THUD*

The sound of a forcibly opened door, without permission, Tom and Margareth Merrick entered the room.

*SLAP*

Margaret's hand reached my cheek first, and it stung so much. I just stared at the woman with a cold, expressionless gaze.

"Hell is where you belong! How dare you touch my son with your filthy hands! Tom, we can have him imprisoned for life," Margaret incited her husband.

"Nooo!" a woman's voice cried from the doorway. I saw the worried faces of my parents. They immediately fell to their knees at the feet of Tom and Margaret Merrick. I turned my face away, unable to bear seeing my parents humble themselves like this because of me.

"Sir... please, we beg for your mercy. This isn't like him at all. There must have been a misunderstanding. We will discipline him even harder from now on. Please give us a chance."

"Get out of the way! No words can make me reconsider giving your child a lesson! He will learn that there are consequences."

"Is that so, sir? What about the consequences of what your child did to ours?" Now, Dad didn't bow his head because he realized that no matter how he begged, it wouldn't work in front of the notoriously ruthless Merricks.

"My son didn't do anything," Tom Merrick replied coldly.

"Then who is this? Isn't this your child's face?" Dad showed the viral video of my sister, and my heart ached. I couldn't imagine how Mom and Dad must be feeling now that they knew what had happened to their daughter after last night's party.

"What? All I see is a young man having fun. Don't tell me you've never been like this? Look at your daughter enjoying herself," Tom taunted Dad.

Oddly, Dad found the strength to stand up and grabbed Tom by the collar, cornering him. "You can insult me however you want, but not when it comes to my children. They don't work under you to be treated like toys."

"Take your filthy hands off me!" Tom retorted, releasing Dad's grip.

"If you dare to press charges against my child, then I will take this case to the state, no matter what," Dad declared, giving me a glimmer of hope.

*Riiing...*

The sound of Mom's cell phone suddenly shattered the somber atmosphere. Mom was about to decline the call, but when she saw the caller's number, she reluctantly answered it.

"Yes, hello?"

[Is this Mrs. Harrington? This is about Helen, your daughter. She was found hanging in...]

"Nooo!" Mom's scream of anguish filled the air.

***

The gentle raindrops fell on Dustown as Helen's coffin was slowly lowered into the grave. I stood there, holding Mom, who was on the verge of collapsing from grief. The fear of her fainting weighed heavily on me as we said our final goodbyes to Helen.

Only a handful of mourners had come, mostly close neighbours. After Helen's casket had been lowered and the pastor had concluded the service, the mourners began to disperse. Then, two police officers approached us with stern expressions.

"Mr. Danzel Harrington, you are under arrest for assaulting Bash Merrick, Lyan Hudson, and Terry O’Connor."