01 : The Delivery Boy > Hudson Jackson

The sizzling sound of hot oil on the gas cooker filled the kitchen, the voices of people followed next while they were busy with one thing or the other

Twenty-six year old Hudson Jackson sat idly on a stool in front of a counter that had nothing on it, his elbow was rested on it, with his palm beneath his chin, his dark curly hair falling over his face. The view of what was going on in the kitchen was beginning to get blurry, he was losing the fight to keep his eyelids open, they were becoming heavier every second.

“Hudson!”

He jolted out of the stool immediately, turning to the direction where the voice came from and it was the manager standing in the doorway with his hands held behind his back, everyone turned for a brief moment and turned back to what they were initially doing.

It is an unspoken rule that you must not sleep in the kitchen or rather the manager must not catch you sleeping in the kitchen or it’s over for you, which might be the last day you will ever work there again, that was the reason for Hudson’s reaction.

The manager is a man that is slightly below the average height and have a round belly.

Hudson walked over to meet him immediately. “Twenty boxes of pizza have been ordered and you have to deliver it in ten minutes” the manager said to him and stretched a piece of paper that have the address details printed on it.

“Ok sir” Hudson nodded his head happily and collected the paper, he went to his bike and arranged the boxes of pizza neatly inside one bigger box neatly and as swiftly as possible.

In a couple of minutes he was already at the location he was sent to, he parked his bike in the compound and was about to unload the boxes of pizza from his bike when his eyes caught the building one more time and the look on his face changed from the expressionless one to shock, he recognized the house and who it belonged to, it was someone he had hoped to never cross path with in his entire life again but it seemed like fate had other plans and just wants to remain cruel to him again like it had always been.

Hudson dragged his feet slowly to the door, he could really feel his heart thudding against his chest. He couldn’t think of anything worse than delivering pizzas to your bully’s house.

He knocked on the door once nervously, he could hear the loud sound of music blaring the speakers from inside, he could tell that they will barely hear him from inside unless someone is close to the door.

He remember how a party is usually hosted every week here, which he never gets invited to except once and that day that he thought might have been a good day, probably them extending their hand of peace to him but it was the exact opposite, it had ended as one of the worst days he had come across in his entire life, to them it was just another day to establish their well plotted plan of bullying Hudson and making a huge joke out of him again.

Hudson raised his hand up to knock on the door again when the door opened and there standing opposite him was a drunk adult about his age, which is one of the bully’s close friend, Edward who recognized him immediately.

There was a surprised look on his face, it slowly morphed to a frown and then a dark sinister smile slowly spread on his lips.

Hudson couldn’t tell what he was thinking but he knows that something bad that seems to be the source of joy for them is about to happen again.

It is at this moment that he wished he had brought his cap along with him or a mask, or anything at all to cover his face and protect his identity to prevent what is about to happen now or worst case scenario, he had wished that he didn’t even come to work today at all and head lied to his boss that he was having stomach ache.

Edward was once a bit drunk but now it seems like he have sober up immediately after seeing him, he turned his head backwards to get the attention of the rest of them that were still partying and was oblivious of the fact that their favorite person is standing at the door.

They all came over one by one and some in groups after Edward had called to them, yelling on top of his voice so that they can hear him.

Hudson bent his head low, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow him.

“Is this not that trash back in college?” one of the girls standing around asked with her hands pointed at him.

“Yes, who else than the bastard” another person from among them replied her and they all burst into laughter.

“Wait…” someone said and they all ceased their laughter after a few more seconds, “why are you the one delivering the pizza?” he asked.

Hudson couldn’t even say a word, he had no choice but to stand there and tolerate what they have to say to him.

“Don’t tell me you pick up the delivery job?” one of them asked rhetorically and they all burst into another round of laughter.

“Aww, I think your face needs a little more painting,” Edward began while walking towards Hudson, he rubbed his hands on his cheeks and nose, “it’s too soft or aren’t you guys thinking about the same thing?” he turned back to ask them.

“Trust me, we are all thinking the same thing” one of the guys folded his arms on his chest with a dark smirk on his face. “but he isn’t worth even a second of our precious time” he added and drag off the pizza from his hand, the others assisted and helped him to take the rest back inside.

Hudson was a bit thankful that the bully is not here or things would have escalated.

He stood in front of the door waiting for money, there is only one person standing at the door and he had a mocking look on his face, this is Hudson’s first time of seeing him so he just ignored him and faced the door.

Edward came back with the money in his hand, he stretched it to Hudson, just as the latter was about to collect it, he let them fall on the floor purposely.

Hudson stood back up with a slight frown on his face and there was a smirk on Edward’s face when they made eye contact.

“I don’t need to remind you about what to do or do I?” he asked with his hands folded on his chest.

A deep sigh escaped Hudson’s lips as he fell to his knees slowly to pick up the money.

Edward stomped on his back heavily with his foot, “Go down properly you fool, don’t stress me” he said, the pitch of his voice rising a bit.

"Nobody likes you because you are a total a******, a b*stard and a weakling and this world isn’t one for people like you” another one of them said and the others hummed and nodded their head in agreement.

Yeah, even I know about that. Hudson chuckled inwardly, he tried to mask the pain he was feeling but he failed miserably at it and that was like the fuel they needed to increase the tempo.

“Yeah, just go and die, nobody cares” he heard a female voice say with a slight scoff in disgust.

“The b**** that gave birth to you hates you so much because you are a mistake, which is why she thought the best option was to leave you alone in this world, she couldn’t bear the thought of raising a total failure like you, someone who is destined to not progress in this life at all” Edward said and this time their laughter was so loud and deep, an uncontrollable one.

Every word they said was like an arrow to his heart, they all made his heart bleed, he couldn’t raise his head up even after picking the money on the floor, he didn’t want them to see his eyes that was already clouded with tears but nothing seems to be going his way at all, they had taken notice of it.

“What? You are gonna cry for real?” one of them bent down to look at Hudson’s face to get a clear glimpse to confirm his thoughts.

“He is really going to cry” he burst out laughing and the others join him too.

“I am going back inside” Ethan said and kicked him properly to the ground till he fell on his back.

Hudson stood back up and counted the money in his hands, there was no tip there at all, he scoffed sadly and wiped his face with the back of his palm while walking back to his bike.