Chapter 4: A Friendly Enemy
Richie
Sweat dripped down my face from the grueling hard exercises. Several hundred pushups, pull ups, and crunches all folded into a mere hour. Mitchell and Jenna had absolutely no problem and finished before anyone. Zach was surprisingly good for someone who sat behind a computer most of the day.
"COD really gets that adrenaline pumping. All those tense moments when I hold in my breath and scream must've given me some serious muscles dude".
He jokingly laughed and went back to finish his quota and as he put it "pwn some noobs". It was Astrid that was really struggling. I tried my best to help her out, shouting encouraging words, showing her how to place her hands with the least stress, but none of it worked. It took her two hours to finish what everyone else did in one.
"Sitting in the chair all day and studying really hinders muscular strength", she said.
"How about this?", I asked, "Come by the dojo around six and we can practice for an hour after chemistry class".
"Sounds good, Richie", she retorted, "Hopefully I can be as good as everyone else".
She quickly walked away, clearly flustered and embarrassed. I grabbed my gym bag with my clothes and shoes and pushed open the doors. Just as I stepped through, someone grabbed my shirt and I was suddenly slammed against the wall. I let out a small wheeze and grunt of pain as the wind was knocked out of me.
"Well, well if it isn't the pip squeak", said a familiar voice.
Jenna held my me by my shirt high above the ground. Mitchell stood behind her, trying to look tough but clearly following Jenna's lead.
"What do you think we should do Mitch? Maybe lock him outside past curfew? The guards will show him a good time. They love those batons and Tasers".
Her fist hurled toward my mid-section, connecting just below my ribs. Her blow knocked the air act of me and my sight began to go fuzzy. She hit me again and again, in my stomach, face, and gut. It was a good thing she was holding me up because there was no way I could stand, much less walk. She smiled evilly while Mitchell stood behind her, clearly conflicted about what he should do.
"Mitchell, come on man, we are friends! Quit following this bully and help a bro out here!", I yelled.
Mitchell looked as confused as ever, obviously questioning whether to help me and get his butt kicked by Jenna, or let Jenna beat me up and save himself.
"Sorry Richie", he said meekly, "Part of being a tactician is to know when to fight and when to surrender".
Jenna's knuckle rings began to whirr with energy as blue sparks arced across the top of the metal.
"Sleep well bozo", Jenna crooned.
The last thing I saw was Jenna's steel rings coming straight at my face with her smirk smile broad against her face and Mitchell's smoke grenade exploding in front of us.
Every bone in my body hurt, especially my face. When I woke up, it was clearly becoming morning. The window next to me showed a beautiful blue and pink sky and an incredible sunrise growing over the horizon. I tried to stand but my face and torso hurt too much; Jenna had definitely broken a bone or two. I slowly crawled down the dark hallway until I reached my room. Lights glowed from under the door; Zach was clearly awake. I slowly pushed open the door but just then all my energy gave out.
"Jesus!", Zach screamed as he clambered out of his chair and helped me up.
He threw one of my arms around his neck and lifted me to my bed.
"Who did this to you? What happened?", he exclaimed.
I tried to talk but couldn't, all my energy was drained. He ran to the bathroom and grabbed a wad of paper and pressed against my bleeding face. He then hurried over to the phone and dialed a number.
"We have a hurt student in Dorm 2, thank you".
He then grabbed some paper towel, grumbled on how COD actually taught him medics, and pressed the wet paper against my bruised eye. It was definitely alcohol, no doubt about it. The burning was so intense, so terrible that it reminded me of when my mother pressed it against my scraped knee when I was three. The door burst open and four women dressed in white nurse gowns hurried over with an already prepped gurney. My head began to feel fuzzy and the room began to spin. Suddenly, there were three of everything; three blonde nurses strapping me onto the whiteboard I was stretched across, three Zachs stressing out above me, and three open doors where Astrid was barging through, clearly shocked about my injuries. She leaned above me, her braid falling just above my face. My sight and hearing began to dim as I feel into a deep sleep or possibly even a coma.
Astrid panicked, screamed for nurses to come, and leaned into my ear to make sure I hear this, "I know exactly who did this to you, and they will pay severely".
I tried to answer back, to tell her no, she'd just get herself into more trouble, but it was useless, I was completely out of energy. I looked down at the pool of red brewing on my bed. I was clearly bleeding out and losing consciousness fast. I tried my best to stay awake but my efforts were futile. I looked at Astrid and Zach, running alongside me as the gurney was wheeled down the hallways towards the infirmary. Just as I slipped into unconsciousness, the door next to me opened, Mitchell's surprised face and Jenna's sneering smile was the last thing I saw as slipped into unconsciousness and was wheeled into the clinic.