Chapter 4: You’re Dead

Chapter 4: You’re Dead

The night was unrelenting. And as much as he wanted to say he could care less about the little tussle with his older brother, he couldn’t prove it. His eyes just refused to slam shut as he laid on his bed that was uncomfortable all of a sudden. In his words exactly, “It sucked”. 

If his body and mind wouldn’t allow him to have some shut eye, then he’d force himself to sleep. That always worked. Just a couple strokes here and there, and the blanket of sleep would cover him as soon as the deed was done. But as soon as Dawn arrived, it was a whole new Melodrama.

"Mom? Mom?" He kept bellowing through the house, checking any and every door he came across. "Mo– you're still in bed?" He looked astonished at his mother who was in no hurry to get up from her bed this Monday morning. "You do know that I have school today, right? And I'm the one who wakes up late ayy?" he muttered

Still taking her time with every movement, she slowly sat up on her bed, not even glancing at her son's bewildered expression. 

"Come on, come on. it's already seven thirty, we need to move. How'd you forget that–"

"I didn't… I didn't forget anything Marcus" she said, still not looking her son in the eyes. "In fact, for the first time in a long, long time, I finally feel like everything is going according to plan."

"What in God’s name are you talking about?” he said, confused. “If everything’s really going ‘according to plan’, how am I supposed to get to school then?"

"Simple" she pulled back up the thick duvet she used to cover herself and cuddled herself back into her bed. "Your brother's taking you."

"What?" He said a lot louder than usual. "Mom please don't start this with me today."

"Start what?"

"I'd rather stay at home than go to–"

"Last I remember, I wasn't suggesting. Don't remember having to ask for your permission before I do what I want to. Plus, Miss Ayesha told me you guys have some upcoming talent show stuff, and today's rehearsals. Sounded pretty important over the phone but oh well, maybe I'm wrong.”

“I’m staying at home. I’m not going anywhere with Ryan.”

“I have no problem with you staying at home Marcus. Since you feel like you're a big boy now, you'll also cook for yourself, and pay for–"

"Alright, alright. I'll go."

"Yeah, I thought so. He's waiting in the car outside. Bye-bye now" she said, curled on her bed, caring little to nothing about what Marcus was saying on his way out. 

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He could cuss, he could throw tantrums, punch the wall, sulk and hurl all sorts of insults, but at the end of the day, he'd get into that car. Mom was actually right, today was indeed a very big day, and he'd been looking forward to it for a while now. But now that he had to get into the car with that 6'3, built, archenemy, he wasn't so sure he wanted to go anymore.

He opened the door and walked outside like an ex-convict just released from prison. Looking to his left, he saw the figure in the car, hands wrapped around the steering, looking forward and completely emotionless. The feud between the brothers would one way or another have to end eventually, but from the look on his face, Ryan definitely wasn't gonna be the first person to make any attempts to settle their differences. Dragging himself to the car, his feet smacking on the ground underneath him, he hopped in and slammed the door shut behind him. 

He expected a "don't slam the door so hard", "someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed" or even a "seatbelt please", but nothing. Not a single side-comment. Not even a glance or a stare, he just buckled up and backed out of the driveway. 

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At least say "we're here” or something, but nothing. Still not a single word traded between the siblings after their dinner time altercation last night. The car screeched to a halt just at the entrance leading up to the school, and still not uttering a single word, he unlocked the doors. 

He didn't say it, but his face definitely wreaked the words, "get out" and Marcus gladly took the hint, once again slamming the door behind him. 

Now I must tell you, Phoenix High wasn't exactly known for anything spectacular or out of the ordinary. Just your average group of teenagers succumbing to the pull of the 'four walls' of an educational facility. Nothing stood out about that. However, this very day, the eyes of almost everybody was fixed solely on Marcus like he was some celebrity. This was new. Even the bullies were looking like "what the fuck?", and for a couple seconds, he appreciated the attention he rarely ever got in the four and a half years he’d spent here. But after a couple more seconds of soaking it all in, he stumbled upon a cruel realization. All those gazes, the attention, the wandering eyes of the almost everybody at the entrance, weren't for him. They were for the emotionless twenty-two-year-old in the car. 

His chiseled black eyes that seemed to glare at everybody but nobody in particular. The bulging muscles through his tight t-shirt complimented by his shaven head with just a little hair. His expressionless aura that oozed of a feeling everybody wanted to have a piece off. Everything, and I mean everything about him was spot on. The only thing that seemed to dent his almost supernatural aura was the eighteen-year-old loser walking out of the car he was in. Like mother falling for his tricks wasn't enough, now the whole school was in on it too. Could things get any worse? Yes. Yes, they could. 

"Woah" 

"Damn"

"He's kind cute" were the echoes hovering over as Marcus walked farther and farther away from the car. Ryan, not noticing any of this, reversed and zoomed out of the school premises, instantly breaking the spell. Now the entire audience had to settle with the gift of his younger, less attractive, and overtly annoying younger brother. "Yuck"

"What's up Pimples?" A deep voice from behind him echoed. 

"Ah fuck" Marcus whispered, knowing all too well who it was and what was coming. 

"What do you want Mitch?" He turned back eyeballing the built hunk whose presence wreaked of a different kind of unholy attraction.

"Nice bodyguard you got to drive you here. Your mom's in bed tired I suppose. That was probably all my fault. My apologies" he stretched a little, knowing all too well the wrath he was trying to evoke.

"What'd you say?" Marcus replied, having none of it. 

"Oh, you trying to find out what position it was? Well, depends on the time to be honest. Around twelve it was missionary. One, it was Doggystyle. And from two to four she satisfied me with that gawk gawk sev–"

Before he could get the words out of his mouth, Marcus threw a deafening blow in his direction and in one swift swipe, knocked the words out of his mouth and made his head sway a little to the right. 

The oos and ass echoing through the crowd that was watching, kinda leaked what was obviously coming next. Mitch immediately threw a right Hook of his own, but before he could land it on Marcus's pimpled face–

"Students! It's seven fifty-five. Everybody inside. Now!" Barked a middle-aged teacher, just a couple feet away from the brewing fight club. Mitch unclenched his fist and sent a deafening look in Marcus's direction. 

"After school. You're dead Boaz. Dead." He intentionally bumped into Marcus and walked further into the school's premises. 

"Phew that was close" he thought to himself. 

"Yo Marcus, over here" a different character waved, just a couple steps beside the middle-aged teacher. 

"Ayy Devon what's up?" 

The young, lean character looked like the perfect figure to give the 'nerd' role of a book or movie. His polo-type sweater and shorts complimented by his dark shoes and white socks gave him that 'Tyler, the creator' look, and his black ass rocked it pretty well. 

"I'm guessing that was him?" He inquired. 

"Don't want to talk about it."