RÊD FLÂGS
Red Flags - Episode 11 & 12
(Badasses•Bad•Jerks)
★★★★★★★★★
* What the f+ck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* Poke me please, need to make sure I'm not dreaming
* Someone get Chadwick a bullet in the head!
In a matter of seconds, the news flew all-around the campus, raging like a wildfire, and the school turned into an all-rounder gossip party.
There's a Facebook and WhatsApp group for the department, and the two became totally full of Chadwick's pictures, tagging him as Fake @ss
How they got his pictures printed on posters fast will always remain a mystery cos within five minutes, his poster filled the walls.
Even after Levi left the class with his father, Chadwick still couldn't move from his seat.
He sat trapped, and his right hand is on the table, folded into a fist.
His world is sure spinning, and soon enough, it'd shatter on his head.
He tightened his jaws as his bushy brows almost joined in the middle.
"What's going on?" North finally asked when she found her voice.
"What the hell is going on!!!" She yelled at Chadwick when she got no reply.
Chadwick stood, not bothering to give her any reply as he began walking out of the class.
Nina was the first to block him, using her phone as a microphone like a reporter.
"Mr. Fake @ss, how do you feel getting revealed as a fake?" She mocked.
Chadwick stopped, cutting her a dangerous glare which made everyone laugh out.
"Maybe Emz was right, your father might be Master Y!" Rebekah shouted, and another roar of laughter filled the class as Chadwick finally stepped out.
Going out to the hallway was a mistake cos the moment he entered, he was almost swallowed, and before he knew it, his shirt was ripped out of his body.
"Poor man" Hyce shook his head mockingly from the window.
"Banks kept quiet long enough" Conrad added.
"Not like Master X is worthy, man is a beast" Conrad replied.
"I swear i'd have buried myself if i missed school today" Nina laughed, her face buried in her phone.
Rebekah and Lizzy are doing the same thing, but Emory looked up from her phone after a while.
The logical question popped up in her head too.
Why did Levi keep it this long?
Why did he allow Chadwick take the glory since their first year?
She was still on the thinking pedestal when she felt eyes on herself, and she turned to see Omar gaping at her.
She gave him a frown, and he smiled sheepishly, making her cringe.
She immediately changed her seat, her mind going back to Levi's text last night.
What's the f+cker gonna ask for?
*
DEPARTMENT'S ROOFTOP*
"To every father figure, either rich or poor, there's an influence attached to him which rubs off on the child"
Master X believes that quote, but Levi aims to prove him wrong, and that's why he has been living by the invisible code.
Stay as low as possible and live by his own rules which he has been doing, and he still tops the chain.
Even when the students didn't know about Master X being his father, he was respected, more than Chadwick who pretended to be the real son
And that's why getting revealed doesn't sit well with him at all.
He hates it as much as he hates his father.
Right now, the man is sitting opposite him, and there's a chessboard between them, made of crystal and black marble.
They're in the middle of a chess game which they've been playing since Levi was 16...they never finish up.
He has no idea why he brought chess all the way to school to play with him, but everything about Master X is abnormal.
"You haven't been picking my calls nor replying my mails for a month" Master X broke the silence, his voice cold like Levi's.
Their resemblance doesn't stop with the voice though, Levi has his brown hair and dark eyes.
It's almost like everything on his face belongs to his father.
"Is that why you decided to step school and make a shit show?" Levi replied without looking up.
He moved a piece on the board, and the man's forehead knitted as he moved his own piece too.
"Cancelling your black card won't humble you, would it?"
"You did it before, you can do it again, I won't die" Levi replied.
"You knew about Chadwick's games for three years, you didn't confront him" Master X spoke again, and Levi finally looked up, his irises burning.
"Being recognized as your son isn't a feat, you haven't exactly been behaving like a father"
"You will talk to me with respect!" Master X snapped.
"I have no respect left to spare you!" Levi snapped back, angrily pushing away the pieces on the board.
The man immediately withdrew his sword from his walking stick, swinging it to Levi's neck.
Levi went still, the sword cutting him slightly, and his blood trailed out under the sword.
"You shouldn't have been born" he said the usual line, and Levi's jaw gritted hard, every muscle on his body tensing up.
Master X dropped the sword slowly, and Levi stood.
"The girl on your watch, you failed to send me her daily life update for one month. I want it now"
"You ain't getting that, and I'm done watching her for you. You can adopt Chadwick to do your dirty job" Levi replied and started going for the stairs.
"You gave up on seeing your mother's grave already?" Master X's voice came, but that didn't stop him from going down the stairs.
His fists were clenched, and his jaws were still contracting, even his muscle bulge could be seen under his black shirt.
Getting back to school, the mayhem is still ongoing, and immediately he stepped into the hallway, all attention came to him.
Just what he has been avoiding.
At least, Chadwick shared the attention initially, but right now it's all on his f+çking face.
* You're the real deal!
* Suck my titties!
* I hail thee!
* Step on me!
They legit lay on the ground, and he had to kick one of them out of the way so he could step on the ground.
Some of the girls even took off their bras shamelessly, throwing it his way.
He stopped walking this time, and a slicing glare from him made all the screams stop.
He resumed his walk till he entered the male locker room where he met his friends waiting at already.
"It wasn't good, obviously" Hyce said when he saw his neck.
"You should clean your neck up. Poor thing has been getting targeted lately" Conrad replied as Levi took his seat.
"When is the hockey game starting?" He asked, staring into space.
"In thirty minutes" Hyce replied, glancing at his wristwatch.
Levi stood and started changing.
*
CAFETERIA*
The stellar records of the school obviously isn't about the academics and extracurriculars alone, but also the beautiful buildings.
The cafeteria ground wasn't made of paved stones like the rest of the campus, it was marbled, and the grandiose could be sighted from afar.
Students are already seated, stuffing their faces with healthy foods from the kitchen, each table so full and rich.
Emory and her friends are among the seated students. They have about thirty free minutes to spend here before the next class.
"I bet Chadwick won't show his face in school for the rest of this semester" Nina laughed.
She hasn't been able to stop talking about it.
"I have a bad feeling about it though. He has the same energy as North, they both don't give up easily" Lizzy said.
"Oy, he was totally disgraced so stepping the school means he wants to die. I'm sure he's getting dethroned as the leader of The Titans" Rebekah argued.
Emory couldn't add to the gist, all that's in her mind is the devil.
What's he gonna ask?
She's not the type to owe anyone a favour, so she's new to this.
"You ok, Emz? You've been quiet" Nina asked.
"I'm fine, just under the weather a bit" she shrugged, talking a subtle bite from her apple.
"The gist! I almost forgot! What happened at the club last night!" Nina gasped.
"Lizzy got kidnapped by Chadwick and his gang" Emory replied.
"What!" Nina and Rebekah chorused, their chicken wings falling from them at the same time.
"They insisted on bringing Banks to kneel with Emory" Lizzy explained.
"I can bet my life that Banks will never kneel" Nina said defensively.
"He didn't. He only whispered into Chadwick's ear, and dude froze" Emory replied, then she gasped.
Maybe what he whispered last night was the fact that Master X wasn't his father!
It makes sense.
"But I got my attack while with them, and now they're aware of my condition" Lizzy said slowly.
"Oh no" Nina muttered.
"It's nothing, so far we'll always be around you" Rebekah said, and Lizzy smiled.
Not far from their table, Rain and Isaac are sharing a table too, eating pasta.
As the bookworm that she is, Rain has a book beside herself that she's reading from, and her hair kept falling no matter how neatly she tucked it behind her ear.
"Try to draw a line between reading and eating, geek" Isaac said, taking the book from her.
He closed it, but she snatched it right back and continued her multitask.
Isaac smiled, and her hair fell again, almost landing in her food.
"This darn hair" she complained.
"Just a minute" Isaac stood, getting a band from his bag.
He came behind her and gathered her hair in his palm then tied it neatly into a ponytail.
"Thank you" she smiled.
"Of course" he winked and sat back, unable to look away from her as she resumed eating.
Rain slowly turned and glanced shortly at Emory before concentrating back on her meal.
From the door, Hyce is watching Isaac with a mixed expression on his face.
He's changed to his hockey team uniform already.
Conrad appeared beside him, peeking over his shoulder.
"Even the blind can perceive Isaac has a blind crush on Rain" he whispered.
"So far Rain stays uninterested, I'm game" Hyce replied, turning around with a slow smile which deepened his chin dimple.
"I'll make sure to hold a popcorn bowl while watching this show" Conrad said, chuckling as they both left for the field.
Nina suddenly stood from the girls table...
"Where to?" Emory asked.
"Washroom" Nina smiled before rushing out.
She went to the end of the hallway where she opened her phone to see a text from her mum.
Mum: Come home right now, need you to wash my car, I'm taking it out.
She gave her mouth wall a harsh bite after reading, then she smirked, her knuckles whitening.
"Not again" she muttered.
*
TITANS MANSION*
Chadwick's knees were almost touching the ground as he came out of his car and began walking towards the mansion.
He went to the casino in search of his father already, but he was told Hazzan came here.
He saw Hazzan standing restlessly in front of the mansion, and immediately their eyes met, the man rushed to him.
"I heard about what happened"
"You told me he had no son, you said all his family members are dead! How!!!" Chadwick yelled in a fit of rage.
"That's what I thought. Everyone working at the casino believes boss is the only survivor in his family. I dunno why he kept the fact that he has a son!" Hazzan yelled back.
Chadwick grinded his jaws, leaving the man standing as he began walking in.
"Chad!" Hazzan tried to follow him...
"Don't! Just continue being the useless father you've always been!" Chadwick spat, stopping him in his tracks as he entered the mansion.
All the club members are in as he expected, and they all have looks of disapproval.
As usual, Omar stood by the rails, watching innocently.
"We want you down, another leader is needed" North voiced out.
"And who said you could dethrone me? I own the club!!!" Chadwick roared energetically.
"No one wants a leader who lies to his members, you ate shit" a member said, and Chadwick faced him.
"Repeat that" he muttered.
"I said...
Chadwick cut him short by swinging a knife at him suddenly.
The knife got his neck, and the member went down lifeless beside North.
North rushed forward, standing face-to-face with Chadwick.
"What do you think you're doing?" She muttered.
"No one dethrones me" Chadwick muttered back.
"You're not who you claim to be!" North seethed.
"What if I make him who he claimed to be?" the cold voice boomed throughout the mansion, and the eyes of everyone came wide when they saw Master X standing by the door with Hazzan beside him.
"We should talk, Chadwick" Master X smiled creepily.
*
BACK IN SCHOOL, HOCKEY STADIUM*
The bleachers is already brim-full with students who're here for the game.
It's a tough one between Legacy college hockey team and another university from the island.
Even Isaac doesn't even have to drag Rain before she agreed to come, surprisingly.
Nina left the girls with the excuse that she's going home for a family issue, so they're just three right now.
Rebekah and Lizzy have ice cream cones with them to enjoy the game with, but Emory's hand is empty.
Her hands are in her LC jacket pocket, and her eyes were trained on the field benches where the players are.
Levi is sitting alone, but his eyes aren't keen or dark as it always it.
He looks livid, like he wants to burn every living thing, like he wants to maim...
Strangle..
Kill.
He looks so f+çking enraged, and Emory wondered why.
Not like she cares, but whatever got the devil angry like this must earn a point from her or something.
"Does anyone else notice Banks mood changed from cool to dangerous since he got recognized as Master X's son?" Rebekah said, swiping her tongue on her lips to lick the cream crumbs.
"Maybe he doesn't like his father, I mean... whatever" Lizzy shrugged.
"Who knows?" Emory shrugged too, and Lizzy grinned, grabbing her arm with an hand while grabbing Rebekah's with the other.
"You can decide not to play this game yunno? You look stressed" Conrad told Levi on the field.
"I'm f+çking playing" he replied grimly.
Hockey is the only thing that feels white in his dark world, and he won't forfeit it for anything.
"You sure?" Hyce asked the same question.
"Of course Banks is playing! My star player is playing!" The couch shouted as Banks stood.
Hyce and Conrad exchanged glances, and they entered the field at once.
Ten minutes later, the whistle came, and the game started.
Levi and the guys as the midfielders played excellently as usual, and within 30 minutes, they're on the 20th goal while the rival university had none at all.
The 21st goal came from Levi again, and the crowd went berserk over him.
"Nina would be screaming madly now if she were here" Rebekah laughed.
"I know, right? Banks!!!" Lizzy took over, and Rebekah laughed again.
Rain even cheered for him beside Isaac.
"This is new" Isaac said, removing a strand of hair from her face
"What can I say? He's pretty good" she smiled.
Emory found herself palpitating.
She should be enjoying the game, but the thought of what he'd ask for is wounding her mind real bad.
The rival university suddenly got the ball on the field, and they really kept it this time till they got to the goalpost.
Legacy college goalie could have easily stopped the goal, but the ball slipped into the net, and the crowd cheers went down.
Levi threw down his puck stick and walked fast steps to the goalkeeper, punching him lethally on the lips
The goalkeeper fell with a bleeding mouth, and the crowd stood to their feet in shock.
"You could have stopped that goal bastard!" Levi glared.
"But I tried and...
"You had enough time to practice but efficiency is far from you isn't it?! You better make sure that shit never happens again, or I'm killing you!" Levi spat, and the goalkeeper swallowed in fear.
"Banks" Hyce pulled him back.
"Banks? I think you need to take a rest" the coach said gently, then a raindrop landed on Conrad's arm.
"Holy cow" he muttered as the raindrops multiplied, turning heavy within minutes.
Everyone began rushing out of the stadium to avoid getting wet, and the crowd kept thinning till the stadium got emptied after five minutes.
Everyone left except Levi who's standing in the middle of the field, the rain strokes beating him like whips, but he doesn't even seem to be feeling anything.
His neck which got wounded by the sword is open, and it's like the rain made it reopen cos it's bleeding again.
He turned back to leave after some minutes, but his brows dipped when he saw Emory standing behind him.
She's not drenched though since she has an umbrella over herself, and she looks determined.
"I'm not the type to owe anyone, and I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight if you don't tell me what you want so I'll start working on it" she said, tightening her hold on the umbrella handle.
Again... Levi detected it.
She's still scared of him though she hides it pretty well, but not so deep for his eyes.
"You shouldn't have come, fox" he said, his voice syncing with the rain.
"What do you mean?" She muttered, holding the umbrella tighter.
"The plan was to let go of everything before, but now that you walked into the den yourself..."
"I can still leave" She quickly cut him off and turned, but she had barely taken four steps when he talked again...
"Running away won't work, I'll hunt"
She turned back to him and saw him walking to the benches already.
He picked up a duffel bag, and she felt her chest tightening again when he started coming back.
She stood her ground though, keeping her strong girl persona till he arrived, but before she knew it, he snatched the umbrella from her.
"What the hell, Levi!" She gasped, covering her chest with her arms as the rain began beating her too.
He broke the umbrella handle with his knee, and her eyes widened.
"Levi!" She shouted.
"The more you call me that, the more i wanna crush you" he smirked, and she looked up to meet his deviant eyes.
She gulped.
"You'll start experiencing just how dark my world is...fox" he growled, throwing down the destroyed umbrella.
Emory's wet hair gummed to her face, and the rest of the locks went down below her chin.
"Wait for it" he whispered before walking out of the stadium.
As if to confirm his words, thunder clapped in the sky, and Emory wrapped her arms tighter on herself.
It was at that moment she knew...
She's Doomed.
TBC.
No comments