Kings of Hawkings [bxb]

Chapter 25

••••• Present Time ••••••

As Jonas recounted his story, Travis had prepared tea for everyone, but the cups remained untouched. The group was too emotionally raw and angry to even consider drinking it.

Jonas took a deep breath, struggling to keep his emotions in check. "Brett basically died in that graveyard on the night of the Hunt. It just took him some time to exhale his last breath. Somehow, he managed to show one broken soul the last bit of kindness he had in his heart before he left this world."

He paused, gathering his thoughts. "After some investigation, I discovered that Brett was the third person to commit suicide in the last decade because of this damn Hunt. Armed with this information and the video of me being attacked in the classroom, I confronted the school board and the influential parents. I struck a deal: I wouldn't release any of this information or report any bullying against me if they shut down the Hunts. We reached an agreement, and the Hunts were disbanded. But dammit, I was too trusting once again."

The group was seething with rage. They had just learned about Brett passing away but hadn't known it was due to suicide because of the trauma he suffered. In fact, they had never heard about any of the suicides until Jonas mentioned it. The school must have covered it up, keeping it hidden from everyone.

They also noticed something Jonas had said. He mentioned that he wouldn't report "any bullying," which implied that it was probably open season on Jonas after the decision to shut down the Hunts. Jonas had endured god-knows-what because he thought he had finally achieved a small victory on behalf of Brett.

Jonas continued, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and sorrow. "Every day, I faced relentless torment. The kids knew I couldn't report it, but I sure as hell didn't take it lying down. I fought back every single time. They saw my resistance as a challenge and doubled down on their efforts to break me."

He clenched his fists, the knuckles turning white. "What a fucking mistake. I helped cover up what happened to Brett for a deal that was bound to be broken. I wanted to believe that the school would keep their end of the bargain, that they would put an end to the Hunts and create a safer environment. But they didn't care. They were more interested in appeasing those spoiled assholes."

The room was thick with tension, the weight of Jonas's words sinking in. They realized the extent of the school's betrayal and the depths of the cover-up. Brett's story was just one of many, hidden away to maintain a façade of normalcy.

"Lukas said that the deal was over, right?" Hugh asked, grinning when Jonas nodded. "Then it's simple. We let everyone know the truth."

"How?" Jonas asked defeatedly. "They have the money and control."

"Jaiden and I can work on that," Travis offered. "You all need to focus on what's happening tonight."

"Fuck," Hugh groaned. "He's right. Their attention is on you again."

Jonas ran his hands over his face. "Yeah."

"And there's no way we can stop this?" Millan asked.

Jonas shook his head. "Deal's done."

Hugh laughed. "Doesn't mean we have to play by their rules."

"What do you mean?" Jonas asked, curious.

"The game is over if you're caught. So we just beat them until they no longer have the will to try," Hugh said with a shrug.

Jonas raised an eyebrow. "You're proposing we fight them all instead of hiding?"

"Hiding isn't in our nature," Hugh asked coyly, a spark of defiance in his eyes.

Jonas leaned back, considering Hugh's words. "You think we can take them on?"