Dreams of an Absolution

Bloody Knuckles (Episode 67)

There Timothy stood. One shoe on  with tiny streams of blood leaking from each ear, as he breathed heavily. Maxwell continued rolling around on the dirt course ground in tearful agony. He had both his hands held over his aching left eye. The eye pain he was currently feeling was so excessive that he was beginning to grind his teeth and groan loudly.

Timothy remained motionless from the spot at which he stood. He could not move, nor utter a single word. His face expressed a blank gaze toward the ground. It was as if his brain was desperately trying to process that he had just succeeded. That he had just won a match against Maxwell.

Mere seconds later, Timothy snapped back to his senses. His expression changed to one of immoderate culpability. He rushed to Maxwell's side without a second thought.

Timothy hurried down on both knees beside Maxwell and held him with a panicked look. "Mr. Jason! Get down here! He needs help!", Timothy cried out with guilt swiftly overcoming him.

Both with their arms crossed, Mr. Jason and Mr. Jones turned to each other with extremely scornful expressions following Timothy's dramatic plea.

"Uh, don't you two hear him? He's calling for help," retorted Brian to the teachers. "Timothy and Maxwell need you," Lucas added, glaring at the teachers with an expressionless look.

Reluctantly, Mr. Jones turned his head and signaled Mr. Jason to go down to the field once more to help. Mr. Jones then turned his head over to Brian and remarked, "There. Are you finished whining?"

With immediate offense, Brian took a step forward and snapped back, "Whining?! Bro, what's your problem, like actually?!" "Brian, chill," Jessica promptly whispered to him, tugging his arm.

"Nah Jess, he's been on Timothy's ass since the tryouts yesterday for no God damn reason! So I wanna know what his problem is!"

Before Mr. Jones could respond, Ace shouted to Brian, "Shut the hell up, would ya!? Quit whining already four eyes!" "How about you quit sucking the teacher off! He's not gonna pass you! Wanna talk about my glasses, take off that fucking mask covering your mouth and say it to my face like a real man!", Brian shouted back, stepping forward towards Ace.

Jessica quickly tightened her grip on Brian's arm and pulled him back, as Rachelle did the same with Ace, who was now livid.

"Both of you, cut the shit out! Now! Or you can both get sent home!", Mr. Jones exclaimed, looking pissed off. "What's going on up there?", Timothy thought to himself as Mr. Jason finished healing Maxwell's eye.

Still on a knee, Timothy turned his attention to Maxwell with a regretful expression. "Maxwell, I'm-"

Before Timothy could apologize, Maxwell held the palm of his hand out in front of Timothy's face, surprising him. "No need. Well played, Timothy," Maxwell said, wearing a half genuine smile.

He was bitter over the loss, but he meant those words to Timothy. "Thank you," Timothy replied, smiling, as he grabbed Maxwell's hand and helped him up off the ground.

Following the moment, Timothy collected his shoe, and he and Maxwell made their way back up to the balcony along with everybody else. "Timothy!", Jessica excitedly shouted, as she ran over to hug him.

"I knew you could do it dude!", she happily exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him. A faint blush formed on Timothy's face, as he gave her a half genuine smile. "Heh. Did you really though?", Timothy said in response, lightly patting her on the back.

Following that sentence, Jessica stopped hugging Timothy. "Wait, what do you mean dude?", she asked in a less excited tone, appearing puzzled.

Just then, the doors to the gym's balcony swung open. Glancing back, Mr. Jones said, "You're both late. However, you made it just in time for your match, Rodger."