The Gloves

29

The day began much like any other. Thomas woke up a few minutes before sunrise and stretched and went to the bathroom to wake himself up. Ben woke up about a half hour later and started on breakfast: Sausage, eggs, and potatoes. Thomas made toast. If there was one thing that Thomas could say he was the worst at...it would be cooking. Somehow everything burned, no matter how slowly he cooked it. Sometimes making macaroni from a box was a challenge! Ben always said that it would take an iron chef to teach him how to boil water. In Thomas's opinion he was an adequate cook. He could make a mean bowl of cereal anyway...

After they fed the cows they came back to the house and Thomas prepared for school. Today was only a half day so Thomas would have to walk home because Ben said he would be 'busy'. The day went by fairly fast and the only set back was that Skylar shot him an evil look of malice at lunch. Thomas figured he had forgotten about it by now but evidently not. Thomas didnt fret over it. What would the cool, dumb jock do? He couldn't risk another fight or he would get kicked off the team. He could shoot Thomas ridiculous faces all day long for all he cared. But this arrogance on his part led to disaster.

Thomas was walking home after school as planned. He exited the school, backpack in tote, and crossed town because it was a shortcut. He strided briskfully down the sidewalk, hands in pockets as the sun skowered his face and he enjoyed the warmth it produced. Suddenly, right as Thomas crossed the insurance office building two boys from the school jumped out from the space between the insurance building and the neighbor building, which was a fitness gym. Thomas didnt even see them because they popped out after he crossed the gap and was just in front of the gym. They grabbed his shoulders roughly and then one of them swung a fist into his crotch, knocking the air out of him and almost bringing him to his knees on contact of the sensitive area. They dragged him into the gap between the buildings. They struggled greatly with this for they were both of a smaller height and build of Thomas. He could have easily taken them if they hadn't cheapshotted him. But as they dragged him his brain spun and devised a plan in mere seconds. He let his legs and body go limp so as to not help his assaulter at all. His feet draggged, making the task miserable for the attackers. Before long they were pantig and sweaty.  They grunted and panted until they stopped and threw him on the ground in the dark tight gap. It was maybe 6 feet wide at the most. As thomas laid on the ground and surveyed his surrounding he saw 3 more figures approaching from  the opposite end he was dragged through. He could easily take the two guys who dragged him in...he had recovered from the shot he took and they were exhausted, it would be almost too easy and then he could make a break for it. But...something held him back. Someone organized this and he wanted to know who before he struck. But now that the company of three more goons arrived he would need a different plan...he wouldnt be able to out run them.  As a plan whirled into focus in his mind, he recognized the brain...well not the brain because he would need one to begin with, but the face of this attack was none other than Skylar the jock.
"Not so tough are you now, huh pussy?" He snarled and ran up with a good head start and kicked him in the gut while Thomas was on all fours trying to get up. At the last second, though, Thomas lifted his arm farthest from Skylar and it took the hit. It still hurt but nothing like it would have. Thomas even let out a dramatic cry and flopped over. Skylar giggled and circled Thomas with a wicked grin. But Thomas was smiling too....it was going just as he planned. Thomas crawled onto all fours again making it look like he was tring to get up. Skylar winded up another kick but Thomas  sat up on his knees in a flash and caught Skylar's foot in his hands. Thomas twisted it swiftly in the way no leg should twist until he felt a pop and Skylar collapsed in a heap, moaning in agony and clutching his dislocated hip. Thomas swung a fist backwards, striking one of the new fresh guys that came with Skylar in his gut, knocking the air out of him rendering him immobile as he fell down as well. Thomas jumped to his feet as the three remaining boys circled him slowly. The other fresh one picked up a little aluminum pipe off the ground and brandished it dangerously. Thomas eyed each of them carefully waiting for one of them to strike. The one with the pipe started it by charging in swinging wildly like a mad man. The pipe only weighed about a pound and was maybe 3 feet long and hollow. It wouldnt do too much damage but it would still hurt terribly. Thomas watched him swing it carefully and he was very predictable. He swung to Thomas's head which he easily dodged by ducking and then countered by kicking out before the assailant could respond, hitting him in the chest and knocking him backward on his butt. He let out a slew of curses and scrambled to get up quickly. Suddenly the two tired boys from before grabbed Thomas's shoulders again. One of them struck Thomas in the stomach making him groan in pain. Thomas acted weak in their arms and to his delight one of them yelled to the boy with the pipe to take a swing at Thomas. Pipe guy got a running start, cocked his weapon and swung it like a bat. Thomas gracefully ducked again and a sharp ping and a thump resounded as the pipe collided with one of the guys holding him, smacking him right in the head. It probably knocked him out cold because he dropped like a rock.
"Oh my god...you shit head!" The only remaining exhausted boy said to either Thomas or Pipe guy...or both perhaps. Thomas could feel his grip weaken as he watched his comrade collapse.
"Shit..." Pipe guy said like a grade A idiot. Now was the time to strike. Thomas shot himself backwards colliding with the boy clutching his shoulder and jerked his head back right when he felt his body hit his captor's. The back of Thomas's head struck the boy right in the nose and Thomas could feel his hard skull smash it when he sandwiched the boy between the wall. Whack. Thomas didnt see a swing from Pipe guy until it struck him right in the side making Thomas fall down at both boys feet. The boy behind him wailing as blood poured from his bloody nose. Thomas picked up a rock and swung it down on bloody nose boy's foot, bringing him down as he clutched his foot and his nose at the same time. Then right after crushing the now fallen boy's foot, he chucked the rock which was the size of his fist at Pipe guy. It struck him on one of his legs right on his knee cap with an almost hollow knocking sound that even made Thomas cringe as the Pipe guy fell like a sack of flour and let the pipe weapon fall to the side. Thomas got up, dusting himself off coyly and picked up the pipe from beside it's former owner who writhed in agony saying every swear known and unknown to mankind. He heard a tromping of someone running at him from behind. Thomas calmly stood there as if not knowing he was coming and then sidestepped quickly and swung the pipe horizontaly hitting the charging attacker in his open chest at the last second. It was the boy he hit with his fist and knocked the air out of. He must have recovered and decided if 4 guys couldnt take Thomas down...he sure could beat him with a loud, obvious charge. The boy doubled over, holding his chest. Thomas swung a strong blow right on the crest of his back. He held back a little but it was enough to bring the guy down. Thomas turned in a circle looking at what he had done. 'Jesus Christ! How did you do that?!?" He said to himself. He couldn't believe what he had done, and felt terrified at what he did to them...all of them either unconscious  (which wasnt entirely his fault) or in pain. He had never fought like this before and usually violence was a last resort. But this time he didn't even seem to hesitate to defeat them. Where did the skill to take down five guys suddenly emerge from. It coulf hae just been fueled by anger which was what Thomas told himself to believe. And when he turned and saw Skylar looking back at him as he laid on the ground holding his leg. Skylar gave him an ugly grin and flipped Thomas off. Thomas walked by Skylar and grabbed him by the collar as he laid on the ground still in pain over his hip.
"If you ever mess with me again, i will not hold back...YOU GOT THAT?" he screamed the last part into his face.
Skylar stared into his eyes with a mutual burning hatred.
"Go to hell," Skylar hissed and then spat right in Thomas's face.
Thomas wiped the slime off his face and then pressed the end of the pipe against Skylar's thigh, forcing his leg in the wrong direction again out of his hip. Skylar cried out in pain as he clutched for his leg and tried to swat the pipe away.
"Okay, okay!!!!," Skylar said pleaded as he cowered. Thomas let him go and tossed the pipe against the side of the building and trudged silently but triumphantly off while holding his wounded side from a pipe strike. But it was nothing more than a bruise compared to the shape those five were in. As Thomas got a ways away he felt horrible about how violent he was but....revenge, after all, truly was sweet.