Avrashi

Chapter 4: Meet the Family

Will

I had sat at school all day, waiting for school to get out so I could go meet Esseshi. Unfortunately, as is always the case, now that I had something to wait for, each second seemed like an eternity. I sat in my algebra teacher, Mrs. Young's classroom, staring at the clock. Only a minute left. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath. . .and the bell rang. I jumped up and, waving goodbye to Mrs. Young, ran out of the classroom. I sprinted right out of the school, and- only stopping to cross the road- all the way to our meeting spot.

I stepped into the alleyway, out of breath.

"Esseshi? Are you there?" I called.

I heard no response. Carefully, I continued further in, coming to the clearing where I had first seen Esseshi. I looked around, and, not seeing him anywhere around, decided he probably just hadn't got here yet. I leaned against a nearby wall, and took a glance around the alleyway. It was an unassuming place, no one seeing it would think anything special of it, and yet, it was where I had made a new friend. Guess you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, heh. I pulled my phone- which I had brought with me to school -from my pocket, and opened up the messaging app. Ms. Adams knew I had the phone, and I used it to contact her on occasion.

I might be out for a fair bit longer than usual. Meeting up with Esseshi for something. That alright? I texted.

After a moment, her reply appeared.

Okay Will, just be safe, and don't do anything stupid.

Ok, seems fair. I sent back.

The sound of feet running on the sidewalk, and heavy breathing emerged from the entrance to the alleyway. I looked up from my phone, surprised. I was pretty certain it was just someone passing by. However, just to be safe, I crept a little closer to the entrance, hiding behind a wall, and listened closely, hoping to hear something. And sure enough, after a moment, my caution was rewarded.

"In here!" Said a voice.

I tensed up.

"Dunno what that freak thought he was doing, running into a corner like this, but now we're gonna get him!"

My breath caught in my throat. Wait. . .is that? Carefully, I peeked around the corner. I gasped. It was Jake Winchester, my school bully. He hated me, and bullied me all the time. I couldn't tell you why. Maybe it was because I had said something he didn't like. Or maybe it was because I always wore old clothes. But to be honest, I doubted it was any of those things. More likely, he bullied me because I didn't fight back, because I wasn't popular, because I was someone he could put down easily, without any consequences. I moved to hide behind the corner, looking around for another exit from the alleway. I wasn't sure what Jake was planning, but I wasn't going to let him get away with it. A hand grabbed my wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Slowly, I turned around to see none other than Jake. A few of his cronies stood behind him, I didn't know their names, and I didn't care to learn; they had about the same level of personality as white paint. I didn't even bother trying to break out of Jake's grip. He was two grades above me, and even if we were the same age, he'd still be much bigger and stronger. Jake gave me a devilish grin.

"Hey Will! What a coincidence that we're both here. . .at the same time. Heh, well, I'm sure you won't make that mistake again."

He grabbed me by the back of my head. I gave him a pleading look.

"Heheheh, we're going to find out what your face looks like without a nose. What do you think that'll look like Will? Heh, it certainly couldn't make things worse."