Motive | D. Lizewski

CHAPTER SIX ⌖ 2 HOTTIES 1 NERD ⌖

i. Kick Ass

 A WEEK LATER, DAVE FINALLY EMERGED FORM THE HOSPITAL, DREADING THE INEVITABLE CONFRONTATION WITH HIS DAD. The thought of it made him cringe. His dad was going to kill him. Luckily, Dave had the foresight to tell the doctors to hide the suit. If anyone ever found out what he did that night, the gossip would never stop. But there was no avoiding the awkward part—he still had to explain why the paramedics found him "naked."

Dave quickly spun a story about the thugs tossing his bloody clothes. It wasn't exactly convincing, but his dad bought it, probably because he had never been in a hospital aside from Dave's mom's pregnancy and, later, her death. He wasn't familiar with how things worked in emergency rooms, and Dave took advantage of that. Still, the shame of being caught in such a bizarre situation gnawed at him.

School, though, was a different story entirely. The moment Dave walked through the doors, it was like everyone was staring at him. He felt their eyes, their whispers, and it set his anxiety on edge. Dave was used to being invisible, a nobody. He never thought that an incident like this would turn the spotlight on him. He wasn't sure if the attention was a good thing or a bad thing.

As he made his way to his usual lunch table, trying to blend in despite the unwanted stares, a few kids pointed or muttered under their breath. Some were curious, others were amused, but it all made Dave want to disappear. The constant reminders of the accident, of being hit by the car, made it impossible to forget what had happened—and what almost happened. His stomach twisted at the thought.

He tried to shake it off, focusing on making it through the day. But every glance, every hushed conversation around him felt like a spotlight burning into his skin.

Todd and Marty sat at the cafeteria table, eagerly watching as their friend, Dave, took a seat across from them. They'd kept their faith in his recovery, and now, here he was—looking like he had made it through some insane action movie. His body bore the evidence of his injuries: his bones had been reinforced with metal, making him practically invincible apart from a few nerve endings that still registered pain. It was weird, almost surreal, how much Dave had changed physically.

As soon as Dave sat down, Marty wasted no time and punched his arm. "Do you feel that?" Marty asked, half-amused.

Dave sighed in annoyance, muttering, "No."

Todd's face lit up, grinning ear to ear. "You're like Jason Bourne or something, man. That's badass!"

Their excitement only grew from there, with Todd and Marty taking turns hitting Dave to see if it hurt. Each blow landed without a wince or flinch from Dave. He sat there, annoyed but calm, trying to enjoy his food as they kept pushing their little experiment, unaware of how much his nerves were fraying. His anxiety spiked amidst the stares and whispers circulating the cafeteria.

The hits kept coming, and with each one, Dave felt his anger rising. The constant tapping, the barrage of curious looks—it was all starting to get to him. Finally, a tap on his shoulder set him off. He shot up from his seat, shouting, "Give it a fucking rest!"

The whole cafeteria fell silent. Dave's rage flickered in the stunned quiet, but it quickly dissolved into regret as he turned and saw Maya standing behind him, holding a "Welcome Back" balloon. The hurt on her face hit him harder than any punch ever could. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but nothing came out.