Coincidences

Act XXIV

Today's day one of the plan. Tyrone and Rocky were rummaging around their backpacks. I was in position, they were at twelve o'clock. Bravo team is also in position. On the signal. And fire at will.

Why am I narrating this as if I was a commander? To make things short, Zoey and I were bracing for ourselves to approach them.

Taking a deep breath, I greeted the brothers, "Hey, Ty. Hey, Rocky."

Rocky greeted me back with a scornful look, "Hey, Marty."

Zoey came alongside me, and did the same. They repeated their previous actions. The two seemed to be pacified right now. So far, so good. Only a bunch of hours to go.

We put our stuff on top of our desks and guarded ourselves from any sudden movements Rocky may do. He looked too sleepy to do anything reckless, but it's better to be safe than sorry. The class had their alerts up, too. I think they have the idea on how hard his fists can crack your skull.

The teacher, delayed, probably because he was updated on our plans, started class normally. He didn't ask anyone for homework, and didn't bother to give everyone assignments. He was maybe following the protocol Mr. Reed made and talked about to us.

He called us in earlier, stating the following:

"This is going to be hard to execute. I want you two to act normal and reserved. I already gave a protocol to all of your teachers, so that the plan can continue. Taming Rocky will be worth it. Now, obey my instructions..."

At recess, we purposely sat next to Rocky. He got a bit annoyed. He asked, "What the hell do you want?"

"Nothing," I clarified, sounding as natural as possible. "Just hanging out."

"Leave me the f*ck alone," he badmouthed. So we did.

We repeated the same thing at lunch. He was getting really pissed off, up to the point were his head was steaming. "Oh, so you want a sucker punch to the face?"

I waved in denial, saying, "No, no, just gonna eat here with my buddy."

"Besides, do you want to eat with me?" teased Zoey, making Rocky change his decision. He patted the spot next to him, and, before I had the chance to sit, he pushed and declared, "Nope, not you, twerp." He sent me to the farthest seat on the table. We devoured our lunch in complete silence. No one said a word, no one did a thing, aside from eating, and no one hurt anyone. Everything's going great. Now, don't jinx it.

End of day one. I went according to plan. For once, I felt confident about this. I hope this wouldn't backfire.

Several days later, we managed to put his aggressive style to a minimum. His bullying rates have dropped to a 50 percent, and everyone's happy. Except for Zoey and me. It was devastatingly hard to deal with a stubborn person as a friend, especially if he snatches the rest of your meals in lunch. I sometimes end up hungry. Every time I get home, when Dad's watching TV, the first thing on the screen is a McDonald's commercial. It mocked me like crazy and, I assure you, it happened every time. Like, exactly at that precise time.

Ty has been observing our actions lately. I have to admit; to someone that know me, I must look very suspicious. He somehow cornered me at last period. Afraid that he may spill the beans to his older brother, I agreed in my head that I would deny everything he asked.

Unexpectedly, though, he spoke, "I see you've been able to keep him in a 'semi' pacifist state. Good job." He congratulated me by clapping his hands twice. "It is hard to do that; even I can't tranquilize him with simple words and actions."

Still keeping that promise in my head, I said, "Well, sometimes. it works out just like that."

He turned deadly serious, all of the sudden. He plopped his palm over my shoulder and warned, "I don't think it'll be enough, whatever you're planning. He still thinks you owe him a big favor. As for Zoey, I don't know. I think it's his way of trying to piss you, seeing that you have a strong connection with her. I don't know what'll be for her. I suggest you stay away from her for a while. What do you think?"

The teacher found us talking and headed over this direction. He yelled, "What are you doing here? Class started twelve minutes ago!"

Without a word, we scampered on to class. We waited for the bell to ring, and the students went home.

That talk left me thinking. Zoey had nothing to do with our situation. If this is a way for Rocky to annoy me, then why hasn't he stopped? And why is Tyrone telling me to stay away from her, if I can't just let her go because of my feelings? I took a glance over by my window. Zoey was peacefully writing on a notebook, obviously just awakened from a nap. I mean, I admit, being with a bully can be exhausting. I myself laid down on the bed and shut my eyes.