The Boy Who Fell (COMPLETE)

Prologue

I broke my arm the summer I turned ten.

Like most days that summer, we played in the streets from early afternoon to early evening, just up until our parents' arriving cars would light up the driveways and our yayas would call us home for dinner. Despite being city kids, we were lucky enough to live in a gated village full of two-car garages, manicured lawns, and trees to climb. 

We were playing hide and seek one afternoon when Samantha had this bright idea to climb the tall mango tree in the center of the village park. "No one will look up, Benjie," she said. "Do you ever look up when you're it?" 

Point made, so I followed her up the tree. But while none of our playmates thought to look up, a couple of older kids did.

"Uuuuuuuy, will you look at that? A pair of lovebirds." The voice belonged to the neighborhood bully and his self-styled biker gang of misfits. It was a literal bike gang --- they had flashy bicycles that they thought made them look like they were street toughs. Twelve-year old boys who think they're so tough and grown up because they were long pants to school.

"Hey lovebirds, what are you doing there? You kissing up there?" He made kissing sounds that set off another wave of laughter among his flunkies. 

I glanced at Samantha amidst the hooting and catcalls. She had a defiant look on her face, but I saw her chin quiver so slightly. I knew the teasing was getting to her. 

Then the chanting started. "Sammy and Benjie sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage! Then comes Sammy with a baby carriage!" It started ringing in my ear, their silly rhyme. The teasing. My father always taught me that it was better to ignore bullies, but the sight of Samantha so close to tears told me that sometimes, it was all right to fight back.

"Shut up, Mark Dave!" I shouted. I could handle the teasing, but somebody had to stand up for Samantha. 

"Make me!" he shouted back. "What are you going to do about it? Fly out of that tree and punch me in the face? Like you'd dare." His minions howled, as if Mark Dave said the smartest thing ever. "Buck-buck-buck-auck!" They chanted even louder, mixing up their silly rhyme with chicken sounds. "Sammy and Benjie sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

And Samantha? Tears were threatening to fall. 

I saw red. 

Next thing I knew, I was sailing through the air towards our tormentors, then landing with a dull thud on the ground they vacated. Pain was coursing through every part of my body. 

Mark Dave and his gang of bullies saw that I hurt myself, so they fled, more afraid of getting scolded by grown-ups than my wrath. With the way I looked, sprawled in a heap on the ground, we all knew I was in no position to do anything to them.

Samantha was down the tree in a flash and by my side. This time, she was really crying. "Oh, Benjie, why did you jump? Are you hurt? Why did you do it?"

"I made them go away didn't I?" I grinned despite the pain, feeling every bit like Samantha's knight in shining armor. 

Then the world went black.