Runaway Man

Chapter 29: Flashback

Chapter 29: Flashback

Joey's POV:

Willow. That was the name of our school. It was ironically funny because much like a weeping willow tree, we were the school that swooped over and shaded the other ones.  I supposed it was down to our teachers being a better quality, the students were more equipped and the fact that people always put more effort in when money is involved. I'd admit, I liked being the best a lot and being centre of attention was even better. It was fresh knowing that I went to the school that was smarter and above everyone else.

It made us feel special.

If only things were as straight forward as that. There was one thing that stopped us from being clear ahead of everyone else. Basically, there was one school that was a major threat - the biggest rival in the county. That name was Birch.

Personally, I didn't see what made that school so special. The grades were similar to ours however, lower in the total average. Anyone could get into it too. It was like the people that were one brain cell of being dead come enter. It was stupid, right? Plus, the pupils seemed absolutely awful. There were always people from there sneering at us every time we went past them in our fancy blazers.

The whole idea set place at lunch time. It was entirely Mason's idea initially but no one really stopped him from doing it. I wasn't proud to say that I was involved in it in the end but I was. That was how it was back then.

He was crunching a can in his hand with a bored expression on his face. We were lacking excitement or danger so things were awfully plain. No one was talking and we were just wasting our time outside on the school field with everyone else being slightly more entertaining than our group. Me, him and our good ol' friend Tony.

"Ya know, we should pay dem suckers back," Mason smirked, kicking the can at a wall and it burst. I raised my eyebrows at him, inspecting his pale complex. What did he mean? 

Squinting, I folded my arms, "What do you mean? Who?"

He rolled his eyes like he was the smartest guy here, "Ya know, Bxtch. Dem boys that keep giving us looks."

"How would we do that?" Tony piped up. Out of us three, he was the shorter guy. His red hair matched his temper and he was a complete daredevil. Mason looked up from the floor with an evil smirk, his mysterious eyes showing a new shade of darkness.

"We reeck their reputation, init, like their school and dey will be ruined," Mason winked but it was mostly directed at me. A gong hit my gut instinct and I forced down a lump in my throat, already not liking the sound of his idea. However, I pushed it aside. He was a lad and I was his friend. Friends could at least heart each other out: it was just respect that all of us men had.

"How, what would that even achieve?"

"Good image on me, you, you," his head bounced up and down as he shifted his gaze between me and Tony, "and bad image on dem bum suckers. They'll pucker up if they aren't in our league." 

"Count me out. I don't care about reputation and I'm not prepared to do anything stupid," I said flatly. Knowing him, his method would have too many risks involved, such as getting the law involved by bypassing privacy. After all, I knew how it all worked. My dad worked as a police man, the head one of his station to be exact. Over the years, he'd arrested more people than I even knew my entire life.

Mason rolled his eyes again at my comment, stubborn that his idea was completely legit, "We're safe, ya dadda's a coppa, ain't he?"

"Both me and my dad are staying out of this."