Bully This

Part 2

The gym teacher broke him out of his deep thought by tapping him on the shoulder, "young man the gym is closed until sixth period." Alberto grabbed his bag put his head down and began to walk at a fast pace, when boom he was grabbed by the back of his book bag, "where the fuck you think you're going son?" as the other kid slapped him in the back of the head repeatedly. It could have been much worse if it wasn't for the janitor, who broke it up and stood there til the crowd dispersed. He looked at Alberto and told him be careful "you know these wolves run in packs, you gotta learn how to defend yourself." Alberto knew the janitor spoke the truth, but like always he was still trapped and no matter what he tried he stuck out like never before. Alberto picked up his belongings and rushed off while looking left and right. Once outside the school, he spotted Luis and June walking towards him. June was the popular one out of the three of them. He had a cousin who was a high ranking member of the Latin Kings, who would squash any problems he had.

June's situation gave him an idea, maybe he could convince his cousin Willie to transfer to the school. However, Willie would probably die of embarrassment and deny being related to him after seeing how he is treated. As they walked past the first group, Alberto lowered his head to avoid making eye contact with any gang member. "What's cracking cuz?" was all he heard as he walked by this group known to be Crips, as they regularly squared off with the Bloods. Speaking of Bloods they were located right around the corner and that group was double the size of the Crips. Hardcore rap music was played out loud while weed smoke filled the air. He stopped in his tracks back pedaled and told his friends that he forgot something from his locker that he had to retrieve. Suddenly he was startled by the sound of a horn, he looked and it was the janitor who offered him a ride home. He glanced at the crowd by the school and gladly accepted the offer. Get in and don't slam the door, the name is Trevor, as he extended his hand in Alberto's direction. He extended his in return and spoke up. " I want to thank you for saving me back there, things could of gotten ugly." "These young boys don't respect no one, heck they don't even respect themselves. Which way am I going?" as he stopped at a red light. Alberto didn't feel comfortable giving Trevor his address so he told him that he could drop him off by the train station. "No problem kid and remember eventually you're gonna have to defend yourself, they not gonna stop, its only gonna get worse kid. The choice is yours."

Later that night after dinner Alberto paced back and forth in his room. Trevor's words resonated with him to the point that it had him staring at himself in the mirror. What he saw was a frightened young man, but how could he overcome this adversity without it taking him under. Every gang clearly outnumbered him, it was basically him and his shadow versus all of them. Alberto shook his head in disgust not blaming his shadow if it abandoned him as well. When his family first moved to New York the challenge was to embrace the fast pace, the culture and most important the brutal weather during the winter. Avoiding gangs and violence was a whole different element no one could predict. It's a jungle out there and he was prey, it was only a matter of time before he was eaten alive. "If you can't beat them join them" was out of the question. Alberto didn't possess an evil bone in his body, He wouldn't harm a fly.

Maybe he could ask Trevor to teach him how to fight. Now he could hear his father's words, never be afraid to ask for help no matter the situation or circumstance. Obviously the advice his father gave him was bittersweet because of that five letter word "pride". Pride could and would kill a man in a heartbeat. Alberto's pride was killing him softly and he knew it. Skipping school would only alert his parents that something was wrong, the changes he was going through in New York were going at the speed of " a New York minute." It was unexplainable and as far as he was concerned unacceptable. Would he end up like many of the victims before him, committing suicide or could he muster up the courage to pull off a Columbine, a mass shooting. He laid down feeling like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He wished he could wake up and all of his problems would disappear, but it wouldn't happen, as he wiped his tears and closed his eyes.