It was you all along

06

//Flashback starts//

"Let him go, you bullies!" Gulf shouted, as he gestured for Tharn to go behind him while the group of boys steadily advanced, eyes menacing.

"What if we don't?" One of the boys, presumably the leader taunted as he took large strides forward, clearly paying no heed to Gulf.

"I'll fight you duh!" Gulf got into his martial arts stance, fist out, while his eyes stared firmly at the gang. Despite knowing that they were at the losing end, Gulf was not going to back down without a fight! But despite his calm demeanor, one could easily tell Gulf was trembling like a leaf inside which did the boy no good.

"Oh really?" The leader mocked, "Do you even have the guts or capabilities to?" The rest of the gang laughed along - obviously, Gulf, a small boy was no match against a group of 5. They were outnumbered and Gulf had never fought before so losing was inevitable, but at least the boy could stall for some time while he hurriedly gestured for Tharn to go while he held up the rest.

Tharn, as obstinate as Gulf was, didn't even move an inch despite Gulf's repeated gestures to get him to leave. He held his ground firm and Gulf was beyond frustrated when he realised Tharn had no intention of escaping. The gang must have noticed for they sneered loudly, and advanced forward while Gulf and Tharn took cautious steps backward until there was seemingly nowhere else to go as they arrived at a dead end.

"Now now..should we have some fun?" The leader said as he mercilessly kicked Gulf in the stomach, sending the tanned boy stumbling to the side as he groaned in pain. It was way too quick for neither of them to respond in time. Tharn hurriedly ran over to where Gulf was who was now crouching over, and had turned pale as cold sweat trickled down the sides of his face.

The gang however didn't look satisfied with the 'performance' so they shove Tharn forcefully aside, while throwing another punch at Gulf causing the latter to fall on the floor as the poor boy yelped. Only then did the gang start to look amused before they quickly changed their target to Tharn.

"Go.." Gulf croaked with all the energy he could muster. His vision was getting blurry but he could still make out that the boys were soon approaching Tharn and it made him sick in the stomach. To Gulf, Tharn was like a child that was vulnerable and needed to be protected at all cost yet now even if Gulf wanted to rush over, his limbs wouldn't and he truly felt despair.

But unlike Gulf, Tharn was unfazed. He didn't even flinch when the gang approached him with sinister smiles. He could have run while they attacked Gulf earlier, but he didn't. How could Gulf expect Tharn to leave his best friend behind and furthermore, now that his best friend was hurt while trying to protect him? To be honest, it was not the first time that Tharn had become a victim of bullying so he was used to being hit, smacked, tossed. Was it painful? Yes, but Tharn was numb to it.

In the past, he'd take their humiliation silently, allowing them to throw punches at him because Tharn knew he had no chance of fighting back even if he wanted to. But now, Tharn found a new sense of courage that wasn't there before. Seeing Gulf being hit made his insides boil and for once, he didn't want to be a coward. So before the gang nor Gulf could register, neither would have expected Tharn to retaliate with a punch straight back at the leader. The punch landed squarely on his face and instantly caused the boy to stumble a few feet back, blood pouring down his nose.

"You!" The rest of the gang started charging at Tharn but even though the boy was chubby, he had thankfully fast reflexes so he was able to dodge most of the punches that came in his way - except for a few that landed on his sides. Tharn wobbled back, but his eyes were still burning with fire as he aimed for one of the boys. Tharn kicked the boy ruthlessly in the knee causing him to fall over - Gulf swore he heard a 'crack' as the boy's legs collapsed.