Slayers (Jake Hawkins Book 1) (3 page)

*

The class barged outside the second the bell for recess sounded. Jake hung back, walking slowly, staring at the floor. His hands refused to stop shaking. He was plagued by the feeling that the worst was probably still to come.

He had nothing. No home to return to. No money, no belongings. All his possessions now consisted of the kickboxing gear in his schoolbag and a twenty-dollar note in his pocket. He couldn
’
t pay for school. He couldn
’
t pay for a place to stay.

The quadrangle outside the classroom was a bustling hive of activity. It was always the most chaotic at the beginning of recess. Hundreds of students shoved and pushed each other out of the way, all in an attempt to get to their lockers as quickly as possible.

Liam promised to meet up later and turned left, following a path back to the locker bays. Jake didn
’
t have any books to drop off. He headed straight for the canteen, using his strength to his advantage to power his way through the quad.

The canteen was packed with kids, gossiping and talking amongst themselves in the line. It would take at least half an hour to get food, which would ultimately end up being nothing more than an overpriced container of greasy chicken anyway.

Jake sighed and headed back out into the sunshine. His insides were constricting. It had always been a dream to leave school and go on adventures, but his dreams had never materialised. Probably because they were ridiculous. Now, facing the idea of having to actually leave school early, Jake found it a daunting concept, one which was looking more and more likely with each passing moment.

He started to make his way back the way he had come, along the twisting path. As he walked, he desperately tried to quash the pit of nervousness forming in his stomach.

You have to go back
.

That
’
s what his brain was telling him. He had to see if his father was seriously hurt. It didn
’
t matter how he reacted
–
Jake had to do the right thing. If his dad was okay, the most likely outcome would be rejection. Jake knew Colonel Mark Hawkins wouldn
’
t bat an eyelid over throwing him out into the cold. But he had to try.

There was a low rumble. A quick glance skyward revealed a cumulonimbus cloud snaking across the sky, black as night. There was a storm coming.

A pair of hands came out of nowhere and grabbed the collar of his shirt. One hard shove, and they released him. Jake lost his footing and went sprawling into a path wedged between two blocks of classrooms.

Now, he found himself out of sight from any passers-by. The path was deserted. There wasn
’
t a teacher or student in sight. He looked up and saw who had shoved him.

Two older guys were moving in. Jake recognised one of them; Adrian was a Year 12 with anger management issues, infamous around the school for bullying the younger kids into submission, often forcing them to hand over lunch money in exchange for an absence of bruises. He had short black hair and an acne-ridden face, and walked with the strut of someone who thought they ran the place. The other guy was slim and wiry, sporting a fringe that stretched all the way down to his chin. He wore trainers instead of school shoes and sported a rat-like face. Both of them were dancing on the balls of their feet, high off the energy two thugs get before a fight.

Jake didn
’
t have time for this. He gave a half-smile and strode towards them. When he reached the pair, he moved to walk straight past. The guy with the fringe tried to shoulder bump him, but Jake was stronger. Adrian grunted and grabbed a handful of Jake
’
s shirt, violently shoving him backwards. He didn
’
t have enough strength either, so his friend stepped in and gave a hard, double-handed push. Finally, it was enough to make Jake stumble.

The guy with the fringe gave a cocky laugh, but Jake had assessed the competition.

“
What do you boys want?
”
he said.

“
How much money you got, kid?
”
Adrian said with a smirk.

“
Kid?
”
Jake said, smiling.
“
I
’
m taller than you, buddy.
”

Fear had suppressed his rage this morning, but he could feel it coming back.

“
I
’
m going to leave now,
”
he said, loud and clear as if he was talking to a pair of children.
“
Don
’
t
push it.
”

The guy with the fringe cackled again.
“
The Year 11 thinks he
’
s tough? Listen, dickhead, hand over whatever money you
’
ve got or we
’
ll smash your face in and leave you here on the ground.
”

He advanced until they were almost nose-to-nose. Jake was burning inwardly.

“
Try, then,
”
he said.

The invitation was enough. The guy swung a fist with the verve of a kid whose fight repertoire consisted of a couple of schoolyard punch-ons. Throw fast and hard, that was his plan. Jake had seen a million of these fights before. To a seasoned kickboxer, they were child
’
s play.

He swung both elbows up and smashed the incoming punch away. The guy hesitated for a beat, stunned at his speed. It was all Jake needed. He leapt forwards and drove a fist hard into the guy
’
s stomach. It drove all the wind from his lungs. He doubled over, wheezing and coughing.

Adrian was already sprinting to help his friend. He also swung a hard fist, straight at Jake
’
s face. It was actually going to make contact. Adrenaline kicked in and heightened Jake
’
s senses. He reached out and caught the fist in mid-air. Adrian was in a frenzy though, and attempted a punch with the opposite arm. Jake lashed out with his foot and caught Adrian in the ribs. The punch fell short and Adrian fell back, groaning in pain.

Jake released his grip and stepped around the hunching figure, heading back to the path. On his way past, Adrian jumped up and punched him in the face. The blow caught him off-guard. He hadn
’
t had time to block it. There was a substantial amount of force behind it, but Jake had been kickboxing for eight years. He took harder hits every training session. It barely fazed him.

In a split second he reacted, throwing a right-handed hook so fast Adrian didn
’
t even have time to raise his arms. His knuckles slammed against bone. It was a perfectly placed hit and it almost knocked the bully unconscious.

Jake sprung forwards, enraged, and grabbed two handfuls of his shirt.

“
You shouldn
’
t do this to every kid you think you
’
re tougher than.
”

The headbutt landed squarely in the centre of Adrian
’
s nose. Jake felt his forehead slam against cartilage, at the same time letting go of his shirt. There was a brutal crack and Adrian went limp. He fell to the ground, sporting a broken nose and a bloody mouth.

Jake stood there, panting with rage. The reality of what he had just done was dawning on him. The guy with the fringe had already picked himself up off the ground. He saw Adrian lying semi-conscious on the concrete, thought better of trying his luck again and abruptly ran off. Jake watched him go, his gut sinking lower and lower with each step the kid took.

Now,
he was completely screwed.

*

The rest of the day seemed to pass in slow motion. Jake spent the last two periods in anxiety, twitching in his seat as the minutes ticked away. At any moment, he expected the door to burst open and either the principal or his dad to come storming in.

When the final bell rang, the tension in his stomach unwound a little. For the moment, he was safe. Tonight, he could go anywhere. He had another day to think things through.

“
Jake?
”
a voice said.

He looked up. The classroom was empty. Everyone had shuffled out while he had been staring into space. The teacher lingered by the door, waiting for him to move with a concerned look on his face.

“
Sorry, sir,
”
Jake said.

He bustled out of the room and into the corridors, making sure to keep his head low. Anyone could be searching for him right now. He wanted to avoid a confrontation at all costs.

The locker bay was a hive of activity. Almost a thousand students pushed past each other in an attempt to leave school the earliest. Jake savoured the chaos. There wasn
’
t much chance of getting spotted in here.

He grabbed his backpack from his locker and slung it over one shoulder. As he did, he took a glance at the schoolbooks inside.
Was it worth taking them home?
Even if he fixed things with his dad, it was almost guaranteed he would be expelled because of what he did to Adrian. He was in a lose-lose situation. He slammed the locker door in frustration and headed off.

Kickboxing training began in an hour. Jake had been pondering whether to go or not all day, but decided he might as well. Mark didn
’
t even know he took part in kickboxing lessons. Even if Jake told him, he wouldn
’
t care. He would be safe there.

He had almost made it to the door before a voice cut through the crowd.

“
Jake Hawkins!
”

Surrounding students fell silent. Those nearest stared with unsuppressed interest, eyes boring into him. Jake despised the attention. A shiver crept up his spine. He looked over his shoulder to see the vice principal standing right behind him. Mrs Bensley was a craggy old lady, one of the strictest teachers in the school. Her face was displaying a death stare like nothing he had ever seen before.

“
You need to come with me, right now,
”
she said. Her voice was quiet, but filled with rage.
“
Your parents have already been contacted and the two boys you assaulted have told us everything, so don
’
t you even
think
about giving me excuses.
”

He grimaced. So now his dad knew about this, too. He had been hoping family contact would be left out. Now, the chance of repairing things had gone from slim to nonexistent.

The worst possible scenario had occurred.

“
Don
’
t ignore me, young man,
”
Mrs Bensley said.
“
Follow me, now.
”

Jake hesitated. This was it. The decision he made would have far-reaching consequences, no matter what he did.

He didn
’
t move.

“
Bye, miss,
”
he said, realizing his future was now devoid of all hope.

He sprinted off down the hallway, forcing himself into the crowd of students. Some refused to budge.

“
What the
–”
a kid muttered as Jake bumped him.
“
Idiot.
”

Mrs Bensley
’
s cries of protest followed him all the way to the exit, but they were drowned out as he threw open the door and ran out into the storm.

The thunderstorm was relentless. It was one of the worst Jake had experienced. Rain fell in sheets so thick he was drenched in seconds. Buffeted by strong winds, the drops blew horizontally and whipped against his body, chilling him to the core. There was no other way to get to training besides taking the bus, so he drew the hood of his jumper up over his head and powered along the pavement.

It was a five-minute walk to the bus stop. Usually, in a scenario like this he would struggle to suppress the fear that his phone might receive water damage. Now, disabled electronics were the least of his concerns. He welcomed the weather; it reflected his mood. As he strode through the storm, he exhaled, trying to release all the worry built up inside.

It was bitingly cold. His clothes were already soaked through. The damp material pressed uncomfortably against his skin. Goosebumps sprouted along his arms and neck, giving him an involuntary shiver. The dark sky lit up all of a sudden as a bolt of lightning streaked across the horizon.

A hand pressed down on his shoulder.

“
Where you going, bud?
”
Liam said.

“
Kickboxing,
”
Jake shouted above the rain.

Liam was just as soaked. His hair was plastered across his forehead. He had been walking from the opposite direction and Jake hadn
’
t seen him.

“
Sorted things out with your dad?
”

“
No way, man,
”
Jake said.
“
You know it
’
s not going to be easy.
”

“
Yeah. Thought there might have been a chance. Where have you been all day?
”

“
Do you know Adrian?
”
Jake asked.
“
Year 12 guy. Beats up kids for their lunch money?
”

“
I hate that prick.
”

“
He tried to rob me at recess. I knocked him out and I think I broke his nose.
”

Liam was speechless.
“
Jake, you know how strict this place is on fighting. What if you get expelled, man?
”

“
I think I already am. I just, uh, ran away from the vice principal.
”

“
Are you crazy? What are you
doing
?
”

“
I don
’
t know, man. I don
’
t know what my life will be like ten minutes from now. This might be the last time I see you for a while.
”

They stood there, staring at each other, oblivious to the rain. Eventually, Liam clapped him on the back and gave him a reassuring smile.

“
Take care, bud. This will sort itself out. You know it will.
”

“
See you round, Liam.
”

Jake
’
s best friend for as long as he could remember walked off, and Jake
’
s heart sank. He had a bad feeling about parting ways; this situation wasn
’
t going to simply sort itself out. He couldn
’
t shake the feeling that he wouldn
’
t be seeing any of his friends for a long time.