On the way to the stall...
Vins followed Dani and some of his friends towards their destination, a small stall near the field. This was the silent witness to Brando's cruelty towards Jafar, as well as Vins's previous conflict with Brando and Elgor.
Doval, trailing Vins and Dani, had a bad feeling. He and Edrik were still hiding, occasionally looking around, worried that someone might recognize them and expose their presence.
"Ugh, damn it! Why do I have such a bad feeling? Seriously!" Doval said, explaining his feelings to Edrik, who was following behind him.
"Ahh... It's probably just you, Val... If sht goes south, we can just jump out and back them up!" Edrik replied, holding a chocolate-filled sandwich in his hand.
"Yeah, if my bad feeling hits them up front... What if something bad happens to us? Like suddenly Brando attacks us?" Doval said, full of worry.
"Relax, I can still handle four to five of Brando's cronies!" Edrik replied confidently.
"Watch it! Don't you dare start screaming if it actually happens!" Doval said, pointing at his friend.
"Yeah! Hahaha... Just trust me already!" Edrik replied, reassuring his friend.
A few moments later, they arrived at a small alley directly opposite the empty house where Jafar was attacked last week. They walked down the narrow alley, which was only wide enough for one motorbike. They entered the alley one by one, in an orderly fashion. At the end of the path, there was a badminton court.
Around it, several residential houses stood. Knowing Vins had entered the stall area, Edrik and Doval immediately ran to an empty plot of red dirt next to a house, where a long wooden bench sat against the wall. Vins, Dani, and his friends arrived in front of a sliding gate of a house. The gate appeared to have been intentionally left slightly ajar. Next to it, a closed rolling door was visible from the front.
Dani opened the sliding gate.
Creak...
The sound of the sliding gate echoed. Vins looked surprised and confused by Dani's actions, as if Dani was entering someone else's house without permission, making him scratch his head.
"Relax, Vins, this stall can only be entered by those who understand its building concept!" Dani explained to Vins, followed by laughter from Dani's friends who saw Vins's reaction.
Vins then entered the stall after Dani, followed by his friends behind him. The stall actually had two rolling doors on both sides; the closed one was at the front, and another one was on the inside. Inside, there was a display case with various side dishes laid out. Next to the display case were several jars filled with mint candies and some hanging snacks. There was also a showcase with several varieties of bottled drinks standing in its corner.
A man in his 30s named Mas Ito was seen sleeping inside.
"Bro? Bro? HEY, BRO!" Dani shouted at the shopkeeper and owner.
SLURP...
"Huh? Huh, yeah? Ohhhh... Damn it! I thought it was someone else... You just had to disturb my sleep!" Mas Ito replied, wiping away his drool.
"Do you even intend to sell anything? If not, you might as well just close up! Good thing it was me who came, not someone else!" Dani said, scolding Mas Ito, who had just woken up.
"Yeah, yeah... What do you want to order, Dan?" Mas Ito asked.
"I'll have a black coffee! What do you want, Vins?" Dani asked Vins.
"I'll just have sweet iced tea!" Vins replied.
They sat down on the long bench in the stall. Some of Dani's friends shouted orders for Indomie Goreng, while others were still standing and pointing at the display case filled with side dishes. They waited for their food and drinks to be served while chatting. Vins remained silent, not joining in the conversation with the delinquents.
Soon, their orders were delivered by Mas Ito. Vins, who was drinking his sweet iced tea, heard the sound of a motorbike stopping in front of the stall; a couple dismounted.
Creak...
"Hey, Dan! You're already here?" one of the students asked Dani.
"Not long, Ed! I just got here..." Dani replied to the student named Ed.
Ed, full name Edward, was one of Dani's quite loyal friends. He came there with his girlfriend; both of them were Vins's seniors. Vins felt a bit awkward seeing the place crowded with 8th-grade students. He just stayed quiet, occasionally glancing at some of Dani's friends who were busy joking with each other.
Suddenly, Edward, noticing a strange student next to Dani, deliberately sat down next to him, forcing Vins to shift from his seat.
"Whoa, who's this? A 7th grader? One of your victims, Dan?" Edward asked with a cocky tone, putting his arm around Vins, who was drinking his sweet iced tea.
Vins merely glanced at the guy sitting next to him with his arm around him. A panicked Dani immediately signaled his friend to release Vins, shaking his head. Ed, seeing Dani's gesture, instinctively let go of his arm.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry... You're Dani's friend?" Edward asked Vins.
Vins only responded with a smile, nodding his head.
Ed was genuinely shocked. He never expected a Dani, known for his ferocity, to be so submissive to a 7th grader with an innocent face.
"What do you want to order, babe? Want me to get it for you?" a girl standing in front of the stall asked Ed.
"Sure! I'll have an Iced Cappuccino!" Ed replied, turning to face her.
"What's your name, bro?" Ed continued, asking Vins.
"My name's Vins, Bro! And you?" Vins replied, turning towards Ed.
"My name's Edward! But everyone just calls me Ed! Including Dani!" Edward said, introducing himself, and they shook hands.
"Vins, Edward was in the same class as me and Belina back in 7th grade... We split up in 8th grade, but Edward was in the same class as Belina again then!" Dani explained, introducing his friend.
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"Huh? Seriously, Bro? So you guys know Belina?" Vins asked, surprised to hear Dani's confession.
"Oh, so you know Belina too, Vins?" Ed asked.
"He's here to ask you about that! How about we step outside to discuss it?" Dani explained, inviting his friend and junior.
"Alright, let's go! We'll sit on the bench outside for a bit! Honey, I'll be outside for a moment! We have something important to discuss..." Ed said, asking his girlfriend for permission.
"Okay, don't be too long!" the girl replied, granting Ed permission.
The three of them then exited the stall's patio area.
Vins and Dani sat on the front bench.
Since it was only big enough for two, Edward had no choice but to stand.
Click!
Hisss...
Edward lit a kretek cigarette he held while standing.
"You don't smoke, do you, Vins?" Ed asked Vins.
Vins shook his head, and Dani immediately chimed in.
"Don't! He doesn't smoke! Lend me your lighter, Ed!" Dani forbade, gesturing with an unlit cigarette in his mouth.
"Here! Catch!" Ed replied, tossing his lighter.
Click!
Hisss...
FWOOSH...
"Where do you want to start, Vins?" Dani asked.
"Just tell me about the Elgor and Brando issue first, Bro!" Vins requested.
"Okay! This all started three years ago... My older brother, who was in 9th grade at Onixight Public Middle School at the time, was involved in that inter-student brawl that claimed lives! The tragedy happened right after school dismissal at Onixight Middle School, as they were dispersing... Without their knowledge, they were suddenly attacked by a group of students led by a big guy!" Dani explained to Vins.
"A big guy?" Vins asked back, curious about what happened next.
"I'm pretty sure you know who I'm talking about..." Dani said.
"Elgor?" Vins asked to confirm.
"Exactly! That bastard Elgor was the one who killed the Onixight student, which led to him being locked up in juvenile prison for three years for that case! The brawl involved all student in any graders from both opposing schools!" Dani explained to Vins.
FWOOSH...
"We called it the Sector C Bloody Tragedy, Tripsix versus Onixight! That incident lasted for two hours and happened under the Sector C Flyover, Coffee Hut area! Passersby didn't dare to stop them... They preferred to avoid them and take a detour! Due to the authorities' delay in handling it, quite a few students became casualties! Many students were injured, disabled, and even one person was killed..." Dani continued to explain.
"Because of that, there are often a few rose stems under that Flyover... Every May 20th, those flowers are placed by some teachers and relatives of the victim, as their way of remembering the student who was a casualty there..." Dani said, ending that topic.
"What is it that they're really looking for in those brawls, Bro?" Vins asked Dani.
"Honestly, they just want to make a name for themselves, to feel strong and feared—like they have power, you know? Or, if not that, it's about fighting over girls! Funnily enough, most brawls happen just because of girls..." Dani explained, answering Vins.
Vins felt a deep sense of pity regarding the incident that took place on May 20, 2004. He was completely baffled and couldn't fathom what those students were actually after. Besides a ruined future, death was the only thing they would get.
"What about Belina, Bro?" Vins asked his senior.
"About Belina? She told me that she saw you being intimate with a girl in the hospital room that day! She said she regretted harboring feelings for the wrong person for the past few years!" Dani explained.
Hearing that, Vins looked down, regretting what he and Karina had done in the hospital room at the time.
He didn't mean to hurt Belina's feelings, but Belina had already assumed the worst about him.
"It's only natural if Belina would just leave me like that..." Vins said, looking down and showing a sad expression.
"Oh yeah, at the hospital... Belina also told me she left a box in her house for you as a memento! There's a diary inside, and she also told me to let you know about it, Vins!" Dani said, trying to calm his junior down from his guilt.
"Yeah, Bro... I already read Belina's diary... I was a bit surprised because, on the last page, she wrote a confession there..." Vins explained.
Edward remained silent, listening to them all this time, enjoying the cigarette he was holding.
"Huh? A confession? A confession about what?" Dani asked, surprised, followed by Edward's eyes turning to Vins.
"I brought the paper she wrote on the last page of her diary! Want to see it, Bro?" Vins asked, offering.
"Let's see it! Maybe I know something..." Edward chimed in, hearing Vins's words.
Vins then took out a folded piece of paper from his backpack and handed it to Dani.
---
Dani read the letter, with Edward's face next to him also reading along.
"Today, an upperclassman approached me! And I was confused about how to respond... So I just agreed to everything he said, words that pointed towards a relationship... I'm not ready to let Vins go from my heart! To me, Vins is everything! However, he was a bit forceful and threatened to do bad things to me if I refused him... He also forced me to go home with him, so I had no choice but to accept... The whole way, that guy kept bragging... Honestly, I felt disgusted by his constant showing off of his wealth and martial arts skills... I told my mom about it, and she said I should just transfer schools... But the school couldn't guarantee anything because I might have to repeat 7th grade from the beginning like a new student! Unless it was after I moved up to 8th grade..."
Edward and Dani, after finishing reading the paper, immediately looked at each other, as if they knew who the upperclassman Belina was referring to.
"Do you guys know who Belina is talking about?" Vins asked after observing his two seniors' behavior.
"Damn it! I know who this is!" Edward exclaimed.
"Darick, Junior's friend! So you and I are on the same page, right Ed?" Dani asked Edward.
"Clearly! Because Belina used to be restless in class... She even used to cry for no reason back then! I once saw Belina about to be harassed, and I just punched that guy! Then he called two of his friends to get back at me! That guy's really a bastard!" Ed explained, recalling the incident.
"Yeah, I remember he used to come to our class often too... Sometimes we'd even chase him away if he came with his friends to extort us!" Dani added.
"DAMN IT!!! TAKE ME TO MEET THAT BASTARD NOW, BRO!!!" Vins said, annoyed after hearing about the man's treatment of Belina.
"Calm down, Vins... Calm down! After this, Edward and I will definitely get dragged into it too... Because they've never liked me and my friends!" Dani said, trying to soothe Vins.
"Yeah, because Dani once asked Brando for help! So Elgor would help Dani defeat him and his group... That's why Dani was sometimes forced to extort 7th graders to pay off his debt of gratitude to Brando!" Ed explained to Vins.
"My revenge against Elgor and Brando is also still unpaid! Bastards!" Dani shouted, annoyed.
"Bro Ed! Bro Dan! How about this? Now, you guys take me to the guy who treated Belina like that, so I can beat that bastard up! As for Elgor and Brando, I'll join in later! I also still can't accept that he put Jafar into a coma! What do you say?" Vins said, proposing to his two seniors.
"I'm in!" Ed replied, hearing Vins's request.
"Deal! Me too!" Dani chimed in, indicating his agreement to Vins's request.
Dani rose from his seat, slid open Mas Ito's shop gate, and yelled inside.
CREAK...
"WHO'S READY TO BRAWL WITH KING J'S CREW??? WE'RE TEARING THEM APART JUST LIKE THE OLD DAYS!!!" Dani shouted to his friends.
They cheered excitedly, finally able to fight for the second time to get revenge on their bullies after holding onto their resentment for so long.
"Hey, Vins! Don't forget us! We're friends, right?" Doval said, coming out of hiding.
"Dick move, Vins! If you didn't count us in!" Edrik added, following Doval.
Vins just smiled at his two friends. Their sudden appearance surprised both Ed and Dani.
"Who are they?" Ed asked, pointing at Vins's two friends.
"Hahaha... They're my friends, Bro!" Vins replied.
"Well, look who it is! Chocolate Bun and Cream Cheese! Perfect! If everyone's strapped, let's roll!" Dani said, stepping out of Mas Ito's stall.
Edward then asked his girlfriend for permission; she could only grant it, already tired of trying to forbid him.
"Darick, Junior, Harris, dig your graves now!" Dani thought to himself.
---
The group of teenagers then moved towards the place where King J and some 9th graders usually gathered. Along the way, they were still joking around as if they had no fear of what they were about to face.
Doval, walking at the very back with Edrik, whispered something into Edrik's ear.
"Drik, come here, your ear! I'll whisper something!" Doval said, pulling Edrik's ear, which was taller than his own.
"What is it, Val?" Edrik asked his friend.
"Soon, we're going to see a massive generational change at our school!"
---
- To be Continued
