Deadly Class: Episode 1
ACE
I'm sitting here dabbing a wet paper towel on Marcus's shirt, and missing first period. I'm already getting antsy at the thought of missing class. Marcus is leaning back against the countertop while wiping down his jacket and pants because I refuse to go lower than his chest and head. I dragged him into the girls room because that's what he gets for making me miss class and I don't really want to see a urinal. I've already had a shit day today so far, pun intended.
I made him stick his head under the sink so I could rinse his hair out as quick as possible. After trying my best to dry it with a spare handkerchief I found in my uniform, I begin to run my fingers through his hair as a means to comb it in place. His curls are already becoming defined even without his hair being completely dry. I like how they hang down and make his eyes look more hooded. It really adds to his mastered emotionless face, that I secretly want.
He looks up at me as I desperately try to brush his curls back. He smiles at me and reaches up to grab my hand.
"Thank you, Ace. At least someone here isn't a complete narcissistic asshole" he says with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his face. I smirk back at him and take a small step bak to create some distance.
"So I'm only a little bit of an asshole?" I ask him. He smirks widens at me.
"I think to go to this school, you have to be at least 40% asshole or you don't meet the qualifications" He says. I chuckle because he's pretty spot on. It's silent as I continue to clean him up until the annoyance in him bubbles over.
"Seriously, what was that guys problem? Hurting a girl, like that. Some macho man he is" he scoffs at the last part. I agree completely with him, but it's hard to stop someone with as much power as Chico.
"Chico's father is one of the biggest drug cartels out there, that's why he has so much power. He's been taught to belittle and hurt those weaker than him and if you cross him, he will kill you" I pause to let the information seek in. Marcus has thoughtful look on his face.
"That girl he pushed, Maria. Why is she even with him? I saw her face, she was scared before she tried to play it off" he says to me while pushing a hand through his hair. I frown scornfully at the mention of the abuse against Maria.
"She's only with him because he has rep and as she said 'it's dangerous without a gang, but at this point I think it's because Chico won't let her leave. He has power and if she tried to walk away from him, Chico would track her down to the ends of the earth if he had to. All because he can't stand the fact that she doesn't want to be with him" I inform him in an seething voice with hidden sympathy for Maria. Marcus sits there in poorly concealed anger. I'm reminded that Marcus is in trouble and I know for a fact that Chico won't just simply let this go. I reach out and place a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention.
"Chico isn't one to take situations like back there lightly. He will come after you, whether he is blatant or conspicuous about it is all up to him" I explain to him in an attempt to help him.
"Yeah, but you saw that monk guy back there. Chico backed off once he saw them watching us, so he can't really kill a student? Can he?" He first asks it as a rhetorical question, but upon seeing my hesitant face he asks agains seriously.
"Let's just say Chico doesn't care much for rules" I tell him lightly. He looks alarmed for a few moments before a scowl takes over his face.
"Fuck that. There are supposed to be rules here set by Master Lin, so if Chico refuses to follow them then doesn't that make him look weak? If he can't even control a student then that cause a problem, doesn't it?" He looks for my opinion with indignation. I'm surprised at his response. I mean what he's saying does make sense and I could go to Master Lin saying Chico is trying to overthrow the other gangs at the school by breaking the rules. I could say that Chico is trying to overpower the school with orders from his father. I sigh at the amount of lying I have to do, but whatever.
"I'll try to fix this, but I can't make any promises. In the mean time, try to enjoy your first day of assassin school. Now come on, punk. Master Lin's class is next and if we miss it then we're definitely screwed. Don't worry, I'll cover for you for missing first period. I'll just tell him you got a nosebleed and needed a tampon, or something like that" I smirk at him in amusement and then begin to laugh.
"Yeah, whatever" He laughs along with me with the first genuine smile I've seen on his face today.
He pushes off from the counter and picks up his worn backpack from the ground. He slings it over his shoulder and heads towards the exit. I grab my bag as well and head outside with him. As we step out into the hallway the bell rings calling for second period. Students pile into the hallway and begin to shove us around. I roll my eyes and grab onto Marcus's wrist and drag him to AP Deadly Arts class. We make it into the classroom and I take my usual seat which happens to be, practically, in the middle of the classroom. Marcus follows after me and takes the seat behind me not thinking if that was someone else's seat. I turn around to face him.
"What if that seat belongs to someone?" I ask him with raised eyebrows. He looks scare for a split second and looks ready to bolt.
"Is it somebody's seat? I didn't know there were assigned seats? Who's is it?" He's already grabbing onto his backpack and getting ready to bolt out of here just incase some other crazy person wants to kill him today.
"Calm down. The seats free" I tell him with an amused smirk on my face. The rest of the class begins to come in and take their usual seats. Brandy comes in with a few of her white supremacist friends and takes her seat to the right of me. I ignore her glare in favor of looking on the chalkboard to see a warm-up question. I pull out my notebook and pen, and begin to answer the question.
"If a man is running away from you in the woods with a broken leg at .5 miles an hour, how long would you calmly walk behind him with him screaming before his leg gave out?
Bonus question: Would you either shoot the broken leg or simply break all other limbs?"
Hmm. This question's tough. You need to know the general physical stamina of an adult male, some physics, but you also have to factor in the climate settings. I guess I'll just calculate a quick formula and go from there. As I am writing out equations, I see from the corner of my eye, Brandy scribbling a bunch of lines on a paper in her favorite sparkly gel pen. I ignore her in favor of my studies.
A few moments later, Master Lin walks into the classroom already jumping into the warm-up question and today's lecture. He walks around the room as he lectures to make sure that all the student are semi-paying attention. The one's that aren't, he stomps his cane right next to there desk to wake them up. He walks down the isle past me, Brandy, and Marcus. Just as he passes us, Brandy reaches over and lays a folded up peice of paper on Marcus's desk. I furrow my eyebrows. What is this bimbo planning?
"Who would be the recipient of your rage? A thief, a child molester, a world leader, perhaps? This one decision betrays all secrets and unveils true motive" Master Lin tells us wisely.
Marcus looks down at the note then back up to Brandy's face with a questioning look on his face. He hesitantly reaches for the note and almost gets his hand smacked by Master Lin's cane. A quiet "Jesus!" comes from Marcus as he holds his hand close to himself.
Instead of punishing Marcus he instead hits Brandy full force in the face, giving her a bloody nose. I muffle my laughs like the rest of the class, no stranger to violence unlike Marcus who is watching the whole scene in complete shock. Blood is splattered onto his face only making him more horrified. I pull out my handkerchief, once again, and hand it to him. He reaches for it without thinking, still in a state of shock, and begins to wipe his face.
"Ask yourself. Who would you kill?" Lin asks us as a closing to the lecture. We look back to Brandy to see her touching the blood under her nose and then taking her finger and licking it like a psychopath. I make a disgusted face and turn away from her in favor of Marcus. He still just looks horrified.
"Your homework tonight, half your semester grade, will tell me who you really are. If you're really meant to be at King's Dominion. Use you training. Search the city for a worthy target. Someone you think deserves to die, and kill them" Master Lin tells us without compassion for the people his students will kill tonight.
The bell rings and everyone quickly rushes to pack their things up. Marcus puts his books in his bag and picks up the still folded peice of paper on his desk. He unfolds it to read 'You're dead meett' with a bunch of swastikas drawn on it.
"Discard the body, hide all evidence. Bring me proof" he finishes normally and the students are off.
"Should be no problem for a killer like you" Willie makes a comment to Marcus on his way out. Marcus's face drops and he packs the rest of his stuff up. Everybody leaves until it's just us. I try my best to make light of the situation.
"Damn hillbillies can't even spell meat right" I joke to him in hopes of cheering him up. He looks back at me and I can see a little bit of the light come back in his eyes. He huffs a laugh.
"Yeah. Do you have hand-to-hand combat class next?" he asks me in hopes of me saying yes. Unfortunately, I have to let those brown eyes down.
"Actually, I take private training classes with some of the monks here. Sometimes Master Lin comes and observes how I'm progressing" I explain to him as I walk him to his class. He looks impressed and slightly down that he has to go a class all alone.
"You'll be fine. Billy and Maria are in this class and she isn't too bad, just don't make her angry" I say mostly serious and pat him on the back before heading off to the separate dojo for my next lesson.