I didn’t even see that. It was as if a damn truck just hit me in the face. Fast, precise and strong. That’s how I could describe it. I then fell at my ‘friends’ feet. I raised my gaze to meet them just to see if they were concerned about how I was. The moment I saw them smiling cockily my blood boiled. “What the fuck are you ughing at you two?”

  I got up, the pain I felt in my right cheek was intense. It made a memory of the past come back. The person I have in front of me is someone that I hate the most in the world. The person I had tried to forget for so long, but I was not able to. My dad. What is he doing in that memory? What he always did. What he was the best at. Beating me up.

  I went back to reality. In front of me, that guy. With his hands in his pockets. “Get ready you three. After I beat this guy's ass I’ll beat yours and I’ll hit you so many times you will have to start begging me to kill you” I said to Ethan, Ryan and Chris. I walk up to that guy. The whole room in silence. I stood in front of him showing the same level of mockery with my hands in my pockets.

  After all, I'm just trying to act cool. I’m afraid of that guy and I was trying to suppress the pain I felt. “That was rude of you. You punch me without even introducing yourself. I’m Mark”. I said to that guy. He looked at me with a gre that intimidates me. His eyes seemed to have seen a lot. His cold gaze told me that he was no ordinary guy. “My name is Cruz. My surname…” He made a dramatic stop. “What is he doing? Does he think this is a manga or what?”. I thought. “I’ll tell you if you at least entertain me”. Said Cruz.

  The moment he said that I threw a punch with my right fist directly at his face, but he blocked it easily, catching my fist. He then let my hand go. I took some steps back. I tried again, a right fist directly at his face. Again, blocked, but I continued with a jab which connected with his right cheek. “This is what you get when you underestimate me”. I thought that I had catched him with his guard down.

  How wrong I was. The jab hit his face, that’s true, but he didn’t move an inch. “Pathetic. Is that the best jab you can throw?”. A shiver ran down my spine. With my left fist in his face and my right catched on his left hand. He let my hand go and before I could react, a searing pain exploded in my abdomen. I doubled over, blood spilling from my mouth as I fell to my knees. “This,” Cruz said, standing over me, “is how you throw a proper jab.”

  “Really, who the fuck is this guy”. I tried getting up again, but he didn’t let me by kicking me directly in my chin. Which made me fall again. He then walked up to me and sat on me. My gaze met with his. “What are you gonna do no…” He didn’t even let me finish. He punched my face again. “Look. It's not that hard. One.” He punched me with his right hand. “Two.” He punched me with his left. “One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two…”

  Time passed. “How much time has he been punching me? 1 minute, 2, 5?” Suddenly the punches stop. I try to see what happened, but I can’t open my eyes. They have been punched so many times they are too swollen. I try harder and I’m able to open it a bit. I can’t see very clearly. It seems someone has stopped him. “Who is that? I can’t see him well.” I hear something. “I-I think that's enough beating” Said the guy who stopped Cruz's fist. “Okay, let me finish it then”. Replied Cruz. I then felt pain again. Punches harder than the previous ones, one to the face, on both arms, on both legs, on the chest and on the stomach.

  Then tears started appearing on my eyes, running across my face. I couldn’t hold them. It hurt. It hurt a lot. “That’s for the beating. Now, let's get to the humiliation part” Said Cruz. I looked up at Ethan, my vision still blurry, and realized it was him who had stopped Cruz. But why? Was it guilt? Or something else? I didn’t have the strength to ask. All I could do was lie there, broken and humiliated, as the room spun around me.

  Cruz grabbed me by the colr, making me kneel. “Say it,” he growled. “Apologize to them. Tell them you’re sorry for everything you’ve done.”

  I hesitated, I didn’t want to say. My pride was something I wanted to maintain until the end. But one look at Cruz’s cold, unyielding gaze made me cave. “I’m… I’m sorry,” I muttered, my voice barely audible.

  “Louder!” Cruz commanded, followed by a kick on my back, that kick broke something, I could sense it. He then whispered to me. “Or do you want me to talk about your dad?” My hands clenched into fists, I clenched my teeth too. I was boiling in anger. “How is he reted to my father? And what does he know?” I didn’t wanna test. I couldn’t. “I’m sorry!” I shouted, my voice cracking with emotion. “I’m sorry for everything!”

  The room fell silent, the weight of my words hanging in the air. Cruz stopped grabbing me and pulled out a cigarette. Then Ethan stepped forward, his voice cutting through the stillness. “I know that you don’t really mean it. I thought that this would satisfy me, but it doesn’t.” he said, his tone dripping with disdain. “At least everyone would now know how you really are.”

  My eyes widened, my face pale. “What do you mean everyone?” I whispered, his voice trembling. Ethan pointed out to the principal. I looked at him. I felt completely helpless. He was holding a camera. “How much has he been recording”. I asked Ethan. “Every part of the confession.” Ethan replied. “This video will be shown to every student in the school.

  I lowered my gaze. I look at the floor, realizing that everything ended for me. I hear some steps and some sneakers appear. I raise my gaze just to see Ryan and Chris. I remember their smiles just a few minutes ago. I try getting up, but I can’t. “What are you going to do, ugh at me?”. I say to them. “This is all you have to tell us”. Answered Chris. “Look, you can talk more than two words. I always thought you were mute, bitch”. I made a cocky smile at them trying to hide the pain.

  “Hey, Cruz. Can I hit him?”. Asks Chris to Cruz.

  Cruz who was just behind me took a puff of his cigarette and let the smoke out. “Why do you ask me? I don’t care, I did what I was paid for. Now is up to you”. He said while walking out of the gym without a second gnce. Cruz looked at me again. “You? Hit me? As if you had the balls to do that”. I said while looking at him. I tried getting up, but the pain I was feeling became stronger. “Ugh”. I still maintained my cocky smile at Chris.

  Chris didn’t respond. Instead, he clenched his fist, his eyes narrowing as he pulled back for a punch. I could see it coming, but my body was too battered to react. His fist connected with my stomach, the impact sending a wave of nausea through me. Cruz looked at the punch. “Hm, not a bad punch at all”. Said Cruz to Chris. I doubled over, vomiting onto the floor. The pain was unbearable, a mix of Cruz’s earlier beating and Chris’s unexpected strength.

  My vision blurred, and I felt a warm, metallic taste in my mouth. Blood. I was bleeding internally. The room started to spin, and I tried to get up again, but my legs gave out beneath me. My breath started coming in shallow gasps.

  The murmur of teachers behind me, mixing with the memories of my dad’s voice. My chest tightened, and I couldn’t breathe. The world spun faster and faster, the faces of Ethan, Ryan, and Chris blurring together. The st thing I heard was someone approaching me. I couldn’t even see who it was. At that moment, everything went dark and I passed out.