III

Chapter Three

__

The week had been an unsettling calm, a reprieve from the usual onslaught of pranks, threats, and humiliating games orchestrated by Gemini and his clique. Fourth had barely seen them in class, except for Winny, who seemed to be the only one not entirely invested in Gemini's reign of terror.

"Hey, don't you know one of our classmates is having a party tonight? Wanna join?" Ford asked, his voice brimming with excitement. But Fourth immediately shook his head, his aversion to parties well-known. He wasn't a fan of crowds, of forced social interactions, and the thought of being in the same room as Gemini and his friends filled him with dread.

"Please... please. Come with me. Besides, I know her," Ford pleaded, his usual cheerfulness replaced with a desperate plea. But Fourth remained firm, his voice a quiet "No."

"Please... you're my only friend here. Can you accompany me? If it's not good, we can go home immediately," Ford persisted, his words laced with a desperation that tugged at Fourth's heart.

Fourth rolled his eyes at his friend, a small smile playing on his lips. "You promise?"

Ford, his face beaming with relief, nodded enthusiastically. "I promise."

Fourth, unable to resist his friend's pleas, finally relented. "Okay."

Ford, his face alight with excitement, hugged Fourth tightly and began chattering excitedly about the party, his enthusiasm a stark contrast to Fourth's quiet apprehension.

As the night fell, Fourth and Ford arrived at the house, greeted by Film, the host, a bubbly girl with a contagious laugh. At first, Fourth felt out of place, the unfamiliar faces and loud music a stark contrast to his usual quiet life. But as the night wore on, he began to relax, drawn into the warmth of the conversation and the shared laughter.

Ford, however, was called away by a group of their classmates, who needed his help with something. He agreed, leaving Fourth alone with Film and a few other students. Initially, Fourth felt comfortable, enjoying the easy conversation, but as the minutes ticked by, he began to feel anxious. Ford had been gone for a while, and a sense of unease settled over him. Little did he know, his worry was about to escalate into something far more terrifying.

Gemini, accompanied by Prom and Perth, entered the house, their arrival announced with a deliberate swagger. They made a point of mentioning Fourth's encounter at the coffee shop the previous day, their words dripping with malicious glee, as if it were a crime, a transgression against their unspoken code of dominance. Fourth, his cheeks burning with shame, wished he could disappear, but Perth was too quick, catching him before he could escape.

"Where are you going? The party hasn't started yet," he said, his voice laced with a cruel amusement as he dragged Fourth towards the center of the room, where a group of students had gathered, their eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation.

"Everyone! Ready your cameras!" Prom announced, his voice echoing through the room, the air thick with a palpable tension.

Gemini sat down, his eyes fixed on Fourth, a predator sizing up its prey. Fourth's knees trembled, a wave of fear washing over him. He knew what was coming, but he couldn't escape, his body frozen in place, his mind racing with a desperate plea for mercy.

"What are you going to do to me?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper, his words laced with a desperate hope that they would reconsider, that they would show him a sliver of mercy. But his plea was met with laughter, a cruel, mocking sound that echoed through the room.

"Chill, man," Prom said, his voice dripping with a false reassurance. He grabbed a bottle of wine, popped the cork, and poured it over Fourth's head, the cold liquid cascading down his face, his clothes, his body.

Fourth's eyes filled with tears, his body trembling with a mixture of fear and humiliation. He wanted to fight back, to scream, to run, but his body refused to obey, his will paralyzed by the sheer terror of the situation.

Just then, Ford's voice, filled with a mixture of anger and desperation, echoed through the room. "Fourth!"

But he was too late. Perth and the others, anticipating Ford's intervention, had grabbed him, holding him back, their laughter a cruel counterpoint to Ford's desperate pleas.

"What are you doing with my friend!" Ford yelled, his voice raw with anger, his words a desperate plea for reason, for humanity, in the face of such barbarity.

The wine shower was followed by a barrage of raw eggs, thrown with a cruel precision that sent a wave of pain through Fourth's body. He winced, his head throbbing, blood trickling down his forehead, the laughter of his tormentors a mocking soundtrack to his suffering.

Fourth felt his knees weaken, his body shivering with cold, the air heavy with the stench of spoiled eggs and fear. Then, a bag of flour was dumped over him, the white powder coating him from head to toe, the laughter of his tormentors reaching a crescendo.

He clenched his jaw, his tears falling silently, his body trembling with a mixture of anger and despair.

"Oh, are you crying already? We're not done yet!" Prom taunted, his voice laced with a cruel glee. He then grabbed Fourth and dragged him towards the edge of the pool.

"What are you trying to do?" Fourth asked, his voice trembling, a mixture of fear and desperation.

But his question was met with silence, a silence that was more terrifying than any answer. Prom kicked him towards the pool, sending Fourth tumbling into the water with a splash.

"FOURTH!!!" Ford's scream echoed through the room, his voice filled with a raw terror that mirrored the shock of the onlookers.

Fourth, unable to swim, struggled against the water, kicking and thrashing, his arms flailing, his voice a desperate cry for help. But his cries were drowned out by the sound of the water, his pleas for mercy lost in the chaos of the moment.

Satang, who had been watching the scene unfold with a growing sense of anger and disgust, jumped into the pool without hesitation. Ford, his heart pounding in his chest, ran to the edge of the pool, his face a mask of terror and guilt. He watched as Satang, with a strength that belied his slender frame, pulled Fourth out of the water, his body limp, his face pale, his eyes closed.

Ford called out Fourth's name repeatedly, but there was no response.

"Move!" Satang yelled, his voice filled with a urgency that cut through the stunned silence. He checked Fourth's pulse, a flicker of life, a faint beat that gave him hope. He immediately began performing CPR, pushing the air into Fourth's lungs, his movements precise and determined.

After what felt like an eternity, Fourth gasped, his chest heaving, his eyes fluttering open.

"Fourth..." Ford cried, his voice choked with relief, as he hugged Fourth tightly, his body trembling with the aftershocks of the ordeal.

Satang, his face grim, looked at the culprits, who stood frozen in shock, their laughter silenced by the gravity of the situation. "I can't believe you, Gemini," he said, his voice filled with a quiet anger. "I thought you were better than this." He then turned to Fourth, gripping his arms, helping him to stand.

"Ford, right? Follow me," he said, his voice firm, his gaze unwavering. Ford, still reeling from the shock, followed Satang without question.

Satang led them to the bathroom, then excused himself, heading to his car to grab a spare change of clothes he always kept in his trunk. Ford and Fourth were left alone, the silence in the bathroom heavy with the weight of what had just happened.

Ford looked at Fourth, who was still visibly shaken, his eyes filled with a mixture of shock and fear, his body trembling slightly. "Fourth... I'm sorry," Ford uttered, his voice filled with remorse.

After a moment of silence, Fourth spoke, his voice a soft whisper, his words laced with a quiet strength. "It's not your fault, Ford. You didn't know." Ford, his eyes filled with tears, hugged Fourth tightly.

"They tricked me, Fourth. I'm so sorry for leaving you like that," Ford said, his voice choked with guilt.

Fourth, his tears flowing freely, leaned into Ford's embrace.

Satang returned, handing Ford a fresh set of clothes. "Here. Change into this and let me drive you to the hospital. You have so many wounds and bruises." His voice was steady, but his concern was evident in his eyes. Fourth nodded, accepting the clothes, the weight of his exhaustion finally catching up to him. He took a warm shower, the water a soothing balm to his aching body, and changed into the fresh clothes.

Satang waited patiently for them, his eyes filled with a quiet determination. He led them out of the house, his car waiting for them in the driveway.

To their surprise, Satang's father, a doctor, was the one who checked on Fourth at the hospital. After examining him, he prescribed some medication and told Fourth to rest. "Thank you, Dad," Satang said, his voice filled with a quiet gratitude.Satang's father nodded, his expression a mixture of concern and disapproval. "I told you not to get involved in this kind of fight again, Satang."

"I wasn't, Dad. But I couldn't watch someone almost die because of it," Satang replied, his voice firm, his resolve unwavering. "I'll go now, Dad. I'm really sorry. I promise I'll go straight home."

To his surprise, Fourth and Ford were still waiting for him. He tried to ignore them, but Fourth's voice, soft but insistent, stopped him. "Thank you for saving me," Fourth said, his words sincere, his gratitude genuine.

Satang simply nodded, his gaze fixed on the floor, and then turned and walked away.

Fourth watched him go, his heart filled with a mixture of gratitude and confusion."Let's go home now, Fourth," Ford said, his voice filled with a weariness that mirrored Fourth's own.

Fourth nodded, his body aching, his mind still reeling from the events of the evening. He would be staying with Ford tonight, just like he had told his sister, Tu.

As they arrived at Ford's apartment, a comfortable silence settled over them as they settled into bed. Fourth felt the pain in his body, a constant reminder of the brutality he had endured. He couldn't believe that Gemini had done this to him, that his torment had reached this level of cruelty. And beside him, Ford, still consumed with guilt, struggled to come to terms with what he had witnessed, his heart heavy with the weight of his own helplessness.

In that room, filled with the echoes of pain, fear, and guilt, a silent understanding formed. Fourth, with his pain, his anger, and his self-recrimination, and Ford, with his guilt, his remorse, and his unwavering loyalty, were bound together by the shared experience of that night, a night that had changed everything.

End of Chapter Three