71
I spent the rest of that Sunday shopping and settling in. I had gone for a jog since I was still in my training routine and I couldn’t just sit idly at home and do nothing. I had cleaned the house, jogged, washed the truck, gone shopping and packed everything away and I had already checked in.
I felt better after talking to Chase and slightly worried that Lucas was looking for me so I drove to another store and bought a new cellphone. I drove to the forest behind the school and sat in the truck and called him.
“This is Lucas,” he answered.
“Hi Dad,” I said.
“Ryder, are you okay?” he asked me.
“I’m fine,” I answered him.
“Where are you?” he asked me.
“It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing, stop looking for me,” I said.
“I’ll never stop looking for you, you’re my son,” he said.
“I’m working, taking responsibility, standing on my own two feet, you should be proud instead of trying to treat me like a little kid,” I said to him.
“You have responsibilities at home,” he said to me.
“Listen, I can’t talk long, just stop looking for me, I’m not lost, I left for a reason,” I said to him.
“Are you ever planning on coming home?” he asked me.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly.
“I love you Ryder,” he said.
“Sure you do,” I said and ended the call.
I didn’t know what to feel after that conversation. He hadn’t yelled, he hadn’t even sounded angry at me but I wasn’t stupid enough to think that he wouldn’t force me into that bond with Tia the moment I stepped foot in Aurora.
I slept well that night and when I got up for school on Monday I felt ready and excited. I got dressed in jeans, boots, a t-shirt and a leather jacket. I left my hair messy which was slightly long now and threw my backpack on the passenger seat of the truck and drove to school.
I arrived at school fifteen minutes late on purpose. I walked to the reception office and got my schedule and locker combination and then headed to my first class. The whole room was silent as I walked in and looked at the teacher, ignoring everyone and walked to the back of the class and sat down.
“Excuse me, who are you?” the teacher asked.
“Ryder Miller,” I said and proceeded to look out of the window for the rest of the class.
I stood in front of my locker exchanging my books when someone bumped me with his shoulder and I was instantly pissed off.
“Did you just bump into me?” I asked the boy as he stopped at the locker next to mine.
“So,” he said.
I shut my locker door and then lunged myself at him as I punched him in the face and went for his ribs. I was pulled off of the guy by a teacher that kept me pinned against the wall as another teacher checked on the boy that I had been hitting.
“Come with me,” he said and nudged me away from the group of students.
He led me down the hall and into his office near the gymnasium and I figured he had to be a coach of some sort. His office was filled with trophies and pictures of the various football teams. I sat down without him giving me permission to do so and looked him straight in the eye.
“What was that all about?” he asked me.
“He bumped into me,” I said looking bored.
“So you hit him? For no reason?” he asked me.
“I had a reason, he bumped into me,” I said.
“Do you play ball?” he asked me.
“No,” I said.
“You should consider it, get rid of all that pent up anger and energy, you’re big for seventeen,” he said as he looked at me.
“I’m not interested in playing football,” I said to him, “just doing my time.”
“Your time?” he asked me.
“It was this or juvie,” I said.
“You might end up in juvie if you keep on going the way you are. You can’t fight the whole world and I’m sure this isn’t who you want to be,” he said to me.
“What’s it to you anyway?” I asked him.
“I’m also a counselor at the school and when I see someone as troubled as you are it’s my job to intervene and help you,” he said and I burst out laughing.
“I don’t need your fucking help,” I said and stood up.
I left his office door open and walked back to the hallway and headed to my next class. I still had that boy’s blood on my knuckles but I ignored it as I walked in ten minutes late for English.
“You’re late,” the teacher said as I walked to an empty desk.
“So,” I said and sat down as students around me laughed softly.
“Tardiness is unacceptable,” he said to me.
“Don’t be so early next time,” I said and leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes.
He was still going on about me being late and how I was going to get detention as I simply ignored him and waited for the bell to ring. When it did I stood up lazily and grabbed my bag as most of the students scampered out of my way afraid of bumping into me.
The next two weeks of school went the same way. I’d pick fights and be a general nuisance and the same coach had me in his office five more times before he told me to meet him behind the tennis courts after school. I smiled hoping that he was the one involved with the students going missing.
After school I drove around the back to the tennis courts and parked my truck in the parking lot on that side and walked to where I could see the courts and waited. Mr. Jones arrived after fifteen minutes and he walked to where I stood in the shade.
“Thanks for meeting me Ryder,” he said.
“What’s this about?” I asked him.
“I’m going to ask you to trust me and follow me somewhere,” he said.
“Sure, how dangerous can you be, you’re a teacher,” I said and he laughed as we walked back to our cars.
I followed him as he drove out of the parking lot and past the school. He drove around the back of the forest and turned to circle it. He turned off on 17 Mile Drive and stopped his car in the parking lot next to the forest.
“Come on,” he said as we climbed out and I followed him as he walked into the trees.
We were walking for about twenty minutes when I heard the voices of other boys and now I was intrigued. There was definitely something weird going on meeting in the middle of the forest. We stepped into a slight clearing and the boys circled around me as I watched them.
“What is this?” I asked him.
“Your test,” he said as the first boy lunged at me.
There were ten of them and I recognized them from school. It was actually pathetic as I stood and let a few of them hit me. They were so much slower than what I was used to, I trained with vampires so watching this was actually humiliating.
After I’d beaten up all ten of them the coach watched me open mouthed. My nose was bleeding and my knuckles had dried blood on them but other than that I wasn’t hurt. He seemed impressed and I hadn’t even given fifty percent of what I was capable of.
“You’re good,” he said with a smile.
“I know,” I said and he chuckled.
“This is an invitation to join our club,” he said.
“What club is that?” I asked him.
“Just a little after school fun, you can make some money on the side and get rid of all that anger inside you,” he said to me.
“Who says I’m angry?” I asked him and he laughed.
“You’re not happy kid, so yes or no?” he asked me.
“How much money?” I asked him and he smiled knowing he had me.
“Enough,” he said.
“Okay I’m in,” I said to him and he slapped me on my back.
“These are your new best friends, don’t beat them up at school, you’re all on the same team now,” he said to me.
“Fine, can I beat up the rest?” I asked and they all laughed.
“We try not to,” one boy said as he walked over to me.
“That’s Henry, Carl, Will, Shane, Malcolm, Shawn, Denver, Michael, Stu and Rick,” the coach said as he introduced the boys to me.
“So what happens now?” I asked him.
“We meet here once a week, I pay you what you’ve earned, the better you fight the better I protect you at school,” he said.
“What’s your cut?” I asked him.
“Half of what you earn,” he said.
“Half? That seems like a rip off,” I said to him.
“I’m taking a big risk in getting you into these fights and keeping you little hotheads out of shit at school,” he said to me his demeanor changing slightly.
“And if I say no?” I asked him.
“Then you won’t last long until you’re sitting with your ass in juvie,” he said and I smiled letting him know that he won.
That night I called Wentworth and checked in with everything I had found out that afternoon in the forest.
“I’m in,” I said to him.
“Good, keep your head down and send us the location of your fight, we won’t be far away,” he said.
“Then I’m done here?” I asked him.
“Yes son, then on to the next assignment,” he said.
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