Bruce stepped outside the room to chase after Bryan.

  "Lock him outside," Rio suggested something dangerous.

  "Haha, that'll be a riot!" Nash gave a thumbs up. "I approve of this idea."

  "Oh, yeah?” Jaiden smirked. “Then, you do it."

  "A-Ahahaha!" Nash produced an awkward ugh. "I'm still young, you know? I wanna keep on living, thank you."

  "Aren't you older than me?"

  "Details! It's just a couple of months anyway."

  "You're that scared, huh," Jaiden smiled mischievously. "And you call yourself a man after that?"

  "Huh! A real ma walk into a fight he 't win. That's what they call being smart," Nash poi his temple as if implyiually had something ihat head.

  "Then,” Jaiden started. “I guess we still have to deal with him once he es back.”

  "How about you lock him out?" Nash suggested.

  "Nah, I'm not suicidal."

  "Heh, right?"

  They rather let go of their bravado than front a beast like Bruce. That's how strong of a force that guy was. The ultimate final boss of Taurus.

  "Fuck!" Bruce cursed on his way back. "That dumbass! Now we're one pyer short now! What we gonna do, cap?"

  "Hrm," Raymond crossed his arms. "We'll have to sub somebody in."

  "Like who? Nobody else from third-year came today."

  "Right. That’s why," Raymond looked at Jaiden's gang. "We'll have to sub one of the juniors."

  "Goddammit. Guess we got no choice," Bruce examihe juniors with a disgusted expression as if they were lowly bugs pared to him. "Hey, you. Whatame, again? Anyway, you py Support, right?"

  "Ah, y-yeah," Rio fli Bruce's thundering voibsp;

  "Okay, perfect! You sub for B," Bruanded.

  "No," Rio answered briefly.

  "Huh?" A vein popped on Bruce's temple. "What's that, junior? I'm being kind and offer you a spot oeam, and you be spitting in the face like that? Is that how it gonna be, huh!?"

  "Ah, um," Rio backed away. Despite his fident answer, he was quaking in his boots. He didn't want to be anywhere within a teer radius of that ic bully.

  "Hey, drop it," Nash stepped iween Brud Rio. "He's saying he doesn't wanna do it."

  "Nobody asked ya, kid," Bruce pushed Nash away.

  "Whoa-!?" Nash tripped and almost dived into the floor, but a supp hand caught him at the st moment. "Phew. Thanks, man,"

  "No problem," Jaiden nodded. He also positioned himself between Brud Rio. Jaiden and Nash were like knights who came forth to protect their princess.

  Guys, I... Rio pursed his lips. It was his fault. Just because he bluntly refused Bruce like that, his friends were about to get themselves into trouble. It was all his fault. Maybe he should accept the offer, even if it meant pying Support for this vermin...

  "Don't worry," Jaiden threw him a fident smile. "We got this."

  "So, that's how it gonna be?" Bruce lifted his in arrogance agaiwo bodyguards. "Gonna cover for that sissy friend of yours? Pft, alright then. Looks like somebody gotta spank ya kids real good. , you e at me together!" He cracked his fists in anticipatioing the living crap outta somebody was a great way to vent, so he was all for it right now.

  "So, what's the pn?" Jaiden whispered.

  "Huh? n?" Nash whispered babsp;

  "You said a true ma walk into a fight he 't win, right? So, how you pn to win?"

  "Oh, put a so it, " Nash produced a dry ugh. "I got nothing, man. I think we're screwed, haha..."

  "Watcha rats whispering about?" Bruce drew closer and closer. He was like aioner approag the guillotine. Soon, three heads will be rolling on the floor.

  "Guess we gotta make run for it, too?" Jaiden didn’t have any other bright ideas in mind. Bryan did the right thing to escape before the demon awakened.

  "Running is cool and all,” Nash said. “But, how we gon past this dude? He’s kinda blog the exit.”

  "Well, that's the tricky part, isn't it?" Jaiden had a difficult expression. There was one easy way to pull it off, but it required a sacrifice. Somebody will bee a decoy to distract Bruce while the other two make their escape.

  However, that'll put the decoy in immense danger. Jaiden had no problem doing it himself if push came to shove, but there had to be another way. A way in whiobody will get into trouble.

  But, is there really such a way? Jaiden’s eyes zigzagged around the entire room, desperately searg for something, anything, that could help. Theiced Raymond. The big captain was heading in their dire.

  "Hey, cap!” Jaiden called out. “Send some help over here! Please!"

  "Huh?" Bruce stopped in his tracks and shot a sharp gre at Raymond. "Stay out of it, bruh. I don't unch you too."

  "Enough," Raymond spoke sharply, unlike his usual self. Eveernal pacifist was getting mad at this development.

  Good, good. Jaiden nodded. I think we’re saved.

  "Hey, I ain’t doing anything wrong. I’m just asking this junior to do his job," Bruce's voice lost some of its hostility. He was visibly flustered in Raymond's presence. "I was being nice all, ya know? I offered him to py Support for a pro pyer like me, but he refused in my face. you believe that shit?"

  "It's his own decision," Raymond said.

  "Wait a sed there. You said we gotta sub somebody in, right? This guy pys Support, so he gotta do it."

  "Only if he agrees to do it," Raymond corrected. "We 't forybody to py."

  "Goddamit, bro. This weak ass attitude is why nobody respects you as the cap," Brueered. "Ya 't just let people do whatever the hell they want."

  That's rich. Jaiden thought. I ’t believe that’s ing from the very guy who abused Raymond's passiveo terrorize the club.

  "Rio, why do you not want to sub in?" Raymond asked calmly, ign Bruce's criticism.

  "I, um," Rio stole a nervous g Bruce. "I don't want to py with this asshole." Hmm. I wonder, how fast will I die after saying something like that? It’ll probably take Burce about three seds to close the distaween us. Then, one punch from him and I'm dead. So, I'd have at most four seds to live. Let's not do that.

  "I want to py with my friends," Rio went for the other main reason.

  "Aww, you," Nash smiled and patted Rio’s back.

  "Well, that's how it is," Jaiden stepped in to iate in Rio’s stead.

  "What the hell?" Bruce grimaced. "Bruh, are you five? This is a scrimmage we're talking about. An official match, ya dig? It's not about what you want, it's about what the team needs. So , step up, junior."

  "He said he doesn't want to," Jaideed. "Besides, I suspect you two won't mesh together well."

  "Well duh,” Bruce agreed. “I'll probably have to work extra hard because his supp will trash."

  Nah, it’s just a patibility issue. Jaideed in his mind. Your way of pying is way too reckless. Rio isn’t Bryan, so he won’t sacrifice himself to save your butt after every dumb py you make.

  "But still," Bruce tinued. "We need five pyers. Even if that guy gonna be useless, at least he be a meat shield or something, right?. , am I alone here with on sense or what? Dyl, you tell them too... huh?"

  Bruce blinked multiple times as he sed the room. Dyn was o be found. Did he hit the toilet? Yeah, that robably it...

  "Oh, ya searg for Dyn?" Nash grinned. "Dude snuck out a little while aght after Bryan."

  "What...?" Bruce failed to process this inprehensible report.

  "He had this look of a sad bruh who got fed up with your bull- ack!" An elbow hit Nash in the rib, warning him against saying the rest. "Anyway, Dyl is gone."

  "What the-!?” Bruce raged. “If you saw him, why didn’t you stop him!?"

  "I gave Dyn permission to leave," Raymond said matter-of-factly. "He said he'd like to sit this o because he was underperf."

  "Well yeah, he sure as hell was underperf," Bruce spit. "But, that ain't no reason to let him step down."

  “I didn’t see any problem with it, so I approved,” Raymond said. “We got enough subs.”

  “That’s not...” Bruce experienced a sudden shudder. Wait a fu’ sed here. If both B and Dyl are gohen...

  He looked around nervously. The only oill left from his gang was Zeph, who was busy brooding over his crappy performance. Zeph only joined Bruce’s galy, so it wasn’t clear how much the guy will support anything Bruce will do from here on out.

  In other words, Bruce ractically alone here. He was like the captain of a sinking ship whose crewmen jumped ship. They abandoned Bruce to let him sink alone.

  “Them ungrateful bastards...!” Bruce gritted his teeth. Did they fet it’s all thanks to me that we got to py oage today!? If I didn’t work my ass off for everybody, we’d never make it this far. Damn it all!

  What was Bruce even supposed to do now? On whom was he supposed to unleash all this bottled anger!? He legit wao punch the shit outta everybody in the rht now! Gaaaaaaaaah!!!

  “Enough already,” Raymond grasped Bruce’s wrist, right before the loaded punch had a ce to strike anybody.

  “Don’t touch me, bitch!” Bruce shoved Raymond away with all his strength, but it was no use. It was like trying to move a freakin’ wall. This son of a golem weighted at least a few tons!

  “ we please not turn this into a fight?” Raymond asked. He didn’t want to resort to violence. But, at this rate, Bruce might force his hand

  This was no longer a situation in which Raymond could keep quiet and watch from the sideline. He had to assert himself as the captain, or else the situation will take a nasty turn.

  "Fuck, what is even..." Bruce’s teeth rattled. He was abahis was a sinking ship and he was the captain of it. The other crewmen were gone. Only Zeph remained, but the guy was just absent-mindedly staring into the empty air.

  Yeah, that piece of shit ain’t gonna do anything for me. Bruce thought. He knew all too well why Zeph would join this gang.

  Zeph's ulterior motive was getting into the first string. Yeah, getting into the first string, the very goal Bruce worked so hard to secure this eime...

  Already as a junior, Bruce figured that he, Bryan, and Dyn werely the top pyers of their geion. It became apparent that, even ohey hit their third year of middle school, they might still not get to py on the first-string. Others will steal all their spots.

  "It 't be helped,” Bryan said to that. “That's how this system works."

  “Yep,” Dyn agreed. “If they're better, they're better."

  That's the sort of me-ass respohe two gave whenever Bruce brought up the topic. They resighemselves to their fate. They were fih merely warming the bench during their st year of middle school.

  Nah, it was a fat ass lie. Burew it all. Same as him, his bros wao py on the petitive stage. They've been busting their asses off during club practice, training for hours three times a week. On top of that, they sometimes pyed Cssmancers after school too.

  All that blood and sweat had to mean something. They didn’t train so hard just to warm the ben their st year. That ain’t fair.

  heless, Bryan and Dyn didn’t show any iion of fighting for their spots. They talked about training harder to secure these spots, but they k was just empty talk.

  There were many talented pyers in the club, so no spot was guaranteed for anybody. No matter how hard Bryan and Dyn worked, they might not get in. That’s why Bruatters into his own hands.

  Stuff like “w hard” was a nice slogan, but it meant didn’t mean jack shit when there when the petition was this fierce. Only the top of the top could make it in. Or, those who established their presehin the club to the point nobody could deny them entry to the first-string.

  Bruce focused oer. He became a demon who terrorized all his petitors. Intimidation, verbal abuse, and even violence. Bruce did everything that was neccessary to establish himself within the club.

  After he taught people a lesson or two, nobody dared to speak against him. It was awesome. He successfully made it clear to everybody that he was running things around here. Bruce was the boss in these parts.

  Everybody came to see him as the unofficial captain of the team. At the very least, it felt like his word carried more weight than Raymond's. If anything, because Raymond didn't speak mu the first pce.

  Holy, Bruce had to turn into quite the scumbag in order to achieve all that. Bryan and Dyn even protested against his extreme methods a few times, g he went too far.

  Admittedly, Bruce also questioned himself many times along the way. He even sidered quitting mid-way.

  But, he couldn't. Bruce wished to py on the first-string alongside his homies, to set foot on the petitive stage. It was going to be their st year of middle school, so their blood and sweat had to pay off.

  Relutly, his pals joined his cause along the way. It transformed from a solo operation into gang activity.

  It was clear that Bryan and Dyn wereirely on board with this, so Bruce had to steel his heart in their steads. He was the godfather of this little mafia, so he had to act the part.

  Them godfather characters in movies were always cold-blooded scumbags who didn’t flutter no matter who they faced. Bruce had to bee just like them. He had to be unyielding in his vi and not show anybody any signs of hesitation.

  And so, that's exactly what Bruce became. He turned into a gangster nobody dared to object against. Even his pals seemed a little wary of him at times. Well, maybe he really acted a little too hard sometimes. But, it was all just an act.

  Or, was it? After rolepying as the godfather for so long and itting so many questios, even Bruce couldn't tell anymore. Did he do all these things himself? Or, was it just the role he ying?

  The liweewo became blurry. Everything got entangled and became one. Bruce was getting drunk on his own power, being the bold godfather he retending to be all along.

  But, there was no reason to be ed about that. At least, that’s what he told himself. Holy, he never even stopped to think about this topiutil today.

  Or, maybe he just pushed these difficult thoughts to the back of his head. He was too afraid to take off the lid and check what was inside him. Did he cross the line? Did he bee a deli?

  None of that mattered. Even if he lost the ability to distinguish between his rolepy ay, and even if his friends were growing wary of him, it was all fine. All that mattered was that he and his homies got to py on the first-string. They were pnning to kie serious ass on stage today!

  But, it all went to shit. Bruce's fists trembled. I mean, sure. We got here. We pyed on that damn stage. We did all the hot stuff. But...

  They suffered two embarrassis in a row. It tore them apart. Bruce couldn't stand it.

  What did he work so hard for? For urpose did he act like a scumbag godfather? For what? For this? For this bitter feeling that made him feel like a sack of shit? For these embarrassis that turhem into a ughingsto front of the audience?

  I feel like I’m having some sort of nightmare. Bruce thought. This shit ain’t real.

  What’s with everybody’s performaoday? Shit was embarrassing. They were like a bunch of Bronze pyers matched against Diamonds. That's how freakin’ bad it was.

  So, naturally, Bruce had to lecture his pals. He had to tell them exactly how hard they fucked up. They gotta fix up that shit ASAP. They didn’t work so hard to get here just to screw over like this.

  So, that's why Bruce had to make them snap out of it. He gave them the facts straight. “Y’all pying like trash today." That’s the message he tried to drill into them.

  But, they didn't want to listen, and now they were gohey abahe godfather who worked his ass off t these scrubs all the here. These ungrateful fucks!

  I'mma kick their asses once I find them! All of 'em! BAM. Bruleashed all his fury with a lightning speed punch. His target? Nobody in particur. Just the sheer whiteness spreading in front of him, the wall.

  "Fuck. This. Shit!" Bruce punched and punched, eling all his anger into his fists.

  "Please don't break things," Raymond spoke.

  "Tch, whatever," Bruce clicked his tongue and turned away. His best friends were gone, so he had no business here either. It oio keep pying by himself.

  "I quit too," Bruce stomped out of the room. "You wao py with your friends? Well, now’s your ce. You got three empty spots oeam. Just don’t e g to me after you get your ass whooped."

  "Heh, just ya watch!" Nash grinned fidently. "We gonna take them by storm!"

  "Yeah, leave it to us," Jaiden nodded. "We'll avenge you guys."

  "Heh, avenge us?" Brueered. "Good luck with that."

  That's some fidehese kids have. Bruce thought as he closed the door behind him. This is dumb. It's like we’re giving them a ticket for the first-string. It took us so much work to get here, but these mofos waltz in like it’s nothing. Ain't that just BS?

  Holy, he wao see Stratus crush Jaiden and the gang. That’s how it should ght? Because, if Jaiden’s group actually happens to win...

  "Bah, no point thinking about that shit," Bruce shook his head. He'll just watch the game o starts. But first, he gotta find his dear friends... ahe living crap outta them!

  And so, Taurus’ internal struggle came to an end. Bruce, Bryan, and Dyn all relinquished their spots for now. Instead, Jaiden, Nash, and Rio subbed in. The three juniors were about to shake up the entire scrimmage!

  DarkestCymore