5
1658 Words
The next day, Lukas spent the morning grumbling about how his father went ballistic on the university staff the previous evening. Neither of them wanted the spotlight they spent the majority of their childhood trying to avoid. Like Jaxon, Lukas hated crowds and despised being put in a situation where his hand was forced.
Not that Jaxon could blame him. His own father was eerily quiet after the phone call from the Dean. Vanishing into his study, David barely said two words to his kids. They were used to it, though. Just like they were used to his random Houdini acts when there was a mission or the man needed something done that no one else could do.
After his sister’s dark past came to light, his father started trusting Russ more and more. That same evening, Jaxon put his reputation with his father on the line as he took some of the heat off Skylar’s back. Telling his father was harder than he thought, but it was easy once he explained his reasoning. Though taken aback, his father decided not to interfere with his training routine.
Sitting at a table in the cafeteria, they were eating lunch while going over their homework for the next class. Comparing notes, Lukas and Jaxon were able to figure out if and where their theories or their formulas for coding were correct or needed tweaking. The noise of the bustling cafeteria faded into the background as they focused on their work, the familiar rhythm of their collaboration providing a sense of normalcy amidst the chaos of their lives.
Jaxon rubbed his chest, feeling a familiar dull ache. He was having a heated discussion with Lukas over whether they should hack Markus' phone to get a picture when the sensation struck.
Lukas looked up from his food, his deep gray eyes wide with concern. "Jaxon, are you okay?"
"Not sure," Jaxon replied. "It feels like a panic attack but different. Almost like something's trying to warn me."
"Sounds like your intuition," Lukas whispered, scanning their surroundings. "Every time something bad happens, you get that pain in your chest."
Jaxon shook his head and popped another sushi roll into his mouth. He gave Lukas a confused look. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Think about it, Ji-Hoon," Lukas hissed. "When Nix went to the Maestro's place, you felt it. Same thing when my brother messed up the first time and when Kenni and Romie went to the manor. If they'd listened to you, it could've saved them a lot of trouble."
Jaxon pondered Lukas' words and realized he was right. Every time he had that ache, it was a warning, but no one listened—except Lukas. His best friend understood him better than the others and always heeded his advice.
"Still, it doesn't mean something will happen," Lukas continued. "There’s always the chance nothing will go wrong."
Jaxon shook his head. "It’s fifty-fifty. We don't have complex field training. If things go south, there's no guarantee we'll make it out unscathed. But we’re faster and smaller than most of the others, not including Kenni."
Lukas nodded thoughtfully. "We just have to stay alert and trust your instincts, Ji-Hoon. They’ve never let us down before."
Lukas stared at the other teen, his jaw hanging before he started laughing. Catching a movement out of the corner of his eye, he watched as a few of their classmates walked into the cafeteria. Watching their body language, he knew that there was no time to make any kind of adjustments without being seen. The other men were on a mission, and he had the sinking feeling they were the targets.
"Jaxon, we gotta bounce," he said, shoving his books into his bag. Following his friend's urging, Jaxon heeded the advice. Getting up from their seats, they dumped their garbage in the appropriate bins, and put the trays on the holder.
One of the other students who had been walking over to their table spoke up. "Where do you think you're going?"
For once, Lukas wisely kept his mouth shut. Jaxon took a breath, fighting instinct to curl into himself and hide. "We're going to get ready for our next class."
"Hey, Chinky, do my homework for me," someone in the group laughed.
His rage building, Lukas was trying to keep a tight leash on his temper. "Look, I'm not sure how your parents raised you, but that was racist. I'd appreciate it if you apologized to my friend here."
More laughter from the other guys made Lukas' palms start to itch.
"Don't do it, Luke," Jaxon whispered. He raised his voice, "They're not worth it. Donna Ambrosia will have our hides if we strike first."
One of the other young men heard what Jaxon said, and struck his hand against his friend's chest. His face lost a bit more colour as he finally recognized the teen. He knew then that his friend was about to get him into more trouble than he wanted to face.
"Man, let them be," he said, fear creeping into his voice. "They ain't hurtin' anyone, and they're younger than we are. The age difference alone is a charge I don’t want on my record."
"What's got your panties in a twist, Royal?" One of the others asked hotly.
Tilting his chin in Jaxon's direction, the Jamaican man said, "That Asian kid is my Boss’s Godson. I ain't risking my job or my life just cause you got mad about your father getting schooled. Jaxon is an untouchable."
"You think I care about that s**t? He embarrassed my family, so now he's gotta pay the toll," the other man argued.
Royal shook his head, "You're not understanding me, Matt. If I touch that kid, or if my Boss finds out I let him be touched, I will cease to exist. Not only that, but they belong to Kingpin's mob. Anyone who messes with that man's crew is never heard from again."
"Come on, are you kidding me?" Matt exclaimed as he violently motioned to the teens. "Look at them! If they were mob raised, why the hell are they so weak-looking?"
Lukas tipped his head to the side, his red-streaked black hair swayed with the movement. "Who said we were weak? Roy, if you walk away now, we won’t say a word about your involvement.”
Jaxon shook his head, "I agree. Royal, I got your back. It's just like Kennedy said, Lukas. Bullies are just mindless pawns, so let's just go to class. We can't let him take up our precious time when all he's doing is wasting it."
******
Backing out of the confrontation, Royal ran from the cafeteria. As he rounded the corner, someone grabbed his arm. Turning, he gasped in shock. “P-Professor Roberts! What are you doing here?”
“My boy and his buddy are inside?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to be involved in the s**t that’s going down. Matt Wendell is up in arms because of his father getting sacked.”
“I didn’t see you. Get gone before I change my mind.”
“Yes, Sir.”
******
Back in the cafeteria, Matt cracked his knuckles. He stepped toward the two teen friends, his face twisted. "Is your time so precious that you ruined my father's teaching career?"
"He shouldn't have broken the protocol that was set in place when we started school here. All the teachers knew to keep their mouths shut, but your father got cocky," Lukas gritted out between his clenched teeth.
Anger clouding his judgment, Matt moved to grab the smaller of the two teens. Ducking, Jaxon used his weight to propel himself across the tiled floor. Rolling to a stop behind his target, he slammed the heel of his foot into Matt's calf.
Screaming from the shock of the sudden pain, Matt dropped, hitting his shoulder off the corner of the table in the process. "Son of a b***h! I'll get you for this, you Asian bastard."
Struggling to his feet, he spotted one of the new professors leaning against the doorframe. The man seemed vaguely familiar, but he was too angry to place where he'd seen him before.
"Sir, that kid just attacked me for no reason. I want to lodge a formal complaint," Matt said as he limped over to the man. He hadn't been expecting someone so small to pack that big of a hit.
Jaxon snickered. Speaking loud enough for the others around them to hear, he said, "I didn't know your father was a teacher here, Luke. Is this going to be like high school, too?"
Matt stopped, glaring at the teens. There was no getting to them now that he knew the man standing in front of him was the father of the kid he referred to as Hair Dye. The other one barely spoke, yet his friend was sketched out by him.
"Jaxon, don't sound so smug," Trace answered dryly as he walked over to the boys. "I was asked to substitute for Mr. Wendell’s class until his replacement arrives. This position is temporary."
"Hi, Dad," Lukas mumbled as his father got closer.
Trace crossed his arms. "Someone is going to the Dean's office, so let's make sure the right person shoulders the blame."
"Mr. Roberts, I got it on video. I heard Matt saying something to his friends, so when he came in, I started recording." A girl rose to her feet and walked over. Reviewing the video, the man's eyes narrowed.
"Nein, this won't do at all. Mr. Wendell, you’re coming with me to see the Dean. Mr. Marks and Mr. Roberts, you’re going to be late for your next class. You got in based on sheer luck and talent, so don’t screw it up. You will ride with me this afternoon, as well. Verstehen?”
“Verstanden, Sir,” both teens replied before rushing out of the cafeteria.
- Writer
