Painful Smiles

The bastard was sitting at the cafeteria and cheering with some other boys along with Mega and Belle sitting by his sides. They were laughing at a painting Wright made of Claudia.

She had her hair braided by the sides and she was wearing a floral gown smiling brightly.

“That stupid Wright is head over heel in love with that fool. I have known Claudia for years, she’s only good at using people. Friendship and Love are foreign words to her” Mark laughed.

“And I bet idiocy and stupidity aren’t foreign to you” Michael strolled in and placed his leg on their table. A boy wanted to pull his leg away but backed off when Michael glared at him.

“I was expecting Claudia so I’ll break her other arm” Mark chuckled.

“I suspected. You feel nice hitting on your girlfriend’s twin. Generally you feel nice hitting women”.

Mark frowned at that. Belle frowned too, “Speaking of hitting women, you hit me the other day. Forgotten?” she asked harshly.

Michael shrugged, “You aren’t woman enough. When you have qualities of being a woman you won’t get hit”.

Mega slammed her hand on the table angrily but then a bottle of juice had toppled over and poured all over Mark.

Infuriated, Mark stood up and sent her a blow to her face. The whole incident happened fast.

Everyone at the cafeteria was surprised including Mega. She nearly fell into some junior’s table. The cafeteria was silent.

“You hit people for such small things. I wonder if these boys around you are friends or slaves?” Michael shook his head.

The boys looked down at themselves and back at Mark. He seemed to have regretted his action and began wiping his shirt.

“I’m sorry” he muttered to Mega. She just stood up and walked away with Belle.

“Tell that to Wright too. And help him work on a new artwork” Michael added.

Mark scoffed but kept quiet.

“You’d be getting your own blow if you don’t” Michael said casually. Mark glared at him and the other boys began leaving the seat one by one.

“When did Wright become your friend or are you doing this for Claudia?” Mark was now clenching his fists, both annoyed with his friends leaving him and with Michael trying to push him in a fight.

“Wright cares a lot about his grades and overall school records. Wants to go to a big art school and become a big time artist” he smiled as he recollected.

“Claudia cares about her grades too, maybe not school records but she should get out of this case for her health’s same. As for me, I have wealth up to my fourth generation” everyone in the room gasped.

“Can’t I use my time to stand up to bullies like you?” Michael continued.

“Rich bullies. It goes hand in hand…”

“As well, as shameless boyfriends” Michael interrupted. He sighed as it seemed he and Mark were going to have an oral argument.

“Apologize to Mark, help him regain his works. You wouldn’t also want to have problems with me” he then stood up and left. He turned back and took the painting Wright made of Claudia.

“Claudia is nothing like the angel he thinks” Mark scoffed. Michael said nothing to him and left.

He stopped at the art room and threw the painting along with the others mixed with paint. He didn’t ask himself why but he just left.

“You know I can punch you” Claudia barked when Michael opened the door.

He forced a smile and collapsed on a chair. Wright hurried out of the room to the art room to try to salvage any thing.

“How many teeth does he have left then?” she sat besides him.

“As many as he had always had” he replied with a flat grin. She stood up to leave but he pulled her back.

He immediately checked to know if he had pulled her injured arm but realized he hadn’t.

“Crazy too?” Claudia yelled but sat back. “Is it about Clara? Don’t spoil my mood”.

“Can you smile more? I think it would look pretty on you” he looked her in the eye.

She seemed uninterested and rolled her eyes, “I somehow thought you wanted to ask me the hospital Clara was taken to. I was so ready to tell you “I HOPE HELL”. Why the sudden need to smile anyway?”.

He shook his head at her question, stood up and left.

“What’s wrong with you?” he kept on asking himself.

Just then, he got a call. It was his father.

“Come home this instant. There’s been a kidnap case, it was targeted at you but got to Clara” Mr. Louis spoke in hushes.

Michael looked around him before yelling, “Clara got kidnapped?”. His father confirmed and told him to leave his school as they was a target on him.

“That mafia. I thought he’d stay quiet but he is just a greedy bastard”. Mr. Louis hung up to let Michael begin going home.

He rushed back to his class to retrieve his back and met Claudia having a call. He anticipated it would be about the kidnap news of her sister.

He waited to see her reactions and was glad she wasn’t a monster as she was visibly worried.

He got into a fix when she asked him to drop her off at her home since he was going home himself.

“I am late for a business meeting, I have to go” he said again but she wasn’t buying it. “My sister got kidnapped. Which is more important?”.

The driver came inside the school when he didn’t come out early enough.

“Just drop me home. Just this once” Claudia asked again.

Michael mumbled another excuse and ran off. He clenched his fists on his way. Never had Claudia asked him for anything before and this one thing she asked, he couldn’t even grant it.

“He killed the agent you sent to watch over Clara earlier. This mafia killed him, he seemed dangerous” the driver filled Michael on.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

He crossed his mind and concentrated on going back underground till they tracked this rogue mafia.

If the mafia could get Clara, he could get Claudia, and that seemed more scary to Michael.

Author’s note:

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