Judge by the Cover: High School, Drama & Deadly Vices (Hafu Sans Halo Book 1)

by Melissa Abigail

  “I’m the shady one? You’re the one who picked my pocket. How’d you even do it?”

  The guy shrugged and replied cheekily, “I live on the East Side, don't I? Might as well learn something.” He placed his hands in his pockets. “Cool name, by the way. Like the dude from Street Fighter.”

  Ryu scowled. “Yeah, everyone says it wrong, though. Mostly because of the dude from Street Fighter.”

  The guy then laughed, “Wouldn’t doubt.”

  Ryu crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed.

  “I didn’t catch your name.”

  The guy rubbed the back of his head.

  “It's Damon. I’d tell you my Chinese name, but I’m sure you’d say it wrong.”

  Ryu couldn’t help it. He dropped his arms and laughed.

  Touché.

  Damon smirked. “You go to that rich kid school. Wouldn’t’ve guessed.”

  Ryu waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t group me in with them.”

  Damon shrugged. “I won’t judge. Actually, my girlfriend goes to Shady Glenn Academy. Me, on the other hand, public school is fine. My family couldn’t afford the tuition anyhow and wouldn’t send me if they could.”

  “Wow, someone from the Academy is willing to step out the box and date a normal person?”

  “Yeah, man. Not everybody there has something shoved up their—you know.” Then he raised his brows. “That’s stereotyping, am I right?”

  Ryu felt the guilt return as he nodded sheepishly.

  Damon pulled a phone from his pocket.

  “Hey. It’s almost nine. Need a cab or something?”

  Ryu felt the return of the dread he’d long abandoned. That’s right. He had to go home.

  “Sure,” Ryu muttered, lowering his eyes.

  Once Damon made the call, he flicked off the lights and the two boys headed out from the building and into the night as the cool air nipped lightly at their ears. Ryu could still feel the sharp pain in his leg as he walked, but everything, even walking, seemed so much easier.

  “I guess, I… I should thank you. Thanks,” said Ryu. Those words. The actual reasons to say them? Those reasons didn’t come often.

  “It’s nothing,” Damon said, sounding like he genuinely meant it. “I’m aiming for med school, so let’s just call it ‘practise.'”

  Ryu felt nothing less than awestruck, and the smile crept back. So this guy was book-smart, not just street-smart? Ryu dug his hands into his hoodie pouch as Damon did the same with his windbreaker. They stood in an odd, but comforting silence, despite the desolate emptiness of a street beaten down and abandoned. A street where Ryu himself could have been both those things.

  “Hey, uh, Ryu?”

  Damon had said his name wrong, but it definitely sounded much better and closer than the way others had said it.

  “Good enough,” Ryu acknowledged.

  Damon gave a mild snort.

  “I know you probably don’t open up easily. I get it. But you shouldn’t be afraid to let people in sometimes.”

  Ryu averted his gaze with a frown. “No one can be let into my world. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Fair enough. I’ve seen crazy stuff go on around here. It’s messed up. But, hey, everyone needs a friend, right? A real one.”

  Ryu stared. Real friends?

  Damon chuckled, then shook his head.

  “Anyway, I’m talking crazy—but really, we should chill. You know, if you want. You play ball?”

  Just then, the taxi came into view and honked once to announce its presence. Ryu nodded slowly and motioned towards the vehicle.

  “Yeah,” Ryu said, the corners of his mouth hinting at a grin. “Hell yeah, I play.”

  Damon gestured to a second taxi which pulled up behind the first. A separate cab? Ryu was impressed. Damon even knew they shouldn’t ride together.

  “Take care,” Damon said with a wave, then shut the door.

  Both cars were off in a haze of smoke clouds.

  The feelings of relief didn’t last.

  Ryu had taken Damon's advice and gone to the hospital, but afterwards, once Ryu had arrived at the doorstep of the old Edwardian mansion, he was greeted by nothing but the fallout of a grim reality.

  The mission had been a disaster.

  When it came to the other gangs in and around town, the boys would joke about how awful they were. Albert lived for a good pun. He’d make puns out of anything. The Rooster Kingz were of no exception.

  “Yo, those Chicken Shits don’t know what’s up,” he’d said the first time he’d met one of them, just off Main Street.

  They weren’t competing for turf or business then, and it was true—they were just a couple of punks trying to be tough, nowhere near their level. That was until the following year, two years ago, the Summer of 2009. Julian had been at Tengoku back then. He was just another new-wave, an over-confident fourteen-year-old Filipino kid without a clue about anything, so green that he barely knew the ins-and-outs of their hood. So, unsurprisingly, Julian had roused the fury of a Rooster just by looking at him the wrong way. He’d ended up beaten, badly. Loyalty ran deep though, and if one of their brothers got hurt, it was all about the payback.

  “We’re gonna go racquetball on them shuttlecocks,” Albert had said. Sure enough, the boys of Tengoku did just that. At least four, maybe five of the Roosters were sent away in stretchers. But eight months later, there was a new Rooster in town. His name? Jo Szeto.

  Or as Ryu liked to think of him, The Shuttlecock.

  Ryu didn’t know much about the kid except that he was two years older; he’d dropped out of high school at eighteen and had a wicked-bad temper. He wasn’t as strong or skilled as Ryu; but, he did have the tensile vigour of someone who’d dabbled in taekwondo then got his training on the streets. There was also a certain coldness about Szeto, something that made him seem inhuman in some ways. Perhaps it was his short fuse. Perhaps it was the confidence that came from knowing he had a reserve army of Triads on speed dial. So unlike most, Szeto didn’t have fear. He inspired it. Ryu felt the full brunt of this the one time he fought him and his crew for the sake of Julian. That was just last year, the Summer of 2010. Both he and Julian wound up in the ICU that day.

  Only one of them left it.

  Instead of waging war, Matsumoto thought it best to forge an alliance, each group specializing in whatever brand of trafficking or smuggling they did best so they never again crossed paths. None of the Tengoku boys could understand why they would ally with a street gang that had wronged them, and for Ryu, the beef between him and Jo Szeto was personal. For one thing, Szeto was the main reason Ryu carried a Glock at night. It was a good thing Damon had interrupted things this time. Ryu would have surely ended Szeto that same night—an act that would have cost him dearly.

  It happened to be that Szeto came from Triad bloodlines, his uncle a boss overseas. Anyone daring to face the kid had to be on their toes. Going after him was like taking out a wasp: retribution wasn’t suggested, it was promised—in droves. Especially since actual Triads outnumbered White Flowers at levels not even worth tabulating. Ryu didn’t want to be the one to tell Katsuo… but he didn’t have to. The doctor had phoned Matsumoto personally once he’d left the office in his Lexus, boasting about how beautifully the tides had turned. Katsuo had been the one to feel Matsumoto’s wrath, which only meant the Tengoku boys were next in line.

  “the doctor's car was gone? What do you mean?” Katsuo hollered, then turned away from Ryu to face Albert and Dan, in that order. “How come no one was watching the front while Ryu went back?”

  “Aniki, we had to move—”

  “Why? Who told you to move? The police? If not, there are no excuses! None!”

  The blazing went on for what felt like hours. Ryu peered through the corner of his eye as a current of air washed over him from a newly opened door, hinting Claudia’s return.

  Back from a night’s work.

 
; “Ki-kun,” she purred as she passed him, and pat him loftily on the shoulder. “Why so angry? They’re only boys.”

  Ryu frowned. It was once in a blue moon that Claudia would interject on anyone’s behalf but her own. She must have had a good night. The subtle scent of alcohol that oozed off of her dress gave that much away. Ryu noticed as Tyler, who’d been sulking, all of a sudden perked up. Ryu averted his gaze with a scowl.

  “Stay out of this,” Katsuo intoned angrily, then his eyes flashed scathingly onto Tyler who didn’t look quite sombre enough for the occasion. “And this one thinks something is funny. What’s funny? Driving off and leaving your brother behind? Baka ja nai?”

  Ryu smirked. Now it was Tyler’s turn to suffer. Tyler’s grin vanished, and always the master of fakery, he reassembled his serious composure.

  “Cops were everywhere. I had no choice but to leave,” Tyler insisted.

  “You aroused unnecessary suspicion parking and loitering in an empty lot, mistake one,” Katsuo countered with crossed arms. “You should have let Ryu know before leaving. Mistake two. Now, he’s injured. He’ll need to stay off that leg for weeks.”

  Tyler glanced accusingly at Ryu.

  “I called. No answer.”

  Ryu blanched.

  Katsuo’s eyes fell onto him. “Is this true?”

  The moment when the phone went off, just as Ryu was confronted by Szeto who had had both him and Bradley at gunpoint? Ryu had assumed it was Albert and hadn’t bothered to check to be sure. He’d messed up badly. He’d messed up twice. Katsuo, who loved to tally failures, must have drawn the same conclusion because he ended the discussion with a deep groan. He ordered them all to bed and turned for the staircase where he made off towards his own.

  Ryu hated disappointing Katsuo. Everything the boys knew could be attributed to this man. Still, as sharp as Katsuo was, he was often blind to the feelings and emotions of others. Perhaps that was why he never noticed the way Tyler really looked at his girlfriend. Maybe being a hardened criminal did that to you.

  Speaking of Tyler, of all nights, this was one where Ryu wanted to share a room with him the least. The sentiment was likely returned.

  “You know well enough I didn’t ignore the call on purpose, stupid,” Ryu grumbled, glowering at the ceiling of their bunk bed through the dark as if his gaze could bypass the mattress and hack through Tyler himself.

  “What do I know? I’m stupid,” Tyler snarked. “Hey. At least I didn’t crash your ride.”

  “That’s what you’ve got to say? Does this seem funny to you?”

  “Who cares what I’ve gotta say? The whole plan fell apart under you. Oh, but of course—Katsuo blames me.”

  Ryu groaned. How typical of Tyler to turn everything into a pity-party.

  “The plan was to relocate, not run. Nobody knew the Roosters would be there—not me, Bradley, or even Father—”

  “Well then all you had to do was fight them. What’s the big deal? You destroy losers like them every day.”

  “The big deal? They’re Triads. You saw what happened to Julian. ”

  The room fell silent for a moment. Then Tyler’s voice poured down, down like an unforgiving hailstorm:

  “Pretty bold bringing up Julian. What happened to Julian was your fault too.”

  Ryu's eyes grew moist. Of all the boys, Julian had been the one to look up to Ryu the most. Ryu didn’t want to remember that day. Compared to that memory, the persistent, blistering sensation in his leg was nothing.

  “Sweet dreams,” Tyler said flippantly. The bed then creaked as he rolled to his side.

  Ryu glared at the underside of the bunk.

  “Yeah. Let the bedbugs bite, you bastard.”

  It was the twelfth of November, and it almost came as a shock how quickly time was passing by. A month from then, they would be knee-deep in exam prep for their January finals. The semester would be just that much closer to being done. But thinking about finals was getting too far ahead. All of Haruna’s friends were dealing with some form of “pre–mid-term–report–card–stress." They decided the best thing was to take a much needed break. Agatha, the church organist, had returned and retaken her place assisting the Youth Choir. Hockey season was in full swing, so Mani was busy working overtime, meeting with his own friends for game practice.

  In other words, Haruna had a rare bit of free time. And fortunately, so did the others.

  The group met at their favourite spot for pizza. Since it was Saturday, Gabrielle and Angelique opted to bring their boyfriends along. Tracy didn’t hesitate to voice her concerns.

  “So I guess this is practically a triple double-date then?” Tracy muttered wryly, glancing at Haruna with her cheek in her hand. “Haruna, you’re my date, okay?”

  Haruna smiled sheepishly before nibbling at a bit of crust. Tracy was amusing, but so embarrassing at times.

  “Aw, don’t say that,” Gabrielle trilled, her arm linked under Seth’s. “We’re just hanging out, that’s all.”

  “I think you’d make a great couple,” Seth joked.

  When Gabrielle gave him a weird look, he broke into a mild cough.

  Tracy beamed at Seth, whose face had turned red.

  “I’m just teasing. I’ve been telling Elle that we need to all hang out for the longest time.”

  “It’s true, she has,” Gabrielle reassured.

  Seth gave a weak nod before reaching for his drink. He was clearly nervous. It was no secret that they all felt a little uncomfortable. Haruna couldn’t wait until Angelique arrived with her boyfriend. Perhaps Seth would feel more at ease if he wasn’t the only guy among them.

  “So, uh, how is the project going? The one with Ryu?”

  “Um…” Haruna started, searching for an answer. She was a bit startled that Seth had been the one to mention it.

  “Oh! Did you try doing that thing I told you about?” Gabrielle interjected. “Like what Seth was saying?”

  Seth had suggested to Gabrielle that the best thing Haruna could do was not pressure Ryu like she had been, basically, act unbothered.

  Haruna nodded weakly.

  “We’ve been working on it separately. It’s been difficult reaching him, but he’s made an effort at least,” she said with a sigh.

  Gabrielle frowned, her brows upturned.

  “Haruna, there’s just a few days left. You are going to finish it on time, right?”

  Haruna stared at her pizza slice on the table, watching a curl of steam waft from it. Truthfully, she had no idea. It didn't help that Ryu had been absent from school since Thursday. She figured he must have been sick. Either that or cutting class again.

  “Yeah, it’s weird. I haven’t heard from him. I was hoping you had,” Seth admitted, folding his arms at the table.

  Haruna responded with a deep sigh and slowly shook her head.

  Seth shrugged. “Hey, don’t give up on him, Haruna. I know he seems a tad scary, but he’s just a sheep in wolf’s clothing.”

  Haruna regarded Seth beadily, and Tracy looked as though she was in the middle of choking on her pizza.

  “Say wha?” Tracy said incredulously.

  Seth chuckled. “It’s true. He means well—I swear. He just acts tough, but he’s been through a lot so cut him some slack.” He then added, "It's like the nursery rhyme… leave him alone and he'll come home—no tail though, I promise."

  Tracy snorted into a laugh. Haruna couldn't help but giggle as well. Seth sure knew his sheep analogies.

  Tracy regarded Seth, pensive.

  “How did someone like you end up friends with someone like Ryu? Or any of those guys? Are they ‘secret sheep’ too? They’re all pretty sketchy through-and-through if you ask me.”

  Seth glanced upwards in thought.

  “Well, we go way back, I guess. They’re not even wolves. More like sharks. Besides, they’re just freeloading off their parents’ status. They don’t even need school. Me and Ryu are the b
roke ones.”

  “You’re broke?” Haruna blurted.

  “Well, not really,” Seth backpedalled. “But you know our tuition is pretty steep. If it weren’t for the scholarship I don’t think I’d still be at the Academy.”

  Haruna gaped in awe. Seth was a scholarship student? He must have been pretty smart, just as Angelique had said.

  Once the thought left her, Haruna heard the trudge of footsteps and saw Angelique had finally arrived. Tailing her was an attractive boy she had met a few times and thought fondly of—Angelique's boyfriend, Damon.

  “Hey! So glad you guys made it!” Gabrielle chimed. Tracy nodded exuberantly. The girls took their turns exchanging warm hugs and Damon and Seth introduced themselves, giving each other friendly handshakes.

  “Sorry we’re so late. Damon had to help out his dad,” Angelique said.

  “We were a little short-staffed for lunch prep,” he added.

  Soon the entire group was settled, and they made a second order of an entire pie for them all to share.

  "I'll pass on the pepperoni," said Seth.

  "Ditto," added Tracy.

  “Same here, but make sure part of it is flexitarian for my angel,” Damon said with a large, teasing grin. Angelique feigned annoyance and looked away as the others laughed. He leaned in to peck her softly on the cheek. Gabrielle and Tracy aw-ed at the scene while Seth fanned his hands.

  “Hey, hey—get a room you two.”

  “I know, right?” Tracy seconded with a large grin.

  Haruna admired the way Damon and Angelique were always so affectionate with each other, especially the way he always referred to her as "his angel." When Haruna had first heard that Damon was an East Ender who went to an ordinary public school, she wondered would could have possibly drawn them together. Yet, once she met him, Haruna discovered he was nothing like she had expected. He was a nice guy. Amusingly enough, they also shared a very nerdy affinity for math. Haruna was certain that their idea of a perfect date would be hours-long marathons of Sudoku. Her gaze then shifted to Seth who had begun to whisper something into Gabrielle’s ear, causing her to giggle. How cute. Seth wasn't bad. In fact, Seth was great. And they, he and Gabrielle, had a sweet way about them also. Haruna felt a subtle ache in her chest. She wished Mani was there too.