You aren't a bully

by Angrywritingskills


Payback

Warden glared down at Badger. “Don’t disappoint me, kid.” He was standing on the edge of his mountain, looking directly down at Badger.

Sunset also stood on the edge and she too watched Badger with anticipation.

“You knew this would happen,” she suddenly realized and glared at Warden. All the pieces came together for her. Warden had set the two up. Why else would Warden force him down there?

Warden blinked. “Of course, I was the one that told Boxer that Badger would be fighting. Time for a little payback.” Warden chuckled to himself

Sunset angrily gritted her teeth. “Badger’s gonna get killled out there and you’re condoning it?”

“Nonsense, Badger is going to win,” Warden replied, looking intently at the scene. “Badger is the one getting payback.”

“You saw what Boxer did to him last time?” Sunset asked as if Warden had been absent the first time. “If it wasn’t for you, Badger would be in the hospital.”

“Hah! Yeah right,” Warden sneered. “Boxer is a fucking pussy when it comes down to it. That little bitch isn’t that tough. Badger can fuck him up.”

“But last time,” Sunset reiterated.

“But nothing!” Warden was quick to shut her up. “Things happen down there that can’t be explained. Weaklings become strong, boys become men, and fighters forget how to fight. Badger can do it.” Warden looked at Sunset. “Never give up, never surrender.” Warden knelt down on one knee. “Don’t give up, kid,” he whispered.

***

Badger’s eyes sprung open like they were on a mechanism. A surge of energy that came from nowhere took him over. From deep inside himself, Badger felt something provide him with an amazing feeling of power. It was like he could lift a truck, throw a building, or rip apart steel. Suddenly Badger became an animal, a beast, a monster. For whatever reason, he felt a nostalgic sense of hate for Boxer despite never really conversing with him before. Although he couldn’t explain it, he liked the feeling.

“Graahaha!” Badger roared an incoherent statement. Boxer, still charging, jerked his body at bit in confusion at the outburst. This moment of hesitation was exactly what Badger needed. He pulled his fist back and punched Boxer as hard as he could. Badger’s fist collided with Boxer’s chin and stopped the charge in its tracks.

“You fucking asshole!” Boxer winced and stumbled back, holding his chin. After a moment of pain, He moved his hands to a boxing position and began advancing towards Badger. Badger mirrored Boxer’s stance, assuming if he copied Boxer then he would stand a chance. The two circled each other for a while, both hesitating to get close, until Boxer acted first. He aimed his left fist for Badger’s face but Badger quickly blocked it with his arm. However, this was what Boxer planned and using his right he swung and hit Badger in the cheek. Badger fell down with a pained expression while Boxer stood over him.

The fight looked about over at that point. The bigger and more experienced fighter had knocked the smaller and newer fighter to the ground. Badger was at Boxer’s mercy and he feared what would come next.

Just as Boxer was about to finish the job, his shoulder was suddenly grabbed. A fist darted for his face but Boxer quickly dodged it. For a second he stared into the eyes of other bully. This bully was more than likely a hit and runner that tried to pull a quick victory but failed. Now this bully was left with one option, run.

The bully turned to run away but Boxer now wanted his blood. With a quick reflex, Boxer reached out and grabbed the hit and runner’s hood. Boxer tugged and pulled his opponent to the ground where he proceeded to give punishment. Blow after blow to the head was given to this bully by Boxer with no sign of giving up.

At that moment, Badger, still lying on the ground, realized the genius of removing his own hoodie. Now nobody could grab him as easily so there was less of a chance of ending up like Boxer’s victim. Silently, he thanked Warden for his help.

Boxer stood up, satisfied with his work. The hit and runner was down for the count. His face looked like a swollen raspberry. Boxer smiled and looked back at Badger, who had gotten back on his feet.

“You waited for me?” Boxer sounded surprised. He cracked his knuckles. “Good. Now we can fight man to man.”

“Larawaraha,” Badger breathed with his mouth open, omitting weird noises. He staggered a bit in a peculiar fashion. His toes pointed inward and his shoulder slouched, leaving his arms hanging in front of him.

“You’re freaking me out, man,” Boxer stated, cringing at Badger’s odd behavior. This time Badger was the one to initiate combat. He advanced and attempted to grab hold of Boxer. It was a dumb move considering Boxer was a much bigger opponent so he easily threw Badger back. Badger tried again, this time with the intent of going for a tackle. He aimed for Boxer’s knees but the bigger bully had a counter for this. He scooped Badger up in his arms just as the smaller bully was about to wrap his arms around Boxer’s legs, and he threw Badger to the ground.

Badger rubbed his head whistle lying on the ground, thinking of what he could do next. “Gruuuuh, graaah,” he made more animalist noises.

“Geez, you really have no idea how to fight, do ya?” Boxer said. The tone of his voice carried a strange message. He seemed almost sympathetic or pitiful as he suddenly lowered his fists.

Badger quickly reactivated upon hearing Boxer’s voice and scrambled to his feet, charging again at Boxer. This time Boxer stood straight and caught Badger in his arms as the freshman bully got close. Boxer had Badger in a bear hug for a couple seconds before pushing him back. Confused but not deterred Badger tried to attack again but aimed up in the same situation.

“Hold on, time out,” Boxer said, throwing Badger again so they were separated.

“Huh,” Badger stopped and stared at Badger. His body buzzed with energy but the sudden break in the fighting calmed him.

“Keep your hands up,” Boxer resumed his fighting pose. “Like me,” Badger mimicked Boxer in response. “You have no chance trying to wrestle me around,” the two began circling each other. “The only way you’re going to win is if you knock me out. To do that, you’re going to have to learn how to punch.” Boxer jabbed at the air. Badger in turned tried too.

“I don’t understand,” Badger grunted, jabbing at the air.

“It’s really simple but it’s not something people learn naturally,” Boxer explained. “You have to maintain a stance so you maintain control. Fighting is about controlling the situation. Lose control and you lose the fight, got it?” Badger nodded in response. “Now try a combination.”

Badger stood with his knees bent and fists raised. With his left he did two jabs and finished with a punch from his right. “Like that?” he asked Boxer.

“Pretty much,” Boxer nodded. “Try putting more of the weight from your back into a punch. It’ll make it more powerful but you risk exposing yourself and losing control. Remember control is key. A punch is more than your arm. It’s your entire self.”

“I think I got it,” Badger said practicing a few more punches.

“Good,” Boxer raised his own fists. “Now let’s try this again.” He motioned for Badger to approach him, which the freshman did. “I’ll let you get some practice hits on me,” Boxer said.

Badger narrowed his eyes and went to work. He did his best to stick to a uniform style like Boxer had told him. He jabbed and threw punches at Boxer who was blocking and dodging them.

“That’s good,” Boxer commented. “Make sure you keep your feet active and harder on those punches! You’re punching like a girl.” Badger increased the volume and velocity of his blows. None of them landed anywhere important and after a while Boxer retaliated. He gave Badger a quick jab to the nose.

“Ow!” Badger’s head snapped back and he stepped backwards.

“Alright that’s enough,” Boxer dusted off his hands. “Should probably teach you about dodging. Alright look,” Boxer held his arm out like he was delivering a punch. “You can either dodge or block. Blocking involves using your arms to deflect a punch. You did that earlier so I assume you can rely on that experience.” Badger nodded in response. “Dodging is better than blocking. Blocking may not work all the time. I know a few tricks to get around a block. Dodging allows more mobility and you can easily counter. Watch, throw a straight punch at me.”

Badger complied, aiming straight for Boxer’s face. Boxer simply moved his body to the side and Badger’s fist hit the air. Badger grinned. “So dodging is moving the upper body to avoid a punch. The legs aren’t really used.”

“You learn fast,” Boxer complimented. “Yeah it’s leaning away. But to deal with a not so straight punch you have to duck. Try punching in an arc, we call that a hook.” Badger did so and Boxer tucked his head and Badger’s fist swung through the air. “That’s basically all there is too it,” Boxer said, his hands at his sides. “You fight smart and not like a maniac, and you can take on anyone.”

“Okay,” Badger said, still in his fighting stance.

“Listen, man,” Boxer started. “Bullies fight. That’s one of nature’s laws. You get good at fighting and nothing stands in your way. You can rule the school if you’re the best fighter there. Everyone else will respect and follow you if you prove you can fight. Got that?”

The two stared at each other. Badger stood still with his fists still raised while Boxer leaned over him. He expected a response from Badger and he eventually got it. Like lightning, Badger struck Boxer in the mouth, completely catching the bigger bully off guard. Boxer stumbled back and, holding his mouth, looked at Badger bewildered.

“Got it,” Badger replied, grinning sneakily.

At first Boxer was unbelievable angry, but then something changed. He began to smile and then laugh. “You fucking asshole!” he cried. “You caught me in the middle of a monologue.” He raised his fists. “I’m gonna kill you now,” he said with a lot of hate but still smiled.

Badger smiled too and then the two went at it.

Boxer threw a punch which Badger easily dodged, shifting to the right. Then Badger threw a right hook, leaning into it in hopes of getting a powerful punch in. However, it sailed through the air as Boxer ducked and then counter with a few blows to Badger’s chest. The hits emptied Badger’s lungs and he stumbled backwards.

“Fuck!” he gasped, now feeling defeated.

“You know you can aim for other things than the head, right?” Boxer asked with a sneer. “Anything goes in this place.” With that Badger got a rather devious idea.

“You’re a pussy,” Badger remarked.

Boxer frowned. “Alright, now you’re asking for it.” He gritted his teeth and stomped towards Badger.

Badger waited for Boxer to get close and then enacted his idea. Just as Boxer was within range, Badger aimed a kick right for his opponent’s crotch, the weak spot. Unfortunately, Badger struck too soon because Boxer saw it from a mile away. Luckily, Boxer didn’t have enough time to dodge so Badger did make contact. Still unfortunate, Badger found Boxer had caught his foot in between his legs, only inches away from Badger’s target.

“Shit,” Badger whimpered, sweat pouring from his forehead.

Boxer looked at Badger in the eyes. He too sweated in apparent fear. “You motherfucker,” he murmured, fear turning into relief that he had been spared a painful demise. Then the fear turned into anger. Boxer, using his hands, grabbed Badger’s leg and pushed.

Badger collapsed face first into the ground where his back now faced Boxer. Boxer loomed over him with the intent to finish the fight then and there. A sudden determination filled Badger and from the ground he spun around and whipped his hand blindly. The back of his hand made contact with Boxer’s right eye and the bully reared back in pain. It was just enough time for Badger to get back to his feet.

Badger resumed his fighting stance and quickly got close to Boxer so he could strike him. Boxer was just turning his head when Badger started to take advantage of the situation. Badger landed a good combination that sent Boxer falling down. The big bully caught himself with one hand as he fell as Badger loomed over him ready to strike again.

“Fuck this,” Boxer said exasperated at his situation. A sudden burst of strength lifted him up just in time to grab hold of Badger by his shoulders. Around that time, Badger realized what was going on. Boxer was going to his size to win the fight instead of doing a fist fight.

Badger began to squirm around in Boxer’s grip but Boxer held on tight. He moved his hands so Badger was in a headlock and now officially in danger. The smaller bully struggled to break free, thrashing his hands around and looking for something to grab. There was nothing he could do however, and Boxer was preparing to end the fight. Boxer let himself fall backwards and the top of Badger’s head collided with the ground.

***

“Great, he lost,” Sunset remarked, angrily. She pointed at Warden with her finger trembling. “You shouldn’t have made him go down there. Now he’s probably gonna have brain damage or something.”

Warden seemed to laugh at the notion. “You think we would notice? I mean, there isn’t much up there to begin with.”

“Warden!” Sunset yelled. “That brute is gonna kill him!”

“Fuck,” Warden rolled his eyes. Sunset was ruining his fun. “You girlfriends are always bitching.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“For the last time, I’m not his girlfriend!” Sunset wailed.

“Fuck buddies, whatever!” Warden snarled and stomped his feet on the ground. “The point I’m trying to make is Badger will be fine. He’s a fighter.”

“Really?” Sunset crossed her arms. “Because your fighter just got his skull crushed.”

“And?” Warden grinned. “You can fight with a busted up head. Never give up, never surrender.”

“What are you talking about?” Sunset asked, glancing back at the fighting.

“I mean Badger isn’t going to let a little pain stop him. He’ll fight till he can’t fight anymore.” He looked at Sunset. “That’s the bully way.” They both looked back at Badger.

***

Truthfully, the fall didn’t hurt as much as Badger thought it would. He landed on his head but it wasn’t so bad. In fact, the position he was in was favorable. Warden was right when he said grappling wasn’t Boxer’s strong suit. The way they landed Badger could easily get on top of Boxer because Boxer was on his back while Badger wasn’t. The only problem was Boxer’s arm was still wrapped around Badger’s head.

Badger grunted and began struggling to escape. The struggle resembled an animal that got its head stuck. No matter how hard it tried, the animal couldn’t escape. Like an animal, Badger made sounds of distress that modeled a hurt and terrified creature. He knew now that he had chance to win the fight but he had to break Boxer’s hold.

With his hands now, Badger pushed against the ground to gain more force to break away. He thrashed his neck around, wobbling back and forth to try and squirm out. Boxer tightened his grip to keep the headlock in place. He was out of options. Boxer didn’t want to continue the fist fight. He was afraid and he feared that Badger would find out.

However, Badger was aware his opponent was starting to break. It was obvious by the sudden change in tactics and how Boxer didn’t seem to fight but instead wasted time. Badger did want to win. He was motivated from the atmosphere and more than that, he was motivated to impress the people watching.

Badger continued to squirm around until, with a sudden pop, he was free. Immediately, his head jerked back and he hopped to his feet with quick reflexes. He felt reenergized like he had a period of rest. Boxer was still on the ground, about to get up, so Badger took his chance. Quick like a cat, he pounced on the now exhausted Boxer and pinned him in place. Using his legs, Badger withheld movement of Boxer’s arms by lying on top of them. Under the pressure of Badger’s weight, Boxer was immobilized.

No time was wasted for Badger to start his attack. His arms were like a machine gun, firing as fast as its mechanisms allowed. In his mind, Badger wasn’t really all there. He was focused on winning and because of that he didn’t let up. Boxer was at his mercy and mercy wasn’t something Badger was showing. Punch after punch landed and Boxer’s face was getting more damaged by the second. His cheeks were puffed up and his lips swelled and bled. Boxer’s eyes, which were shut tight, were badly beaten making them puffy and red.

In between the punches, Badger began to realize something. Maybe it was how heavy his hands were starting to feel or the further examination of Boxer’s face, but there was a sudden change in Badger. A kind of guilt seeped into his mind as his arms slowly stopped.

Quickly, Badger snapped out of his feral rage and stopped the attack. He held his fist in front of him and slowly uncurled them. All reason returned to him as he realized how much wear his knuckles had. They were practically red and they ached. Badger looked down at Boxer who laid very still with his eyes closed. The threat was over, Badger had won. For the life of him, Badger couldn’t think of a reason to continue.

He carefully stepped off Boxer’s body and stood over it. Boxer seemed to still be conscience but was clearly in a lot of pain. The pain was probably stopping him from moving. All that moved was his head which swayed back and forth. From his lips there was a low moan like a ghastly apparition.

Badger satisfied but riddled with guilt, turned around and began walking away. A rustling sound behind him caused him to stop and he turned around. What he saw shocked him. Boxer was on his knees and inches his way towards him. The bully held his arms in front of him and swung them aimlessly through the air. His left eye was closed tight and from his nose a river of blood flowed.

Badger thought he looked like a zombie for a second, which was terrifying. Boxer slowly pulled himself towards Badger, clearly driven to continue the fight. But why?

“Never give up,” Boxer spoke very quietly in a hoarse voice. Specks of blood left his mouth with every word. “Never surrender.”

Badger heard these words and understood immediately. Any bully knew the gravity of those words and of the reasoning behind them. It was an honor thing that bully had and Badger got that. His eyes were heavy with tears but bullies don’t cry so his eyes just soaked in the salty solution. It made them sting and his eyes turned red with irritation.

Boxer continued to crawl, showing he was still willing to fight. As long as he could crawl, he could fight. Badger knew what he would have to do to end it. So he took a step towards Boxer.

With no hate, ill will, or anger, Badger delivered the finishing blow to his opponent. A clear right hook send Boxer’s face straight into the ground as his body twisted and gave out. Badger won but he didn’t feel like a winner. There was still about another hundred bullies to beat if he wanted to win the Rumbler.

Now with conviction, Badger turned away to fight again. He made it two steps before he found another fight. From behind, a bully approached him. Badger didn’t see him until it was too late.

“What’s up?” a rather squeaky voice yelled at him. Badger turned around and saw a fist fly right into his face. That was the last thing he would remember of the Rumbler.