FIXated

Get into Trouble

Mikey winced in pain as he complained while wiping the bruises, grazes, and minor cuts on his skin from all the dirt and blood stains. One of the wounds that Tanya inflicted left a huge cut on his cheek, with fresh blood still dripping down, dampening the wet cloth from his fingers as he stared at himself in front of the mirror, checking all the damage and wounds.

This bad…. It would surely leave a scar on his face.

“Hold still, bro.” Flipper reminded him as his fingers reached out to the open wound with a cotton pad soaked in a reddish-brown solution.

The smell of iodine from the antiseptic solution clung to his nose— a distinct, sharp, pungent medicinal scent.

Once he dabbed it on his skin, for a moment, it stung him as he felt it seep into his wound, grunting in pain while biting his lip hard to resist the urge to slap Flipper’s hand away.

“Ah—ouch. Not too rough, man.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just a bit more.” Flipper assured him as he continued to patch him up, laying a gauze bandage across the wound on his cheek and securing it with medical tape.

He announced. “There! It’s done, bro.”

After giving him a tap on his back, Mikey dropped into the soft cushions of the infirmary bed, heaving a deep, exasperated sigh. Then, he glanced up at his friend, noticing the cuts, bruises, and patches on his face and limbs just like him.

“Fuck, Tanya. Never thought she would appear at that moment.” Flipper huffed. “So, did we get anything from that? My frickin’ phone got busted for this shit.”

“Yeah… made it on time. We got footage of the fight.”

“That’s fuckin’ good!” Flipper pumped his fist in excitement while laughing triumphantly. “Hell yeah, we can fuckin’ cook up an interesting narrative out of that.”

However, Mikey didn’t celebrate. He was in deep thought, rubbing his chin between his thumb. Now that he thought about it, something was missing.

“What, bro? You don’t seem satisfied.”

Mikey sighed once more, dropping his shoulders as he shook his head. “Still… it’s not enough.”

“W-what? What do you mean? What else do we need to do?”

“I need something… or someone that Sylvia truly cares for.”

“That fucker, Adrian? Doesn’t she care about him?”

“No. no. Not him.” Mikey shook his head once more, disapprovingly. “That man together with Sylvia in the garden scene….”

“—I need to confirm his identity.”

Raphael had gotten himself out of bed earlier than usual after getting scolded a handful of times by his roommate, Harian, who became worried once he found out that he got himself a warning yesterday for coming in late to class.

However, Harian had a busy work schedule ahead of him, the same situation as yesterday, leaving Raphael alone as he headed to the Main Building.

His footsteps crunched against the stray pebbles and coarse rocks, walking sluggishly along the cobbled pathway of the Academy’s courtyard. He yawned softly while rubbing his eyes.

Lately, he had trouble sleeping on his usual schedule.

Was it because of the homework last night? Or… was it something else? Whatever Sylvia meant… It still had him thinking.

He couldn’t ignore it.

He never understood why she was doing this— peculiar requests that pushed his boundaries, threats, and physically uncomfortable situations. At this point, would she still be considered a friend or just a mere friend label online?

But still… she did help him before. He felt utterly conflicted.

The scent of chlorine wafted in the air like a gentle reminder in his senses, followed by a splash of water that caught his attention. He stopped on his tracks, now standing behind the fences of the outdoor pool and seeing the sight of deep blue waters in his view.

He leaned against the wire-linked fences, banging his head once lightly as he muttered under his breath.

“Focus… Raphael. There’s no time for that. Remember what you are here for.”

It was still early in the day. Who would swim in the pool before going to class?

His eyes wandered into the vast blue waters, glistening against the sunlight. The glare of the sun reflected hard into his line of sight, giving Raphael a hard time distinguishing the figures resurfacing in the pool.

One figure appeared familiar as she whipped her hair up, pulling it back against her head like a ponytail, squeezing out the water from her strands before letting it drop on her shoulders.

That silhouette… Elena?

His eyes widened.

His heart hammered hard against his chest.

His grip tightened onto the metallic wires.

He wanted to confirm whether his hunch was right or whether his mind was playing tricks on him, but at the same time, his mind yearned to believe that it was her.

A man’s laughter filled the air, as another figure, tall with broader shoulders, scooted closer to the other, wrapping his arms around her.

“Heh, so, Yana? Did I beat your breathing record this time?”

She giggled softly. “A mere second, Edmund. I was going easy on you.”

“Going easy on me? I could do more than that.”

They laughed together once more.

Upon hearing her name, Raphael sighed, devastated, dropping the weight over his shoulder as if the initial excitement and curiosity in him had simultaneously vanished.

It was Yana…

Not Elena.

Once again, his mind had been playing tricks on him, mistaking her for the second time. He couldn’t understand why. Then, he shook his head, dismissing his thoughts before quietly leaving the pool.

Lingering nearby would definitely catch his attention, especially after recalling the last time Edmund confronted and threatened him for staring at his girlfriend.

As much as possible, he should steer away from trouble.

As Raphael continued on his steps, the strong scent of chlorine slowly disappeared from his senses, and the sound of their laughter slowly faded behind him.

Upon reaching the locker areas along the corridor of class 2-C, the area was not as busy as the half hour mark before classes start. Some students passed by the halls, walking side by side with their friends and having a casual talk. Only a few stayed in the classrooms, either chatting with their seatmates or reading a book by themselves.

Surprisingly, none of them— Antonio, Alexis, and Feyline had arrived.

Raphael grabbed the necessary notebooks and books inside his locker ahead of time, stuffing them deep into his messenger bag slung across his shoulder.

Thunk!

A hand smacked hard against one of the lockers right next to him, causing Raphael to flinch. Slowly, he turned his head to the side, seeing a man in a white cap with a mischievous grin on his face. He got himself pinned from behind with the man’s arm stretched out, while on the other side, another man stood next to him, trapping him in place.

Raphael immediately recognized them.

The Predators.

“So, you are Raphael K… Raphael Kiersten?” Mikey spoke first in a question while glancing at his phone in his hand, checking it one last time before pocketing it. “Locker 2154, am I right?”

The other guy, Flipper, snickered, nudging him lightly with his shoulder but enough to stumble him forward.

“You better answer him if you don’t want any trouble.”

Raphael heaved a deep sigh, shutting his locker. “What do you guys want?”

"Got a special delivery just for you."

Mikey pulled a white parchment with crisp edges from the compartment of his jacket, handing it over to him.

Raphael hesitated at first, confirming his name written in the address before accepting it. Another love letter?

It had similar handwriting and material from the previous letter he received last week. But why do they have this?

He was confused. "Uhh, okay? Thanks."

"Now, I want to ask you a favor," Mikey requested of him as his arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer to whisper in his ear. "Wanna join us in a video? I promise you half of the profit."

"Why would I accept that?" Raphael retorted, while shoving his arm off his shoulders. He didn’t even agree to this favor. Why is he forcing him?

“Fame? Popularity?” Mikey continued to entice him.

“Not unless you want three-fourths of the profit, greedy bitch.” Flipper scoffed beside him.

Mikey chuckled softly. “Don’t you want that, Raphael? We can get things viral, easy money.”

Raphael didn’t want to be recognized, nor did he need the money. As much as he wanted to divulge any information, he kept his mouth shut and shook his head in dismay as he took a step back, brushing against their shoulders.

“Sorry, but not interested.”

Afterwards, he immediately walked out, not even waiting for them to say another word as he turned around without looking back.