Chapter 42: Softlocked
Slam!
The blue lockers behind her almost caved from the force of the shove, her eyes closing from the sudden impulse.
Hovering over Liora was a man with crossed arms, looking down at her with menacing vanity, the two at his side just recovering from their stretched arms.
"What’s it gonna be, Rowan? You gonna cough over the lunch money, or do we need to punch it out of you?" He turned to his two buddies while sneering from his own joke, egging them on to raise their hands forward in balled fists. "I think these two here would much prefer that second option."
Liora turned down to her pockets, her eyes squelched from the aching throbs squeezing her ribs tight. The two cronies had slammed her into her own locker, although the force behind it hadn’t been enough to seriously harm anything.
"I-I don’t have anything!" She stammered, pulling her pockets out to reveal their emptiness. With raised arms, she turned to her side, insinuating that she wished to return to class. "Hey, the bell just rung, how about we deal with this another time?"
Smack!
One crony had their fist impact against her cheek, her limbs running free of control from the searing pain.
The only thing holding her from her fall was the other kid’s hands on her shoulders, pressing her back even further up against the hard, cold metal.
"Yeah, that’s not gonna do. We’ve already been through this, but if you show up with nothing during third period, then our only option’s to put you to work. You already know the drill, don’t ya’?"
Her cheek swelling from the punch, she struggled to tilt her head up and down, but once the person holding her shook her even further, her nod grew frantic without pace.