Chapter 12 Yes, Assholes, I’m Coming
1723 Words
Ivan closed the bathroom door and took out his phone. He pressed 1 and 3, then, according to the instructions, selected the second energy. The system prompts told him that the energy would last for forty minutes.
He immediately felt his entire body tingle as it began to energize.
Ivan strode into the living room. Steve and Connie were huddled together on the ground, shaking with fear. Steve’s face was bruised and swollen and he kept murmuring, begging for mercy.
Daniel and his friends circled around them, with violent intent, their muscles tort.
Suddenly, Daniel raised his fist, ready to punch Steve again.
Ivan quickly stepped forward and caught hold of his wrist.
"Daniel, that’s enough," he warned.
"You, keep out of it or you’ll get some of this too,” Daniel threatened.
Ivan stared Daniel in the eye, "He is my relative and I can’t allow you to beat him in my house.”
"You heard the man. Keep out of it,” one of Daniel's pals ordered and smashed a baseball bat over Ivan’s head.
CRACK… the baseball bat split in two.
What!
The guy was stunned and before he could react, Daniel punched him in the gut, full on. With a yelp, the hoodlum flew out of the door like a sandbag.
Shocked, Daniel reached out to grab Ivan's wrist, but Ivan grabbed him first and smashed him to the ground. Another accomplice was about to launch an attack on Ivan when he grabbed the stool and smashed it against his thigh. One of its legs snapped off instantly.
"Which do you think is harder, your arm or this stool?" Ivan growled.
The guy instantly paled and took two steps back in panic. "Wow, Man, looks like you’ve practiced martial arts! Great. Can we have a chat about it?"
"Get out," Ivan yelled and the guy turned and ran.
Daniel got up and was about to run too when Ivan kicked his ass and he fell back to the ground. Ivan stepped forward and held him in a strangle hold. "Stay still, or you'll choke."
Daniel didn't dare move a muscle.
Ivan dragged him to his feet.
"Ivan, I didn't know you could fight. What do you want?" Daniel spluttered.
"What do I want? I want to teach you a good lesson, bastard!"
Seeing that Ivan had the upper hand, Steve rushed forward and picked up the half baseball bat that had fallen to the floor earlier, intending to hit Daniel.
Ivan glared at him, "f**k off, Steve. Stay out of this.”
"Ivan, I...."
"Do as you’re told or I’ll teach you a lesson too,” Ivan ordered.
Steve stepped back and Connie came over to pull him aside.
Ivan turned back to Daniel, "Daniel, I said before that we are neighbors and need to get on with each other. I apologized for disturbing you but you then brought your mates here for a gang fight. If I hadn't fought back, you and your pals would have caused me to have to leave my home sooner or later.”
Daniel wiped the blood from his mouth, "Ivan, what do you want?"
Ivan sneered, "It depends on you. If you don't want to give in, let's continue the fight."
Daniel looked at him. "Okay, I beat up your relative and you gave my friends a beating, let’s call it quits. Alright?"
"Call it quits? I'm badly injured. You have to pay my medical expenses," Steve shouted indignantly.
"Shut up. I'll throw you out if I hear another word from you," Ivan shouted back. Steve shut his mouth immediately.
Ivan nodded, "Okay. We will all be civil towards each other.”
He turned to Steve and Connie, “And that goes for you two, too. We are neighbors after all.”
Ivan took out a cigarette and handed it to Daniel. Daniel looked at the cigarette and took it, then Ivan lit it for him.
The two men puffed on their cigarettes together, contemplating the truce.
Daniel smiled. "Dude, I didn't expect you to be that powerful. Have you practiced martial arts long?"
Ivan smiled.
"I see. What do you do?"
"I'm a teacher."
"A teacher?" Daniel’s eyes widened, "How come your so good at fighting if you’re a teacher? I assumed you must have some involvement with gangs."
Hearing this, Ivan realized that Daniel was indeed a gangster. No wonder he always seemed aggressive.
Just his luck to have a gangster for a neighbor! It was a good job he had the phone to help him today. Otherwise, he would have been doomed.
"I practice martial arts for sport," Ivan replied trying to sound as cool as he could.
"Dude, it's a little pity someone with such good fighting skills is a teacher.”
Daniel turned to leave, “I’d better go check on my buddies. See you later."
After seeing Daniel off, Ivan looked around the room. It was a mess. He began to clear up.
Steve leaned over and asked shyly, "Ivan, why did you just let him off the hook?"
Ivan glanced at him, "What else should I have done?"
"I was beaten. He should have been made to pay compensation."
"Compensation?" Ivan sneered. "If you hadn't provoked him in the first place, none of this would have happened. Learn from it. If you want to live here, you have to behave yourself. If you offend him again, I won’t save you."
"I'm your brother-in-law. Don't you care about me?"
"Brother-in-law?" Ivan sneered again. "I haven't married your sister yet. If you want to stay, just follow my orders. Otherwise, f**k off."
"I..." Steve was speechless.
"What? Are you going to call your mother and ask her to make Jessica break up with me? Go on, do it." Ivan waved his hand impatiently.
Damn! These two were nothing more than a jinx!
Connie butted in, trying to calm the situation, "Ivan, we'll do as you say. We didn't know you were suck a powerful man. You fought all three of those men on your own. Steve, you should stay on Ivan’s good side and we won’t be messed with. Yes. Ivan, we will do as you tell us in the future."
Connie winked at Steve. Taking the hint, Steve hurriedly snatched the broom from Ivan's hand and started to clean up.
Ivan stared at them, observing how submissive they had become. He couldn’t help feeling amused at how they had yielded to force, yet rejected a soft approach.
He should have taught them a good lesson much earlier. It seemed that the battle tonight had really been worth it.
After they had finished clearing the mess, Ivan looked at his watch. It was late. He pulled Steve aside and asked, "Steve, where do plan to sleep tonight?"
"Ivan, this is your home. It’s up to you," Steve replied obediently.
"In that case, you sleep in the living room. Connie and I will have the two bedrooms."
"Why the living room? Why can’t I sleep with Connie?"
"Because you aren’t married."
Steve rolled his eyes at Ivan. "We've slept together in our hometown, why can’t we do it here? Don't tell me you haven't slept with my sister yet?"
Ivan gestured with his hand, "Okay, you two sleep in the big bedroom. I’ll sleep in the other one."
"Thank you, Ivan."
Connie and Steve trundled off into their bedroom, seemingly quite at home.
Ivan smiled.
Peace at last!
Ivan got up early the next morning. The door to the big bedroom was closed. Steve and Connie were still sleeping.
He went out to buy breakfast. When he returned, he knocked on the bedroom door. Shortly afterward Steve emerged, yawning, "Ivan, you’re up early."
"I'm leaving for work in a minute. Your breakfast is on the coffee table. If you two are bored inside the apartment, go out and explore the area, but don't make trouble."
Steve looked at him, "Ivan, help me find a job."
Ivan looked him up and down.
Steve continued with a smile, "Ivan, although you are not a manager, you are still a local. Please help me find work."
"Okay, I'll try, but don’t expect to find a well-paid and easy job here. You have to prove your worth.”
As he was leaving, Ivan bumped into Carry at the top of the stairs again. She had been out to buy breakfast and was carrying drinks and doughnuts. Embarrassed at last night’s events, Ivan hurriedly turned away. Carry looked up and smiled, "Off to work?"
Ivan smiled back, "Been to buy breakfast again?"
Carry nodded, "I was surprised to hear you are a teacher. I’m so sorry about what happened last night. I tried to stop him but failed."
"It doesn’t matter. Steve was ignorant last night. We all make mistakes but hopefully, lessons were learned. I just hope we can get along with each other in the future."
Ivan turned around subconsciously, fearful of Daniel appearing in the doorway.
“Yes. we're neighbors after all." Carry replied with a smile.
As she walked past him, sunshine streamed onto her face and Ivan could see fingerprints on her cheek.
He was taken aback.
Carry had passed him and taken out the key to open the door.
Should he ask her about the marks on her face?
Carry turned and smiled, "What are you still doing here? You need to set off or you'll be late."
Ivan swallowed the words back, "Okay."
He hurried downstairs and walked towards the bus stop.
It would be wise to keep his distance from gangsters like Daniel. Yet today, on his first day as a teacher, he was going to have to find a way to deal with a classroom full of them!
The sun was shining brightly when Ivan arrived at the school gates. He looked up at the sign, ‘Cincinnati High School’ and determinedly pulled his backpack up on his shoulder then strode towards the campus.
Yes, assholes, I’m coming!
- Writer
