Thankfully, after that, lunch continued smoothly, with us soon finding ourselves leaving the restaurant with our stomachs full, to the relief of Eileen and the other patrons. The moment we stepped outside, I felt Helen come up next to me. Her hand suddenly entwined with mine, causing a small blush to form on my cheeks and a massive grin to appear on my face, regardless of how many times we had done such an action before.
"Ok!" Susan exclaimed with far too much energy for someone who had just eaten so much. "We've still got quite a while before it gets dark. What should we do next?"
"Oooh, there's that spy film I've been wanting to watch for days that has recently come out. How about we go and see it?" Helen replied excitedly.
Seeing the excited look that had suddenly appeared on her face, I knew there was no way I could possibly say no. "Sure. If they have any viewing soon, then I'm all for it. Sam, what about you?"
"Yeah, I'm down as long as the next release is soon. I can't get back too late. I've got some stuff I need to finish." He said with an exasperated sigh that all but told me that 'stuff' he was referring to was definitely more homework.
It was shocking to me how much extra his parents forced him to do. As well as how well he had hidden it from me all these years. Hell, if it hadn't been for my illness and him being more forthcoming ever since we had made up, I doubt I would have ever known. It truly made me realise that while I definitely drew the short straw in life, Sams wasn't nearly as big as I had once thought.
After a quick check on Susan's phone, we found out that the next viewing of the film was only in thirty minutes, with the next one afterwards being just over 2 hours later.
"Thirty minutes? That's cutting it quite close dont you think, If we want to make it in time we're probably going to have to jog there" Sam said while giving me a look, knowing that with my current health there wasn't a chance I would be able to jog for even a minute, let alone the few miles needed to get to the cinema.
In response, I immediately started to rack my brain for any possible alternatives, knowing that the minute we started jogging, Helen would know I was actually a lot sicker than I was letting on. Suddenly, as I was gazing around the street, a light bulb went off in my mind.
"Actually, we might not need to jog." I suddenly piped up, pointing to the right of Tops Cafe to a small hidden alley that was all but obscured from sight. "The alley right there cuts through quite a few streets and should save us enough time."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Lead the way." Susan chirped, clearly also happy at not having to jog all the way to the cinemas.
Breathing a secret sigh of relief, we slowly entered the narrow alleyway, only able to enter and travel one at a time before it eventually began to widen in width a few metres inside, and we could travel side by side with space to spare. As we travelled forward, it felt as if we were in a different world, completely separated from everyone else, with not a sight or sound able to be seen or heard from the busy street we were just in. All that could be heard in the dark and damp alley was that of our own breathing and the rustle of our footsteps upon the trash-filled floor.
"How do you even know about this place?" Sam asked, moving carefully and looking in disgust at the grimy walls that surrounded them.
"The back exit of Tops Cafe leads out to here, so I travel through here often. It's completely desolate. Besides me and the others who were at the cafe, I don't think anyone else even knows it exists."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that, if I were you."
Jumping in shock at the sudden but yet familiar voice that sounded from behind us, I quickly spun around, leading me to come face to face with the smirking face of Jamie and the others grouped up just behind him.
Immediately, I went to flee. Yet before I could even take my first step, as my brain finally managed to fully process the situation, I was forced to throw away such an idea. Not only was the alleyway a straight line with nowhere to hide, but with my health, there was no way I would make it more than a couple of steps before being caught. Although even if my health was back to normal, I doubted I would have been able to escape against Jamie's monstrous physique and Lewis's freakishly tall stature. The only people among us whom I believed had any chance of escape were Sam and Susan, with both of them being in good physical condition. And regardless, even if I could, there was no way I was going to leave Helen.
"What the fuck are you doing here you prick." I finally said, seeing how Jamie and the others seemed more than happy to wait in silence. "Are you stalking me now or something? I'm flattered, truly, but I'm afraid I don't quite swing that way." I remarked, wiping away the smug grin that had been plastered on his face.
"Talk shit while you can," Jamie seethed. "We'll see if you can still act so cocky once we have you face first in the dirt again. Though this time we won't be as kind." Hearing what he said, I suppressed a snort, thinking about their so-called 'kind' treatment from before.
"Oi! I'm guessing you're Jamie. I've heard a lot about you," Sam suddenly piped up from my side, his tone filled with barely concealed rage as he stepped closer towards them, placing himself at the very front of the group. "Why don't you do yourself a favour and fuck off before I beat the ever loving shit out of you."
For the first time ever, as I looked at the livid expression Sam wore and the way he stood tall, his muscles clear on display, I realised how scary Sam could be. During the time since we had made up I had told him all about what had happened with Jamie and his crew, including how I got my shit absolutely rocked. I could still remember the thunder in his eyes when he heard what happened. And it seemed his anger hadn't diminished in the slightest during the time that had passed.
As if wanting to compete in height, Lewis walked up to Sam until there was nary a metre of space between them. "Those are some big words you're spewing. Are you sure you're ready for the consequences?" Lewis smirked, an air of superiority in his eyes as he looked down upon Sam, probably the first person to do so since Sam had grown to his full height.
Seeing that things were about to get out of control, and not wanting Helen or Susan to wind up getting involved in what was most likely to turn into a chaotic brawl, one with a very low chance of us coming out unharmed, I quickly asked. "Look, what do you actually want, Jamie? You already got your fucking punches in when you lot jumped me last time. So why don't you just leave us alone and go?"
When I finished speaking, I heard a small gasp from behind me. I turned around to see the shocked face of Helen as she stared at me in disbelief. "Why the hell didn't you tell me what had actually happened?" she asked, her voice a mixture of worry and annoyance. "You had said you and Sam were just messing around, and things had gotten out of hand."
Realising my mistake, I floundered for something to say before I was thankfully saved by Clark of all people, who, to my surprise, seemed to agree with what I had said. "Jamie, he's got a point. We already fucked him up last time. There's no need to get into another fight."
"What, is wittle baby Clark scared?" Cindy mocked in a high-pitched baby voice. "Man up, it's fucking five vs four and I can tell you now those two posh little bitches arn't even going to be a challenge."
"What did you say you emo bitch! I would watch that ugly little mouth of yours before I rearrange it personally." Susan retorted, clearly angering Cindy if the red glow against her pale face was anything to go by. Yet just as I thought she was about to charge towards us and kick this fight off, Alice, who had simply been standing there like a statue the entire time, staring at me with unbridled focus and the same impassive expression she commonly wore, suddenly said. "Four vs four."
"What did you say?" Cindy asked.
"You said it was a five vs four. It's not. I'm not getting involved in this, so if you guys are fighting, then I'm out." And with that, Alice took a few steps to the side, leaning against the brick wall that surrounded us on both sides.
"Me neither." Clark swiftly followed, standing to the side next to Alice. "I already feel like shit for what we did last time. I'm not doing it again." He turned to me, eyes apologetic as he gave me a small nod. A nod I reciprocated. Not because I forgave him, mind you. Regardless of what he said, he had still abandoned me and participated in the ass kicking of a lifetime. But because antagonising him would only worsen the odds of us getting out of this situation unharmed.
"Well, it looks like it's four vs three now. Seems like the odds are in our favour now." Sam took another step forward, forcing Lewis to take one back in retreat, the grin on his face having changed to that of a grimace, making Sam's smile rise even higher.
"Ha! you fucking wish dickhead! It doesn't matter how many of you fucks there are. We're still gonna kick the shit out of you all." Jamie shouted with unmatched confidence as he started raising his arms in preparation.
Unfortunately, for us, he was more right than he even knew. After all, with the condition I was in, I was more of a liability than an actual fighter. I expected I could probably last for at most a minute before I became all but useless. Yet as I saw the way Jamie's arms tensed and his fists tightened, I knew there wasn't going to be a way to stop what was coming. So, coming up with a plan, I began to slowly walk towards Jamie as non-threateningly as possible.
"Come on man, let's just stop this. There's no reason we have to fight. We can all just go our separate ways." As I spoke and saw the dismissive attitude Jamie was all but radiating, I turned my head slightly so that I could make eye contact with Sam. It was then that I gave him a small wink, hoping he would understand what I was trying to say.
"Ahh, is someone getting sca-." Before Jamie could even finish his mocking statement, with what limited strength I had, I lunged forward and threw my fist with all my might in a wide left hook, landing squarely to the side of his jaw.
Whether in surprise or out of actual damage, with his mouth still hanging wide open, he stumbled backwards, his legs wobbling and his body swaying. Seeing my chance to end the fight before it even began, I charged towards him again, aiming yet another punch to his unprotected face. As I charged, the sound of Lewis screaming in pain could be heard from behind me, bringing a small smile to my face, knowing that Sam was also able to get the drop on Lewis.
That smile soon went away, however, when I felt a body charge into mine; not hard enough to hurt, but enough to push me away from Jamie and into the brick wall that resided to my side, causing me to wince slightly. I quickly tried to stand back tall, seeing Cindy as she moved away from where she had pushed me, to the shellshocked bodies of both Helen and Susan, who had yet to even take a single step.
"Helen. Look out!" I shouted, able to offer nothing more than a warning as I soon came face to face with an enraged Jamie rubbing his jaw with irritation.
"That's the second time you've tried to get the jump on me." Jamie fumed. "You're going to fucking regret it."
"Maybe you should actually pay attention to your surroundings. Can't blame me if you're going to act like a gormless fuckhead all the time." Even as I pretended to be calm, my eyes scanned my surroundings with increased fervour, looking for anything I could possibly use to even out this fight. After all, I knew that even if I was in perfect condition, the odds of me beating Jamie were slim. Now, In my current condition, they were all but non-existent.
Regrettably, before I could even fathom a plan, Jamie stormed forward, closing the small distance between us instantly. The moment he had done so, he threw a devastating punch that I knew would cause serious damage if it managed to land. Just in the nick of time, I stumbled to the side, once again crashing into the brick wall nearby and causing me to let out a groan in pain, already able to feel my back starting to bruise.
Seeing the unbridled rage Jamie possessed and seeing no way of escape due to the brick wall pressed against my back, I once again started scanning my surroundings. Yet to my utmost disappointment, as Jamie began getting closer and closer, I saw nothing besides the cascade of trash that was littered around us. That was until, from the corner of my right eye, not too far away, a short metal pole could be seen, hidden beneath a layer of trash so large that only the tip could be seen.
Unfortunately for me, any chance to get said pole was dashed the moment Jamie descended upon me, taking advantage of my momentary distraction to throw a solid punch straight at my stomach. One, I was unable to dodge. A blinding pain assaulted me as the air in my lungs was forcefully expelled, forcing me to let out a wheeze in pure agony as I began to collapse to the right and straight towards the floor.