Startled, Mano kept his voice steady. “What did he say to you in the hallway?”
Ody exhaled and looked away.
“I need to know what he said, Ody. I need to know if he’s planning something.”
Ody sat beside him. “He figured out the plan at school was yours,” he admitted, guilt clouding his face.
Mano just nodded.
“It’s my fault,” Ody said, clearly rattled. “I gave it away. He asked whose idea it was, and I…”
“Hey,” Mano interrupted, placing a hand on Ody’s shoulder as their eyes met. “It’s fine. Don’t worry. It wasn’t hard to figure out I set it up. It’s not your fault.”
Ody hesitated. “He said that… he won’t let this go.”
Mano clenched his jaw.
“What are we gonna do? He already hit you and he was alone. If he brings others…” Ody trailed off, fear rising. “I told him you’re not alone. That you’ve got all of us. But then…”
The memory hit him.“And what if I send him to the hospital first? What’ll you or your little buddies do then?”Ody turned away, exhaling through gritted teeth. “He also threatened to hurt Steve and Chris.”
“Did you tell them?” Mano asked. Ody shook his head. “What else did he say?”
“He told me to do what he says, or he’ll come after all of you.”
Mano’s frustration spiked. “What the hell does he want? What does he want you to do?”
“I don’t know. He said he might bring more people.”
“Then so will we,” Mano said, anger building.
“No, Mano. This has to stop. Where does it end? They’ve already beaten you up so many times. And after what happened at that school, he’s furious.”
“So what do you want me to do? Run and hide so I don’t get hit again?”
“Maybe we should go to the police. I don’t know.”
“You think the cops are gonna do anything?” Mano said, his voice tight.
Ody frowned. “If they see—”
“We don’t have proof. And even if we did, they won’t do shit.” He let out a breath, shaking his head. “They need more than this.” He gestured at his face. “They need names, witnesses, messages. Something they can actually use.”
Ody’s gaze dropped to his split lip.
“Bruises don’t mean anything,” Mano went on, his jaw tightening. “They’ll just say it wasn’t them. That it was someone else. That I started it.”
Ody blinked. “But Steve and the others—”
“You think they’ll take your friends seriously?” He scoffed. “They’ll just say we’re backing each other up.”
Ody fell quiet.
“Best case, they ask a few questions, maybe warn him.” His expression hardened. “That’s it.”
Silence fell between them.
“And after all that?” Mano said, his voice dropping. “After we drag his name into it, the accusations, the back and forth… you think he just lets it go?”
