Chapter 23: Makoto Flashback Chapter 17: Scissors Pt. 2 (Vol. 1)

27 Years Ago:

"What the hell are you always reading over here, by yourself?" asked a kid that was the same age as Andy, who was 13-years-old.  

It was recess time and Andy was sitting at one of the tables in the outside area of the school that he attended, reading a comic book that he had bought with money he received for his birthday.  While he was enjoying the comic book, one of the bullies that, usually, picked on him, stole the comic book from him and was now looking at it, alongside, his friends, that all enjoyed giving Andy a hard time.  Rather than fight back against it, Andy, merely, sighed, completely, used to the treatment.  In the past, he would have attempted to take the comic book back or stand up for himself but, from his experiences, this only made things worse.  He figured he would just wait, until the kids were done making fun of him for reading the comic book and, eventually, they would just give the comic book back to him, at the end of recess.  This kind of mentality made his father quite upset at him because he wanted Andy to stand up for himself.  He mentioned that the bullying wouldn't get better, unless he put a stop to it, himself.  His mom, on the other hand, always just called the school and complained about the bullying, furious about how the school wasn't doing anything about the kids picking on him.  Unfortunately, both of these tactics only made life more difficult for Andy at school.  When he had listened to his father's advice and attempted to stand up to the bullies, they beat him so badly, that one of his eyes was swollen for weeks and he had to hobble to each of his classes.  An experience that he never wanted to go through, again.  His mother calling the school only made the bullies even angrier towards Andy, since they got in trouble because he 'told his mommy', as they would refer to it.  This is why Andy chose to just watch the other students in front of him, rather than pay any mind to the bullies going through his comic book, making fun of him.

"Man, this stuff is so lame," commented the main bully, who was still holding the comic book.  "This is why all of the boys make fun of you and all of the girls think you're weird, four eyes."

Andy continued to ignore the bullies, causing the main bully to grit his teeth in disgust.  

"Oh, I think I get it...why you're so obsessed with these superheroes," claimed the main bully.  "It's because you think that one day...you'll get superpowers, isn't that, right?  Haha, that's so stupid, it's funny.  You can read as many of these stupid books as you want and worship these heroes but it won't change anything.  None of it is real.  Super powers don't exist and, if they did, they would just be wasted on a weak little shit like you."

The main bully threw the comic book right at Andy and it smacked him right in the face, knocking off his glasses.  Andy brushed off the injury, not saying much to the bully's remarks about superheroes, and got up to pick his comic book and glasses off of the ground.  First, Andy picked up his glasses and put them back on so he could see better and then reached for the comic book.  Unfortunately, before he could pick it up, one of the bullies' friends kicked the comic book, even further, away from him.  Andy ignored the action and just moved closer to the comic book to pick it up, before someone else could kick it, any farther.  When Andy studied his comic book, he noticed that it was now covered with dirt and grass so he began brushing it off while the bullies behind him began snickering to themselves.  

"Have fun reading your nerdy shit," commented the main bully as the group, finally, walked away from Andy, leaving him alone with his comic book.

Andy sat back down at the table and opened the comic book back to the page he was on while the words that the main bully had said about superheroes began to circle around in his mind.  

Those idiots just don't get it, Andy thought to himself.  Sure, having superpowers would be cool but...that's not what I wish for.  No, what I wish for is, probably, even more sad and pathetic.  I wish...that one day...a superhero would come and save me...save me from the teasing...from the physical abuse...save me, when I need them the most.  That's my wish, stupid as it sounds.

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26 Years Ago:

Smack!

A right hook from the main bully that always picked on Andy, knocked him flat onto his back while the bully's friends watched with glee.  It was PE and the class was on their way back to the classroom from the gymnasium.  A kid had mentioned during gym glass that he got a new, super rare comic, that he wanted to show Andy and, since the kid was one of the few that was, actually, nice to him, Andy, foolishly, believed he was telling the truth.  The kid said he would show Andy the comic book, behind the bleachers, on the way back to the PE classroom.  It was incredibly stupid of him and he knew it as he laid on his back, staring up at the sky, behind the bleachers.  What was waiting for him behind the bleachers wasn't the kid, who wanted to show him a comic book but, instead, was the group of bullies, who always made his life a living hell.  They all had sinister smiles on their faces and Andy, instantly, recognized that he had been set up.  He didn't blame the kid, who told him to go behind the bleachers...the bullies probably threatened him to do it and he did it out of fear.  Andy readjusted his glasses and, slowly, picked himself up off of the ground but, as soon as he did so, one of the main bullies' friends socked him right in the gut with his fist, knocking the air out of Andy and causing him to fall onto his knees, gasping for air.  

"Oh shit, do you hear that....I think...I hear a superhero flying in to save him," mocked the bully that had punched Andy in the stomach.  "Yeah...I hear the cape flapping in the wind." 

The main bully grabbed Andy by the collar of his shirt and yanked him up so that he was inches away from his face. 

"Like a superhero would actually take the time to save your worthless ass," insulted the main bully, before ramming his face into Andy's with a brutal headbutt, breaking Andy's glasses in half.  

Both halves of Andy's glasses fell onto the ground while Andy did the same.  The group of bullies began taking turns kicking Andy in various parts of his body and, since they were lagging behind the rest of the class, Andy knew that no one was going to come to his aid.  Nobody cared about him...not at this school and he knew damn well there wasn't any superheroes on their way to save him.

Smack!  Crack!  Smack!  Crack!

Blow after blow from the bullies landed, perfectly, and, as soon as the bullies were fatigued from exerting so much energy, they stopped kicking Andy while he was down.

"We should probably catch up to the rest of the class, before the teacher wonders where we are," said one of the bullies' friends.  

"Yeah...you better hurry and catch up with the rest of the class too, four-eyes, or you're going to be the one in trouble," finished the main bully as him and his friends began making their way back to the classroom.  

Andy's body felt battered and bruised and his injuries were so bad, that he struggled to even breathe.  He debated whether or not he wanted to even attempt to get up and return to class.  Andy couldn't stop the tears from coming out of his eyes as he continued to lay on the ground, behind the bleachers, pathetically.

They're right, he thought to himself, defeated.  A superhero wouldn't waste their time on a nobody like me.  But...one day...I really do wish one would come and save me, especially, when I need it the most.  

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Present:

"I...think this is the place where I got Makoto's scissors for her," Andy said to himself, after parking his car in front of a local gas station.  

It wasn't the most ideal location to purchase scissors but Andy remembered that it was, in fact, where he ended up buying Makoto her purple scissors.  The reason was because when he went shopping for school supplies, he had gotten Makoto everything except for a pair of scissors.  Even to this day, he thought this was an extremely silly mistake on his part.  He had received a call from the school that Makoto had a meltdown during class because she had lost her purple scissors and couldn't find them.  It was a rarity for him to get a call about Makoto, behavior-wise, which made him believe that she really liked the scissors he had bought for her.  This is why he wanted to get her the exact same kind, again, especially because he knew that kids like her didn't like change.  Even if he could find a better pair of scissors she might like, he knew this would cause Makoto to still be bothered, if the scissors weren't exactly the same.  Still, he pondered how exactly Makoto lost her scissors?  Considering how well-organized Makoto typically was, almost to an extreme degree, it seemed unlikely that she misplaced them or forgot where she put them.  This led him to one conclusion, that the scissors were stolen, most likely by the kid, who had been bullying her, Xander.  He sighed to himself at the thought.

Kids, they never change, do they? he told himself, recalling his own experience with bullying.

As someone, who had been bullied most of his school life, the last thing he ever wanted was for his daughter to experience the same thing and, yet, here she was, in the same shitty position he was.  He wished...no...prayed that there was more that he could do for her, on his end.  He felt completely useless, though, because no matter how much he, Minerva or even Ms. Yuuki complained to the school, nothing seemed to be making the bullying more tolerable for his daughter.  Unfortunately, this didn't surprise him much since his parent's involvement in his bullying didn't amount to much, either.  

I need to hurry and get those scissors for Makoto because I'm sure she's going to be in rough shape when Mine picks her up from school.  If she sees that I bought her an identical pair of scissors, it won't fix the damage that's been done or stop the bullying in anyway but, at the very least, it'll make her feel better.  And, at this point, that's all I care about.  I just really hope they still have the same kind and color here.  

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Upon entering the gas station, Andy greeted the cashier, who was standing behind the cash register, in a friendly manner and proceeded down the aisle that had some school supplies.  

Please, let the same scissors be here.  Please, let the same scissors be here.

Andy had no idea whether or not repeating this in his mind would increase the chance of finding the scissors but he couldn't prevent himself from doing it.  Luckily, and much to his relief, he found the exact scissors that he was looking for, color and all.  

"Lucky break," he muttered under his breath.

Ding!

The sound of the door to the gas station being opened could be heard in the distance while Andy picked up a pair of scissors and checked the price of them.  

"Oh, and they're on sale too.  That's a nice bonus."

Andy's smile disappeared as he began to worry about someone just stealing Makoto's scissors, again.  

"Hm, Jason still isn't at the school and won't be for a couple of more days and Ms. Yuuki still leaves before lunch.  If Xander took Makoto's scissors once, then there isn't really anything stopping him from doing it, again.  Maybe, I'll just show Makoto that I bought her the scissors but tell her that she has to wait until Jason returns, before taking them to school?  She might be a tad annoyed but I feel like, overall, she'll understand.  I don't know if I'll be able to get the same pair of scissors, again, so I need to be careful not to let them get stolen."

As Andy continued to think about this to himself, he could hear rambunctious and loud voices...several of them, getting closer but it didn't faze him since he was in such deep thought.

"The fact that I even have to think about something like this is so frustrating.  Why can't kids just leave Makoto a—"

Andy couldn't finish his sentence, before someone bumped into him, rudely, causing him to drop the scissors.  Andy bent down to pick up the scissors and turned around to face the person, who had run into him, realizing it was a high school kid, wearing a beanie and mostly black clothing, same as his friends.  He noticed they had some kind of matching tattoo on their wrist that looked like a...spider.  As soon as he noticed the tattoo, his whole entire body froze up in fear.  He remembered hearing on the news about a local gang called “the spiders” that had been stirring up trouble in the local area.  

"I-I'm sorry," Andy apologized, his hands shaking in fear at his current predicament.  

"What the fuck, old man?  Watch where the fuck you're walking!" insulted one of the delinquents, in a hostile tone.  "You bumped into our leader and all you have to say is 'I'm sorry?'" 

Andy shifted his gaze to the high school student he had run into and now that he looked a bit closer, there was a slight difference between his appearance, in comparison to the other gang members.  Not only did he have a spider tattoo on his hand but on his right cheek as well, under his eye.  

T-Their leader? Andy thought to himself, feeling fear begin to take over his body, completely.  No...no, that can't be true.  That can't be true.  What do I do?  What do I do?  I...just want to get home to Makoto and Mine.  I don't want to die.  I don't want to die.  I...I just need to apologize, that's all.  Keep apologizing...hell, I'll even beg, if that's what it takes to see my wife and daughter, again.  I don't care how humiliating and pathetic that is.  I...I just need...to get home.  P-Please...God, I don't want to die.

Andy gulped and opened his mouth to speak but, before he could mutter a single word, he felt something sharp and cold pierce his stomach.  He glanced down in horror at a switch blade that had just stabbed him right in the gut.  The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced but it was nothing compared to the dread that he was feeling.  He pushed these awful feelings of fear out of his mind with great difficulty and forced himself to speak to the leader of the gang, who was the one that had stabbed him without saying a word.  

"P-Please, I'm b-begging you...d-don't k-kill me...m-my daughter...s-she...needs...me."

Andy had tears in his eyes while he begged for his life but the lifeless stare in the leader's eyes didn't change at all.  Without warning, the Spider's leader ripped the switch blade out of Andy's stomach and immediately thrusted it back into his gut, again, this time deeper, making the pain worse as well.  He repeated the horrific action again...and again...and again.

Shunk!  Shunk!  Shunk!  Shunk!  Shunk! Shunk!  Shunk!  Shunk!  

Andy began losing count of how many times he had been stabbed by the switch blade as his mind tried to make sense of what was happening and after his gut had been pierced for the 30th time, the leader ripped the switch blade out of his stomach and allowed Andy to flop onto the floor of the store, blood oozing out of his wounds and creating a large puddle under his body that he was forced to lye in.  Andy could hear faint screaming in the distance but, to him, everything sounded muffled.  The only thing he could still move were his fingers.  The rest of his body refused to work, much to his dismay.  

I...have...to...get...home.

Andy made a fist with one of his hands that was now covered in his own blood.  No matter how hard he tried, though, this was the most he could do.

"Man, what the fuck was that about, boss?" asked one of the members of the Spiders, panicking.

"Fucker really thought an apology was enough for me to forgive him for touching me?"

"Hey!  What's going on over there?" 

The cashier was making his way over to the aisle to check out the situation, after hearing all of the noise, including the screams of the other shoppers in the gas station that had stumbled upon the scene, before him.  The leader of the Spiders pulled out a Glock, handgun, and pointed it at the other end of the aisle, until the cashier was in his sights.

Bam!

A bullet blasted through the man's forehead, killing him, instantly, and resulted in the cashier, flopping onto his back.  

"Let's get the fuck out of here, before the cops come," commanded the leader of the Spiders.

He turned his head to take one final glance at Andy and then him and the rest of his gang left the store.  

W-Why...why...is this happening? thought Andy to himself as it continued to become harder and harder for him to keep his eyes open.  It's not...fair...to Makoto.  Her life...is already so hard.  I spent...my whole life wishing that a superhero would save me when I needed him the most.  Why couldn't one come and protect me against that gang so I could see my daughter again?  Oh, I see.  Those bullies...they were right, this whole time.  There are no heroes in this world, no matter how big it is.  I was stupid for believing in them.  The only reason I believed in them...was because of my own weakness.  If I was stronger, I could have fought my way out of this but...no...I wasted my time believing in things that aren't even fucking real.  Damn it.  

As the blood loss from his wounds proceeded to get much worse, Andy could barely keep his eyes, both of which had tears coming out of them, open.  As they slowly began to shut, permanently, a few more thoughts still entered his mind.

Minerva...please...watch over Makoto and...I'm so sorry for leaving you with all of this.  You don't deserve that.  I-I know...you'll make the right choice because you love Makoto just as...much...as me.  And Makoto, I'm even more sorry that your daddy failed you.  As silly and hopeless as it sounds, I really hope that one day...a superhero comes to protect you when you need it the most.  I...love you both...so...

Andy couldn't finish his final thought before his body became nothing more than an empty shell.

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