madness show

Chapter (24):the strom

A few minutes ago, inside the school...

Andrew was staring at the ground with a scowl, filled with mixed emotions because of Frank, when suddenly something happened.

Trnnn! Trnnn!

...Huh?

Andrew saw his phone ringing, which was unusual. The caller ID showed it was his friend, Nathan.

"What is it now, Nathan?"

"Andrew, get out of there!" Nathan shouted.

"Huh? Nathan? Wait, what's going on? Why are you shouting like that?"

"Just leave the school! Hurry!"

"Nathan, what the hell is going on?!"

"Just listen to me and get out of there!"

Andrew was shocked by Nathan's strange reaction. He had never seen him this panicked before. A bad feeling crept over him.

"Alright, I'll do it," Andrew replied as he started leaving the school.

"Don't use the front door! Go through the back!" Nathan yelled.

"What?"

"Just do it!"

"Alright, alright."

"Meet me at our usual spot," Nathan said before hanging up.

"What the hell is going on with him?" Andrew thought as he hurried out.

At Sabrewood Park

Sabrewood Park was a small park near the school. On one side, it bordered a dense forest, and for some unknown reason, people rarely visited it.

Andrew and his friends often gathered there, sometimes even at night, though that only happened on a few occasions.

Now, Andrew was sitting in their usual spot. They had been coming here so often that it had become their unofficial meeting place. Even without planning, they would always end up here.

Just as expected, Nathan arrived, panting heavily. Andrew felt both relieved and annoyed.

"So, Nathan, can you finally tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Just... give me... a second..." Nathan gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"Alright, now spill it. Why did you act like a lunatic when you called me?" Andrew asked suspiciously.

Nathan looked at Andrew with concern before finally speaking.

"Because I saw something."

"Yeah? What did you see?"

Nathan swallowed hard. "I saw Frank beating Jack so badly he passed out."

Andrew's eyes widened. "Wait… Jack?!"

Nathan nodded. "Andrew, there's something else you need to know."

"Why do you look at me like a puppy that pities me? Is this about Emma or something?" Andrew questioned.

Nathan hesitated before saying, "I saw your father."

Andrew stiffened. "What?"

"I saw your father, Andrew," Nathan repeated, clearly uneasy.

Andrew felt his stomach drop. "Where? Near the police station? Or the bank?"

Nathan shook his head. "I saw him just now—outside the school, from a distance."

Andrew jumped up from his seat. "What?! My dad is here?!"

"Yeah, that's why I told you to leave! If he finds out you were at school and didn't stand up for Emma, you're screwed!" Nathan said anxiously.

"Oh, crap! My dad is at the school?!" Andrew shouted in panic.

"Andrew, don't freak out! There's a way out of this!" Nathan tried to calm him.

"This isn't just a problem! This is a disaster!" Andrew shouted, pacing in distress.

"If he finds out, he'll make me quit school—or worse, he'll kill me!"

Nathan grabbed Andrew's shoulders. "Calm down and listen to me."

Andrew glared at him. "What?! Do you think this is some easy problem to fix?"

"Just listen! All you need to do is go straight to the sports field and pretend you were in training the whole time. Act like you don't know anything about this!" Nathan instructed.

Andrew narrowed his eyes. "And what about you?"

"I'll stay at school, keep out of sight, and watch what happens between your dad and your sister." Nathan clenched his fist. "Because while I was carrying Jack outside, your dad saw me. Trust me when I say—his stare alone could kill someone."

Andrew shuddered. "Yeah… I know that feeling. When he gets really angry, it's terrifying. If you're saying this, then his mood must be worse than usual."

He exhaled sharply before heading toward the sports field.

"Remember, Andrew—don't do or say anything that makes your dad notice you. You know what will happen if he does."

Andrew clenched his jaw. "Nathan, don't tell me something I already know!"

"Good luck, my friend," Nathan said as he walked away.

As Nathan left the park, Andrew could only let out a frustrated sigh.

"Ugh, what a disastrous day. First Frank, now this! I just hope it doesn't get any worse."

At the School…

"Are you telling me you did nothing?"

Mr. Blackwood's voice was filled with anger.

"Mr. Blackwood, I understand that this situation is unfortunate, but I assure you, the school is doing everything it can to handle these matters. However, children sometimes behave in unpredictable ways."

"Doing everything you can?" Marcus interrupted furiously. "My daughter has been bullied—God knows for how long—and today, I saw her being beaten in the schoolyard while everyone just stood there and watched! Is that what you call 'doing your best'?"

"Mr. Blackwood, your daughter is not the first case of bullying in this school. There have been many similar incidents. We are doing our best."

"That's complete nonsense, and you know it! You act like you're a teacher, but you don't see what's happening right in front of you?!" Marcus shouted.

"Mr. Blackwood, you know I'm just a teacher, not the principal. I don't have the authority to make decisions on his behalf. Please understand." Mason replied calmly.

"So what?! You expect me to sit back and watch my daughter get beaten without doing anything?!" Marcus' voice grew louder.

"Ugh, what a headache…" Emma thought, rubbing her forehead.

"Mr. Blackwood, it's not like that. I don't have the authority to expel them. I can only contact their parents to bring them in tomorrow—not today."

Marcus' face darkened. "Then consider this: Emma, get ready. You're leaving this school tomorrow."

"What?!" Both Emma and Mason exclaimed at the same time.

"You said it yourself—my daughter isn't the first bullying case. That means the school can't even handle a few bullies. This place doesn't deserve to be called a school."

"Wait, wait! Mr. Blackwood, you're making a rash decision!" Mason pleaded.

"Tell me why I should wait." Marcus' sharp glare made Mason falter.

Mason struggled to find words. "Uh…"

"My daughter has suffered because of your negligence for far too long. She stayed silent. She endured. So give me one reason—just one—to be patient. Otherwise, I'll request an inspection of this school!"

Mason paled. "But if you do that, it could affect your career!"

"I don't care. Come on, Emma, we're leaving." Marcus grabbed Emma's arm.

Before Mason could respond, Marcus slammed the door behind him, leaving the teacher sighing heavily.

"Maybe I should take the day off tomorrow…" Mason thought.

Outside the Teachers' Room

Marcus was quickly walking down the hallway.

"Dad, what the heck was that?!"

"What was the reason for all this?Emma asked

"Reason? Then tell me why?" Mr. Blackwood spoke while staring into his daughter Emma's eyes.

"Why what? Be more specific,I can't know what you're trying to say," Emma replied.

"About your brother. Tell me, why does he ignore you? Why does he let all of this happen?" Marcus asked angrily.

"Because… he's busy with the football club. Ever since he joined, he's been very occupied, and I rarely see him," Emma responded.

"And what about that jerk who hit you?" Mr. Blackwood asked in a threatening tone.

"That jerk was just a dumb friend of those bullies. Andrew had nothing to do with any of this," Emma said in a very loud voice.

"Wait, why did you raise your voice?" Mr. Blackwood asked in confusion.

"There was just a little scratch in my throat. Cough Cough But it's gone now," Emma replied.

Mr. Blackwood gave his daughter a strange look. "Hmm... if you're telling the truth, let's see for ourselves. Come with me to see how Andrew is doing."

When Mr. Blackwood stepped outside, he saw that the crowd of students from earlier had disappeared. Most of the students he had seen before were gone, but a few remained, whispering among themselves about his daughter. This made him angry, but he said nothing.

He walked towards his car, which was parked a little far from the school, and pressed the car key. The headlights lit up as he unlocked it and opened the door.

Emma didn't say anything about why the car was parked there; she simply noticed the tire tracks, realizing that the car had stopped abruptly. She knew that bringing up the car's position would lead to a difficult conversation, so she remained silent and got into the car, watching through the window.

For a brief moment, she saw something in the window—something like a shadow that lingered for a split second before disappearing.

"Huh?"

"What is it?" Mr. Blackwood asked, glancing at her briefly while focusing on driving.

Emma looked back at the window before answering, "Nothing, Dad."

Mr. Blackwood continued driving while Emma had a different thought.

She felt like that shadow was staring at her, but she had no idea who, what, or why.

Still, Emma decided to ignore it—maybe it was just her imagination.

At the Sports Field

The sports field where Andrew and his teammates practiced was in a different location from the school. It was about a 30-minute walk away. The school principal had rented the field so they could train for the annual championship.

Marcus had already arrived at the field, with Emma accompanying him.

"Remind me, Dad, why did you bring me here?"

"To meet your brother and talk to him."

"I told you, he doesn't know anything about what happened."

"We'll see about that," Marcus said.

As Marcus and Emma walked, they saw a muscular coach wearing a whistle and a cap, watching the players run around the field.

The coach noticed them and approached.

"Who are you two?" the coach asked.

"Are you the coach here?" Mr. Blackwood asked.

"Yeah, I'm the football coach for Thunder Claw team

"Let me ask you a question—has Andrew Blackwood always been on the field?" Mr. Blackwood asked, staring into his eyes.

"Yeah, he's always been here," the coach replied, looking at him suspiciously. "Who are you to be asking about him?"

"I'm his father. How long has he been on the field?"

"Oh, you're his father! Sorry, I didn't recognize you. He didn't mention you were coming," the coach said apologetically.

"It's fine. I came here to talk to him."

"I'm Edward Cavory," the coach introduced himself, extending his hand for a handshake.

"Marcus Blackwood," Mr. Blackwood said, shaking his hand.

"So, did something happen?" the coach asked.

"No, nothing important. I just want to talk to him," Mr. Blackwood replied.

"He's over there if you want to speak to him," the coach pointed toward Andrew.

"Thank you," Mr. Blackwood said as he walked toward his son, noticing that Emma remained still.

"What are you doing, Emma? Come with me," Mr. Blackwood said.

"No, Dad, I can't go with you," Emma replied seriously.

"Why not?" Mr. Blackwood narrowed his eyes at her.

"Because if I go with you, Andrew will get embarrassed. Having his sister show up where he trains will be humiliating for him in front of his friends," Emma explained.

"Alright, stay here."

"Okay... I guess this is a family discussion—Whoa! What happened to your face, girl? Did you get into a gang fight or something?" the coach asked in shock when he saw her face.

"You didn't notice my face earlier?" Emma asked coldly.

"No, I was focused on your father. I didn't even realize you were there until you looked directly at me. Sorry about that," the coach said apologetically.

"Whatever," Emma replied.

As Mr. Blackwood approached Andrew, his son looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

Mr. Blackwood stared at his son coldly.

"Dad, is something wrong?" Andrew asked, concerned.

"Where were you at school today?" Mr. Blackwood asked.

"I was at school as usual, then I came straight to the field after class. Why do you ask?" Andrew asked suspiciously.

"And what is Emma doing here?" Andrew added.

"Just answer my question. Where exactly were you 20 minutes ago?" Mr. Blackwood asked in a threatening tone.

"Me? I was practicing with my teammates. You can ask them if you want," Andrew answered.

"I don't want to ask your friends. I want to ask you. Where exactly were you 20 minutes ago?" Mr. Blackwood repeated, his tone more intense.

"I…"

Marcus stared at his son. He didn't want to rely on Andrew's friends because they would cover for him. Instead, he used the same interrogation tactics he used on criminals—applying pressure until they made mistakes and revealed the truth.

Now, he was using that same tactic on his son to see his reaction and whether he was lying.

"I already told you—I was on the field just a while ago. Dad, are you okay?" Andrew replied innocently.

"Nothing, I was just confirming something," Mr. Blackwood said as he turned to leave.

"And Andrew," Mr. Blackwood paused and looked back at his son.

"Yes?" Andrew asked.

"Come home early today—we have something small to discuss at home," Mr. Blackwood said before leaving the field with Emma.

As Marcus and Emma walked away, Andrew suddenly collapsed to the ground, sweating in fear, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Phew! That was close. Good thing Nathan warned me."