There were only three certainties that Leon had acquired in his nineteen years of life.The first was that his girlfriend, Brittany, was the most beautiful woman in the world and he was lucky to have her.The second was that if he got through his terrible school hell, he would get through anything and be worthy enough of Brittany's love.And the third was that the man who was now beating him severely, smiling between his punches and kicks, would be the first to be eliminated by Leon when, one day, he had the chance to strike back.The taste of blood ran down Leon's throat as he did little to defend himself. As a mere scholarship student at a school where most of the students were rich, even attempting self-defense could be a problem.Curled up on the floor, the boy just felt the pain of the beating as he silently prayed for it to end soon.Without saying a word, the boy who was beating him stopped and began to stare down at him, his eyes blazing from the gratuitous violence and Leon's
Leon stared at the principal, sitting in her chair. The woman with black hair tied in a tight bun on top of her head just stared back at him.Then she said:"How long has this been going on, exactly?"It was the first sentence the woman had said after Leon had told her everything, absolutely everything that passed through Dean's and the other students' hands."Since the first day of the school year."Principal Parker interlaced the fingers of her hands and supported her own chin, leaning forward."You've been going through this since the beginning of the year, and you've only decided to tell me now? At the end of term?"Leon swallowed."I..."The truth was that the boy had always thought he deserved such insults. He always thought he deserved to be treated like dirt, and he never considered the idea that perhaps justice could prevail.The other students despised him for being the only poor student, but would the principal of the school, who had congratulated him so much when he arriv
The slap resounded in the hallway, echoing the tension that had been building up for years. Brittany, surprised and indignant, stared at Leon, her eyes blazing with anger."How dare you talk to me like that!" she shouted.Leon, without flinching, held her gaze."You were there, Brittany. You saw what happened, and you still chose to take his side. Worse still, you were his mistress all this time! All that time I thought you loved me, that you wanted something serious with me!""You don't understand anything, Leon. You don't know what it's like to have a reputation to maintain, a guaranteed future.""Reputation? A guaranteed future? Does that justify what they did to me?""Haven't you realized where you are? Have you ever understood, or come close to understanding, what the world is all about? Not the fantasy world you and your father live in, but the real world?""You're a viper! A fucking bitch, that's what you are.""No, you idiot. You can call me whatever you like, but you know it'
Leon's heart raced as he heard his father's words. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. A whirlwind of emotions invaded his thoughts, mingling with the recent pain and the sense of hopelessness."But... how did it happen, Dad?" asked Leon, trying to understand the unexpected turn of events."I took part in a lottery that I never imagined I'd win. And lo and behold, luck knocked on our door. We're going to have a completely new life, my son. We won't have to worry about anything anymore. We can leave this city behind."Leon was silent for a moment, processing the news. The idea of a new life, away from the humiliation and aggression, began to shine like a light at the end of the tunnel."Dad, this is incredible!" exclaimed Leon, a spark of hope returning to his countenance. "I'm going home now."As soon as he arrived home, the boy found a hastily scribbled note. Apparently his father hadn't been able to wait for him to get home before rushing off to the bank.Rich people.Bette
Leon looked at the principal with a cold smile on his lips, enjoying the moment of total control. His eyes, now full of confidence, stared at the woman who had once humiliated him. The principal, for her part, was visibly disconcerted. Shocked. Flabbergasted. Her crimson-painted lips trembled with rage and her eyes were injected with pure hatred.Juan Alvarez remained silent, calmly observing the scene. He didn't need to say anything; the documentation in the briefcase spoke for itself. Leon's father's serious expression contrasted with the satisfaction on the boy's face."What's this? What did you do? How..." stammered the principal, trying to understand the turn of events."How? I mean how. The last time I was in this room, you basically said that money changed the course of things, even changed judgments. Losers and winners, strong and weak. I was weak, Mrs. Parker. But now, I'm stronger than you.""But-""Was I not clear enough? Get your things and get out of my school before I c
Dean and Brittany exchanged nervous glances, but without daring to challenge Leon, they walked down to the center of the court. Still on her knees, the former principal looked at them with a mixture of despair and restrained anger.Leon walked around them, his footsteps echoing in the tense silence of the gym. He looked straight intoDean and Brittany's eyes, staring at each of them like a predator analyzing its prey."Well, look at that. Look at those little faces. Such different expressions! I could have sworn that less than a few minutes ago, they were laughing at me. Laughing, actually."Brittany wasn't looking at Leon. Dean, on the other hand, stared at him seriously."Not just in the last few minutes, but in the last few years too," he continued. "Not only did you beat me up and steal my money, but you also encouraged others to disturb me too. And you pretended to be my friend, you pretended to love me, but you stabbed me in the back when you had the chance."Leon stopped in fro
Brittany looked up, her eyes meeting those of Leon. Real fear was present on her face.As he stared at her, Leon remembered the tender kisses they had shared, the nights they had spent together, the promises they had both made to each other. The love story they had, or at least the boy thought it was one."You liked to spread rumors and create lies about me, didn't you, Brittany?" said Leon, keeping his cool."You always acted like a snake, poisoning my existence without me even noticing your tyranny. Now, the consequences of your actions are knocking at your door."He approached her, and Brittany swallowed nervously."Dean is now my employee. You, on the other hand, will not have this enormous privilege. For you, I've chosen something particularly terrible."With a flourish, Leon pulled out a brown paper envelope from inside his jacket."Open it," he ordered, holding it out to the girl.Pursing her lips to prevent them from quivering with nervousness, the girl hesitantly obeyed. Her
A week had passed.Sitting in the velvet armchair in the huge room was Leon, celebrating his eighteenth birthday. In his hand was an almost empty glass of cognac.In front of him, looking down and waiting for further orders, was Brittany.Swirling the contents around in his glass, the man looked up at her."You look awful in that uniform."Almost imperceptibly, Brittany winced, accepting the insult. Leon continued:"I like it. I like seeing you like that."She wisely said nothing.Leon savored every moment of the power he emanated over Brittany. The shadows of the huge luxury room danced in the dim candlelight, creating an eerie atmosphere."You should be thankful you're still here," Leon teased, letting a cruel smile play on his lips. "You're standing in front of the most powerful man you've ever met."Total and complete silence."I must confess, I expected more resistance from you," the boy continued, amused by her obvious discomfort. "But of course, you were always weaker than you