Chapter 29: Rival
Nothingville, Lancaster, England
April 11, 2002
"Why? What do you want to say?" Asked Lucia who had put on a cynical face before Bryan started to speak. Bryan's guts immediately shrunk at the look on Lucia's expression who didn't seem happy with what he was about to say.
"Bryan, what's wrong?" Asked Pierre who seemed to be starting to understand what Bryan wanted to say.
"I-it's about my birthday party tomorrow. Can't Lucia come after the rest my friends come home!" He stammered. His heart skipped a beat as he said that.
Lucia immediately frowned and got up from the swing she had been controlling for a long time. With her shoulders straightened, Lucia approached Bryan with an intimidating look.
"You mean I have to come after the party is over, don't you?"
"N-no! If you come when the other friends come, they will feel uncomfortable because you always mess up my birthday party like the previous years. I invited Amy, I don't want her to feel disappointed!"
Lucia growled in annoyance, she immediately grabbed Bryan by the collar and pulled him tightly.
"Are you telling me that I'm a troublemaker? What an insolent...!"
Bruukkk...
Lucia's hand immediately threw a fist right into Bryan's face until the boy fell to the ground.
"Ouch... why did you hit me?" Bryan shouted angrily. He hated every time he was treated rudely by Lucia who always wanted to be in power.
"Lucia, calm down!" Pierre and Leo tried to restrain Lucia from hitting Bryan who was looking at her with a vengeance.
Lucia's hands were clenched into fists, she really wanted to beat Bryan again. However, seeing the way Bryan was looking at her, she immediately gave up.
"Tch!" Lucia walked away leaving her friends who could do nothing to stop her.
"Why do you say that? You didn't really want her to come, did you?" Pierre asked as he helped Bryan to his feet.
"She's a bully! You must think that too, don't you? Always think she's the strongest and most powerful. I really hate her!"
"B-but no matter what Lucia is our friend!" Said Chris who felt sorry for Lucia.
"I don't want to be friends with someone like her! Why does she have to be my friend? I don't want to see her face again!"
"But I like being friends with her!" Leo chirped who didn't agree with Bryan's opinion of Lucia.
"That's because you're stupid! Just because she helps you often doesn't mean she's a good friend! She's just taking advantage of our kindness and making us her slaves!"
"For me it doesn't matter! A good friend isn't a friend who always helps us when we need it, huh? After all, what do you really expect from a friend?"
"There's no point talking to someone like you! You don't understand because you have nothing to be proud of! As for me! I have everything you guys don't have! Why should I be friends with someone like her?"
Bryan who was covered in anger left Leo, Pierre and Chris who couldn't stop him. Tomorrow was Bryan's birthday and for some reason they felt they weren't worthy enough to come to the party.
"Pierre, how are you? Are we still coming tomorrow?" Chris asked. He felt restless and displeased with his friends' quarrels. They had been friends for almost seven years and it was customary to argue and fight. However, today's fight seemed more difficult than usual.
"We'll keep coming!"
"But, what about Lucia?" Leo asked.
"The three of us will go!"
"You mean we should leave Lucia alone, don't you?"
"That's best! We can't ask her to come when Bryan doesn't want her to come. It will only make their relationship worse.
"You're right! But, how do we explain it to Lucia? If she finds out we're leaving without her. She'll be furious!"
"I'll think about how to explain it to her later! But for now we don't need to ask any of them to apologize!"
***
A very lively party, as expected of the only son of a wealthy businessman. Bryan looked very happy because there was no sign of Lucia coming and messing up his birthday party like in previous years.
"Thank goodness, it looks like she really didn't come!" She thought.
Some kids from his father's business partners came to him with gifts and one of them was a sweet girl named Amy whom Bryan liked.
"Bryan, happy birthday?"
"Thank you for coming!"
"Are your friends coming today?" Asked a boy named Charlie.
"I don't know, maybe they won't come!"
"Is that so? Good! I don't understand why you want to be friends with people like that! You're going to continue your father's company, right? Why are you studying at a regular school? Why not at the same school as us?"
"That's right! Too bad! You're just wasting your time, Bryan! Soon we will be entering junior high school. So, don't waste your life anymore!"
The other kids started to speak up, supporting Charlie's assertion about what Bryan should have done as the only child of one of the world's richest men.
Hearing their words, Bryan began to realize that being in this place and in the midst of his friends was very strange. He had to live in this city, while his extended family lived in London. All because of his mother who forced him to live in this city and study in an ordinary school, which made him unknowingly hang out with his friends who came from ordinary families.
"That's right! Why do I have to be in this city? No, after this. I'll ask mom to take me to London! I don't want to live in this city anymore! I don't want to see Lucia anymore!" His mind is starting to get affected.
"Bryan, are you all right?" Amy asked.
"Yes, I am doing okay!"
"Your friend Lucia isn't coming, is she?" Asked Amy looking nervous.
"N-no! Looks like she won't come!" He said nervously.
"Really? Thank goodness! If she comes, I'll go straight home!"
"W-why?"
"Because I don't like her! She's so rude and weird! I'm worried because you're friends with her!"
"Amy, that's right! That girl is absolutely insane! Just last year she made Bryan's birthday cake fall on the floor!" Charlie said.
"Huh? Really?" The other children were getting carried away.
"She also eats very voraciously and laughs very loudly! No manners! I don't know, why there is someone like her in this world!"
"Wow... weird girl, huh? I remember, two years ago she took one of the gifts for Bryan and brought it home!"
"Really? She stole gifts?"
"I don't know! But I saw her carrying a package after the birthday party was over!"
"Really crazy!"
"Geez, she must be causing trouble for everyone else!"
Everyone started making bad comments about Lucia and Bryan overheard it all. Strange, even though he couldn't stop them, for some reason he felt angry at their words.
Bryan knew that his relationship with Lucia was very strange. He always thought Lucia was his rival in any case. Unlike Pierre, Leo and Chris who he considers his best friends. As for Lucia, he hated the girl. But on the one hand, he wanted Lucia to stay by his side.
A week ago...
Bryan sobbed under the big tree. He tried not to make a sound. However, he couldn't help but feel a twinge in his heart.
"Damn it! They always stealing my stuff! Who do they think they are? That sucks! One day I'll definitely beat them up!"
"Why are you grumbling?" Asked Lucia who without Bryan realizing it was already standing in front of him with the corners of her lips hurt and bleeding.
Bryan raised his head and showed his pitiful face to someone he least expected.
"What do you want? Want to laugh? Please laugh until you are satisfied! One day, I will definitely be strong and I will repay them all!"
"You're the son of a rich man. Why don't your mom and dad give you a bodyguard, so they don't harass you!"
"What's the use? I want to avenge them with my own strength! If I don't beat them up, I won't be satisfied!"
"Tch, you sucker! Take this!" Lucia threw a nintendo into Bryan's hand.
Bryan was surprised because this Nintendo was previously stolen by a group of middle school boys.
"W-why is this-"
"That's yours, right? You better not show it off because anyone wants to have it too!"
Bryan cried, tears welling up in his eyes. He didn't understand, why he had to look so weak. Seeing Lucia, he knew that Lucia had managed to get this thing back for him.
"Listen, I won't thank you!"
"I know! It's up to you!"
***