Page 2 of His Untoward Hate

Jude froze, waiting for what would dreadfully happen to him again. He was too scared to look at Sky. Never in his entire life would he dare to initiate eye contact with that evil gang leader. He could not stand him. He was evilly awful and unkind.

Jude waited. But there was nothing. There was no hand against his frame.

“Look at me,” Sky commanded authoritatively and spoke a little more modulated now.

Jude was compelled to look at him with great hesitation.

“Did you run away from me?” Sky asked, even if he knew the answer already.

Jude shivered at the sound of his voice.

“Did you just run away from me, Jude Finn?” Sky repeated the question, now much sterner and louder with conviction.

Jude slowly shook his head in response.

“Use your fucking mouth and answer me!” Sky suddenly yelled right in his face, making him flinch in fright.

“I w-asn’t.” Jude stuttered as he cried.

Sky tightened his grip on the collar and yanked him to his feet. Before Jude could steady himself, Sky’s large hand clamped around his jaw, his fingers swallowing his face. With an unyielding grip, he forced Jude to face him. Jude, however, refused to meet his gaze. He kept his eyes fixed stubbornly to the side, avoiding the fury burning in Sky’s eyes.

“I’ll ask you again,” Sky said, his voice low yet dangerous. “Did you just run away from me?”

“I d-idn’t.”

Jude let out a painful sob as Sky’s hand dug into his face. The crushing pressure against his hand sent a searing ache through his jaw and bruised his gums.

“Look at me,” Sky commanded.

Jude never hesitated to comply because he knew that if he refused now, Sky would twist his head easily.

“Tell me honestly, are you avoiding me?”

Jude was so stunned to speak. Sky’s words coming out of his mouth fanned his face due to their proximity, leaving him breathless.

“No,” Jude answered.

“Are you fucking sure you are not avoiding me?” Sky asked again and studied his face closely.

They stared into each other’s eyes at a standard heart rate per minute. Both were tongue-tied, traveling somewhere deep in their souls.

“I was not avoiding you.” Jude lied.

Sky was slightly taken aback as he blinked several times. Their proximity somewhat made him lose his composure.

“Then, good boy,” Sky uttered.

A familiar feeling recurred in his stomach, which he did not ever want to recognize. He let go of Jude’s crumpled collar and took a step back. Breaking eye contact, he reached out to harshly ruffle Jude’s hair. Then, without warning, he delivered a brutal blow to his stomach, leaving him doubled over and gasping in agony.

“You better not try running away from me, Jude Finn…” he warned. “And don’t ever try to abstain from class again.”

Sky gritted his teeth, delivering a heavy kick to Jude’s stomach before turning to leave. Jude’s body collided with the concrete, the impact sending a jolt of anguish through his back. He was left sprawled helplessly on the grimy, dirty, white-tiled floor, blindly groping for his shattered glasses.

1

Jude thought his last year in senior high school would be different and less heartbreaks, but his presumption turned out to be nothing more than an illusion. The bullying grew worse with each passing day, and no one knew the devastating toll it had taken on him. For him, going to school felt so heavy and demoralizing. It was a dilemma he carried with him every day despite his profound love for academics.

It was a gloomy and windy afternoon. A moderately cold atmosphere enveloped the whole town due to constant rain for the past few days. Jude checked the weather before going to school this morning. Tomorrow, the sun will be out. He had developed a habit of checking the weather forecast, which had gradually become a personal interest over time. Although Jude loved rainy days, he also preferred coming to school not soaked by rainwater. He must walk or commute after all.