Chapter 1: POO MAN
Physical Education. Two words that could sap the joy out of any school day for Abel Brooks. He and his best friend, Ben Marsh, trudged down one of the school's corridors, dragging their feet as if they were headed to an execution.
"Why is PE even mandatory?" Abel muttered as he glanced nervously around, already dreading the session to come. "It's not like we're ever going to need to know how to dribble in real life..."
Ben chuckled, patting his stomach, which was already grumbling at the thought of lunchtime. "Exactly! That should be reserved for the school team. We should get to choose between PE and... I don't know, something more useful, like how to crack that Turf Wars DLC."
At the mention of the game, Ben's eyes lit up. *Spider-Man PS4* was a game they had been hooked on of late. Well, it had been fun until they decided to download additional DLC. Gaming was supposed to be a getaway, but of late, Abel had found himself dead tired trying to beat the Hammerhead mission.
"Oh! Speaking of that, I did it!" Ben declared matter-of-factly.
"Did what?" Abel eyed his friend with a shadow of doubt. Dude could not mean he beat the Turf Wars? No, he couldn't... Knowing Ben, that would have been the first thing he mentioned when they met.
"The Hammerhead boss fight... I beat Hammerhead." There was nothing in Ben's voice to indicate he was joking; in fact, Abel, after scrutinizing him for a while, finally believed him.
"No way!" he exclaimed in awe. "That mission's a nightmare. How'd you manage it?"
Ben puffed out his chest proudly hearing the awe in his friend's voice. "Finisher move... To be honest, I did not expect it myself. I just waited until my combo was x999 before triggering it."
"Until what?..." Ben might as well have mentioned that he had been laid. "No way, man, I thought we were friends. How the hell did you reach a x999 combo? I can't even get past x100."
Ben cast an intent look at the floor as if he was trying to avoid meeting his friend's gaze, and right then, Abel knew why.
"You traitor," Abel spat as he came to a stop. "You did it... you watched tutorials." His accusing glare lingered over Ben, who looked like he wanted to disappear. A smug smile appeared on his fleshy cheek, but one could see he was trying to suppress the disappointment in what he had done.
"You can't blame me, man. I was tired of respawning only for the guy to kill me once more. Plus, I wanted to get more DLC already."
Abel's gaze softened; he, after all, knew how that felt from his own experience. He had not even reached the boss fight, but the Hammerhead minions kept pulling him from the air and killing him, forcing him to respawn. Perhaps he too should check out the tutorial.
"You should come over to our place and I will show you."
Abel hesitated, knowing full well that Ben's family wasn't exactly thrilled about him hanging out all the time. "Your dad's driver won't let me in again."
Ben waved off his concern. "As if we need his permission! We'll use the secret route through the garden like always."
Abel nodded, a little reassured by Ben's confidence. They continued down the corridor, the light chatter between them making the prospect of PE slightly less dreadful.
But as they turned the corner, Abel suddenly froze. Ben, noticing his friend's stiff posture, immediately assumed the worst. "Todd?" he whispered, his voice tight.
When he glanced at Abel's face, he noticed the tell-tale signs: the nervous rubbing of hands, a deep breath, and the way Abel puffed out his chest as if trying to make himself just a little bit taller.
Ben followed Abel's gaze and peeked around the corner. There she was, Jessica Menroe, the girl Abel had been hopelessly crushing on since the start of high school. Her golden hair framed her face perfectly, and her laughter echoed through the corridor like a melody. She was chatting with some friends, blissfully unaware of the torment she caused Abel every time he saw her.
Ben pulled back and looked at Abel with a pitying smile. "Dude, you're acting like you just spotted a boss fight in real life."
Abel's face flushed red. "What?"
Ben sighed, his tone mockingly wise. "I'm no expert, but you look like you're trying to convince yourself you've got a shot at winning this. Hate to break it to you, but you're about as likely to land a date with her as I am to replace Spidey as MJ's love interest."
Abel's shoulders slumped. "At least I have a crush on someone real. You've got zero chance of MJ dumping Peter for you, that is if she was real in the first place."
Ben laughed, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Touché. But your crush's boyfriend is the new quarterback. So, how's that for odds?"
Abel blinked in surprise. "Todd made the team? For real?"
Ben nodded. "As if there were ever any doubts about that."
Abel's face fell even further, and Ben quickly regretted his words. "Hey, don't worry about it. Remember, Peter Parker was a nerd too, and he still got the girl. You might not be shooting webs, but maybe you could ask her out? You're not that different from Spider-Man, really."
Abel actually considered it for a moment, his mind racing with the possibilities of Jessica's soft hands on his, strolling through a park. But then he sighed and shook his head. "Except I can't shoot webs. Know any zoos with radioactive spiders?"
A sadistic laugh echoed behind them, freezing them both in place. The sound was all too familiar, and Abel's heart sank as he turned around.
Todd Harding and his goons were there, their faces twisted into the usual smug expressions they wore whenever they cornered their prey. Todd was the ringleader, tall and broad-shouldered, with a mean streak that had made Abel's high school life a living hell.
"Did you hear that?" Todd sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "Little pygmy here thinks he's Spider-Man."
The goons erupted into laughter, though it was clear they were only doing it because Todd expected them to. Abel could see it in their eyes; they didn't actually find Todd funny. But that didn't make it any less terrifying.
Abel's hands began to tremble, knowing what was coming next. Todd's laughter faded, and he stepped closer, his face inches from Abel's. "Well, little pygmy… Spider-Man is taken." He put on a fake crying face, then turned back to Abel, feigning sympathy. "Harsh, don't cry now. Tell you what, we'll get you another name."
He rubbed his beardless chin thoughtfully, then snapped his fingers as if he'd just had the world's greatest idea. "How about Poo Man?"
The goons erupted into another round of fake laughter, chanting "Poo Man" over and over like some twisted mantra. Abel's stomach churned with a mix of fear and humiliation.
Todd's hand shot out, grabbing Abel by the collar and pulling him up so that their faces were almost level. Abel hadn't realized just how tall Todd was until now, and he felt like a dwarf staring up at a giant.
"Now all we need is to get our hero a Poo Man costume," Todd said, a sadistic gleam in his eye.
Abel's blood ran cold as realization dawned on him. He knew exactly what Todd had in mind, and the fear of what was about to happen was almost paralyzing.
"To the gents, boys," Todd shouted.
Chapter 2: NERD FOR A NERD
Todd shoved Abel toward his waiting friends like it was nothing, and Abel felt a shock run through him as if he'd been hit by a truck. The new quarterback didn't even break a sweat, yet the impact was enough to make Abel stagger. It was annoying, but Todd looked like he was made for this new role of his.
Ben, meanwhile, was frozen in place, his mouth opening and closing like he was trying to say something but couldn't get it out. He looked like he wanted to do something, maybe stand up for Abel, but he just couldn't. Abel didn't blame him. As much as he wished someone would help, he knew it was better for Ben to stay out of it. Todd had this twisted rule: he only went after his chosen victim and left everyone else alone—unless they dared to step in.
Resigned, Abel stopped resisting. The less he fought, the sooner it would be over. He let himself be dragged toward the restroom. The fact that Todd was willing to skip his usual audience for this meant things were about to get really bad.
"Hold on, Abel! I'll get Mr. Kempt!" Ben shouted as they rounded the corner to the restrooms.
Abel almost laughed at that. Mr. Kempt, the PE teacher, was known for not giving a damn. He might show up eventually, but it would be way after Todd was done having his "fun." And if he did show up, Abel knew he'd probably get blamed for "skipping" PE or some other excuse Mr. Kempt would come up with.
"You do that, Big B!" Todd shouted mockingly as he slammed the restroom door shut behind them, sealing Abel's fate.
The stinky smell of disinfectant mixed with the awful scent of unflushed toilets hit Abel hard as Todd's goons dragged him to the farthest stall. His heart pounded like crazy, like he was willing himself to disappear. He tried to fight back—anything to delay what was coming—but it was pointless. His scrawny arms, only used to holding a controller, were no match for Todd and his crew.
Todd tightened his grip on Abel's shirt, pulling him closer to the filthy toilet. Abel's knees scraped against the cold floor as he tried to brace himself, but the other guys had him pinned down. Todd loomed over him, a twisted smile on his face, his breath hot on Abel's cheek.
"Time to make it official, Poo Man," Todd sneered. "Gotta give you the full superhero treatment, right? Fair's fair."
Abel's stomach turned as he stared into the gross toilet bowl. Just the smell of crap and urine was enough to make him want to puke. The thought of his head going into that mess was beyond horrible.
His hands clung to the edges of the toilet with all his might—this was his last chance… his last hope.
"You filming this, Frank?" Todd asked one of his buddies, trying to yank Abel's hand away from the bowl. Abel wouldn't let go.
"Yeah, we're rolling," Frank answered, making Abel's fear spike even higher.
They were filming him. That thought echoed in Abel's mind, making the situation even worse. Not only was he about to face this disgusting fate, but it would be all over the student WhatsApp groups, making his life a total nightmare. Just thinking about Jessica seeing that video made him panic. Crap… why was he even worried about that right now?
"Just make sure my face isn't in the video," Todd ordered.
Todd wasn't dumb. The video would definitely reach the administration, but without proof, it'd be Abel's word against Todd's. And knowing Todd, he'd have plenty of alibis for where he was.
Even though Abel knew Mr. Kempt wouldn't show up, he tried to look around, hoping to see the teacher or anyone who might save him. But there was nothing—no one. The door stayed shut, and the only sounds were the dripping faucet and the muffled laughter of the other guys, too scared to come closer.
"Please," Abel managed to croak out, his voice barely a whisper. He hated how weak he sounded, but fear had taken his strength.
Todd's hand hovered over the flush handle, ready to make things worse. "Begging now, Poo Man? Too late for that."
"Come on, let's do this," Todd ordered, signaling his lackeys to push Abel's head toward the water.
As the cold porcelain neared his face, Abel squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the worst. Just as his forehead touched the rim, a loud bang echoed through the restroom.
All eyes snapped to the door.
The unexpected slam of the door threw everyone off, and all his attackers eased their grip on him. Abel took the chance to pull his head back and scramble to his feet, desperately trying to regain his balance. He turned around, hoping for a savior.
A girl with hair dyed in every color of the rainbow and a pin hanging from her nose walked in. She was casually chewing bubble gum, completely ignoring the hostile surroundings she had walked into. Her attention was fixed on her phone's display, recording everything.
Abel cursed in frustration. Out of everyone, why did it have to be Hilsa? Her life was pretty much like his and Ben's, only she was a girl—an introverted nerd who kept to herself. Even Ben and Abel hadn't managed to break through her walls.
So what the heck was she doing in the gents restrooms with just her phone?
The brief silence that had just saved Abel was quickly shattered, taking with it any hope of escaping his nightmare. Todd's face twisted in rage as he shouted, "What the hell is she doing here, and why is she recording us?" He started to march toward Hilsa, his eyes full of anger and threat.
Abel knew what was coming and felt a pang of sympathy for the girl who had risked her phone to help him. There was no way Todd was letting that phone go—not with a video of him in action. Abel braced for the confrontation.
"Back off," Hilsa snapped, taking a step back but keeping her phone aimed at Todd. Her voice was firm, but there was an edge to it. "I've got you live on the teachers' WhatsApp group."
The words hit like a bombshell, and Todd froze, his face going from furious to stunned. Abel felt a flicker of hope as he realized that maybe, just maybe, things were going to turn around. The teachers' WhatsApp? How was that even possible? Todd seemed just as confused.
It took guts and skill to pull off something like that. But seeing Hilsa standing there, defiant and unflinching, made it clear she had more to her than anyone knew. If anyone could hack into things, it was her. She'd done it before.
"Forget this, I'm out," muttered Frank, one of Todd's goons, as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. One by one, the others bolted from the restroom, like rats running from a sinking ship. Hilsa kept her phone trained on the last one as he scrambled out.
Abel could hardly believe it. He was actually saved… and it was Hilsa who did it.
When they were all gone, Hilsa turned her camera back to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
1 Power
stone 
Paragraph comment