Chapter 39: You’re Crazy.

His smile didn’t reach his eyes, though. And as he spoke, he popped his fingers, making sure they were ready for another collision with flesh and bone.

"You’re crazy," Barnabas said, shaking his head.

On the one hand, he couldn’t believe that the person who used to bow his head to him when he spat on them would fight him. On the other hand, he wasn’t sure fighting was allowed.

But Alexander didn’t have as many qualms. He chuckled and said, "Oh, come on. I’m not that crazy."

"You should know how much I hate you. So this shouldn’t come as a surprise to you."

"Plus, Tessa said we can do whatever we want, so stand up and fight me. Do it to beat some sense into me," he said, taking a step closer to Barnabas.

"What if Tessa gets angry?, Barnabas asked as he dragged his body away from Alexander.

In response, Alexander sneered and said, "It is just as I thought. You’re a bully and only a bully."

"You’re willing to fight when the enemy is someone weak whom you can beat up easily. But when someone willing to fight stands up to you, you fold like wet paper."

As he spoke, he walked closer and closer to Barnabas. Seeing as fighting was inevitable, Barnabas forced himself to stand.

The look in Barnabas’s eyes changed as he stood up. The fear disappeared and was replaced by excitement.

He licked his bloody lips and said, "My plan didn’t work when I wanted it to, but it still took effect."

He raised his hands and clenched them into fists. Then he bent his neck, popping the joints in his spine as he said, "Better late than never, I guess."

"Now that everyone has seen that it was you who initiated this. No one would blame me for retaliating."

"Since you want a beating so badly, I’ll give it to you," he said as he rushed towards Alexander.

"Give it your best shot," Alexander said without fear.

At least he appeared confident. That was only a facade. Inwardly, he was far from being as calm as he was pretending to be. This was his first fight after all.

His body had become stronger, but he was still an inexperienced fighter. He had never fought anyone in his life, so he wasn’t confident he would be able to perform well in this fight.

Despite his lack of confidence, he still picked a fight with Barnabas to challenge himself and to overcome his fear. Even if he lost, he wouldn’t regret it. As long as he could stand up to his bully and vent some of his frustration, he would be satisfied.

’It is not as if I haven’t changed these past few days mentally either. I may not be a fighter, but I have become accustomed to pain. I’ll use that to my advantage,’ he thought, trying to come up with a plan.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t plan for much longer because Barnabas was now upon him. The bully swung his fist at Alexander’s face with so much force that the wind whistled as it passed over his hand.

Alexander remembered what Robert had done to avoid the same kind of punch and decided to do the same. He stepped back and lowered his body to avoid the punch.

Unfortunately, his movement was clumsy and slow. The fist struck him in the temple, cracking his skull.

The blow stunned him, and he stumbled backward. His feet scrambled as he tried to regain his balance, but Barnabas didn’t let him recover. The bully thrust his right leg forward and kicked Alexander.

The kick caught Alexander in the stomach and drove the air from his lungs. This time, he was knocked down.

As he fell, Barnabas raised his feet and stomped on him. He barely had time to roll out of the way before the feet came crashing down beside him.

Barnabas kicked again, this time with his left leg, striking him in his sides like one would kick a football. The kick turned his evasive action into a continuous roll across the ground.

As he rolled, Barnabas kicked with his right leg for another hit. But Alexander avoided it by rolling away.

He didn’t stop with avoiding one kick, though. Instead, he rolled across the ground to put as much distance between himself and Barnabas as possible.

Unfortunately, Barnabas wasn’t willing to let him go. The bully jumped onto him to pin him to the ground.

But before Barnabas could connect, Alexander’s leg shot out and thrust upward. The quick kick caught Barnabas in the chest and sent him back.

Now it was Barnabas’s turn to find his balance. He stomped his feet on the ground as he tried to stay upright. Fortunately, Alexander didn’t interrupt him, so he stayed standing and recovered his balance after a few moments of trying.

By the time Barnabas recovered from that hit, Alexander was now standing. He stood in place, arms raised and hands bunched into fists, staring at Barnabas.

Barnabas smiled and asked, "How was that punch to your face? Did it hurt? Are you going to cry?"

Then he sneered as he said, "If you grovel at my feet and let me spit in your face, I might let you go. No, I’ll be generous and let you go if you say you’re my bitch."

"Are you going to talk or are you going to fight?" Alexander said with disdain.

Barnabas replied by rushing at him. This time, the bully didn’t try to punch him. Instead, he rotated in place as he swung his foot at Alexander’s head.

He didn’t do the same thing he did earlier because he couldn’t. The fingers of his right hand were crushed from that hit to Alexander’s head, and he couldn’t form a fist with his hand.

The damage to his hand was worse than the damage to Alexander’s hand earlier. Alexander’s fingers had only dislocated, but the tendons and ligaments in his hand were torn.