"Oi fatso! You smell like cheese!"
Northcrest City's late afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the sidewalks as dozens of high schoolers made their way home.
Shops were closing, THE bikes rattled across crosswalks, and the calm of the city painted a completely normal day.
Except for one spot.
A group of tall boys who looked like athletes that wore expensive shoes had surrounded a shorter, rounder boy who clutched his backpack like a lifeline.
Their shadows swallowed him whole.
"Your ass looks stinky!" another bully jeered, leaning in with exaggerated disgust. "Did you even wash it? Dead serious, man… why would Beatrice even say hi to you?"
The smaller boy tightened his grip on the straps of his bag, staring at his shoes. His cheeks were red and his breath was shaky.
'Can't the world just end already…?' he thought miserably.
He didn't expect an answer from the universe.
But the universe gave him one.
WHOOOOOM…
A strange sound rolled across the skies.
