"KNOCK! KNOCK!" The loud knocks were apprehended multiple times. It certainly awoke Logan, the owner of the room. Following those annoying knocks, the intense yell joins, "Wake up, you, Slacker‼ There is a lot to do this morning!"
"Hmm.." Logan hummed as he was getting himself together. Then, he got down from his small bed, stepping out from the room, passing his aunt, Louisa, madly staring at him. Through her brown orbs, it was obvious she despised him, although he was her own nephew.
At that time, as he reached downstairs, Logan immediately went to the kitchen, and a stack of dirty plates greeted him in the sink. Without uttering a word, he soaked and rinsed the plates with the provided water and soap. While he was busy with the dishes, his cousin, Asher, showed his little achievement in a few classes at the university.
"Dad, I got an A on the calculus individual project and chemistry some take-home quizzes," Asher proudly mentioned as he sliced a piece of bacon and ate it.
"Oh my goodness! You're really marvelous, my boy!" Louisa praised her dearest son willingly. To her, personally, Asher Reed was the only son she could always cherish, despite his troublemaker nature, both at the school and the university.
Asher tugged a wide smile on his chubby face. It showed his satisfaction with getting achievements, although it was not purely from his efforts. At that point, Logan, with his busy hands, recalled bitter memories when his cousin abruptly forced him to do the homework. Therefore, he was not able to sleep early. It made him exhausted since the tasks were difficult enough to finish.
Moreover, as he had finished washing up, Logan pulled a chair and sat next to Asher. "Look! The useless brat doesn't know his place well." Asher insults with a mocking smile on his face.
"What do you mean, Asher? I'm sitting here to have breakfast, just like what you are doing with your parents." Logan queried. His frowning forehead was accompanied by annoyed gazes in his sapphire orbs.
Asher smirked as he stared at Logan disgustingly. "But, this table is not for a filthy boy like you, Logan. I even lose my appetite after you land your ass here." He sneered. He really hated Logan, although they were cousins and grew up together in the same house. The only reason was that Logan had been a living burden in his family. He knew Logan's fate was miserable, but Asher didn't care about it.
"Don't be too rude, Asher. He is your cousin." Marshall pretended to be an angel for Logan. However, deep inside his heart, he wanted to cast his nephew away from his house. He just needed the right chance to make it real.
"Fine. I'll eat somewhere else!" Logan, without any hesitation, responded coldly. His mood was somewhat ruined by Asher's rude words. Before he took his leave, he took a can of coffee served on the table, along with a few other beverages. Then, he disappeared as he sipped the coffee carefully while walking with his backpack.
-**-
Fifteen minutes later, Logan got off the bus as he noticed the gate of the university he relied on for his studies. The hunger in him groaned, sending signals to be tamed, and he was frustrated a bit. Strolling calmly with ideas to heal his hunger, Logan then decided to buy a sandwich at the cafeteria.
"The total is four dollars and fifty cents," The cashier staff told him once she had scanned the sandwich.
Without any hesitation, Logan handed in the five-dollar notes to the staff. It was the last note he had since the day he would earn his salary as a delivery man was still slightly longer. "Thank you," He responded as he received changes and a pack of sandwiches.
Gently reaching the table, near one of the windows, Logan carried a packet of tuna sandwiches. While he was sitting on the chair, his hands were busy unwrapping the plastic of the food. His stare expressed how hungry he was. It was no wonder that he acted like a grumpy tiger since he only got a can of coffee as he stepped out of his home.
"At least, this little food can save me before the class is up." He murmured to himself.
Thus, he took a mouthful bite, letting the savory sensation touch his tongue. Yet, it was not longer than a few minutes. A sudden tap on his left shoulder distracted him. "Enjoying your breakkie, bro?" Aiden Scotch, one of the biggest bullies in Living Stone University, teased. His evil smirk appeared as he stared at Logan.
Logan, acknowledging how bad Aiden was, stammered, "E-em, I-I am."
"No need to be nervous like that, Logan. I only want to make sure that you know where you are sitting at now." Cooper Stone, a young man in his red hoodie, added. The light anger peeked in his stare towards Logan.
Realizing the words uttered, Logan immediately stood up and apologized, "I-I'm sorry. I don't mean to sit at your place, Coop."
Then, at the same minute, Dean, the best friend of Cooper and Aiden, appeared. He replied rudely, "Enough with the sorry word, Logan. It makes me sick as always. It is not once or even twice for you to sit on our seats in the cafeteria!"
"But, I really just realized it. I don't mean to sit here for a long time. Once I'm done with my meals, I'll go for real." Logan explained that although he knew it would set him free from trouble.
Aiden sighed as he took the sandwich from Logan's hands. He also threw it away and snorted, "Fine! But I'm still not okay with that."
Understanding the furious tone in Aiden's speech, Logan immediately stood up with a pack of sandwiches in his right hand. "Fine. I'll go now. You all don't have to be salty," He chose to back down.
Yet, it doesn't calm down the furious flame of the bullies. Dean then declared, "It's not that easy, dude. Let's finish this in the backyard!"
With those utterances, Logan was grabbed by Aiden and Cooper. They even threw the remaining sandwich away while they took the weak Logan to the destined place. The scenery caused several assumptions among the students from other faculties.
TO BE CONTINUED.