Jeff The Killer: Rewritten

Chapter 4: Under the Bleachers, Behind the Gas Station

   Underneath the bleachers, the seats were tagged with graffiti and lingering messages from previous students, written in faded sharpie maker, years in the making. It was also the perfect cover to hide from prying eyes. Jeff, Ben, Nat, and Toby sat underneath, out of breath and sweaty. "Dude! You rocked Keith's shit!" Ben cheered, finally breaking the silence.

"You were all like WHAM! And it was over!" Tobi gawked, surprise still present on his face.

"Did you see Randy?! He was practically speechless!" Nat laughed.

Jeff had yet to catch his breath, but he smiled at the compliments. "Believe it or not.." He sighed. "That was my first fight."

The group erupted into laughter and praise. Ben, ruffling Jeff's hair. "Seriously though, Randy and his goons had it coming."

"Yeah nobody even likes them, they act like they own the place."  Nat rolled her eyes.

Jeff began wiping some of the blood from his face, not wanting it to dry. "Yeah, speaking of which, what's up with that? Do they treat everyone like that, or just me?"

"Well-" Toby started, eyes blinking rapidly before clearing his throat. "You're not the first, technically. They always go after new students. I think- I think Randy has a complex. His dad's kind of important, and the family's loaded. I think the privilege went to his head."

"Yeah, they broke a kid's arm last year, and the school board didn't do shit." Nat interjected.

Jesus. Maybe Jeff shouldn't have thrown that punch. If these guys were capable of breaking arms and getting away with it, what's stopping them from doing the same to him? In all honestly though, aside from the pain, Jeff wasn't entirely regretful of it. Randy and the gang needed to be knocked down a peg, not every student was going to bend to their will so easily.

From a distance, the school bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. "Crap dude, what class do you have next?"

"Study hall, I think I can afford to be late." Jeff responded.

"Late? Why not skip? We gotta fix you up anyways, you look like a wreck." Ben said.

Jeff thought it over. Might as well. "Yeah, guess you're right, this hoodle has my nose blood all over it."

He slipped it off, tying it securely around his waist. Toby handed him some tissues from a little packet in his backpack, which Jeff used to plug up his bloody orifice. Nat took his hand, and examined the knuckles that had hit Keith. "Dang! You hit him pretty hard, your knuckles are raw."

"Stings." Jeff muttered.

"Well we don't have any bandaids, but I have a bandana we can tie around it for now. You can go home and fix it better later." Ben said, starting to dig through his bag.

Jeff nodded, taking the time to inspect his hand once more. The pain wasn't too bad.

Nat washed the exposed skin with some water from her water bottle and Ben applied the bandana, wrapping it tight enough to be functional but comfortable. The pain had subsided, but there was still pressure when he bent his hand. The group talked for a while, until Ben pulled out a packet of cigarettes. "You smoke?"

"Sure, sometimes."

Ben shook the box, and let one fall into Jeff's hands. He had smoked on occasion, but never regularly. Nat and Toby also took one from the box, and Nat lit them up with a horribly bedazzled lighter. They smoked in silence for a little while. Nothing but the smell clinging to the air, and the light wind passing through. Toby was the first to stop, only half way done with his before he stomped his out. He said it aggravated his tics, but Jeff had barely noticed. Nat finished her's after, rubbing it into the dirt and flicking it across the field. Through parted lips, Ben spoke again. "Y'know, Randy's probably not gonna let you get away with this."

Jeff nodded. Taking it all in. "Yeah, well, that makes sense."

He stared at the ground, moving his shoes among the textured floor. Kicking up pebbles and garbage. Ben chuckled, and threw an arm around Jeff's shoulder, effectively blowing smoke into his face. "Don't you worry too much about that. If he tries that crap again, we'll have your back dude. You can't be the only one throwing the punches."

"Yeah! We'll jump them!" Nat exclaimed.

"I've always wanted to teach them a lesson." Toby replied.

Jeff smiled, returning his gaze to the ground. Dropping the cigarette and grinding it in with his heel. "Thanks guys."

He was fully in the group now, and they were making it very apparent.

After a few moments of silence, Nat perked up. "Oh! Oh! We have to do the thing! Since we're here right?"

Jeff was confused, but the rest of the group picked up on it immediately. "Yeah yeah, grab the sharpie!" Ben said.

Nat began to rifle through her bag, the contents within clashing against each other as she did. Finally producing two sharpie markers. Red and black. She tossed one to Jeff, who nearly dropped it in response. "A lot of the kids who've been here like to sign the underside of these bleachers. It's like an old tradition!" Nat explained.

"We've already done it, but since you're new here you have to do it. Them's the rules." Ben explained, leading Jeff to an unmarked spot under the bleachers.

It wasn't just names, there were drawings and pictures pasted there as well. It was a makeshift mural, a shrine to the students. With what little space he had, Jeff wiped away some of the caked on dirt. Wiping some of the blood on his hands onto the bleacher in the process. Continuing anyways. His name was forever memorialized in thick black ink.

Jeff

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Keith was holding a packet of ice against his face. School was over, and Randy wanted to talk. The trio stood behind the parking lot of a gas station, smoking through a pack, upset and annoyed. Troy was flipping through a newspaper that he had found on the ground, and Randy was practicing some kickflips. "You hear that Samantha is still missing?" Troy asked, reading the article about her.

"Didn't know you could read." Randy jeered, not paying much attention.

"Didn't you go to homecoming with her last year? Kieth said, annoyance with Randy apparent.

Randy didn't answer.

"First Derek, now her. A town near us had a few children go missing too." Troy scratched his chin in false inquiry.

"Hey, maybe there's a serial kidnapper on the loose." Keith joked.

The two giggled between themselves, but Randy didn't seem to find the notion half as amusing. It was no secret that Silver Oak had a track record of disappearances. The only thing keeping people from moving there was the over abundance of wealth and job opportunities. Apparently bringing your children to the abduction capital of the world was a good idea if it meant you got a couple bucks. Randy lit another cig before finishing the first and walked over to his lackeys. "If you two girls are done gigglin', I'd like to have a word with you both."

"We've been waiting, you've been silent since we got here." Keith interjected, receiving a swift punch to the shoulder in response.

He groaned in pain, but did not continue. Satisfied, Randy began again. "The Halloween party is coming up in a few weeks. If you weren't planning on going then too bad, you are now."

Troy sighed. "Man... Why do we have to go? It's just a bunch of the club geeks fooling around."

"Yeah, they don't even have good booze." Keith whined.

Randy rolled his eyes, and plastered on a fake smirk. "We're going to overtake it, that's why."

The two boys looked at each other, curious, but suspicious of Randy's sudden change of attitude. "This is about Jeff, right?"

Randy's smirk grew larger. "That it is, my dear friend. That it is."

Randy covered his mouth to suppress a laugh, but he failed. It was now his mission to make Jeff's life a living hell.

As the boy cackled, something shifted in the wind.