The Shrink Program

Chapter 19

Nigel Fleming.

A legendary boy, both for his fighting ability and his... eccentric behaviour.

He was in his final year, despite having an appalling attendance rate. Technically my senior.

That didn't stop him from following me around like an over-excited puppy every time the compulsion hit.

I might have found it in endearing if the lunatic didn't remind me of a demented scarecrow. Tall and thin, Nigel was the sort of person who didn't have the patience for buttons or hair brushing.

He never went anywhere without a grin on his face and an instrument in his hand.

Which pretty much made him the most annoying thing on the planet.

"I'm glad I finally found you!" rising out of his crouch, Nigel danced towards us.

Like always, he was oblivious to the danger around him. "I couldn't wait to see..."

Even after his dramatic entrance, I wasn't surprised when Nigel immediately managed to trip over his own feet, landing face down in the dirt.

On Nigel's random list of priorities, shoelaces were somewhere down the bottom.

Everyone in the courtyard stared at the fallen boy in awkward silence, not quite sure what to do with... That.

As the Joker, Nigel was the strongest on the Hill. But the scariest thing about the guy wasn't the fact that he could probably kick my butt without breaking a sweat.

No, the scariest thing was that Nigel is living proof that, yes, it is actually possible for someone to be that stupid.

"Vain, we have to run away!" I whispered urgently. "Quickly! While he's down!"

Vain only had time to give me a disbelieving look before Nigel sprung up to his hands and knees, hurt feeling written right across his face.

Figures that the monster would have sensitive hearing.

"Maddison! How could you be so cold!?" His golden eyes welled with tears, most likely because he had just smashed his face into the ground. "Even after I came to save you...."

"Who said I needed saving!?" I pointed my toothpick at him accusingly, a little hysterically. "Just go away!"

"But-!" He exclaimed, reaching a hand out to me with a heartbroken expression. "I only wanted..."

While Nigel was distracted with being an idiot, the jerk with the cricket bat had used the confusion to sneak up behind him.

The boy raised his bat, preparing to hit the Nigel while he was on his knees.

"Look out...!" Vain exclaimed in alarm, but I knew not to bother.

Because, despite his carefree attitude and pure nature, there was a reason why Nigel was the Joker.

Cricket bat guy swung down on Nigel's head. Just as the bat was about to hit him, Nigel moved.

If it had been Alex or I, we would have sensed the movement and dodged to the side. The Ace probably would have done one better and added a counter-attack to the dodge, and the King wouldn't have gotten into these circumstances in the first place.

But Nigel was in a class all to himself.

Instead of avoiding the attack,

Nigel stood up into it.

There came a sharp crack as the bat connected with the back of his head and Nigel froze dangerously in place, head bowed.

The courtyard froze with him, everyone waiting to see the Joker's reaction.

Nigel raised his head, scratching the back of his neck in confusion.

"Uh... Did I bump into something?"

Just like that, the threatening atmosphere in the courtyard deflated.

I groaned, pointing silently to the boy holding the bat behind him.

Nigel turned, jumping in surprise like he had just realised that the guy was standing there.

Sadly, this was likely to be the case.

"Oh, that explains the thump I felt." Nigel sent me a depressed look. "I'm going to have to go to the nurse's office again, aren't I?"

I just nodded, causing Nigel to sigh dramatically.

With the damage done, he turned on the guy with the bat crossly, beginning to lecture the kid about hospital expenses.

"What is he?" Vain murmured in shock. "He acts like he didn't even..."

"Feel it?" I finished for him. Vain nodded, and I sent him a tired look.

"That's because he didn't."

And it was true. Nigel hadn't felt a thing, couldn't feel it, no matter how hard the blow. From the day he was born, Nigel has been incapable of feeling pain.

"You can't be serious..."

"I wish." My eyes rolled dismissively. "Nigel was born with some sort of nerve disorder that prevents him from feeling pain."

I pointed to where Nigel still nagged at the kid with the bat, who had begun to back away.

"No matter what you do, there is no way to hurt the twit. He doesn't know the meaning of restraint, doesn't feel or understand pain."

"That's insane." Vain frowned faintly.

"You're telling me." I agreed. "I saw him fight twenty people once. He just kept going until the entire group was unconscious, even after he dislocated his own shoulder and broke his wrist."

Vain shook his head in amazement, staring at the golden-haired boy. "God, Is he even human?"

"Nah." I crossed my arms, scowling over at the unstoppable Joker of the Hill. "I suspect he's some sort of lost species of monkey."