Bar Red's Redemption ✔

c h a p t e r. 4

"In a rich man's house, there is no place to spit but his face."
—Diogenes of Sinope

chapter 4

"I'm still confused, how do you guys know each other?" Fen asked, frowning as she finished off the last of her Cheetos.

Everyone at the table had already finished their lunch, besides Bar who didn't eat and Clementine who only, ironically, had a clementine, and was just talking.

"Mrs. Burns, s-she called us down to the, the office at the same time," Clementine answered honestly before lying. "We used to be friends before he, um, before h-he moved?"

Bar cocked his head to the side, frowning down at his little goddess. She refused to meet his eyes.

He had questions, questions that were eating away at his thoughts like an itch.

Why did she lie? Do her friends know about the bullying? Why would she keep it a secret?

"Oh! I remember him hanging around you. Isn't he the one who always pissed Obsidian off?" As she asked this, Fen throws the now crumpled up, empty Cheeto bag at Eli who tries to retaliate but accidentally ends up bonking Clementine on the head with it.

Bar instantly scowled at the smaller guy but didn't have enough time to threaten Eli before Clementine was speaking.

"Yeah, h-he is! Eli!" Squealing, the little goddess quickly hits it away from her and as a result, the bag hits Law right in the forehead.

"Oh gosh." Clementine gasps, slapping her hands over her mouth. "Are you o-okay? I didn't, I didn't mean to do that!"

Lawrence chucks the Cheeto bag into one of the nearby trash cans before waving his hands dismissively. "I'm okay, more annoyed that I don't know what the hell y'all are talking about than anything else."

"Oh, um, I'm sorry." Clementine squeaked out, pouting slightly. "I forgot you g-guys were new to t-the group."

"It's alright, Potato Queen." Gus cut in before Law could say anything sensible. "We just didn't know jackass," He points to Bar who flips him off. "Back then either so we're just wondering what that Lord grumpy-kins was like."

"He was g-grumpy then, too." The little goddess giggled and Bar rolled his eyes. "And a, a meanie but Oly had his, his, uh... nice moments."

Bar wondered if those nice moments weren't really nice moments but moments where he just wasn't being an unbearable fuckhead to her.

"Ah." Gus cooed, smiling smugly at Bar. "I knew you could be nice somewhere in the pitch black, barely noticeable soul of yours."

Bar stared dead at him. "I don't have any part of me that wants to be nice to a fuck like you and if you say some bullshit like that my not nice ass will be even worse."

"Damn, what crawled in your ass and died?"

"The dignity that left your body all those fucking years ago." Bar growled. Feeling a tug on his shirt he glances down at his little goddess and raises an eyebrow, "You okay, babygirl?"

"Y-yes." Clementine frowned. "But, but you're not being nice."

Bar almost groaned out loud. He wasn't being mean, or 'not nice'. He didn't punch anyone or make them bleed.

Although no one would guess it, Bar was an empath. He could feel what others felt.

Their sadness, their pain.

It's part of the reason why he just didn't like being around others. It was too overwhelming, feeling so much all the time.

He hated it.