I punched and kicked, taking out as many of the thugs as I could until they all turned to target me. I managed to block their strikes, countering them by yanking their hair and smashing their faces into the concrete wall. The smell of blood from their broken faces began to permeate the air.
I smirked, smug that no one managed to get the upper hand on me. I threw a couple more punches at the stubborn goons who refused to give up before hurriedly grabbing my backpack with one hand—it had somehow dropped to the ground in the fight—and the handsome guy crouching by the trash can with the other. He pressed his hand to his stomach like it hurt, but I threw his arm over my shoulder and quickly dragged him to where I had parked my motorcycle. I figured the thugs weren’t going to give up easily. They kept trying to get back up no matter how many times I knocked them down.
“Where are we going?” the guy asked, his face contorted in pain and his hand still covering his stomach.
“Dunno. Just get on the bike,” I said, starting the engine of my trusty motorcycle.
The guy looked unsure, but I yanked his wrist, urging him to get on the bike with me. I’m not letting you go that quickly, pretty boy—you still owe me… I quickly backed up my bike from the parking lot and shot out of the alley.
I saw a couple of the men run after us, but they were too late. As soon as I turned onto the main road, I revved the engine and sped off without looking back. The thugs probably ran back to their car to try and chase us.
“Thanks,” the guy whispered hoarsely. I felt him slump forward, resting his head on my shoulder languidly.
“Cut that out,” I said flatly. Feeling we were far enough away from the alley, I checked my side mirror. I sighed in relief, thankful that my big bike’s engine was more powerful than a car’s.
“I think we lost them,” I said.
My passenger let out a sigh of relief as well. “Thanks again,” he repeated weakly. His body sagged, unable to hold himself up. I grabbed his hand where it was resting idly on his thigh and urged him to hold onto my waist to steady himself. I was afraid he’d fall off my bike and get himself killed before he could pay me.
“Hold tight! You got a death wish or what?” I hissed as the bike soared through the wind, making my words incoherent. Still, he seemed to understand what I said and held my jacket tightly in response.
“Thanks,” he mumbled again.
Is that the only word he knows? I wondered, but I decided to let it go. I kept driving, not as fast as at the beginning of our escape, but still faster than I’d usually drive.
“Fifty thousand,” I reminded him tersely while checking his reflection in my side mirror. I saw him nod before painfully attempting to adjust his posture.
“Take me to my house. I’ll give you the money there.”
I pondered his response, not sure how much I could trust him. What if this guy was a drug dealer or a mobster or something? What if he was pissed that I’d initially planned to let those thugs beat him up? What if he didn’t want to cough up the dough and decided to lure me to my demise instead? Suddenly, his promise to pay me seemed suspicious.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not trying to lure you into some kind of trap,” he said, squinting at me through the mirror with a faint smile on his face. Did I speak my thoughts out loud?
“How could I have known?” I asked sincerely.
“Look at me,” he said. “Do I look like a crook?” His voice stuttered, the cuts on his lips clearly making it difficult for him to speak.
“Yeah…? Otherwise, why would you get into a fight with those thugs?”
“Ha ha…”
I decided to avoid entering his house at all costs. I was afraid he might have underlings waiting in there to beat me up. I told him I would drop him off at a gas station up ahead, and he could withdraw the money from an ATM there to pay me.
“I lost my phone and my wallet,” he said when I gestured at the ATM in front of the gas station convenience store.
“You tricked me into helping you? I see how it is!” I abruptly turned to yell at him. “I’m going to fuck you up, you asshole!” I grabbed his shirt and dragged him off my bike. I was ready to kick him out of anger.
“Hmph… Here, take this. You should know that my life is worth more than fifty thousand baht.” He took off his ridiculously expensive-looking watch and handed it to me. I took it, eyeing him skeptically.
“How do I know it’s not a counterfeit…?”
“Then give it back,” he sighed, attempting to snatch his watch back.
I dodged him. A rich kid like him wouldn’t wear a counterfeit watch, right? Fine. I’d keep it, even though the watch face was covered in dirt. If this was the real deal, I could sell it for a couple hundred grand.
“All right. Now get off my bike. But remember, if I find out that your watch is some fake shit?” I pointed at his face threateningly. “I’ll hunt you down and mess you up.”
“Wait, let me use your phone,” he said, holding out his hand. “I need to call my father,” he added when I didn’t respond. I was paranoid, of course. What if he took off with my phone? But just looking at the guy, I could tell that even breathing was difficult for him. I didn’t need to worry about him running off anywhere.
“You’re pushing your luck,” I grunted, handing him my cell. Should I charge him extra for using my phone? I thought as I watched him input some numbers before pressing the dial.
Okay, he really did call his dad. I listened as he told his father the gas station’s location so he could send someone to pick him up. I glanced at the sorry state he was in and started to have second thoughts. Should I have taken him to a hospital instead of leaving him in the middle of nowhere? His breathing was labored, and his head was still bleeding. What if I offered to take him to a hospital if he paid me thirty thousand? Would he agree?
“Thanks again for the help, you greedy bastard,” he said, staying on my bike. I didn’t give a shit what he called me. People should expect something in return for their labor, right?
“Anyway, I’m Kinn,” he said, turning slightly toward me. “We go to the same university.”
“How would you know that?” I asked, my voice flat. I wondered where he’d gotten the idea we went to the same school.
“Your jacket,” he said.
I remembered then that I had my university jacket on—and that it was now covered in blood.
“Hmm…”
“What’s your name?” he asked, still not getting off my bike.
I frowned at him, annoyed. It sounded like it was painful for him to speak, and I wanted to tell him to save his breath instead of talking to me.
“Why?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you gonna look for me so you can beat me up later?”
“No. It’s because you saved me. So, what’s your name?” he insisted.
“Why do you want to know so bad? Are you going to carve it on your bedroom wall and worship me?” I was genuinely curious why he wanted to know my name. I’d saved him, but that should be the end of it. There was no need to get to know each other.
“I won’t get off your bike, then.” He tried to put his head back on my shoulder, and I immediately jerked away.
“If you don’t get off my bike, I’ll kick you off,” I said. My voice was stern, but I kept my face impassive as usual.
“Then give back my watch… You can wait to get your money until someone comes to pick me up.”
I looked at the watch in my hand. Its weight and the feel of the material told me it was authentic. I sighed and finally gave in.
“Jom… My name is Jom.”
His lips stretched into a tight smile, and he finally dismounted my bike without any further complaint. I looked at him waving back at me as he walked away, wondering what a guy like him did to get into a fight with those scary thugs. But it really was none of my business, so I tossed those thoughts aside and started moving my bike back into gear. I put on my helmet, which I’d forgotten about earlier, and finally drove home.