Island Part 3

There I was; just me, the asphalt, my teeth, and my blood.  Somehow I didn't feel like my relationship with any of those three would ever be the same.  But what can you do, somedays you just lose.  The cops arrived first, followed by a fire truck and an ambulance.  A lot of people to help one schlub who got his teeth kicked in.  But I was ever grateful.  The last thing Devil-face needs is a more fucked up face, I couldn't help but think.

"How you doing, killer?"  The cop (Fernandez, or so his badge read) sympathetically said.  

"Been better"  I sputtered, looking at the cop through watery eyes, they welled up as soon as I was forced to admit my situation.  It always seems to be the moment you have to tell someone else about it is the moment it becomes real.  I did my best at reconstructing the scenario to the cop in my little kid way.  Boy did he get a laugh when I recounted Susan's squeal.  Next thing I remember I was in the hospital where Dagmar worked, laying on a hospital bed covered in gauze.  She got word, and you could tell only one emotion was ever going to enter that woman's body this night.  RAGE.  Capitalized for a reason.  Livid, is hardly an apt description.  One look at me and she was off on a head hunt.  Fernandez wasn't expecting the shit-storm that was about to rain down on him. 
"How the Hell could you let this happen to my Nature!!!!  What the FUCK has this world come to, some poor kid gets his ass kicked in the streets and you cops do nothing!  That was your kid how would you feel you smug son of a bitch!"  Her rage was so pure and malevolent every one in earshot dropped what they were doing, half in fright half in morbid curiosity.
Fernandez was taken aback, but took it all in stride.  This was not the first time an angry mother yelled at him.  "I am sorry ma'am, we got there as fast as we could.  We will catch those kids that did this, Susan and Shane, and all their little friends and dole out a proper dose of Justice, I swear it!" 
Dagmar's face remained red and the notepad in her hand felt the worst of her frustration.  She stormed off down the Hall,  slamming into carts and rattling trays on her way out the nearest exit.  It took every ounce of her not to smash down the whole damn hospital.  All the eyes in the place were fixed on the spectacle of the extensively large, rageful German doctor redder than a hot tamale, most glad she was heading out of the place.  Her pace quickened when she was alone and when she could see her car she broke into a run.  She thought she might know who this Susan might be. 

Well that was how I met Susan, the rest of what happened that night is a whole other story altogether.  Back to John Stark, a strong, mostly silent kid that always kept to himself.  It was a couple of weeks later I would meet him, my face still looking the worse for wear.  The cries and chants of "Devil-Face" only seemed to get louder after my ass whooping.  Losing a couple of your front teeth really made you look like you had fangs I guess.  John Stark might have been the only sympathetic soul in the small town of Larksburg, just a couple of miles by sea from the islands where my folks had their mission, and where I was born. 
"Devil-face, how did you get even uglier?"  Gerald, a portly eighth grader with more belly than wits, belched at me.
"Shut up Gerald, at least the kid can see his toes from where he stands.  Now get out of here before I smash your face pot-belly."  John Stark retorted. 
"You're lucky Devil-face.  Next time I am going to make you even uglier, cursing the whole town like you do."  He spoke tough, but he moved extremely quickly for a fatty, with John Stark threatening him like he was.  John kept to himself, sure enough, but when he decided he didn't like someone, they could sometimes end up looking worse than me. 
"Thanks!  I am sure tired of getting my ass kicked, I needed a little rest."
"Don't mention it.  This don't mean I like you, Devil-face, I just hate injustice and Gerald.  Now beat it!"