*Author's POV:
Titus Hugghs was the lone surviving son of Mr. and Mrs. Hugghs, the false parents of Janet. At the age of five, he was sent to Nigeria to live with his aunt to shield him from any potential harm that could be caused by his parents' illicit activities. However, they needed someone who could carry out their dirty work, leading them to discover a young girl on the streets. "Darling, do you think we should take this girl in?" Mr. Hugghs asked his wife when they encountered her. "Certainly, I don't object to that," his wife agreed. This is how the unfortunate Janet became a part of the family of killers.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, Titus lived the life of a troublemaker from a very early age. By the age of ten, he had already begun to braid his hair into dreadlocks and wear earrings. His aunt complained to his parents numerous times about his conduct, but they dismissed it, saying, "Don't worry, he's just living freely. That's the American spirit. Freedom!" His aunt couldn't bear to witness her nephew's decline. She tried, but when she did, Titus insulted her about her unmarried status. It didn't take long before she gave up on him. By the age of 17, he had already established a notorious gang called The Mafians. Every student feared him. He was given the title "action man" and was called "The Red Tiger".

      ******************************
~Sam~
Titus touched his face in disbelief, running his fingers over the stinging sensation left by the slap. He winced as the heat spread across his cheek, the taste of copper filling his mouth. It seemed he hadn't received that kind of physical blow in a long time.

As I stumbled backward, I could feel the impact of Titus's uppercut reverberating through my jaw, sending shockwaves of pain through my skull. The sound of the blow echoed in my ears, drowning out the crowd's cheers.

The sharp sting of his fist against my forehead made my vision blur, and the world around me started to fade into darkness. The muffled shouts of the referee and the desperate clamor of my teammates seemed distant as if I was underwater.

Linda's footsteps were hurried yet delicate as she ran towards me, the soft thud of her shoes against the grass barely audible over the chaos of the field. Tears streamed down her cheeks and fell onto my face, their warmth a stark contrast to the cold numbness creeping over me. I could feel her trembling hands as she leaned down, her breath catching in her throat as she whispered my name.
Before I could say anything, I had fainted.

~Linda~
I watched in horror as his hands dropped to the floor, feeling the cold dread creeping up my spine. "No!" I cried out, my voice echoing through the empty room. The sight of the person I loved so much lying lifeless in front of my own eyes was like a punch to the gut. I could feel the pain radiating from my chest, making it hard to breathe.

My nerves shot up, causing a prickling sensation on my skin as I looked at the person behind all this. The anger boiling inside of me felt like a fire, scorching every inch of my being.

I desperately scanned the room for any sign of a weapon, but my frantic search turned up nothing. Then, my eyes fell on the sports boot I was wearing. A mischievous smile played on my lips as I realized I had found my makeshift weapon.

I tightly grasped the boot, feeling its weight and texture in my hand. With determination, I approached Titus, who was being comforted by his teammates. I was infuriated by his lack of remorse. Fueled by anger, I hurled the boot at his forehead, and the iron studs drew blood. Titus gave a menacing smile, implying that I was lucky not to be in the same condition as my boyfriend if I were a boy.

Due to the havoc created by both teams, the inter-school competition was canceled, and everyone left the field with anger in their hearts.
Meanwhile, Sam was rushed to the school's clinic. It wasn't anything serious. The nurses took care of his wound and revived him but he begged them to stay a little longer.
I patiently needed to wait for him to be admitted. Silly boy!
Then his words rang a bell in my head. "If I was sick, I wouldn't want to recover", I recalled. "In that case, he would stay in there for more than a week", I reasoned.

_5 days later_
Julius, Adaobi, and I came to see him. "Look, you're all in this mess because of your stubborn personality. Did you think I was a fool when I told you to back off? Not to take the penalty. It was because we all know this guy. He's not someone to joke with. Someone that could take the life of his aunt." Julius paused. Looking around to check if someone else heard him.
Sam immediately removed the blankets, he was using to pretend. "Ta no!" he laughed. He was having quite a good time before he got disturbed- watching TV before he heard the creaking noise on the door and went into pretense.
"Do I look like someone who's in a mess?", he asked, scrutinizing himself.
He pretended not to have heard the scolding from Julius. I'm already used to his "overprotective voice". "Did you guys miss me so much?", he asked, passionately hugging Linda. "Of a truth, I felt like coming out from this paradise to see you in your hell", he laughed jokingly.

Julius maintained a deep silence. His mind wasn't at rest and he knew that. Something deep was bothering him.
He knew Sam to be a fun-loving and open-minded person, but unfortunately, that's not how everyone in the world seemed to be.
To everyone, it seemed what happened in the match to be history. But he knew Titus more than anyone would. He wasn't going to sit back and forget everything. He remembered his parting words from one of their previous encounters. "An eye for an eye, blood for blood",
Something big was coming. Sure, he couldn't just let it die down this way. If he could retaliate at a slight provocation, why not a slap in public?" he thought.