Page 4 of The Bully Alien

Fuck!

I need to get out of here. I can't stand this place for another minute.

I storm out of the classroom and head straight for my favorite diner that's not too far off campus. It's how I heard about the university in the first place. Perhaps with some food in my stomach and a chance to clear my head, I'll feel better about the situation, get my head back on straight.

But as soon as I step in, I can feel the aggression in the room. It's almost palpable, like a storm ready to burst at any minute. The tension is thick and heavy, and there are more than a few people with their hands balled into fists, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

Sighing deeply, I make my way toward the back corner and try to ignore all the hostile vibes that seem to be floating around like smoke in an opium den, but it isn't long before somebody spots me and starts hurling words my way like bullets from a gun."Hey! You think you're better than us? Huh? You've been looking down your nose since you walked in here!"

"I sure don't," I spit out. "Just waiting for a waitress—"

"I'll be right there," a harried-waitress calls as she slaps a guy's hand away from reaching for her ass.

"It's fine," I tell her.

"Don't ignore me," the guy hisses, his breath rank, stinking of beer and body odor.

I grit my teeth. I should've just gone to the cafe on campus instead of eating here. The vibes here have never been like this before, or else I would've have ever returned.

After a loud exhale, I stand and eye the guy. He looks up at me, taking in my stature. I'm taller than most Earthlings, a lot more imposing, too, and the guy takes one look at me and grits his teeth. A sheen of sweat dots on his forehead, and he takes a step back.

"Want me to buy us a round of beers to, ah, smooth things over some?" the guy asks.

"I'm just here for the grub."

The guy nods a few times. "All right. All right."

And he walks away.

I roll my eyes.

Five more minutes pass. Ten. When it's nearly twenty, I'm beginning to think the waitress is never getting over here.

I stand, and just as I'm turning to leave, two guys bump into me from behind, pushing me forward.

I turn around, not in the mood to deal with any of their shit.

"You owe me money!" one accuses at the other, his face flushed red with anger. "You said you'd pay up last week, but here we are, still waiting for our cash!"

The other guy refuses to back down, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a show of defiance. He hurls insults back at his accuser, the words a bit too slurred for me to make out.

Shaking my head at them, I'm ready to continue to leave, but one tries to hit the other, misses because the one guy ducks, and I'm the one who gets punched.

Fury has me seeing red.

I can feel my blood pumping faster and my heart thudding in my chest. This is not what I need right now.

Or maybe this is precisely why I need because I am so furious about everything. My life is terrible, basically over, and I shove the one guy back into the other one.

The other patrons in the restaurant are silent at first, but then they start to jeer, egging the two guys on to fight like gladiators in a coliseum. Other fists are thrown, more swear words exchanged, and soon it’s a full-blown brawl with everyone joining in, chairs and tables tipping over amid a chorus of grunts, groans and curses.

The whole diner is now on their feet. People are shouting and pointing fingers at one another. Punches are thrown, and chairs fly through the air. Glasses shatter, tables are pushed over, and I’m in the middle of it, throwing punches too.

It's as if there's blood lust in the air, and we're all infected by it. Is it helping to relieve some of stress? No, but maybe she of my aggression is lessening.

I really do hate this planet and everyone on it.

One guy tries to headbutt me. I sidestep him, and he rams into another guy. They start to fight, and I eye the gut who started it all by not buying the one guy.

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