The music practided, and Spencer finished almost at 5:00 iernoon so that everyone would have time to do their chores in the library and then have dihis routine allowed everyoo rest, and the day would restart. Ms in the correal facility were a general rule; every day, the young ones would wake up exactly at 6:00 am. The long days of study, sports, and student trol I made them nod off around 9:00 pm. By 10:00 pm, nothing could be heard but the strong sounds of breathing.

  Billy left the music css, and Pablo followed him.

  -Billy, how are you? – Pablo said.

  -Good, friend, and you? How's everything? – Billy said.

  Pablo frowned and grabbed Billy's shoulder with force, something that did not go unnoticed by or, but he decided to ig and walked past.

  -I've been waiting for three hours in that damn musi because I want to know the truth. – Pablo said, serious, a bit more serious and strangely different from his usual joviality.

  Billy came to a realization, caused by the oasis that learning music every day provided. He was no longer in the world of musiow he was ba the world of the correal facility.

  -Is there something I don't know? – Billy asked.

  Pablo didn't say anything, but for him, friendship was something strong, and Billy was his friend—sincere and calm.

  -There's a drug problem. Rumor has it that you stole the drugs at Austin's request to join his gang, and well, things are a bit tense. – Pablo said.

  -Wait, steal? I would never do something like that. – Billy said.

  -Then roof do you have? – Pablo said, still with some implicit mistrust in his demeanor. If Billy was somewhat emotional about his music system and could act like a fool by letting his emotions take over this time, fear overcame such emotionality.

  -I have no idea, but I say that I have nothing on me. You check my bunk, my locker, and of course, what I have on me. What's the point of stealing drugs for Austin when you warned me how treacherous he is? He's tried to recruit me, but I've refused. – Billy said.

  -Man, it's that sdrel. – Pablo said.

  -e, I'll verify it, and I'll talk to Buggs. I'll expiuation; he's a smart guy and knows what to do in these situations. – Pablo said.

  They both went down to the sed floor. If they had gone down fifteen minutes earlier, they would have entered Austin, and if that had happened, everything would have been different. However, time always arrahings in its way, even with travels, aeric events, it ot be influenced by just one person.

  -Look, here's the locker; I have nothing. – Billy said.

  Pablo took Billy's things out of the locker, from some old so some notebooks and a rge photo of his mom and him on a field trip they took four years ago before they ged locations, the old fotten sports ter.

  -You have nothing. – Pablo said, even feeling ihe shoes.

  -I'm telling you, he's a liar. – Billy said.

  They rearranged everything as best they could ao the first floor where the rooms for the small problems were located.

  Again, time was not helpful because Austin's gang, although they had not phe drugs, narrowly escaped from Billy, who would questioives of Austin's gang.

  They arrived at Billy's bunk. There it was, the small bunk against the wall. Pablo untucked the sheets, turhe mattress, and checked the sts, even uhe bed. He found nothing incriminating because Austin's gang had failed; they phe drugs on the wrong bed. What was right for Andrew was left for Carmelo J, and they p in front of the bed of the young Carmelo J, a little punk who had only stolen from a venieore to ease his hunger.

  -I've got nothing.– said Billy.

  -Well, everything will be sorted out. Soon. I'll talk to  Buggs, and I'll tell him the truth; then, you'll have to settle things with Austin face to face.– said Pablo. Saying goodbye to Billy, his buddies should be on the field, pying the st games of the evening; in  California, it got dark quite te.

  Billy sighed and stayed in his room, tidying up the bed. Despite the ess, everything side down. He arrahe sts, and the bedding, and made the bed again. Just as he was about to leave, Face of Dog entered.

  The kid was big and had a face like that of an English bulldog, with drooping eyebrows and a thick double . The trated anger in his as earned him the niame Face of Dog.

  -Carson. -

  -Yes. – said Billy in fusion.

  -We've got some ats to settle. – said Face of Dog.

  -Yes, I've already talked to someone from yang. We'll talk to your boss and sort everything out. – said Billy, which was a mistake. The face of Dog wasn't into a hierarchy; Billy calling him the sed in and was a hard blow to his pride.

  This es from his niame since he ehe correal facility. This niame has stuck with him, and from there, the hatred he feels when he's called sed-in-and, the dog that Buggs ands, the errand boy, is something he 't stand.

  -There's nothing to fix. – said Face of Dog.

  Jumping at Billy, without expnation, behind him the kid leaped and tackled Billy as he had learned in the wrestling team at his school. He lifted him; the proportion of 45 kilos, 90 pounds, to 70 kilos, 140 pounds, is abysmal. The blow came like a stampede. On the ground, Billy received two blows to the head and ribs, followed by successive puo Billy's face—the eye, the cheek, the temple. The face of Dog kept hitting while Billy protected himself with his hands, but the blows kept ing oer another.

  Fist by fist.

  Fist by fist.

  "Wa-wait—wa—wait—" Billy tried to say, but the blows kept ing.

  Fist and fist, from a young man who far exceeded him in size.

  When Face of Dog stood up, panting after the beating, Billy's nose was bleeding, and along with the degrading look, with a red eye, ihan an hour, the swelling would be in the eye, and it would look like a tennis ball from the successive blows.

  Billy tried to think of something other than the pain. But even his vision was failing him; his brain was scrambled, and he felt like vomiting from the beating he had just received. He had never been hit so hard and brutally, as if he were a ragdoll. His arms burned from the defense he tried to use, but it failed.

  Billy is beaten and battered by the Bck Gang. Very hard, resulting in the infirmary. He tells them, gives reason to the Bck Gang, for stealing, and because Austihey don't believe him. Austin only ugh at the situation, thinking he has broken Billy.

  The shirt was red with blood, their ears were throbbing, and their head was burning, pulsating with his ears, he wao sit down to rest, but the slightest gesture hurt. After twenty minutes, as best as he could, he y on his bed. Tears streamed from his eyes; he had never felt so humiliated.

  …

  Ding.

  The music is in you. Your emotions are through the roof. Your emotions are through the roof, your emotions are through the roof.

  Song provided by the system: "Like a Stone" by Audiosve.

  They would only find Billy two hours ter at 7:10, diime. A guard saw a kid sleeping ao wake him up until he saw the boy covered in blood; the blood was on the wall, the bed, and the floor. He could see that it was drenched in blood.

  We have a 2-15. Call the doctet the car ready for the hospital. – said the security guard over the microphone.

  ...