Chapter 154: The Man Named Hugo
Dipter hadn’t done any real research into the long-haired student. The guy had already been in juvie when Dipter arrived, and since no one talked about him like he was important, Dipter figured he wasn’t.
From what he remembered, no major names had been thrown into juvie over the past couple of years, at least, none that mattered to him. So he’d never given it much thought.
Yeah, the special treatment was odd. But when you’re serving five years, you learn to pick your battles. If someone got to skip class, let them. Dipter didn’t have the energy to care.
But now?
Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Why did Popper say that one person could sway the entire facility?
Why him?
Dipter sat on his bed, staring at the ceiling, thoughts swirling.
Have I not done enough? he wondered. Haven’t I fought enough to prove I’m capable?
He clenched his fists.
Maybe it’s not about strength. There’s no shortage of strong guys in here.
But something still didn’t add up.
*Is this a trap? Why does everyone, *including the guards, leave him alone?
Is this another “Max” situation? Maybe it’s not just power. Maybe it’s something else.
Across the room, one of his roommates was fidgeting with a piece of paper, folding and refolding it without looking up.
Dipter sat up. “Hey. The kid with the long hair, what’s his deal?”
The other boy didn’t even pause. “You mean Hugo?”
Dipter nodded. “Yeah.”
“I don’t know everything,” the roommate said, still folding. “I joined about a year ago. He was already here. And even back then, things were already like this. Nobody messed with him. Ever.”
He shrugged.
“He’s allowed to do whatever he wants. Doesn’t show up to class, skips routines, doesn’t talk to anyone, and no one stops him. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they let him walk straight out the front door someday.”
Dipter didn’t answer. But now the name Hugo was locked in his brain. And so were the questions.
“I used to ask the same questions you’re asking now,” Lith said, finally setting the folded paper down. “From what I could figure out, he’s been here longer than anyone.”
That immediately struck Dipter as odd.
Longer than anyone? Hugo was the same age as most of the older kids, seventeen at most. If he’d been here before everyone, then when exactly had he gotten locked up?
“And the rumor is,” Lith continued, lowering his voice a little, “he’s stronger than anyone in this place. But the real kicker? The ones who’ve actually seen him fight? They never talk about it. Like, ever. They act like it never happened.”
Dipter narrowed his eyes. “So that’s it? He’s just… strong?”
It didn’t sit right. There had to be more. Was Popper serious? Just get Hugo on board, and the rest of juvie would follow? That couldn’t be all there was to it.
If it’s really that simple, Dipter thought, then beating him should be enough. Prove I’m stronger, make him submit, and he follows me. Simple hierarchy stuff. But… something still doesn’t feel right. I’m not convinced. And I don’t like it.
He looked over at Lith.
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“Do me a favor,” Dipter said. “Start a fight with him.”
The paper slipped from Lith’s hands and landed on the floor with a soft flutter.
“…What did you just say?” Lith blinked. “You want me to start a fight with Hugo?”
“Yeah. Or, ask him first if he wants to join the group I’m building. Maybe he’ll surprise you and say yes.” Dipter leaned forward slightly. “But if he doesn’t, then you’ll have to fight him.”
Silence. Lith looked stunned.
And right on cue, the door opened and the other four roommates filed in, laughing about something, until they saw the look on Lith’s face.
“Whoa, what’s up with you?” one of them asked. “You look like someone just told you your mom’s dating the warden.”
“Talk to him!” Lith snapped, pointing at Dipter. “He’s lost his mind, he wants me to fight Hugo!”
The room froze.
All of them went dead quiet.
Dipter glanced around. The shift was immediate, expressions wiped clean, like someone had dropped a ghost into the middle of the room.
And that’s when he realized something.
Lith had said no one saw Hugo fight. No one talked about it. But somehow, all of them reacted like Hugo was something more than just strong.
Like he was something to fear. Not like Max. Not like Dipter himself. But like someone that no one wanted to wake up.
What are you, Hugo? Dipter wondered. And why is everyone so afraid of you?
“Why do we even have to do this?” one of the guys muttered, glancing nervously at Dipter. “I say we just leave the guy alone.”
Dipter’s jaw clenched. He jumped off his bed in one swift motion, twisted his neck to the side with a loud crack, and before anyone could react, he charged forward. Lifting his leg, he slammed a kick into one of the guys’ stomachs, sending him crashing into another.
Dipter didn’t stop.
“Do I need to remind you what happened last time?” he growled, then whipped his leg around, landing a brutal kick across another guy’s face.
The rest, frustrated and panicked, tried to fight back.
Dipter welcomed it.
One of them lunged, Dipter snapped his leg upward, nailing the guy square in the head. His neck jerked back, body stumbling.
A few more precise, punishing kicks and they were all on the floor again, groaning, clutching their ribs and faces in pain.
“Damn… did you get stronger?” one of them wheezed, rubbing his cheek. “I guess all those daily fights really did level you up, huh?”
Dipter rolled his shoulders and exhaled slowly.
“I can keep going,” he said coldly, “but I think we all know how that ends.”
He looked around at them, scattered and broken.
“With Hugo, you don’t know whether you’ll win or lose. There’s a chance. But me? You will lose. And it won’t be quick.”
He paused, stepping back.
“I only wanted one of you to test him. But now? All five of you, go at him together. If Hugo can’t even beat that, then he’s not worth the hype.”
None of them responded. They didn’t need to. The message was clear. Dipter had made the choice for them.
Still, he gave them a day to recover.
The next day, during break, the yard was packed.
Everyone was outside, nearly two hundred inmates in total. Some playing, some pacing, some watching from the sidelines. Dipter stood off to the side, arms crossed, eyes locked on the bleachers above the basketball court.
And there he was.
Hugo.
Sitting alone at the very top of the stands. Motionless. Calm. Like he was waiting for something, or maybe like he didn’t care about anything at all.
The five made their way across the yard, glancing back at Dipter one last time before heading up.
One of them cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.
“Hey, Hugo! We wanna talk!”