The Ultimate Revenge System

Gavin emerged from his room with his bag slung over one shoulder.

His tousled brown hair bounced as he walked down the hallway. The minute he stepped into the living room, his eyes landed on Mr. Smith.

“Good morning, Gavin,” Mr. Smith said,in a flat tone.

Gavin forced a smile at the man who had adopted him eight years earlier. Mr. Smith had never been a father figure to Gavin, treating him like he was an outsider since the day he brought him to this house.

“Good morning, sir,” Gavin replied. “I’m heading out to school now.”

As he turned to the door, another voice cut through the room. It belonged to Mr. Smith’s wife.

“Not so fast, Gavin,” she said in a hurried tone as ,she stepped into the living room.“You’re not going anywhere until you clear the lawn,”

“Clear the lawn?” Gavin’s voice dropped. “But I have an important test today. I can do it when I get back, I promise.”

Mrs. Smith narrowed her eyes, but it was Mr. Smith who responded next. He placed his mug on the side table and stood, towering over Gavin.

“When my wife tells you to do something,” he said in a loud tone, “you do it. No questions. No delays.”

Gavin opened his mouth to explain but immediately regretted it. “Sir, I really can’t be late for this test—”

“You’re talking back to me now?” Mr. Smith’s voice rose.

“No, I’m not! I’m just trying to—”

Before Gavin could finish, Mr. Smith grabbed him by the collar, yanking him forward. A sharp slap landed on Gavin’s face, stinging his cheek.

“You’ve gotten too comfortable in this house,” Mr. Smith barked. “Have you forgotten why you even have a roof over your head? You’d still be rotting in that adoption center if it weren’t for me. Is that where you want to go back to?”

Tears filled Gavin’s eyes, but he blinked them away quickly. “No, sir. I’m sorry. I’ll clear the lawn.”

“You better,” Mr. Smith growled, releasing him.

Mrs. Smith chimed in as Gavin shuffled toward the door. “And make sure you clear everything. No half-hearted jobs,”

As Gavin stepped outside, he heard the creak of the kitchen door opening. Austin, the Smiths’ biological son, appeared with an apple in his hand. Austin was a year older than Gavin, and he looked just like his father.

“What’s all the yelling about?” Austin asked, smirking as he looked at Gavin.

“Gavin decided to test my patience today,” Mr. Smith replied from inside.

“Typical Gavin,” Austin said, rolling his eyes. He glanced at Gavin’s defeated posture and added, “Wretched as always.”

Austin bit into his apple and strode past Gavin toward the driveway. Before getting into his car, he leaned down, grabbed a pile of leaves from the lawn, and scattered them over the area Gavin had already cleared. He laughed under his breath before driving off to school.

***

It took Gavin an hour to finish clearing the lawn. By the time he was done, his clothes were filthy, and his hands were blistered. He looked at his watch and panicked. The school bus had already left. Slinging his schoolbag back on his shoulder, he sprinted toward the bus stop, hoping to catch it at the next turn.

“Wait! Wait!” he shouted, waving his arms. But the bus driver didn’t hear him, and the vehicle rumbled away.

Out of breath, Gavin began the long walk to school. He arrived nearly thirty minutes late, missing his test entirely.

In the teacher’s lounge, Gavin pleaded with Mr. Matthew, his history teacher, for a retake.

“I just need one chance,” Gavin said desperately. “I had an emergency at home, and I—”

“Emergency?” a mocking voice interrupted. Gavin turned to see Austin leaning against the doorframe. “You liar.”

“I’m not—“

“Mr. Matthew, Gavin didn’t have any emergency he woke up late,” Austin said, stepping forward. “I even knocked on his door before I left, but he was still sleeping. He’s always doing this. My father is fed up with his behavior they are doing all he can to give him a good education but Gavin doesn’t want to cooperate.”

“That’s not true!” Gavin exclaimed, but Austin continued as if he hadn’t spoken.

“Look at him, Mr. Matthew. He’s filthy because he’s probably been running around downtown with those street kids instead of coming to school.”

Mr. Matthew sighed, looking Gavin up and down. “This isn’t the first time you’ve shown a lack of commitment, Gavin. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

Gavin’s shoulders slumped. “Please, sir—”

“Enough, Gavin,” Mr. Matthew said firmly. “Go to class, before I make you stay after school for detention.”

Gavin left the lounge and headed toward Angela’s classroom. Right now, all he needed was to rest on his girlfriend’s shoulder. But as he walked down the halls, Austin appeared again.

“Hey, pig!” Austin called out, his voice loud enough to draw the attention of other students.

Gavin ignored him and kept walking quickly.

“Slow down, Gavin,” Austin sneered, stepping in front of him. “Why so shy? Oh, wait. I know—you’re embarrassed, aren’t you? Look at you! Filthy, as usual.”

Laughter erupted from the growing group of students. Gavin clenched his fists at his sides, his nails digging into his palms. He refused to look up, hoping that if he stayed quiet, Austin would lose interest.

But Austin wasn’t finished. “What happened this morning? Did you trip and fall into a dumpster on your way here? Or were you rolling around in the trash where you belong?”

Gavin’s jaw tightened, but he still didn’t respond.

“Or maybe,” Austin said, “you’re just trying to look like your parents—six feet under and covered in dirt.”

A collective gasp swept through the hallway. Gavin’s head snapped up. “Don’t you dare talk about them,” he said, his voice trembling.

Austin smirked, unfazed. “What? It’s true, isn’t it? Poor little orphan boy, all alone in the world. You should be grateful my dad took pity on you. Without us, you’d still be rotting in that adoption center, just like your parents rotted in their graves.”

Gavin’s chest heaved as he fought back tears.

“You don’t know anything about them,” he managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Oh, but I know enough,” Austin continued, stepping even closer. “L“Face it, Gavin. You’re nothing. You’ll always be nothing. Just a dirty, pathetic, unwanted little pig.”

With that, Austin gave Gavin a hard shove, causing him to stumble backward. The hallway erupted in laughter once more as Austin strutted away, his friends following close behind.

Gavin stood there. He felt the weight of every stare, every laugh, pressing down on him like a crushing tide.

During that moment , the intercom buzzed with an announcement. “Gavin Smith, please report to the principal’s office immediately.”

Gavin walked to the principal’s office and when he entered the office he found Angela sitting in one of the chairs. She didn’t smile when she saw him.

“Sit down, Gavin,” the principal said, gesturing to the chair beside Angela.

Gavin obeyed.

“Angela I want you to repeat everything you said to me some minutes ago.”

Angela stood up. “Gavin... Gavin stole the fundraiser money. I saw him do it.”

Gavin’s heart stopped. “What?”