The others, too, found themselves nodding along. Though Casperâs reasoning felt a bit off to them, they could not agree more with him. Monetary compensation was indeed the best solution to resolve the situation.
Casper fished out a fistful of coins from the bag. âI think this is worth about a hundred. Boys, weâd better make sure we donât shortchange them.â
He sneered at the owner of the music store. âYou said the piano costs sixty-eight thousand, didnât you?
Iâm assuming the dent I just made on the piano is worth five thousand then.â
The store owner paled. âN-No, itâs all right,â he stammered. âI bought it for only a little over ten thousand⦠Y-You donât have to-â
His words were cut off when Casper threw the coins in the face like a bombardment of hard pebbles.
He yelped in pain, flailing his arms blindly.
âNice!â Felix and the gang pumped their fists in triumph at the sight. They each grabbed a handful of coins and threw them at the store owner as well. The novelty and satisfaction of âstoningâ an adversary with money brought a rush of adrenaline through their veins.
âKeep going, guys.â Casperâs voice was tinged with anger. âI promised five thousand and I plan to deliver. We still have a long way to go.â
He and the rest continued to hurl coins at the owner, who was eventually backed into a corner and curled up into a pathetic ball.
Colton did a quick calculation. âI think thatâs about five thousand, Casper.â
Casper and the rest stopped before collectively casting their gaze on Goodyear, who gave an involuntary shudder and tried to escape. His attempt was thwarted, however, by someone from the Firewolf Chamber.
âHmm⦠Iâd say that he gets five thousand too,â Casper said, flinging another handful of coins at Goodyear. The latter yowled. He twisted and curled in on himself, trying to block the onslaught. Casper scoffed and delivered a kick on the guyâs back that had him jackknife upward.
The rain of coins continued to shower down on Goodyear, whose paunchy blubber quivered with each hit.
Ced looked at the sea of scattered coins with a pinched expression. He could feel his mouth run dry as he remembered he was the one who asked Casper for a ten-thousand recompense earlier. He must be saving the remaining coins for me⦠Oh dear God⦠Why did I tell him that just now?
It was too late for him to do anything. Casper and his friends were finished with Goodyear and were now approaching him with the bag of coins.
The others looked on with slacked jaws. Even Jeremy was in awe of Casperâs method for revenge. It was innovative, to say the least.
Godfrey Yorke paused to wipe off the beads of sweat that had appeared on his forehead. âPhew, Iâm beat. Who wouldâve thought that hitting people with a ton of money could be so tiring.â
The attack ended when all twenty thousand worth of coins were on the ground. No one bothered to pick them up since their denominations were so small.
âThatâs quite the vindication, Casper,â Felix chortled in immense satisfaction and thumped his friend on the back in thanks.
Casper took a deep breath and exhaled. He did in fact felt vindicated. Even the air smelled sweeter to him than before.
âHey, Boss,â Jeremy said, pointing at two more bags brimming with coins. âIâve gone to the nearby bank and got all their coins.â
Casper cocked his head at the cowering Goodyear. âI seem to recall someone demanding recompense for causing a delay in performance preparations. Is ten thousand enough, I wonder?â
Gulping, the latter nearly slumped to the group as his legs gave out. Never in his life had he been so scared to be on the receiving end of money until now.
âIâm very sorry, gentlemen,â he begged, all traces of conceitedness fleeing him. âPlease forgive my snobbery⦠I canât handle another round of coins.â
His display of submission only irritated Casper more. âYouâre nothing but a bully who preys on the weak. The only reason you pick on the students is you know you have an unfair advantage over them.
You need to learn your lesson today, no matter what!â
With that, he turned to the rest of the students and handed them the bags. âI know you had your reservations earlier, but nowâs your chance to take your revenge. Itâs your turn to shower them with the coins. Let those bullies have the ten thousand. And donât worry. Iâll take on all liabilities arising from this.â
Colton cleared his throat. âBut donât overdo it,â he added, mindful of the aftermath lest it became fatal and affected Casper in any way. âJust⦠you know, rotate your targets. Donât all go to town on one particular person.â
The owner of the music store threw himself at Casperâs feet. âPlease forgive me, sir! Cowherd made me loan out the piano free of charge. I was in a bad mood, so I lashed out at youâ¦â
He pointed to the piano. âItâs yours if you want it! Take it as my way of saying sorry.â
Unmoved, Casper looked at him coldly. He could tell that the owner was not truly remorseful about the way he treated people. âYou can say sorry by treating others as human beings,â he said icily. âJust because weâre students doesnât mean you could arrogantly order us around and take out your frustrations on us.â
He took one last glance at the owner in distaste before motioning the students to start.
In the next moment, the mad clinking of coins rang out in the store once more as the students pelted the three men relentlessly. Casper told Jeremy to stay behind and monitor the situation while he headed out of the store with his friends in tow.
Elena came up to him. âThe things you and your crazy ideas have put me throughâ¦â She shook her head in exasperation. âThe bank staff looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I wanted to withdraw that much money in coins. Not to mention, itâs such a chore to carry something so heavy all the way here.â
Felix and the others widened their eyes at the sight of Casperâs hot secretary.
Shrugging, Casper smirked. âI just wanted to experience what itâs like to be a modern-day Robin Hood.â
Elena rolled her eyes. âLike I said. Crazy.â
Godfrey, who had followed them out of the store, piped up. âMan, Iâve got to hand it to you. That back there was awesome. You really are something, all right.â
âYouâre not bad yourself.â Casper inclined his head. He was impressed by the otherâs bout of courage and show of camaraderie earlier at the store. âThanks for standing up for us.â
Colton nudged him. âI donât mean to be a wet blanket, Casper, but we did just screw up the show preparations. I heard that the talent involved in the show is a starlet. She was paid at least a few hundred thousand in terms of performance fees.â
Casper waved him off. âIâll handle it. Donât worry.â