No More Mr. Nice Guy

A Good morning sun rose from the sky-scraping buildings in a congested city where pollution from the never-at-a-halt traffic hazed the glass screens of a small coffee shop.

"ORDER UP!!" the dark-skinned barista with a happy smile yells out from the counter, "A hot cup of cappuccino for Joseph Rivera!"

A hand raised from a gloomy lot of people, "That'd be me!". A boy wearing the brightest of smiles stepped out from among the lifeless crowd to take his order.

"It is always nice to have you around, Joseph... This one's on the house for helping out old Mario with his cat the other day!" the barista generously handed over the cup of coffee to Joseph who accepted it with somewhat hesitation saying, "You don't have to... It was the right thing to do after all." he continued after pondering for a moment, "You know what, give me another one... I'm meeting up with Julia today, might as well take bring her something as well..." Joseph showed a slightly bashful smile at the mention of his friend, Julia.

"But don't you dare give it for free!" Joseph leaned on the desk and said gently.

"Of course, of course..." the barista narrowed her eyes and spoke in a teasing manner, "You two are quite close after all... Y'know, you're an odd couple, the two of you... It always fascinates me when I think that someone as bright as you is best friends with someone as evil as her."

"Come on... She's not a bad person when you get to know her." Joseph nervously replied.

The barista narrowed her eyes and brought forward a striking question out of pure curiosity, "I know you're not just friends... So when are you two-"

Joseph's face immediately blushed bright red as he anticipated what she was about to say and interrupted her in the middle of the sentence.

"N-no... it's nothing like that at all, haha... We're just best friends hanging out." he dropped a few dollar bills on the counter and grabbed the second cup. "Thanks for the free coffee!!" he said as he stormed out the glass door.

"Free, huh?" The smiling barista looked at the payment Joseph left her on the table and frowned at the sight of it. "He paid for both coffees." she tilted her lips, "that angelic moron... When is he going to learn." the barista said with a slight smile in admiration for Joseph's kindness.

Just then a shady figure approached the counter and dropped a few bills on the counter as well, but in a much rude manner.

"Angelic, but a moron indeed... In a world like ours, his kindness will be the death of him," he said with a cold grimace and his hat covered his eyes, creating such tension that silenced the busy Cafe.

Joseph walked toward a tall building and found a beautiful figure sitting atop the roof of that building. His mood lit up even more when he realized it was Julia staring at him from way up there. "There you are, Julia!" he mumbled to himself and sped through the busy pavement, apologizing to every single person he bumped into.

Huffing and puffing when he finally reached the rooftop with Julia sitting majestically with her back turned.

"Took you long enough," she said with a sharp smirk as she turned around and peeked through her brown hair with a sharp gaze.

Joseph giggled and sat right beside her, "I brought us some coffee... hopefully that makes up for me being late."

As the two sipped their drinks and enjoyed the less contaminated air breezing at that height, gossiping and making small talk with each other like any pair of best friends would, Joseph asked Julia after a moment of silence.

"So, why did you call me on top of your dad's building? It's unusual for you to send a text so early in the morning." he tilted his head and raised a brow, showing an innocent and curious gesture.

Julia's smile shifted into a forced bitter one. She stood upright, "I- I have to ask you something, Joseph..." she said in a serious tone.

"You called me up here just to ask me something?" Joseph became even more confused at her strange answer. "Well, what is it?"

Julia walked forward toward the edge of the roof from where she could see cars and people seeming to be tinier than Lego toys. She wiggled her finger, signaling Joseph to come over.

Joseph at once stood up, wondering what could be so important or if she was just teasing him as usual.

"You know Joseph, you're too kind of a person to exist in this world." Julia lowered her gaze and hid her hand behind her back. "You help out everyone and don't think twice, even if it ends up harming you in the end."

She wrapped her other arm around his neck and placed her hand on Joseph's shoulder who was already confuddled about her suddenly strange behavior.

"Do you remember when you saved that puppy yesterday from being roadkill, you were so close to getting hit yourself." she dug her fingers into his shoulder, holding it tightly.

Joseph kept on a slight smile but he was clueless about what Julia was actually up to or what she wanted to ask him, "Come on, how could I let that poor thing be crushed under the car?"

Julia's bitter smile intensified and it seemed as if she was disgusted for some reason. Despite the bitter taste in her mouth, she continued, "What about that time when you helped my dad all night with his office work when his workers went on strike?"

"Yes, I remember that... Why are you asking me all this?" Joseph asked her, finding her reminders embarrassing and unusual.

"I just wanted to ask you... Why are you such a nice person, Joseph?" she whispered in his ear.

"What do you mean? What happened to you Julia? Do you need some help?" he asked, concerned for his friend.

"It disgusts me how nice you are..." Julia raised her head and finally unleashed a horror of immense hatred that engulfed her otherwise pretty face.

"W-what?" Joseph was struck hard and shocked by her heart-breaking words and horrifying appearance. He could tell by the tone that her hatred was real. And while Joseph was still trying to comprehend her facial expressions and what was even going on, he heard a gunshot and then felt a searing pain in his abdomen.

He dragged his eyes down and found a gun placed on his stomach which was oozing out loads of blood. But even worse was that hand which was holding the gun was none other than his dear friend, Julia's.

"Yes... It disgusts me how nice you are, Joseph. For years I've tried to find holes in your personality... I've teased you for being nice, I've even used my dad to bribe you and tempted you with everything I could... Just to see if your character breaks... How does someone like you exist in this hell of a world?!"

Joseph was painfully bombarded with those words as if all hell was let loose on him. The brightness of his face paled and it showed an overwhelming amount of sadness and sorrow so much that the pain from the bullet inside his stomach failed in comparison.

"J-Julia, what.. are you.. talking about? You're.. My best friend?" tears left his eyes as he uttered those words with all the strength he had left to fathom and make sense of his situation.

Julia giggled in response to his painful whispers and responded in a joyful tone, "I was never your friend, Joseph... Ever since I was a little girl, I would love to break people... Not their bones, but their character and dignity." an ecstatic shadow engulfed Julia's face as she slowly began to reveal her true colors to the innocent Joseph.

"I never met anyone whom I couldn't turn into my slave and plaything." she furrowed her brows and continued, "You are someone who would do anything for just anybody while wearing a bright smile on your face... It disgusted me and made me want to puke... You do not belong in this world, Joseph!"

She shot Joseph over and over until the sound of gunshots turned into clicks and the magazine was empty. With each bullet that pierced his skin, Joseph questioned his entire way of life as it left his body growing cold and empty. What could he have done to deserve such an end?

"J-julia... W-why?" he whispered in his dying breath aimlessly asking a pointless question. And the last words he heard were from Julia as well and those words smashed his bleeding self so hard that Joseph was even disgusted by his own self.

Those words from Julia were, "You were just too nice, my sweet Jojo."

Those were the last words he heard before everything went pitch black.

-----------------

Joseph's conscience awoke in an empty realm, floating in an empty void.

"Where am I?" he spoke through his consciousness as his voice echoed, "Am I dead?"

"Julia... She killed me... because... I was too nice?"

Suddenly, a light appeared from afar and spoke to Joseph in the most majestic and glorious tone,

"Joseph Rivera, the one who did not belong. I see that you have met your inevitable demise."

Joseph looked deeper but there was no figure to be noticed, only a voice which he could hear. "Who are you, and what are you talking about?" he yelled at the light far away.

"Who I am is none of your concern..." the light spoke once again, "What matters now is if you've finally learned your lesson, Joseph Rivera."

"What lesson? What do you mean?" Joseph screamed out once again.

The voice from the light fluctuated and responded with a hint of annoyance in its tone, "You still don't understand what I'm talking about?"

A thin bolt shot from the light and hit Joseph in the head playing his life in front of his eyes like a fast forwarded film.

"You grew up all alone, without anyone to look after you." the voice spoke, "But somehow you managed to grow up to be a kind young man who helped everyone no matter what. And where did that bring you in the end?"

Visions of every instant where people took advantage of his kindness, mocked him, used him, and even betrayed his trust revealed in front of his eyes as they widened at the true nature of the world he lived in.

"Do you see now? Your kindness and trust for everyone got you killed by your own so-called best friend."

"No..." Joseph released a whispering utter lost in denial.

"YES!" the voice roared. "YOU WERE A FOOL, JOSEPH!"

"No no no... It can't be!!" Joseph whimpered and curled himself into a ball of misery and then it hit him in his head when the light showed him visions of what horrendous plots Julia sketched behind his back.

All the puzzles came together as Joseph's stubborn perspective started to break apart like sugar glass.

"Could it... really be?" Joseph questioned with a wide look of realization on his face.

"IT IS!" the light reassured strongly.

He pondered and for the first time Joseph Rivera screamed so loud in frustration that it shook the emptiness of that realm,

"IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!!! WHY WOULD SHE DO IT? I WAS HER FRIEND!!!"

A lot of things happened that time which Joseph had never done before in his previous life.

He cursed,

"THAT IDIOTIC PSYCHOPATH MURDERER, WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?!"

He screamed, "AAAAGHHHHHH!!"

He cried with resentment, "WHYYY?!?"

And he finally learned his lesson.

"That's right.... hehehehe." an eerie grin ripped through his innocent complexion and he acted like a twisted psychopath. "I've learned my lesson. Kekeke"

The voice in the light rejoiced at this change and applauded, "That's right... Finally you learn from your mistakes, Joseph Rivera. I will give you a second chance to live in another world where you can live properly!"

Joseph was too immersed in his own mental frenzy that he did not give a damn and suddenly the light appeared in front of his face, grabbing his attention and mesmerizing him. A hand reached out and grabbed his face tightly.

"Show them what happens when the nice guy loses it, JOSEPH!!" his bloodshot eyes pierced through the gap of those fingers showing nothing but pure hatred. Joseph growled like a beast as he uttered his final words in that empty realm.

"NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!"