Ronald Robinson was the kid everyone targeted—and no one defended. Bullied by classmates, humiliated by his worst tormentor Jason Gilbert, and betrayed by the one girl he thought he could trust, Ronald vanished before graduation. No prom. No goodbye. Just silence.
Years later, Jason is living the dream—an SLBA basketball superstar with money, fame, and a beautiful fiancée. But the past isn’t finished with him.
Ronald has returned. And he didn’t come back to watch the game.
As secrets from their high school days unravel, a shocking web of deception, betrayal, and revenge ignites in the heart of Philadelphia. The streets that once swallowed Ronald whole now whisper his name in fear. Because he isn’t just back—he’s planning justice his way.
Hidden Revenge is a gritty, emotionally-charged psychological thriller about the scars we hide, the pain we carry, and the reckoning that comes when vengeance is the only way to heal.
Ronald Robinson was the kid everyone targeted—and no one defended. Bullied by classmates, humiliated by his worst tormentor Jason Gilbert, and betrayed by the one girl he thought he could trust, Ronald vanished before graduation. No prom. No goodbye. Just silence.
Years later, Jason is living the dream—an SLBA basketball superstar with money, fame, and a beautiful fiancée. But the past isn’t finished with him.
Ronald has returned. And he didn’t come back to watch the game.
As secrets from their high school days unravel, a shocking web of deception, betrayal, and revenge ignites in the heart of Philadelphia. The streets that once swallowed Ronald whole now whisper his name in fear. Because he isn’t just back—he’s planning justice his way.
Hidden Revenge is a gritty, emotionally-charged psychological thriller about the scars we hide, the pain we carry, and the reckoning that comes when vengeance is the only way to heal.
THE TOSS-UP
The crowd is on their feet as the final seconds ticked down on the game clock. The
home team is down by two points and the ball is in the hands of their star player,
Jason "Big Game" Gilbert. He stood at the free-throw line, the weight of the game resting
on his shoulders.
Jason took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. His heart was pounding in his chest,
and he could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He glanced over at his
teammate, C.W, who gave him a nod of encouragement.
He took his usual three dribbles and then touched his left arm, where he had a tattoo of
his grandmother. She had been his biggest supporter and always believed in him, even
when no one else did. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, thinking
of her.
He opened his eyes, and the crowd is a blur of noise and movement. His jersey is
drenched in sweat, and the headband on his forehead had long ago become useless in
stopping the perspiration from sliding into his eyes. He licked his dry lips and glance over
at the front row where he sees his fiancée, Veronica, sitting. At this time in there
relationship things weren’t good.
She’s a vision of beauty and elegance as she sits in her floor seat, her attention focused
on the game taking place below. Her designer sunglasses, Chanel, are perched on her
nose, shielding her eyes from the bright lights of the arena. Her curves were accentuated
by the tailored fit of her Apple bottom jeans, and her black Gucci heels added a touch of
sophistication to her overall look. She sat with her legs crossed, her spa-manicured toes
pointing towards the court, her posture exuding confidence and poise. While watching the
game, her presence commanded attention and admiration from those around her.
She’s a picture of poise and confidence, her hot-pink Kenneth Cole blouse hugging her curves and her gold jewelry catching the light. But beneath the surface, there’s a sense of restlessness. She wore her engagement ring, a three-carat diamond platinum ring that Jason had given her a couple of months ago, with a sense of detachment. The ring
sparkled on her finger, but the expression on her face was one of ennui.
She looked as if she couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the game, her eyes scanning the crowd around her with a sense of disinterest. She had a look of disinterest on her face that seemed to hint at a deeper malaise, as if she was just going through the motions of living, but not really feeling alive. The game in front of her was nothing more than a distraction, a temporary reprieve from the empty void that seemed to consume her thoughts.
Her attention was not on the game or even on her fiancé, Jason, who’s on the court.
Instead, her gaze is fixed on a man sitting in the row diagonally across from her. He
is an Italian man with jet-black hair that’s slicked back, greased to perfection. He
is impeccably dressed in a black pin-striped Hugo Boss suit and exuded a smooth and
confident demeanor. He caught her eye and held it, never once breaking his gaze. She
couldn't help but feel a flutter of attraction towards him, but quickly pushed the thought
away as she reminded herself that she was engaged to Jason.
Meanwhile, Jason, also known as Big Game, was completely focused on the task at hand. He had been working towards this moment for his entire career, the chance to win the SLBA(Superior League of Basketball Association) Finals and kiss the Larry O'Brien trophy. He had trained tirelessly and sacrificed so much to get to this point. He couldn't let anything distract him now, not even the alluring Italian man or the nagging doubts in his own mind.
As he positioned himself at the free-throw line, he quieted the clamor of the boisterous crowd and the tumultuous thoughts racing through his mind. Inhaling deeply, he exhaled slowly, envisioning the ball arcing gracefully through the air and slipping effortlessly through the hoop. The first shot found its mark, igniting a roar from the stands, and he deftly followed up with the second, propelling his team ahead. He felt a sense of triumph and accomplishment wash over him as he knew that he had achieved his goal, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was not quite right.
Swish!
The Philadelphia fans are on their feet, their cheers and chants filling the arena. The
team's mascot, is leaping and gyrating, doing everything in his power to
keep the crowd pumped up. Big Game's teammate, Mark "The Crossover" Williams,
clapped him on the shoulder, his eyes alight with excitement. "We got this, Big Game,"
he shouted. "Let's take this home!"
Big Game stepped up to the charity strike for his second crucial shot, the weight of the
game and the season on his shoulders. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying
to steady his nerves. He glanced over at the front row, where Veronica is sitting, and
what he sees made his heart drop. Her seat was empty, and all that remained was her
$1,000 Nicole Miller handbag and a small box of popcorn. He couldn't shake off the
feeling that something was amiss, but he pushed the thoughts away and focused on the
task at hand.
“I don’t know why she even showed up to my game.” He couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that had settled over him as he realized that not only his fiancée, Veronica, was missing but also where Mr. Hugo Boss, was sitting, he’s MIA as well.
The thoughts and doubts that he had been trying to push away came flooding back. Jason "Big Game" Gilbert had come from a background filled with distractions and
obstacles, but he had never let them get in the way of his dreams.
On Jason's 17th birthday, he had a remarkable performance during a high school
basketball game. He recorded a triple double with 42 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, leading his team to victory in the public league championship against Roman School. Jason's impressive play earned him the MVP award, and he was compared to some of the greatest basketball players in history such as Dr. J, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.
Despite the incredible moment, Jason's celebration was dampened by the appearance of his parents who showed up drunk and disrupted the game. Nevertheless, Jason's incredible athleticism and sportsmanship was the talk of the town and cemented his place as a rising star in the basketball world.
"Alright team, let's stay focused and work together on the court," Coach Johnson
exclaimed with urgency in his voice. He’s dressed in white button-down shirt and
black polyester slacks, sweat pouring down his face as he spoke to his players. "Jason,
stay away from foul trouble and make sure to communicate with your teammates on the
court." The coach was under pressure, as the school principal had warned him that his job
was on the line. He wanted to win the game just as much as the players, and his intense
gaze reflected the importance of the moment.
While Jason is sitting on the bench, he heard the familiar, loud voices of his intoxicated parents, echoing from the stands. The argument between his mother, Vivian Gilbert, and father, Marvin Gilbert, was a triggering reminder of the tumultuous household he grew up in. Despite the abuse, drug use, and chaos, the basketball court had always provided a solace for Jason to escape to. However, the sight of his once beautiful mother now appearing disheveled, and the smell of drugs in the air, fueled an inner anger within him. He had never learned how to properly cope with the turmoil, but instead found refuge on the court.
"What the hell did I tell you to do?" Marvin slurred angrily, addressing Vivian. "Don't
you dare humiliate me in front of my son's game!" His harsh tone sent shivers down
Vivian's spine and diminished her self-esteem with every word. The look in his eyes,
cold and piercing, destroyed the love she once had for him. In a moment of frustration,
Vivian struck Marvin with her purse, the force of her arm knocking him back to reality
and removing his drunken haze. The altercation between the couple left a bitter feeling in
Vivian's heart and brought attention away from the excitement of the game.
Vivian was taken aback by her own actions when she hit Marvin. However, his
response was swift and violent. With a bruised red cheek, he backhanded her with a force
that echoed through the gym. Vivian fell back onto the shocked spectators sitting nearby.
The sudden outburst from Marvin was like that of a mean pit bull about to attack. The
altercation between the couple brought attention away from the game and left a lasting
impression on those who witnessed it.
As the verbal and physical abuse escalated, the onlookers were horrified and shocked.
Vivian, who was shorter and no match for Marvin's height, was defenseless against his
violent barrage. "You fucking whore!" Marvin's words were like a knife, cutting through
Vivian's heart. She cowered under his towering frame as he continued to unleash his
wrath on her. "Don't you ever put your hands on me!" he yelled. "I'm your fucking
husband; you better always respect me!" The once proud and beautiful Vivian was now a
battered, bruised, and broken woman at the hands of her husband. The scene was a stark
reminder of the devastating reality of domestic violence.
“You dirty bastard!” Vivian responded. Lying on the bleachers, she looked up at her husband of twenty years with disgust, anger and disappointment, envisioning divorce papers already signed, sealed and delivered.
He struck her again. SMACK! Every blow tore down her spirit. The bystanders in the bleachers are in shock with fear on their faces. Some of the witnesses stand and watch, and others back away from the fiasco.
Jason located his parents up in the stands and quickly ran toward the commotion his father was creating. “Dad, Dad!!” He grabbed his father’s cursed hand before he could hit his mom once more. “Dad, what are you doing?!” Jason asked behind gritted teeth.
Embarrassed, Marvin Gilbert glared at his son breathing heavy with nostrils flaring. Jason turned around and glanced at his mother. She looked up at her son with a half-smile and watery eyes with her cheeks swollen and red. Jason looked into his dad’s blood shot eyes and squeezed his arm tightly and got closer into his face. “Go home, Dad now!!” Jason said with tight jaws and a balled-up fist.
“Get the fuck off of me!” Marvin snatched his arm away from his son feeling less than a father and shamed to have mistreated a wife who took care of him through trials and tribulations. It reminded Marvin of the time he got laid off from the factory after 20 years of service and couldn’t find work for three years She stood by him through his numerous affairs, his drug use, his manhood not strong enough to brave the realities of hard times. So, he soaked his sorrows in whores and alcohol. “I’m leaving” he said in a much quieter tone as if suddenly realizing where he is.
Jason reached down towards his mom and used his strength to pull up his mother ignoring his dad. “Are you alright Mom?” He asked trying to sound empathetic. However, the frustration from the situation was not hidden in his tone. Just as she was getting ready to respond, the security guard on duty pushed his way through the crowd of spectators.
“Is everything okay over here?” asked a chubby rent-a-cop in a tight faded-out blue uniform. He was staring at them as he approached like they were criminals he saw on the TV show America’s Most Wanted. He even had the nerve to have his hand placed on his nightstick eagerly anticipating knocking some heads.
“Yeah, we okay. She rolled her eyes. Her attitude gave those watching the impression that she thought he was a joke, a wanna-be cop. “This ain’t got nothing to do with you fat boy.” She began to straighten up her mangled hair that once was in a neat ponytail and she daintily dusts herself off.
“Well, ma’am you’re going to have to leave the premises because you’re being disruptive” he said pointing his finger towards the exit and proceeding to grab her arm to escort her out.
Jason put his hand between the security guard and his mother. “Yo, I got this,” he said, protecting his mother. “I’ll handle my family problems from here chief,” Jason said in a threatening tone cutting his eyes at the guard.
His mom turned to look at Jason with sadness and concern on her face. The bags under her eyes gave him an indication the she hadn’t gotten any sleep and worry was getting the best of her. “I got to go and find your father anyway”.
Jason rolled his eyes to the ceiling sighing in frustration. “Mom, you can’t be letting dad keep hitting you like this he has no right, husband or no husband. I promise you, the next time he puts his hands on you, I’m gonna bust his ass!”
“Jason!” She grabbed his face. “Everybody’s looking. Finish the game, son. I’ll take care of everything,” Vivian said, feeling bad for her son that he had to witness this, but still concerned for her abusive husband. She grabbed her purse and jacket. “I will always love you and your dad does too.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and made her way through the crowd with her heels clicking conspicuously on each bleacher.
Following the dramatic episode, Jason watched his mother head out the exit door and took a breather, then noticed for a second that the whole arena was quiet. Everybody was staring at him.
“What the fuck are y’all looking at!!” he shouted with his humiliated and angry voice echoing in the unnatural quiet.
“Jason!! Come on down here, man, we have a game to finish.” His coach went up and grabbed Jason by his hand. He turned Jason around looked him dead in the eye and said, “Don’t worry about these people out here. I’m with you, your team is with you, and God is always with you.” He pointed to himself, then at the team and then upwards, representing that God is with him as well. Coach grabbed his face. “Do you hear me, Jason?!” Jason’s heart warms at his coach’s sentiment. “Alright coach, let’s do this …”
After making his first critical foul shot to tie the game lead with L.A. Team, the sold-out crowd at the Wachovia Center started chanting M-V-P!!!M-V-P!!!
Jason takes three dribbles and rotates the ball in his hands until he sees the word Spalding, and as the ball leaves his hands, it seems as though everybody in the building is frozen in time. Every eye in the Wachovia Center is watching the orange ball glide through the air and drop gracefully in the net.
SWISH! Jason’s Philadelphia teams takes a one-point lead with seconds remaining on the clock. The fans shriek with excitement!
The L.A. team all-star guard Gary “Speedy” Tucker rushes the ball down the court as fast as he can before time expire; nevertheless, the Philadelphia team guard Mark “The Crossover” Williams is defending him like flies to shit. The time on the clock shows five seconds and counting. Gary Tucker stops at the three-point line and throws up a prayer shot and hopes that it goes in for championship win.
CLANK!
The ball bounces off the back of the rim and falls into Jason’s hands. He throws the ball up in the air and the game ends. The fans are cheering and celebrating begins. The owner and management of the Philly are hugging each other in the private club suite, then fireworks start going off inside the Wachovia Center. BOOM! BOOM!
Confetti and balloons are released from the top of the Center. Family and friends are running out onto the court, headed for their loved ones who are on the team. Jason and his teammates run to the center court embracing each other.
“Coach, this is for you, dog, this is for you, baby!!!” Jason Big Game says to Coach Chatman with tears of joy flowing down his face.
“God bless you, Jason!” Coach responds, giving him a hug, and feeling on top of the world, on top of the SLBA planet. When Jason embraces his coach, he witnesses the crowd of media, TV cameras and sports reporters, and a sea of lights flashing from the fans in front of him, happy faces from people young and old. There’s not a sad face in sight. However, out of the corner of his eyes, he notices someone coming towards him quickly with a towel over his head.
Sports Reporter: “This is SLBA analyst David Allen from the SLBA, finals where the Philadelphia team have just defeated the Los Angeles team 107 to 106. I’m here with the MVP of the SLBA finals Jason “Big Game” Gilbert, who scored an SLBA finals record 66: points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists. So, tell me, Jason, how did you do it?”
In the midst of the jam-packed floor, “Big Game” starts to deliver an end-of-the-game speech, with the shiny gold SLBA trophy in his hands. He kisses it and then rubs it like it is a magical gold lamp.
“First of all, I would like to thank God for this opportunity to be in the SLBA.” He smiles at the camera and adjusts his new championship Philadelphia hat. “And all this could not have happened without my teammates and of course the..”
Then for a second it seemed as though things were going in slow motion; he’s suddenly interrupted by the unthinkable.
BANG!
The first gun-shot is kind of ignored; the fans think it’s just part of the celebration fireworks.
BANG! BANG!
Two more shots ring out. Jason scans his eyes around where the sounds were coming from thinking that they sounded like gunshots. Everybody in the center looked around concerned. Jason felt disoriented then looks down at his jersey, grabs his stomach and sees blood on his hand. The trophy slips out from his grip and he and his championship trophy falls down simultaneously.
A deafening scream comes from the crowd. OHHH! MY!GOD! Jason’s been shot!!!
The people on the floor flood the exits running and screaming, and everybody inside the arena follows suit some speculating that it was a sniper in the building randomly shooting people. Everybody flees like it was a gang of raging bulls running towards them inside the basketball arena. It’s sheer pandemonium!
Women, men and children are getting trampled receiving serious injuries; wounds ranging from their bruised heads to broken arms and legs. It isn’t an SLBA Finals celebration anymore it is HELL! There were screams coming from every direction.
Oh shit! Big Game has been shot! Jason’s hit!
Oh no, Big Game!
JASON!! JASON!!
Coach Chatmen kneels down on the floor looking at Jason’s bloody jersey. There is such a great deal of blood coming from Jason, his number 23 is soaked and no one can tell where he was shot. “Somebody call an ambulance!” Coach Chatmen yells in desperation, cradling Jason’s head. “Now! Somebody call 911! Now! Now!
“Oh my God,” A childhood friend of Jason’s says covering her mouth. She is watching the tragedy unfold on TV while lying in the hospital bed at Albert Einstein Medical Center.
Cameron "The Shot" Jenkins stands inside the basketball arena, his girlfriend sobbing in his embrace while he holds his three-year-old son, stunned by the disarray unfolding before them. Despite being teammates now, Cam and Jason's lifelong friendship flashes through his mind, making the scene even more surreal.
Amid the chaos of the crowd, Jason's parents, Vivian and Marvin, frantically struggle to reach their gravely injured son. Vivian's anguished cries and tears pierce through the pandemonium as she shoves people aside, desperate to reach Jason. Marvin's heart races with fear as he follows his wife, dreading the thought that this could be the last time he lays eyes on his beloved son. Jason!!
Jason is lying there, bleeding profusely in the middle of center court, frightened and shaking. Not shaking because he is nervous, but because his blood pressure is dropping; he is getting cold. The three bullets inside his midsection are searing and burning, seeping through his flesh. Jason’s mind starts playing tricks on him; he thinks that he still is holding the trophy in his hand; he is mumbling to himself, thinking he is still talking to David Allen.
His eyesight is blurry and things are growing darker with every blink. He can see people around him; he can see that they are talking, but he has no clue what anyone is saying. He’s only hearing the sound of his own heart beating. It’s keeping him sane. He knows if it stops it is all over. Finally, Jason’s parents reach him to be by his side. He sees his mom and dad looking so worried that he tries to tell them it is going to be all right but no words will come out of his mouth; it’s just gaping open for air.
Coach Chatmen is cupping Jason’s head into his arms and the blood is soaking his gray blazer. “Jason, hang on buddy don’t you die on me!”
Jason struggles to keep his eyes open, and manages to peek through and see a face.
“Where’s my …?” His speech is low and hard to hear.
Vivian approaches Jason crying. “Baby, I’m here.” She kneels down and touches his face to wipe the sweat and tears from his eyes. “I’m right here with you Jason.”
As her heart pounds with terror, she fears that this moment may mark the final time she embraces and connects with her son in person. Despite her imperfections as a mother, she beseeches the Lord, bowing her head and making the sign of the Holy Trinity as she prays fervently over her son's fading form, begging for his life to be spared.
As Jason's life appears to be slipping away, memories flood his mind, taking him back to his childhood in North Philly, where he played touch football with his friends. In his mind's eye, he sees himself gazing up at the dazzling sunbeams in the middle of the street and riding the BMX bike his dad gifted him at the age of thirteen. In the blink of an eye, he finds himself strolling along Penn's Landing, gripping his late grandmother's hand, reliving the precious moments they shared. Suddenly, he becomes aware of laughter, and his father's face comes into focus, beaming with joy, as they cruise on a boat. These cherished memories fill Jason's heart and mind as he faces his uncertain fate.
“Did somebody call the cops!!?” His mother screams out with all her might.
“They’re on their way, baby.” Marvin tells her tenderly. “Just try to stay calm.”
MOVE! MOVE!
“Let them through!” Mark pushes through the spectators and the media to escort the paramedics with the stretcher. “Please! Please! Stand the fuck back!!”
With Jason being carried out on a stretcher, accompanied by his distraught family, the spectators, including his friends and teammates, watch in stunned disbelief, unable to comprehend the tragic turn of events. The fans and media are left with heavy hearts, speechless and emotional, questioning how such a beloved SLBA ballplayer could be struck by such a devastating fate.
They are left with unanswered questions; when will the violence stop here in the City of Philadelphia? Why Jason? How did a gun get inside the basketball arena?
Hidden Revenge is the new phycological thriller by author E.K. Powers. It follows the story of a small cast of characters, including Ronald, an antihero holding onto a massive secret. After catching his high school girlfriend cheating with Jason, the school bully, Ronald is set on a course of revenge. Ronald's sudden disappearance following the incident has everyone stunned, leading many to think this high school teenager has vanished for good. And yet, it turns out the initial gun shot was just the warning of more to come. When it comes to revenge, Ronald is only just getting started.
Warning, plot spoilers below (including details of the secret / twist)
Hidden Revenge is a difficult story to work through as a reader. The pacing is significantly off, with very little to no air time given to developing characters beyond 2D stereotypes. Jason is a bully, Kim, a cheerleader, Ronald, the kid that gets beaten up. Within the opening pages Ronald has gone from being bullied to sleeping with Jason's girlfriend. The romantic chemistry between Kim and Ronald is bare to say the least, covered in one sentence.
"She’s very athletic spreading her legs wide open. One day after having s*x in the back of the boys’ locker-room right after his practice was over, that b*tch told Jason that I was staring at her in gym class while she was doing jumping jacks."
There is so much to unpack in these sentences alone. Where has this lust come from? Why is Ronald sleeping with Kim if he also hates her? Why does he keep having frequent and lewd internal thoughts about her body?
When a page later Ronald catches Kim sleeping with her ex, Jason, Ronald is so infuriated by what he sees he withdraws a gun (with no context as to why and how long he has been carrying a gun) and shoots the mirror above Jason's head. How was it any different when he was sleeping with Kim while she was in a relationship with Jason? Despite this violent act Ronald is able to vanish with no police report raised. There is too much here that does not add up, at least not without a lot more character development.
The book then proceeds to jump between third and first person, hopping years into the future, then years back to the point where the time jumps become confusing even to the most seasoned of readers. The tenses also slip between present and past, a subtle grammatical point that adds friction into the reading journey. Below is an example from page 15 with offending words in bold:
Her attention was not on the game or even on her fiancé, Jason, who’s on the court. Instead, her gaze is fixed on a man sitting in the row diagonally across from her.
When it comes to the twist, this feels so ridiculous that it is incredibly hard to take it seriously. Two thirds of the way through, Ronald reveals that following his high school warning shot, he made the decision to change sex from male to female. Ronald's plan, now going by the name Veronica, is conceived on the ambition that Veronica will eventually get into a relationship with Jason just so she can literally screw him around. To say this plan is far fetched is a complete understatement. There is no development of Ronald's mental state to understand why he would make this huge decision, let alone have approval from any medical body to proceed with it. Jason, who is painted in the early pages as a nasty piece of work, is turned into a victim of an awful scenario, one which almost results in him committing suicide when he learns the truth about the woman he thought he loved.
Hidden Revenge is not a book that can be readily recommended, at least not in its current state.
AEB Reviews