Michael closed his car's door, sighed. He then walked towards the school corridor. The incident two days ago made Michael unable to sleep well. He still couldn't think that he was holding Gabby's hand!
Michael spent two whole days remembering how small and warm Gabby's hands were.
Walking through the school corridors, Michael could sense that something was off that morning. Usually, at this hour the school corridors were full of women gathering and gossiping like housewives in the market. Or a group of guys hanging out in the canteen.
However, this morning only Michael was in the school corridor. He quickly opened his cellphone and checked the day. Michael could feel his forehead frown when he saw that it was Monday, which meant it wasn't the wrong day for school.
When Michael was lost in his thoughts, Gabby's scream suddenly was heard from a distance. At that moment, Michael stepped down the corridor following Gabby's voice. He walked quickly while holding the bag strap that was on his shoulder.
And sure enough! In the field behind the school there was a large crowd. Curiosity filled Michael's mind as he quickly tried to get into the crowd, muttering, "Excuse me." When Michael was at the forefront of the line his eyes immediately fell on Gabby's tiny body standing in front of Richard.
"Give back Angel's money." Exclaimed Gabby in a cold voice.
Angel had always been bullied by Richard and his gang from the start. Her hair which was always styled in two braids, the big glasses that adorned her face, and her shirt that always buttoned up to the very top made Angel an easy target for bullying.
So far, no one had dared to defend Angel. If anyone tried, Richard would make sure that their lives would be miserable. But right now, Gabby fearlessly defended Angel. It made Michael a little proud.
"Piss off! A new kid like you doesn't know my strength yet." Richard replied arrogantly. He slightly pushed his chest forward.
"I don't care." Gabby replied, striding slowly toward Richard then stopping three steps before him.
When Michael saw Gabby stepping forward in front of Richard, he wanted to immediately turn around and call the teacher or principal to intervene. However, if he left the crowd now, he would not know the continuation of their fight.
"What are you doing here? Do you want people to praise you for defending your friend?" Richard asked, tilting his head.
"I will finish you for Angel." Gabby replied casually, "And no, I'm just standing up for the truth."
Angel who had been standing not far from Gabby finally let out a timid voice, "Never mind, it's okay. Let him take my money."
"See? listen to your friend." Richard replied, placing his hand on Gabby's shoulder.
Seeing this, Michael wanted to come forward and take Richard's hand off Gabby's shoulder and protect her. However, Michael didn't have the courage and muscles to protect Gabby. If anything, Gabby would be the one to protect him, not the other way around.
Gabby removed Richard's hand from his shoulder, turned to Angel and replied casually, "Don't worry, I'll definitely win."
Richard grinned as he heard Gabby's answer then took a step forward. He pushed Gabby's shoulder with his index finger causing her to back away from Richard.
"Just so you know, Angel allowed me to take the money." He sneered.
"Oh, really?" Gabby tied her hair, "Then let's have a fight. If you win, I won't bother you anymore."
Anger immediately colored Richard's face. He paused for a moment then stretched his hand and replied, "Okay, don't regret it later if you lose."
"But if I win, you have to apologize to Angel." Gabby continued calmly.
When he heard this, Richard clenched his fists and took off his shirt so that all that was left was his underwear and shouted, "Come on!"
Some girls in the crowd screamed and then fled from the scene, not daring to continue to watch the fight. Michael could see Gabby standing still, as if waiting for Richard's movements.
Suddenly there was a sound of screaming from a woman from a distance which made Gabby turn around and not see that Richard was walking towards her and threw a punch to Gabby's left cheek.
Gabby fell to the side, clutching her cheek, and before long she got up and ran over to Richard and threw her punch in Richard's nose. For a woman, Gabby sure landed a hard punch. Richard staggered backwards, groaning in pain, and holding his nose.
The crowd became even more crowded when they saw Richard's nose was bleeding profusely. Without realizing it, Michael smiled proudly at Gabby. Her small body that was half his size could beat a man like Richard!
"Wow, crazy! He can beat Richard!"
"Little Daredevil!"
"Crazy, I'd never thought she could do that."
The crowd went for an uproar as they began to cheer for Gabby. It wasn't long before their headmaster's voice heard, "Gabby! Richard! Stop there!"
When she heard the principal's voice nearby, Gabby immediately turned around and didn't see any cheap trick now. The principal was standing not far from the scene. Gabby could feel movement beside her, she turned her head and saw Richard trying to get up.
"You two come into my room!" Exclaimed the woman in a high voice.
-
As a result of their actions, Gabby and Richard were suspended for one week. During the trip to class to retrieve her bag, Gabby didn't know what to tell her parents. Her worst thought was that maybe her mother would skin her alive this time.
As Gabby was lost in thought, she could feel her hand being pulled toward the men's room. Shocked, Gabby unconsciously shouted which resulted in the boy turning her towards him and telling her to shut up, "Shut up! It's me Michael."
Gabby saw Michael carrying Gabby's school bag in his left hand. Michael took off his grip and told Gabby to sit on the sink. Embarrassed, Gabby stepped off her feet and did what Michael told her to do.
It didn't take long before Michael was standing in front of Gabby, placing the pouch over her left cheek.
"Cold." Gabby muttered.
"Hmm. You looked cool by the way." Michael said without looking at Gabby's eyes, his black eyes focused on looking at the bruise on Gabby's left cheek.
Gabby hoped Michael didn't notice that her face changed color, "Come on, you go to class. I'll be home soon."
Michael shifted his gaze to meet Gabby's eyes, paused for a moment then nodded his head slowly, "Be careful on your way."
-
Usually, Gabby came home from school using an online motorcycle taxi or picked up by her father, but since she had to come home earlier than usual, she preferred to walk so she wouldn't get home so quickly.
On the way home, Gabby was stopped by an old man who offered her to take karate lessons where the old man taught. The man seemed like he was in his 50s. Though he was old, the old man still stood firmly.
"Young lady, if I take a look, your bones look strong. Will you join my karate class?" The man greeted with a friendly smile.
"Karate?" Gabby asked curiously.
Even though Gabby had always wanted to take martial arts lessons, her mother never allowed it. So she always practiced alone in her room secretly.
"Yes, karate." The man invited Gabby to shake hands, "Follow me if you're interested."
The man said nothing more, turned around and walked towards the shophouses near Gabby's estate. Without thinking, Gabby's feet followed the old man.
Not long after the man stopped and entered a large building, Gabby could hear the loud voices of the coach teaching from outside.
"Please sit here and we will discuss when you can come here to train your strength." The man exclaimed, startling Gabby.
-
"What did you say?!" Gabby's mother asked incredulously.
At home earlier, Gabby was greeted by her mother who was still wearing work clothes. Not much to say, her mother immediately told her to sit on the sofa in the living room.
"Karate lessons?!" Gabby's mother massaged her head, "First you were suspended for one week and now you are telling mom that you took karate lessons." She continued in disbelief.
Gabby could only lower her head, not daring to look at her mother's face.
"Look at me." Her mother ordered in a stern tone.
Gabby slowly raised her head and looked at her mother. Her mother's face looked tired and held back emotions, her hair, which was originally in a neat ponytail, looked messy.
"Sit next to mother."
With the uneasiness in her heart, Gabby stepped over to the sofa where her mother was sitting. Her mother lifted Gabby's face with her index finger and studied the bruise on her daughter's cheek. With a sigh, Gabby's mother stood up and left Gabby alone.
Not long after, her mother returned with a plastic bag filled with ice cubes, just like what Michael had done earlier. Only difference was, this time Gabby was holding the plastic bag on her own without the help from her mother.
"You are a girl. You should behave like a normal girl." Gabby's mother said gently. This tone was usually used by her mother when Gabby had done something that hurt her mother's feelings.
"I know, Mom." Gabby answered, her mouth twitching slightly, holding back the urge to cry. Today was quite a tiring day for Gabby, apart from the sore cheeks, her legs were also tired from walking quite a distance, "Forgive me."
"I'm not angry, I'm just sad." Gabby's mother replied as she rubbed the back of her daughter's head, "After this, hurry up to your room and clean yourself."
Gabby could only nod her head. As she stood up, her mother grabbed her wrist, "Do whatever you want, you know mother will always support you."
Unable to hold back her tears, Gabby returned to sit next to her mother and hugged her tightly while shedding tears that were quite heavy. Her mother swiftly returned her daughter's embrace, stroking Gabby's back.
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