"I don't feel alive, Devon..." Dash murmured as he leaned on his desk. The class couldn't stop looking at him from time to time, as if they feared he might go crazy due to the lack of air.
Devon Lee looked at Dash's appearance and was left speechless. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She never thought that the guy who played video games every day had now become someone who trained his body as if there were no tomorrow.
"Hey, you know that on weekends, you can join me in the training... It would be very comforting not to suffer alone. If we're two, the spirit is shared," Dash said while handing a big chocolate to his friend.
Devon looked at the chocolate and Dash's suffering expression, so she said, "If I do what you do every day, the remaining energy I have to come to this reform school would be depleted. During the holidays, I could train with you every day."
"Are you reading another saga of books with more letters than days lived?" Dash didn't believe Devon; normally, they did everything together, and when one refused, it meant they were wasting time on some of their personal interests.
Devon, who heard this, smiled, reached into her bag, and pulled out a mint ointment, saying, "You complained yesterday on the call, so I made sure to buy this ointment from an old man. He says it has many chemicals, so just apply a little on the muscles that hurt."
"Wow, I didn't think you were so considerate..." Dash took the mysterious-looking ointment and smiled; he would definitely use it.
"We've got each other's backs. When will you learn to kick and stuff?"
Dash thought about this, and indeed, he wasn't ready yet. He had to work on his flexibility and endurance, so he said, "I'm working on coordinating my body; I'll start kicking very soon."
"Hey, you two, can you be quiet for a bit? I'm trying to sleep..." said a somewhat stocky guy with an annoyed look.
"You sleep at home, genius, unless you don't have one," Devon responded, dismissing the guy named Maicol, who was staring at Dash.
"I didn't ask for your damn opinion. Is she the only one who stands up for you?" Maicol didn't fight with women, so he looked at Dash as if he was the one responsible for Devon.
Dash, who had gone unnoticed for a long time, caught attention when he experienced that anxiety incident. So, since he knew guys like Maicol very well, he nodded slightly.
"You know, I have a very weak body, and Devon, who is my guardian warrior, takes care of protecting me at school. Do you not have any girl to protect you?" Dash asked absentmindedly.
Devon smiled seeing how Maicol was left speechless. Dash was always the one to avoid problems, but he also didn't let himself be intimidated by such silly games.
"Pathetic, at least find a pretty girl..." Maicol muttered as he left the classroom.
"This homeless bastard..." Devon grabbed the book Dash had told her about with sensationalist content and was about to throw it at Maicol when a hand stopped her.
"Don't you remember? I protect you from idiots like him, and you protect me from crazy ones..." Dash took the book and stood up, walked to the classroom door, and smiled in a somewhat questionable way.
"Damn, I hope he doesn't do something crazy..." Devon murmured, unable to contain her curiosity, she stood up and followed Dash, who had entered the boys' bathroom.
"Damn school, there are only idiots..."
Dash, who wanted to avoid any hint of trouble, said, "Hey, Maicol, I really don't want to have problems, but you insulted my friend. As long as you apologize to her, I can forget all this, and we can be friends again."
As if hearing something irrational, Maicol replied, "Wait, are you here because of what I said about your ugly girlfriend? She was the one who got in my face; I should've given her a beating for what she said, but she got lucky for being a girl."
Dash, who heard this, didn't know how to fake his anger. Devon was someone special to him, so he wouldn't allow any stupid kid to bother her. As his father had said one day, avoid problems and eliminate them from the root.
"Well, first of all, no one insults my friend!" Dash said, tightening his grip on the book in his hand and forcefully hitting Maicol's forehead.
Bam!
"Secondly, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder!" Dash shouted, taking advantage of Maicol being stunned.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Dash, are you crazy?" Devon shouted, entering the boys' bathroom upon hearing the screams of pain. When she saw Dash hitting Maicol with the book, she quickly stopped him.
"But he's a bully. Aren't we supposed to avoid them messing with us?" Dash looked at Devon with confusion. Wasn't Maicol one of those kids who abuse their strength and beat up others?
Devon looked at Maicol and said, "He's an idiot, but I don't think he's one of those. Forget it, let's go back; classes are about to start."
"Yeah," Dash murmured, a bit confused. Now that he thought about it, he felt a little guilty because, in a way, no one was at fault here.
"I'm sorry, Maicol. I'll leave chocolate in your backpack..."
Dash, who had never fought before, felt a little bad. He just wanted to prevent someone from messing with him because he knew perfectly well the stereotypes of bullies, but there was no need to become one to achieve that.
On the other hand, Devon was very happy, although she hid it well since fights within the school were severely condemned, and she didn't want Dash to be expelled for a few days due to a pointless argument.
"Hey Dash, I'll exercise with you on weekends," Devon said as she returned to the classroom.
"That's fantastic. I'll introduce you to Mr. Kim when we meet," Dash said, much more excited.
Two months later.
"Have you packed everything, Dre?"
"Yes, Mom, everything's ready," Dre said, looking at the empty house that used to be his.
Knock-knock! Knock-knock!
"I'm coming!" said a woman with wavy hair, wondering who was looking for them at this time, as she had settled all the commitments before moving to China.
"Mrs. Parker, are you Mrs. Sherry Parker?" asked a man who came to deliver a package.
"Yes, that's me," Sherry murmured a bit confused.
"You have a package; this is originally for your son, but you can receive it," said the delivery man, asking only for a signature.
"Who is it, Mom?" Dre came to the door to see who had knocked.
"Dre, do you have any doubts about a package for you?" Sherry wanted to deny this type of package.
"A package for me? I didn't really expect Dash to send me anything..." Dre was surprised that what he considered a joke was actually something Dash took seriously.
"Dash?"
Dre nodded and said, "He's my friend, Mom. He's an amazing person."