"His name was Bertín..." Dash furrowed his brow as he tried to remember exactly what he had forgotten.
"Are you sure, or are you just assuming?" Devon asked as she stopped to grab the things she would need for the next classes.
Dash looked at her calmly and said, "I just remembered."
However, before she could respond, he added, "But I've never spoken to him before. Won't it be a bit awkward for everyone?"
"It's nothing surprising. We spend most of our time in the Dojo training, so it's normal not to know almost anyone. But that doesn't matter, right?" Devon smiled as she walked towards the classroom.
"Of course, it doesn't matter." Dash smiled as he followed closely.
Things would normally be stifling for many by not socializing or integrating into the more famous interaction groups within the school, but these were things that both Dash and Devon didn't care about at all.
Things for both of them were going at different paces, so there was nothing to worry about. Dash wasn't uncomfortable talking to others; it's just that this situation always went the other way around.
As they walked, Dash's indifferent eyes noticed a group of three playing in a dangerous way, and just as they passed by, one of them threw his friend who was about to hit Devon.
At that moment, Dash moved, took Devon by the arm, and dragged her forcefully to his side, making sure that she, who was focused on her notes, didn't get hurt.
"Idiot, a bit more, and she would've ended up on the ground."
"Hey, stupid monkey, shouldn't you be more careful right here where you're not the only ones walking?" Dash released Devon's arm and approached the nearest guy, who was a bit robust.
"Do you let him talk to you like that, Brucks?" A guy behind him mocked when he saw Dash, who seemed not to know who he was messing with.
"Let me talk to him this way?" Brucks approached Dash and murmured these words very closely.
"Not worth it, Dash. They're just a group of idiots with no self-respect." Devon took Dash by the arm to prevent him from getting into trouble.
Over the previous years, she had taken care to prevent Dash from getting into fights because of her and getting expelled. Many didn't know, but the only reason to make her friend angry was to mess with people he considered close or create unnecessary problems.
"Did you hear your girlfriend? Get out of my sight right now." Brucks sneered as he said this and looked at his friends who each took a side.
Dash growled in a cold way, "Don't play tough with me. Remember, you're the idiot who's always with Kyler, so let me give you some advice: don't bother me and get out of my vicinity before my hands move to rip your teeth out of your mouth."
Many people knew what was going on, so they stopped, and some others took out their cell phones and started recording in case an interesting fight happened.
Brucks, who frowned trying to remember who was in front of him but didn't have time for that, and at that moment, just as he was about to intervene, his friend's voice came from his side, "Do you want me to help you?"
Kyler appeared with a group of friends, and among them was Samantha LaRusso, who had disappeared from the Karate tournaments after her defeat against Devon. She was smiling while talking to her friends and didn't notice who was in front of her since she could only see his back.
"This isn't your problem, but it could be. Are you really interested in making this much bigger than it should be? Just a damn apology is more than enough; don't you think you're making this more flashy than it should be?"
For Dash, fighting with bullies was like fighting against a weed—they don't disappear if you ignore them, but you can put a stop to them, which is what Dash always did.
Kyler frowned not knowing whose voice it was and said, "It seems there's a misunderstanding, and you want to make things bigger. Are you really smart, or are you just a clown seeking attention?"
Samantha, who was not aware of what happened, said, "Why don't you just leave and forget about this? Many are getting uncomfortable with this situation in the early hours of class."
Devon stepped away from Dash's side, and upon seeing Samantha, she said, "LaRusso, why don't you consider minding your own problems and not pretend that everyone is willing to give up their problems for the comfort of others?"
"I was just trying..." Samantha, who recognized Devon for being a multiple-time champion in that tournament she participated in once, fell silent. And just as she was about to respond, Yasmine spoke and said, "You better consider choosing your words wisely, dear."
"Why don't you step forward and show me how it's done?" Devon asked Yasmine defiantly.
Dash, who only wanted to put a stop to things before they started messing with him like he was a toy, shook his head and said, "Forget it; this is pointless."
He had agreed with Devon never to back down in a similar situation, but also not to fight, as that would ruin their reputation as experienced fighters. But knowing that sometimes people don't process information correctly, for their own good, it's better to let things go and step aside.
"Now you're chickening out?" Brucks, who hadn't seen Dash's face because of his hairstyle that wasn't a hairstyle, gathered a bit of courage.
But before he could do anything, Devon took Dash's hand and pulled him away before everyone really started regretting messing with them.
She could be aggressive, but she knew when to stop, and now was the time.
"Let's get out of here..." Devon didn't want any more attention, so she left dragging Dash, who finally gave up all discussion and turned around.
"See you later!" Brucks shouted as he mocked along with his friends.
"I hope you don't if you don't want to get hurt. Shouldn't you know him? He's Dash Hale. If I were you, I'd avoid any conflict with him..." Samantha regretted interfering, but there was nothing she could do since she couldn't go back and change everything.
"Dash Hale? The same one who fought with some college guys near the school?" Yasmine smiled and asked as she walked away, "What do you think?"