He threw a one fifth directly at Barry's stomach. It made the man reel over and retch but absolutely nothing came out. Just air from the gasp. The volatile man with no temper control had charged at him. No technique. No skill. No style. Just a straight charge with pure power that felt no different from a kid bumping into him. Barry was expecting something different, most likely. The betrayal of emotions on his face as anger and arrogance turned to fear and horror scared his guys from approaching him.
It was less then ten yards since he walked out of the class, saying hi and exchanging numbers with a sea of girls who told him that he was interesting and brave. He wasn't brave because he stood up to Barry but brave because he seemed indifferent regarding the brute. He was interesting because he and his partner, and although he didn't choose any of them, they didn't mind because other opportunities existed, were able to take a look at the problem and come up with an entire solution without having to consult anything. He was interesting because he didn't make a big show about it. He just did it and then checked to see whether he was faster or slower then the others. That showed he was competitive or at least he wouldn't let himself be the only one left behind.
They entered his view at five yards and continued following him. The crowd noticed them but paid no mind. Were they really going to assault so many people openly? He assessed them one more time. He look at the eyes. The eyes were the window into the soul. It told you everything you needed to know about what a person would do. Barry's eyes were hungry, resentful, barely restraining his rage. He would do something drastic but knew when to pick a fight. Each girl that hugged, kissed him on the cheek, or gave him her phone number blew up Barry's veins.
Barry probably viewed himself as a king. No. A prince. If he was a king, he would've long done the stuff he wanted to. But he was controlled by the rules because the consequences were probably very real to him. He acted unruly in class because he could control them through fear. Most people were peaceful and preferred harmony. Barry disrupted that and they had no real solution because the solution was physical force and no one had that until he came.
As for why Barry was like that, there were a number of reasons that didn't matter to him. He would check Barry if Barry really came at him. And he did come at him. When a good portion of the crowd dispersed, everyone heard the sound of a sprint. They all turned and looked on as Barry threw a fist at his face. He let the fist connect and stood his ground. Didn't even budge. Barry stood posing like that, probably expecting him to fly or fall down. Most likely expected some kind of spotlight to fall down. He didn't and returned a no effort drive into his solar plexus. A kid like Barry just needed a shock to learn the message. The man flew further than he thought.
Too weak.
Barry arced and landed in the grass nearby. Twisted into a fetal position as hands gripped the stomach. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, forty seconds passed before the puke came. Hands were still gripping the stomach. Minutes passed by and Barry showed no signs of getting back up. Probably even fainted. He looked at the rest of the guys that were behind Barry. They just stared blankly, not sure of whether to advance or retreat. Their support had been knocked out in a single blow. Didn't even injure the bastard. He looked on a little more before walking away. The crowd followed, lively and in high spirits. A punch to the face could be considered intentionally nefarious. A similar punch to the stomach was considered defensive. They were shocked that he did more damage through the stomach then Barry did to his face. Did the bully even punch at all? Why was he still fine? Why he was walking as though nothing even happened?
"Excuse… what class do you have next?"
The girl who asked this was rather shy, evidence by the hesitation in her voice even though she was looking straight at him. Shouldn't her eyes be looking down instead? Maybe she thought he was naturally aggressive and didn't want to aggravate him?
"I'm not violent. I just punched real strong"
It was a simple yet clear statement. It brooked no argument. He didn't lose control. He simply punched with that much power in his fist. Well, he held back most of it. Roughly ninety five percent of it.
"Right. Are you taking a biology class next by any chance? I know of one that starts in an hour. We might walk together"
"Do you have a boyfriend by any chance"
He was looking at Barry when he asked this. The girl understood immediately and shook her head.
"Even if I did, I would break up with him if he got jealous and attacked you like that"
That wasn't an answer. It didn't confirm anything. It was just filler so he stared at her.
"I, I do… I do. He's in the same chemistry class but he's too shy to sit next to me. He's even looking at me talking to you right now but he understand how stupid it would be to get angry at you. Friends. Not lovers. Not yet anyway"
Not yet. Showed strong signs of attraction and implied future romance. He had Megan so he wasn't interested. He didn't want to reject her by saying that either. Would be too harsh on a shy girl.
"Not yet. Probably would not be a good idea"
"Right. Right. Just friends helping each other in chemistry and biology"
"Sounds like a good plan"
The girl brightened up and gave him a thumbs up. Then she ran to his side and waited for him to move or do something else. He looked at her.
"I'm probably not going to class next. There's an hour. I might want to eat or explore"
"I like hanging out with my friends. I'll just follow you around and point out things you get confused about"
He didn't see an issue with that so didn't say anything. Just kept walking. Five girls ultimately decided to follow him for the hour. They also had the same biology class. Four of them had boyfriends who didn't do anything. They only stood there and watched as he walked with their girls. A man with a grin walked behind them, maintaining a distance of one meter. He passed by the men and didn't say anything and they didn't say anything back either.