The morning sunlight streamed through the school gates as Zik strolled in, feeling surprisingly lighthearted. He'd been looking forward to this morning, something rare for him. Tobias had texted the group chat first thing, saying he'd be early.
True to his word, Tobias stood near their usual spot by the courtyard, his backpack slung over one shoulder and his scaly green hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. He looked different today—not physically, of course, but there was an ease in his posture that hadn't been there before.
"Early, huh?" Zik called out as he approached.
Tobias turned, and for the first time, Zik saw him genuinely smile, sharp teeth and all. "Yeah. Figured it'd be nice to, you know… not feel like I'm walking in alone."
"You're stuck with us now," Zik said with a grin, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Absolutely stuck," Aiden chimed in as he jogged up, stretching his arms lazily. "And you're welcome, because we're excellent company."
Tobias chuckled. "I think I'll survive."
The three of them fell into easy conversation, joking about their homework, upcoming classes, and whatever nonsense had been trending online. For the first time, Tobias didn't seem to notice—or care—that people were staring.
And there were stares. Always stares.
Zik could feel the undercurrent of tension as they talked. Whispered words, curious glances, the occasional look of disdain—all directed at Tobias. He could tell Aiden noticed it too. But Tobias ignored it completely, his smile unfaltering.
Zik marveled at his composure. He'd seen Tobias's restraint the day before, but now it felt deliberate, practiced. Like Tobias had made a decision not to let the world get to him, no matter what.
The moment couldn't last, of course.
As the three of them laughed at one of Aiden's exaggerated stories about his latest gym blunder, a voice cut through the air, sharp and grating.
"Could you guys maybe tone it down?"
The laughter stopped. Zik turned his head, already feeling the tension creep up his neck. A girl from their class was standing a few feet away, arms crossed and lips curled into a sneer. Her gaze was locked on Tobias.
"You're being loud," she said, her voice dripping with condescension. "Some of us are trying to actually enjoy our morning. Maybe you should, I don't know, go hang out somewhere else? Preferably far away?"
The words hung in the air, and for a moment, Zik could feel the quiet shock ripple through the students nearby. It wasn't loud enough to attract a crowd, but it was enough to make people pause and watch.
Tobias didn't move.
The girl tilted her head, her gaze flicking over his scales and sharp claws. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Or should I say… lizard?"
Zik's fists clenched instinctively. He could feel the anger rising in his chest, hot and immediate, but he held back. Aiden shifted beside him, his usual grin gone, replaced with a tight, simmering glare.
But Tobias stayed calm.
Zik glanced at him, noticing how Tobias's jaw tightened for a brief moment before he let out a slow, deliberate breath. Then, with a voice as steady as steel, Tobias said, "Speaking to us is a privilege. One you don't have."
The girl blinked, her mouth opening slightly, as if she'd been struck. "What did you just—"
Tobias didn't let her finish. He turned away, his smile returning as he looked back at Zik and Aiden. "Come on, guys. Let's go."
For a moment, Zik was stunned. He watched as Tobias walked away, his head held high, laughing softly as if the entire encounter had been a joke.
Zik felt a grin tug at his lips. Aiden gave the girl one last pointed look before jogging after Tobias. "Wait up, man. That was smooth!"
Zik followed, his anger melting into admiration.
"You just walked away," Zik said when he caught up. "How do you do that? How do you stay so calm?"
Tobias glanced at him, his expression thoughtful. "It's not about being calm," he said. "It's about not giving people like that what they want. She wanted me to react. If I had, it would've been her win, not mine."
"That's… impressive," Aiden admitted, running a hand through his hair. "I'd have said something stupid and gotten myself into trouble."
"It's something I've had to learn," Tobias said quietly. "When you grow up looking like me, people push you. They poke and prod, trying to see if you'll break. You get used to it."
"That doesn't make it okay," Zik said firmly.
Tobias shrugged. "No, but it doesn't matter. What matters is how I handle it. If I let people like her define me, then I've already lost."
Zik couldn't help but nod. "That's the 11th Hero Code," he said after a moment.
Tobias raised an eyebrow. "Hero Code?"
"Restrain your anger," Zik explained. "It's about not letting your emotions control you. Anger clouds judgment, makes you sloppy. Heroes have to be better than that."
Tobias chuckled. "Didn't know I was following a hero code."
"You nailed it," Zik said with a grin. "Better than most heroes I've seen."
"Definitely better than me," Aiden added. "Teach me your ways, wise one."
Tobias laughed, shaking his head. "I think you're beyond help."
Zik watched as the tension from the morning melted away, replaced with easy laughter and camaraderie. Tobias was strong—stronger than Zik had realized. And in that moment, he knew Tobias wasn't just surviving.
He was thriving.
For the first time, Zik felt like they weren't just helping Tobias find his place. Tobias was helping them, too.
The girl stood frozen for a moment after Tobias's dismissal, her lips twitching with indignation. How dare he? Her mind replayed his words—calm, deliberate, cutting—and the way he turned his back on her, laughing like she didn't even matter. She felt her chest tighten, a mix of anger and embarrassment bubbling up.
By the time Tobias, Zik, and Aiden had disappeared down the hallway, her face was flushed with fury. She clenched her fists and looked around, catching the lingering eyes of a few classmates who had witnessed the exchange.
"Did you see that?" she said loudly, her voice trembling with feigned disbelief. "I was just asking them to be considerate, and he—that thing—had the nerve to talk to me like that."
A few students glanced at each other, unsure how to respond. But the girl didn't wait for an answer. "He thinks he's so special just because he looks like a science experiment gone wrong. It's disgusting."
One of the other students muttered, "Yeah, like he's the victim or something."
Another added, "He's probably just waiting to snap. You know how those mutation types are."
The girl's lips curled into a smirk as the murmurs spread. She knew she had their attention now, their agreement. People just needed a nudge—someone to give voice to their doubts and discomfort.
Before long, her words rippled through the school like wildfire.
---
The three amigos didn't need to hear the whispers to know what was happening. Tobias felt it in the stares that lingered too long, in the way people pulled their friends closer when he passed. Zik noticed the way groups would suddenly go quiet as they approached, only to erupt into laughter once they were a safe distance away. And Aiden, ever perceptive, caught the side glances, the pointing, the half-hidden smirks.
The three of them sat together during lunch, ignoring the occasional burst of laughter or muffled comment from across the cafeteria. Zik could feel the weight of it, pressing against the edges of their little circle, but he wasn't going to let it break them.
"Well," Zik said, stabbing at his sandwich with unnecessary force. "Guess we're officially unpopular now."
"Unpopular is putting it lightly," Aiden said, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. "We're public enemy number one. Especially Tobias over here."
Tobias shrugged, poking at his food without much enthusiasm. "I've been worse things."
The calmness in his voice made Zik pause. "Doesn't bother you?"
"Of course it bothers me," Tobias said, glancing up. "But I can't control what other people think. I could bend over backward trying to make them like me, but what's the point? They don't even care about me—they just hate what I am."
Aiden nodded slowly, his smirk softening into something more thoughtful. "He's got a point. People love a target. They don't even need a reason half the time."
"And they hate it when their target doesn't care," Zik added, starting to grin.
Tobias finally smiled, leaning back in his chair. "Exactly. They want us to react, to feel miserable. So why give them that satisfaction?"
Aiden raised his water bottle. "To being proudly unpopular!"
Zik snorted but clinked his own drink against Aiden's. "To being a thorn in their side."
Tobias chuckled, shaking his head as he joined the toast. "And to not caring what they think."
---
The rest of the day passed in much the same way. The whispers followed them, the occasional stares lingered, but none of them paid it any mind.
Tobias walked through the hallways with his head held high, not letting a single cruel word land. Zik found himself admiring Tobias's quiet strength even more. He couldn't imagine what it was like to be in Tobias's position, but seeing him handle it with such grace made Zik feel like they were on the right track.
By the time the final bell rang, the three of them were laughing and joking like they hadn't a care in the world.
And maybe they didn't.
The rest of the school could hate them all they wanted, but the three amigos had something far more valuable: each other.
As the final bell rang, students poured out of the classrooms in a chaotic stream, eager to leave the school behind for the day. Tobias, Zik, and Aiden strolled out together, their usual spot by the school gates in sight. The three amigos hadn't stopped chatting since lunch, the day's insults and stares brushed off like dust.
Tobias glanced around as they walked, the faintest smile on his face. He didn't say much at first, but Zik noticed the way his scaly shoulders seemed lighter, less tense than they'd been that morning.
When they reached the gates, Tobias finally broke the comfortable silence. "You know," he started, his voice quieter than usual, "this… was the best day I've had in a long time."
Zik raised an eyebrow, caught off guard. "Today? With all the whispers and the hate? That was your best day?"
"Yeah," Tobias said, smiling a little wider. "Because for once, I wasn't dealing with it alone."
Aiden grinned, throwing an arm around Tobias's shoulders. "You mean we made your life easier? Man, you must've had it rough."
Tobias laughed, shaking his head. "You have no idea. Before today, I used to fight all of this by myself. The stares, the whispers, the… everything. It was exhausting. Every time I thought I was handling it, something would happen to knock me down again."
Zik nodded, his expression softening. "I get that. It's hard to fight alone."
"It is," Tobias agreed. He hesitated, his gaze dropping to the ground. "But with you guys… it wasn't just easier—it was fun. For the first time in forever, I wasn't just surviving the day. I was actually living it."
Aiden tightened his arm around Tobias, giving him a playful shake. "Well, get used to it, buddy. You've got us now, and we're not going anywhere."
"Yeah," Zik added, grinning. "You're stuck with us. For better or worse."
Tobias looked at them both, his reptilian eyes shining with something that looked a lot like gratitude. "Thank you," he said simply. "I mean it. For everything."
Zik waved him off, though his grin softened into something warmer. "You don't have to thank us. That's what friends are for."
"Yeah," Aiden said with a smirk. "We're a package deal now. You can't get rid of us even if you try."
The three of them burst into laughter, the weight of the day melting away as they stood by the gates. The world outside could throw whatever it wanted at them, but for now, in this moment, everything felt right.
And for Tobias, it wasn't just a good day—it was a sign that maybe, just maybe, he'd finally found his place.