Chapter 44 – Dealing with a Bully [Part 1]

Well… shit.

What the hell is he thinking of doing now? My life has been blessedly free of Jack for the past few weeks. Honestly, I'd almost forgotten about him, which was a beautiful dream while it lasted. I guess now he suddenly remembers I exist again.

I stop walking and take a moment to assess the situation.

Let's review the facts: Jack is rich, physically gifted, and has an influential family backing him. Me? I'm barely above average in terms of physicality now (thank you, system), but I'm still far below Jack. More importantly, I'm poor and completely lacking in the influence department. My most powerful connection is knowing a guy who makes really good espresso.

So, what are my options here?

Option One: Run away. I'm not sure how viable this is since Jack's already seen me, but honestly? Jack doesn't seem like the type to chase someone down just for the satisfaction of bullying them. He's lazy about his cruelty: opportunistic rather than dedicated. Plus, I remember him mouthing "You're dead" at me that one time, and that threat lasted exactly one day before he apparently forgot I existed. The man has the memory retention of a goldfish with a concussion.

Option Two: Pretend he doesn't exist, go to my locker, and let him do whatever he wants. I mean, I'm kind of used to his bullying by now. It's like background noise: unpleasant but not life-ending. And with the System, I know someday I'll be stronger, faster... really just better than him in every conceivable way. I'll eventually become wildly more successful than he'll ever be. That knowledge makes the thought of getting bullied feel... subdued somewhat. It's hard to be intimidated by someone when you know they've already peaked in high school.

Option Three: Confront him. Ha. Haha. No. This isn't even really an option, is it? If I confronted him, he might actually develop a grudge instead of his usual goldfish-level attention span. And if Jack decided to seriously mess with me using his family's influence? He could probably get me kicked out of school. Or hire people to beat me up daily. Or (and this is the terrifying one), potentially get my mom fired from her job. I doubt he'd go that far unless I really provoked him, but his family's wealth and status are genuinely obscene. They're "rules don't apply to us" rich.

I make my decision. One day I'll get him back for all this shit. But today is not that day.

Of my two real options, tactical retreat seems best. I won't have to deal with him: win. And he probably won't hold a grudge: another win. Sure, it means I can't access my locker this morning, but there's nothing critical in there. Just textbooks, which, let's be honest, most teachers don't even use during class. I'll ask to share with someone if I really need to. My lunch will just stay in my backpack. Not ideal, but my sandwich isn't going to spontaneously combust in the next few hours.

Decision made. And I'm approximately zero percent ashamed of this choice.

I turn slowly, trying to look casual, like I'm just a guy who suddenly remembered he needs to be literally anywhere else. I half expect Jack to yell something, to call out and make this worse, but...

Nothing.

I glance back once, just once, because I'm paranoid, and he's already distracted, talking to one of his football cronies. He's probably already forgotten about me.

Crisis averted. I'm a tactical genius.

My first class actually doesn't feel any different without a textbook. Mrs. Henderson is busy scribbling math concepts on the board in her usual frantic manner, and we just follow along, copying notes. At the end of class, she assigns homework from the textbook, and I just write down the page numbers and question numbers. Problem solved.

During the brief break between first and second period, I take a quick trip to my locker. Jack's nowhere in sight, he’s probably already in his next class, or off somewhere terrorizing small animals. I grab what I need and get out.

The rest of the morning passes quickly, and honestly? It just seems like a normal day so far. Maybe the universe decided to give me a break.

Before I know it, the bell rings for fourth period, and suddenly my entire morning has been worth it because: It’s Luna time!

I don't know how Luna always makes it to computer science class before me. Maybe she teleports. Maybe she has a secret tunnel system throughout the school. Or maybe she's just better at navigating hallways than me. But there she is, sitting in our usual isolated corner at the back, hunched over her computer like she's trying to merge with it.

I take my seat beside her, and I can't help the smile that spreads across my face. "Hi Luna!"

She looks up, and her face does this thing where it just... lights up. A bright, genuine smile that makes my chest feel weird. "Hi Adam!"

Her voice is still quiet, but there's genuine happiness in it.

We settle into our usual routine: Ignoring Mr. Zhao's lecture while talking quietly and finishing our programming assignments at speeds that would make normal students weep.

"So what're you playing right now?" I ask, keeping my voice low.

"Oh!" Her eyes get that sparkly quality they get when she's talking about something she loves. "I've been replaying… this visual novel I really like… The story is so good… it made me cry like… three times…" She pauses, fidgeting with her hoodie strings. "There's time loops and… the main character keeps trying to save everyone but… she can't and…"

She trails off, realizing she's about to spoil it, but I'm smiling because she's so genuinely excited.

I'm listening, I really am, but I'm also hyperaware of every small movement she makes. The way her hands gesture slightly when she gets animated. The way her hoodie shifts when she leans forward to emphasize a point.

And then, because I'm a disaster of a human being, my eyes drift down.

I can't help it. The way her... assets move under that hoodie is just incredibly distracting. The fabric stretches and shifts with every breath, every gesture, the movement is just frankly hypnotic.

"...Adam?" Her voice has a teasing edge now. "My eyes are… up here…"

My gaze snaps back up so fast I nearly give myself whiplash. Luna's smiling though, she’s not angry or uncomfortable, just amused.

"Sorry," I say, feeling my face burn. "I got distracted."

She laughs softly, covering her mouth with her hand. "It's… okay… I don't mind…"

We continue talking, moving on to safer topics that don't involve me getting caught staring like a creep. Eventually, the conversation shifts to summer plans.

"Ughhh..." I mutter, slumping dramatically in my chair. "I hate school. Summer can't come fast enough."

"I'm... excited for summer too..." Luna says quietly, her curtain of purple hair partially obscuring her face as usual.

"You doing anything special? Going anywhere?"

"Well… maybe I'll visit Japan… see my family for a bit…" She tucks some hair behind her ear. "But mostly I just… wanted to finish my side project… and then I'm free…" She glances at me. "We should… hang out more… when there's no school…"

She's looking directly at me now, her curtain of hair having parted enough to give me a full view of those gorgeous violet eyes. They're wide and sparkly, and as often happens, I'm stunned by just how ridiculously adorable she looks.

Without thinking, I reach out and pat her head. Her hair is incredibly soft, and she makes this small happy sound that's going to live rent-free in my brain forever.

"Yeah! Definitely! We could have another game night. I need a rematch of Fario Racers."

"Oh?" She tilts her head, and there's a playful glint in her violet eyes. "Have you been… practicing?"

"Oh, absolutely," I say with complete seriousness. "I've been practicing cheating. New strategies. You won't stand a chance."

"That's—" She breaks into giggles, her shoulders shaking as she tries to stay quiet. "That's so bad… You're the worst…" Success. Making Luna laugh feels like winning the lottery.

The rest of the class passes in comfortable conversation. Then the bell rings, releasing us for lunch.

As usual, Luna and I are sitting together at our regular table in the back corner of the cafeteria. We finished our lunches quickly so we could spend more time talking.

"So," I say, balling up my sandwich wrapper, "in Japan, do you usually stay the whole summer or just visit?"

"It depends…" She takes a small sip from her juice box. "Sometimes just a few weeks… Sometimes longer…”

"I get you. To be honest, for me, summer just means more time for gaming and anime! I guess now it also means that we get to hang out more though!"

Luna's face turns pink, and she fidgets with the sleeves of her oversized purple hoodie. "Yeah... I'm excited to get... more time to hang out... with you."

Are we really just friends? The thought crosses my mind unbidden. Okay, I'm not going to think about that too much. I'm really not her type anyway, she literally told me she likes tall, muscular, charismatic guys, and I'm... well I’m working on it. I think she's just happy to have a friend who actually talks to her and shares her interests.

During a lull in our conversation, I find myself looking around the cafeteria, people-watching in that vague way you do when your brain needs a momentary break.

And then I see him.

Oof. No. Not again.

Jack Richardson is staring in our direction.

My stomach drops. I guess maybe avoiding him this morning was a mistake. Maybe now he's planning something worse since he couldn't mess with me earlier.

I look at him for a beat longer, my mind already running through worst-case scenarios, and then I realize something that makes my blood run cold.

No.

He's not looking at me.

His gaze is completely locked onto Luna. And the way he's looking at her, slowly, deliberately dragging his eyes up and down her body, makes me feel physically sick.

A wave of anger washes over me, hot and immediate.

The bell rings, signifying the end of lunch, but that ominous feeling doesn't leave. It just settles deeper into my gut, heavy and cold.