Chapter 1 : Ginger

September 2009. The first semester of my junior year had begun. After the long summer break, the grind of school returned, and I hated every second of it. I wasn't built for the classroom; I thrived at my Karate Dojo or locked in my room lost in a video game. Sometimes my best friend, Alvin, would come over, and we’d lose track of time playing until the sun went down. Call us nerds if you want. I didn’t give a damn about anyone else’s opinion.

"Why are you spacing out, dude? The bus is here," Alvin said, landing a weak punch on my arm.

"Cut it out, Al," I snapped. "You want me to smack you?"

He laughed, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Chill, man. When you zone out, you look like a gangster. It creeps the girls out. You’ll end up single forever."

"Your weak ass isn't doing much better," I retorted. "Seriously, you need to learn to defend yourself. You have to stand your ground against those jocks. I can't be your bodyguard forever."

Alvin’s face fell, and he gripped his bag tightly. "Sorry, Daeron."

I felt a pang of guilt. "Don't sweat it. Let's just get on the bus."

Alvin was a magnet for the school's athletes. Ironically, we became friends because I kept getting into brawls with them for no reason. Because of those clashes, I was a social pariah—a "weirdo" and a "troublemaker." But as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I protected him, but my presence only made him a bigger target. We were peas in a pod; they had to think twice about bullying him if I was within arm's reach.

**

The lunch break bell rang—nothing beat that sound when it came to saving my brain from the boredom of Mr. Phillips’s babbling.

"Let's go to the court, Al. I need fresh air".

"Dude, my mom already packed me lunch. She even packed some for you. Let’s just eat in class".

"Whoa, really? Tell Mrs. Peter I love her more than your dad!"

"Fuck, man, that’s gross!"

"Shut up, you should be grateful for an awesome mom. But let's eat at the court, come on".

"Dude, those jocks will cause trouble again if they see us there".

"Fuck them! I’ll smash their heads if they try anything, especially Small-dick Brook. Move your ass!"

After convincing Alvin, we headed to the court to eat the lunch Mrs. Peter had made. Her cooking was incredible; I practically had to fight the urge to steal half of Alvin’s portion.

"Shoot, we’re out of water," I said, standing up. "Wait here, Al. I’ll run to the cafeteria. Want anything?"

"Just water, dude," he replied. "Don’t be long."

"Yes, Mom!" I teased. I moved fast, not because of his request, but because I knew leaving Alvin alone was like leaving blood in the water for those vultures.

While I was in line, a girl tapped my shoulder. "You’re Alvin’s friend, right?"

"Yeah?"

"You need to help," she said quickly. "My friend is in trouble because she stood up for him."

I didn't wait for the water. I bolted back to the court. There she was—a girl with bright ginger hair—standing her ground against Brook and his cronies.

"What’s up, Brook?" I called out as I approached. "Does your jaw need another 'adjustment'?"

"Oh look," Brook sneered. "Alvin’s dog came running back. Woof woof."

"Try me, shithead," I said, stepping into his space. "This time, your clowns get an adjustment too. Maybe I’ll start with your nose". Their fists tightened, and I was more than ready to go.

"Enough!" the Ginger girl shouted, stepping between us. "Brook, move your ass. Stop acting like a toddler. Your face looks like my uncle’s, but you act like a baby". The surrounding students erupted in laughter.

"Lucky for you, psycho," Brook muttered, staring me down before he and his crew slunk away.

Then, the girl turned that fire on me. She pointed a finger right in my face. "And you! Stop causing trouble! You’re a bad influence on Alvin".

"Shut up, Cheeto," I snapped. "I saw you trembling. Stop playing hero. Come on, Al. Sorry I forgot the water".

We walked away, leaving her fuming. Suddenly, a sharp, excruciating pain exploded in my groin. A kick from behind, perfectly landed. I collapsed, curling into a ball on the pavement.

"You ungrateful bastard!" she yelled. "I help your friend and you mock me? You psycho cunt!" Then she stormed off.

**

After school, Alvin and I hung out in the hall in front of our classroom.

"Fuck, my balls still hurt," I groaned. "That girl has a lethal kick".

"Sorry, Daeron," Alvin said, looking at the floor. "I always cause you trouble, and I never even defend you".

"Chill, dude. You just need to grow some balls," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Or maybe we ask 'Cheeto' to kick you until yours pop out".

Alvin finally cracked a smile. "Oh, fuck you".

While we were messing around, the Ginger girl approached us. The fire from earlier was gone. "I’m sorry for what I did before, Daeron," she said softly. "I know you were only trying to protect Alvin from those jocks".

I blinked, surprised. "Huh? You know my name?".

"Of course," she said, rolling her eyes. "Everyone knows who you are".

"Oh wow. How?".

"You were the winner last year, right?".

"Oh. The Karate Tournament?" I felt a small surge of pride. "I thought the basketball players were the only ones who were popular".

"Ugh, who said you were popular?" she countered, her sass returning. "You’re just 'known.' There’s a difference".

"Well, I'm more 'known' than you, Cheeto," I retorted. "I don't even know your name".

"Hah! You’re a caveman, then".

Alvin leaned in and whispered, "Dude, she’s Jessica. From the main cheerleading team".

"Oh, so you’re one of those ditzy girls," I said.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Her face tensed, her pale skin flushing red as her green eyes glared at me like daggers. "What the fuck did you just say?". "Stop calling us ditzy! I’m not stupid! My friends were right—you’re a psycho bastard!".

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the hall.

"Dude, that wasn't cool," Alvin said, shaking his head.

"Oh, come on, Al. Everyone calls them ditzy girls".

"Yeah, but not to their face, man".

"Whatever. Let's just go home".

**

One day, Alvin skipped school because his grandfather passed away. For a long time, I’d always gone to school with my best friend; suddenly being there alone felt... lonely. I sat by myself in class and ate alone in the court during lunch. It was quiet. Too quiet.

I found myself questioning why people avoided me. I only wanted to protect my friend from bullies. Yet, those same bullies stayed popular while I was the one being treated like a disease just because I stood my ground. It wasn't fair, but that was high school.

After class, I planned to head straight home and lose myself in games. But as I stepped out into the hall, I saw Jessica leaning against the wall, watching me.

"Where’s Alvin?" she asked.

"He skipped. His granddad passed away," I said.

"Oh... I’m sorry to hear that." She looked down at her shoes for a second. "That’s why you were alone at the court today".

"Yeah." I cleared my throat, feeling the weight of the silence. "And hey... I want to apologize for last week. I didn’t mean to mock you. I’m sorry, Jessica".

She looked up, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Uhum. Is that all?".

"And... thank you. For standing up for Alvin while I wasn't there".

"Uhum. I just hate bullies".

"Same".

We stood there for a long beat, neither of us knowing where to look. The hallway was emptying out around us.

"Alright," I said, hitching my bag higher on my shoulder. "I gotta go, Jessica. See you".

"Do you think an apology like that is enough?" she challenged, stepping away from the wall. "It took you a whole week, and you didn't even try to find me".

I stopped. "Uh... what do you want then?".

Her smirk grew into a full-on grin. "Let’s go. Buy me hotdogs and I’ll reconsider".

"Huh?".

"Come on," she teased, waving me forward. "Move your ass".

She turned and walked off, and after a second of confusion, I followed her. We ended up at the city park. She didn't hold back, choosing the most expensive hotdog on the stand. This girl was definitely going to be trouble.

"Mmph... now this is a proper apology!" She sat on a bench and started eating passionately, looking more like a little kid than a cheerleader.

"Yeah, it cost me plenty, too. Really 'proper,'" I muttered, though I couldn't help smiling a bit.

"Oh, don’t be a killbuzz," she said, nudging me. "You should know, this is how you make girls happy".

"Heh." I took a bite of mine. I had to admit, the food was good. We sat in silence for a minute, just watching the people in the park.

"Anyway, Daeron," she said, her voice more serious now. "Why do you keep fighting with those jocks?".

"I told you. I hate bullies. Besides, they won't leave Alvin alone for no reason".

"But doesn't that just put a giant target on his back?".

"I know it does. That’s why I’m always around him. I don't care if people call me his guard dog. He’s my best friend".

"Why not just report it to the discipline committee?".

I snorted. "I did. They always find a way around it, and it just makes things worse for Alvin in the end".

"But the other students... they’re scared of you, you know? They think you're a psycho".

"I don't care".

"Like a superhero then?" she asked, leaning closer. "Fighting injustice without expecting anything in return?".

"I'm no hero".

"A firefighter then!".

"I don't have an axe".

"You don't need one. If you brought an axe to school, you'd look like Patrick Bateman".

We both burst out laughing, the tension finally snapping. After chatting for a while longer, we decided it was time to head home.

"Thank you for the hotdogs, Daeron. See you tomorrow." She gave me a bright, genuine smile.

"See you, Jess".

As I walked away, it hit me: that was the first time in all of high school I’d actually hung out with a girl. I’d spent so much time with Alvin—maybe he was the reason I was so socially stunted? Fuck you, Alvin!. But then I realized I only got to spend the day with Jessica because he was gone. So... love you, man!.

But damn. That smile. She was beautiful.