When I recognized the place, my skin broke out in goose bumps. I remembered that day well... but the tranquility didn't last long.

A group of bullies entered the room. The leader, Razor, bumped into a girl who normally didn't talk to anyone.

“Watch where you're going, idiot!” Razor shouted as he pushed her.

The girl fell to the floor, trembling, not even daring to look up. Some laughed, others just looked on with disappointment... but no one did anything. Everyone was afraid of Razor, as his family was connected to bad people.

Razor mocked her, even kicking her a few times as if she were a punching bag.

“Come on, get up, nerdy girl,” he sneered contemptuously.

I don't know why, but I jumped up, banging my desk hard. The whole room fell silent, staring at me. Something inside me was burning.

I walked over to Razor, stood in front of him, and looked him straight in the eye.

“Why don't you pick on someone your own size?” I shouted.

“Wow... looks like we have a hero here,” he replied mockingly.

“Shut the hell up for once in your life!” I shouted even louder.

Everyone was in shock. No one had ever dared to stand up to him before.

Razor clenched his fists, his eyes filled with rage.

“I hope you get out of this without any injuries, you idiot.”

Without warning, he lunged at me, trying to hit me. But I dodged his attacks. That surprised him: no one ever used to defend themselves.

“Damn you! Stop moving, or I'll hit you!”

“As if I were that stupid...”

I got ready and hit him back a few times. I landed several blows, managing to stagger him. His friends caught him before he fell.

That's what really made him furious.

Then it wasn't just him anymore: his whole group came at me. We got tangled up in a chaotic fight. After several exchanges of blows, I ended up on my feet... barely. I was shaken, sore, but still standing.

I approached the girl, still on the ground, and held out my hand.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes... I'm fine,” she said shyly. “And you?”

“Well, a little exhausted... but I'm still in one piece,” I replied, scratching my neck with a smile.

She smiled shyly too.

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome. I'm sick of guys like Razor. Sick of being just a spectator when I can intervene, especially if someone innocent is in danger,” I said firmly, looking around the room.

Then the class president stood up from his seat and began to applaud.

“He's right. We've been ignorant. We've let Razor and his group intimidate us. But today that changes. Today, someone showed us that you can be brave even when you're afraid.”

He came up to me, took my right arm, and raised it in front of everyone.

“Today, Dax taught us that we can speak up! Three cheers for him!”

Everyone began to applaud and celebrate. But I... I just turned to look at the girl. I didn't know it at the time, but she would be the first person to touch my heart.

And just when the dream felt more real than ever... my alarm went off.

I woke up.

I opened my eyes slowly. There were tears in mine. A mixture of nostalgia and sadness filled my chest... but I got up.

Minutes later, as I walked to school, I was still thinking about that dream. In the middle of my thoughts, a familiar voice called out to me.

It was Aris.

“Good morning!”

“Good morning...” I replied.

“How was your night?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, you have terrible dark circles under your eyes... and your hair looks like a storm.”

I quickly tried to comb my hair with my fingers and rub my eyes. She laughed.

“Hehehe, come on, hurry up. It's almost 8 o'clock. I don't want to be late.”

She started walking in front of me and smiled at me. But it wasn't just any smile... that smile reminded me of the girl I defended years ago. A tear escaped from my eyes. Aris noticed.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes... I just got something in my eye,” I said, wiping my face.

“If you say so. Come on, prince, I don't want to be late because of you.”