Jay looked up in disbelief. His friends turned to Mira about to escalate, but he quickly stood up and pat them.

“Now, let’s not be that petty!”

“But what about my shirt? It’s ruined!”

“We can buy a new one.”

“My hair!”

“Aw dude, we have showers at school!”

 Mira  sat down and pretended to drown herself in her textbook, but of course, her head was ringing left and right.

WHAT WAS THAT,  MIRA ? WHAT DID YOU JUST D-

 Mira  bolted out the door. The classroom laughed.

Jay walked towards the girls and smiled charmingly. The girls blushed.

“So, who was it?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well, I was the once who got drenched!”

“Haha, I’m very sorry, it was me! I’ll help pay for your shirt and backpack!”

“Just curious – why tho?”

“Well, isn’t it funny to watch? It have been a while since she stuttered too.” Macy smiled.

“Hmm~” Jay grinned, but his eyes were at the window.

“Did Lev really transferred here, by the way?”

“Yea, just arrived this morning. Why?”

“Can you introduce us? Please??”

Jay grinned and lean in.

“And what will be my pay, princess?”

Macy blushed.

“A free dinner in the Starliet Hotel.”

“Two dinners. And replacement for my friends’ ruined shirts too.”

“Sure.”

“Ok, meet me after school!” Jay grinned.

Lunchtime soon came. The class was calm when she returned, and none of her stuff was damaged, so that method totally worked, right?

 Mira  clasped her hand. Good job,  Mira !

“Girll, come join us!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

 Mira  flinched. The thing she hated the most about school lines – people in front having their friends slip in between them.

Oh well, at least it’s just two friends… lunch time is pretty long for ninth graders anyway…

“OH MY GOSH, MACY, YOU LOOK SO PRETTY!”

“Ahaha, thank you!” Macy laughed, and slipped in with another three friends. She grinned at the  Mira .

What??!!

“Sophie! Yulia, Juniper, Olivia, Emma, Charlotte, Amelia, Mia, join us!”

 Mira ’s jaw dropped. Eight more people??

“Excuse me, can you not slip in more people? They come later, they should be at the back of the line!”

“Well, it’s too late.”

“Too late?! Just go back, or I can get in front!”

“Hmm? And what if I don’t wanna move? You wanna try dragging every one of us to the back?”

 Mira  almost tried doing that – when Thalassia luckily appeared.

“Oh for goodness sake bitch, so gluttonous that you can’t wait to eat lunch?”

Macy’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Nosy bitch.” She muttered, and left with her friends.

Thalassia smiled.  Mira ’s face, however, fell. She remembered Macy well now – Macy slipped from her memory a bit because of the horrors of the spying shenanigans – but the girl had always made her cry.

She wasn’t the one who bullied her the loudest, or physical in any way – but she isolated her in every way, and always come up with ways to highlight it.

“Are you ok?”

“Mpmh.”

 Mira  took her lunch, walking towards an empty table, when she bumped to Lev, and both of their lunch fell to the ground.

Jay and the other guys stared on.

Lev’s eyes boiled.

“Don’t you have eyes?”

“I can say the same to you! You were blind from this morning!”

“And you are a slug, who move so slow! Move!”

Thalassia frowned. Why is her brother being so mean?

“Lev! Stop it-“

Too late.

 Mira  have reached her highest level of offended and shoved Lev. Lev shoved her back, but she yanked at his shirt, ripping it apart.

Good thing for Mira – and bad thing for Lev – Thalassia slapped and yanked Lev’s hair as much as she could before he could murder  Mira . And Lev didn’t want to hit his sister. So, before he could react much, Mira would get her hits in.

Actually, is she trying to flash him or something? These aren’t even hits – they were wild wavings of arms and legs, occasional stumbles, at best scratches and at other times trying to rip his clothes off.

The lunch hall turned wild.

Jay’s eyes were now sparkling, his face pure content. High school fight! He only broke from trance when Thalassia slapped him, and the two struggled to pull Lev and Mira apart.

And yes, Mira ended up in the disciplinary office. Jay was there too, because, somehow, after separating the fight, Jay forgot his jacket in the lab, grabbed it, knocked some flasks down, tripped and turned on the stove, rolled and accidentally flung the flasks onto the stove.

The lab exploded.

Jay somehow tripped before it happened and fell outside the window though, so other than his half-burnt hair, he’s ok.

Right now, he’s smiling at  Mira .

Telling the whole event.

Almost like a golden retriever.

“… and where is that swollen cheek from?”

“You slapped me! When I was trying to separate you from Lev! Like this!” Jay slapped himself.

“O-OH uh I remember, you don’t have to slap yourself though…”

 Mira  sat awkwardly. When is this teacher going to come?? This idiot Jay is still staring at her, smiling non-stop! Was he a dog in his previous life?

 Mira  started to feel guilty. That bruise does look bad though, although it might have looked thrice as bad because Jay slapped himself…

“Sorry for slapping you.”

“No worries, apologies accepted!” Jay finally looked away, still grinning.

 Mira ’s lips flattened. So he was guilt tripping.

“Were you trying to flash Lev?”

“S-SORRY W-WHAT??”

“I mean he’s hot, I get it, tho you’re probably the first who managed to realize their dreams-“

“N-no, I wasn’t trying to!” Mira blushed.

“Hmm~ so you’re just a bad fighter?”

 Mira ’s cheeks went redder.

Jay glanced at her bandaged wrist and grinned.

“If you want to throw a punch, do it like this – four fingers, thumb outside, swing your hips too – straight.”

“L-like this…?”

“Close! You might snap your wrist like that tho, so if you’re still unsure, use a slap! Maybe hmm like 30 degree-“

“That’s not 30 degree…”

“Ehehehe I’m bad at angles! Well whatever angle this is – hold your arm like this, and swing! Front and back works.”

“Like… this?”

“Are you fanning a fish?”

“HEY!”

“Sorry,” Jay laughed, “Did you transfer in, btw?”

“Huh?”

“Transfer in! I never really heard of you before, which is strange.”

“Uhm no, I had been in this school since first grade…”

“Ah! Come to think of it, maybe we were just never in the same class?”

“Maybe.”

“I thought you transferred since you’re friends with Thalassia… tho I just found that out too today.”

“You’re close with Thalassia?”

“Ehh… not really, more to Lev, but Thalassia’s often there too.”

 Mira  slumped. Did Thalassia never talk about her? Maybe she didn’t see her as a friend after all?

“Hey, what’s with the sad face?”

Could someone be so obnoxious?

“Why?”

“It doesn’t suit you- OK MA’AM SORRY I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT – it’s just that you were very loud and fierce, hehe.”

“Oh well uhm – trying out something new… socially.”

Jay thought for a while.

“Macy?”

 Mira  flinched. Before she could answer however, the disciplinary teacher walked in and called Jay.

“Hmm maybe more… subtlety?” He winked and left.