A new year.
A new term.
A new Alex.
A boy stood at the school gates, the morning sun casting a golden line across his calm face. His backpack slung lazily over one shoulder, hands tucked in his pockets, eyes still and unfazed.
He took a deep breath.
"Urghhh… fresh new start. New year," he mumbled with a half-smirk.
The boy walked through the gates like a breeze—chill, composed, not a trace of tension in his body. That boy… was Alex.
The same Alex who once fought for survival in the ring.
But not the same at all.
As he walked through the hallways, heads turned. Some smiled, others whispered. Alex greeted them with a warm, friendly ease.
"Hey!"
"Happy new year, Mary."
"What's up, Josh?"
Every step was calm. Every word natural.
He climbed the stairs casually, only to see a group of bullies posted up near the locker room—laughing, waiting for trouble.
Alex smiled.
Then, he pretended to slip. His foot "accidentally" kicked the edge of a stair. He stumbled forward—directly into the group.
"Whoops—sorry, my bad!" he said with an innocent face, pushing one of them slightly.
Another bully shoved him back. Alex let the motion spin him toward the locker room door. It burst open—and inside, Liloyd and his gang were in the middle of their usual cruelty, picking on younger students.
Alex entered like a whisper of mischief.
"Hey! Happy New Year!" he said with a beaming smile.
Ben turned, surprised. "What are you doing here, Alex?"
Before Alex could answer, Liloyd stepped in front of him.
"Wait," Liloyd said. "Alex, just go mind your own business. This has nothing to do with you."
Alex tilted his head. "Sorry… I'm not gonna do that."
Liloyd sneered. "You think you can beat me this time?"
"Maybe," Alex said coolly. "Why?"
"I've learned something new."
"Show me."
With a grunt, Liloyd threw a punch—fast.
But Alex?
He moved like he was already ten steps ahead.
He dodged, swept Liloyd's legs, and sent him crashing to the floor in one clean move.
The room went silent.
Alex glanced around with a smirk. "Who's next?"
Ben blinked in disbelief. "Since when do you use your legs?"
"Since summer," Alex said, cracking his knuckles.
Ben, Zack, Daniel, and Leo rushed in like a wave.
Alex became the storm.
Slip. Turn. Dodge. Hit.
He was untouchable.
Elbows, knees, punches—precise, sharp, clean.
The bullies were left groaning on the floor. The crowd outside the locker room—students with phones in hand—had recorded every second.
Alex walked out calmly, unbothered.
A student stopped him. "Hey, what happened in there?"
Alex just shrugged. "I don't know."
Then kept walking.
Moments later, a teacher burst in, shouting, "Everyone! Back to class now!"
CHAPTER: THE NEW KID
As Alex walked toward his classroom, he saw Mark, Liana, and Hanah waiting by the door.
"Yo!" Mark called.
"Hey, I'm good. You?" Alex replied casually.
"All good, man," Mark grinned.
"Hey, Mark," Alex said. "I heard there's a new student joining our class?"
"Yeah, that's the rumor," Mark replied. "Not confirmed yet."
"Oh, really?" Alex said in a cool tone.
Then he turned to the girls. "Hey Liana, Hanah—how're you both?"
"Good," Hanah said, giving him a quick hug.
"Fine," Liana replied with a soft smile.
Just then, Ms. Lark entered the classroom, a tall boy following behind her.
"Alright, class," she said. "This is your new classmate, John. He's from the U.S. His mother's moving to England for work, and he'll be studying here from now on. Make him feel welcome."
She gestured to an empty seat. "Mr. Jones, you may sit over there."
John nodded politely. "Thank you."
Then class began. Physics. Long and dull.
But when the bell rang for recess, energy filled the air.
The students flooded toward the canteen. Alex, Mark, Liana, and Hanah joined the long line to get food.
While waiting, Alex noticed John sitting alone at a corner table.
"Hey, Mark."
"What's up?"
"Why's he sitting alone?"
"He's new," Mark said with a shrug. "People are just… people."
Alex nodded. "Kinda reminds me of me. Before I learned to fight."
Mark smiled. "Exactly."
"You wanna sit with him after we get our food?"
"Yeah, let's do it."
After grabbing their meals and waiting for the girls, the four of them made their way over to John's table.
Alex smiled and reached out a hand. "Hey, I'm Alex."
John shook it. "John."
Mark grinned. "So you're from the U.S.?"
"Yeah," John replied.
"Hi, I'm Liana," she said sweetly.
"And I'm Hanah. Good to meet you," Hanah added.
"You don't have any friends yet?" Alex asked.
John looked down for a moment. "No. Most people just look at my skin and judge."
Alex leaned forward with a soft grin. "Well… we don't care about skin. We care about soul. Right, Mark?"
Mark nodded. "Damn right."
John smiled. "I appreciate that. A lot."
CHAPTER: THE SHIFT
After recess, they walked back to class together. Students whispered and stared. No one expected Alex—the rising fighter, the school hero—to befriend that new kid.
John noticed the attention but stayed quiet.
By the time he sat down, students surrounded him, asking questions.
"Do you really know Alex?"
"You from New York or L.A.?"
"Are you a fighter too?"
He didn't know how to answer all of it, but he smiled, grateful. For once, people saw him, not just his skin.
CHAPTER: WALKING HOME
After school, John was surprised to see Alex and the gang waiting for him outside.
"Yo, John," Alex waved.
"Hey," John said, smiling. "Why're you waiting for me?"
"Because we're friends," Mark said. "Why not?"
John grinned. "Thanks."
They walked together. At the corner, Alex took a left turn while the others kept going right.
John blinked. "Hey Mark, why's Alex going that way?"
Mark glanced back. "Oh—his house is that way. Why?"
"No reason," John said.
But he smiled again.
Because in a single day, he didn't feel like a stranger anymore.
He felt like he belonged.