Chapter 12: "Echoes of the Past"

Ethan slowly turned around, expecting to find Jason, but instead he was met by a tall guy with dark hair and intense eyes. His expression was serious, but friendly. Ethan furrowed his brow, confused.

"Eh?" he asked, not knowing what to say. The guy watched him for a few seconds, as if assessing something.

"I'm not Jason," he replied, smiling with a slight smirk. His accent, a bit more noticeable than the local guys', gave Ethan the impression that he wasn't from around here. "My name's Javier. I saw your fight with Nate a little while ago. You don't see someone put him in his place like that every day. Mind if we talk for a moment?"

Ethan shook his hand reluctantly, uncomfortable with the confusion. He didn't know the guy, but something in his attitude seemed different.

"What do you need?" Ethan asked, trying to sound neutral, even though the topic of the fight didn't interest him in the slightest.

"Nothing, just curious," Javier answered, shrugging. "I've been boxing for a while, and I'm telling you, what you did isn't easy. Do you train in anything?"

Ethan sighed inwardly. Exactly what he wanted to avoid: talking about boxing. With so much on his mind, the last thing he needed was another guy excited about a fight he hadn't even planned.

"No, I've never trained in boxing or anything like that," he said honestly, glancing at the hallway as if searching for an excuse to end the conversation.

Javier raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised.

"Really?" he said, examining him. "That seems strange. It didn't look improvised. I thought you'd at least taken some classes."

Ethan shrugged, downplaying it.

"I'm not interested in boxing or contact sports. It was just luck, I guess."

Javier looked puzzled but decided not to push the subject further.

"Well, I get it if you don't want to talk about it," he admitted, smiling slightly. "But what you did reminded me of The Hitman. That guy is a genius in the ring! Do you know him?"

Ethan frowned, a little confused. The name sounded familiar, though he couldn't say why. He hadn't seen his fights, nor did he remember hearing his name before. Still, something inside him made him feel like he knew him from somewhere.

"The Hitman?" he repeated, unsure. "Yeah, I think I've heard of him. But I don't know much."

Javier looked at him and continued enthusiastically.

"He's an incredible boxer. He's been on top for years. You should watch him someday. In the ring, he's unstoppable, but he also has an amazing strategy. It's not just brute strength."

Ethan nodded slowly, trying to hide the strange feeling of familiarity he felt with the name. He didn't remember much about The Hitman, but something inside him told him he knew him, even though he couldn't understand why.

"Maybe," he responded, trying not to commit too much.

Javier seemed to pick up on Ethan's indifference and decided to change the subject.

"If you ever want to train, let me know. Nate goes to the same boxing academy as me. Although, to be honest, he's not as good as he seems at school."

"Nate trains in boxing?" Ethan asked, intrigued. He'd always thought Nate just got into street fights, but now it seemed there was more to it.

Javier nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, but he's not consistent. He only goes occasionally, and you can tell. He prefers looking for fights outside the ring rather than training properly. But you..." he paused, evaluating Ethan. "If you've never trained, you can tell you've got something special. Are you sure you don't practice anything? You could be really good."

Ethan shrugged, feeling uncomfortable with the attention on his "ability." He didn't want to talk about boxing anymore.

"No, seriously. I'm not interested in going down that path," he said, glancing at the hallway again.

Javier watched him, as if trying to understand why Ethan didn't want to talk more. He decided to soften his tone.

"I get it. I just thought it'd be cool to train together sometime. Or, if you're not into boxing, we can always talk about other things. No pressure."

Ethan smiled faintly, more out of courtesy than genuine interest.

"Maybe," he responded, leaving the door open without committing. "Thanks for the invite. I'll see if I ever stop by."

"Perfect, I'll be around if you decide to," Javier said, waving goodbye with a friendly smile.

Ethan nodded, relieved that the conversation didn't drag on too long. As he walked away, he couldn't help but think about the strange feeling the mention of The Hitman had left him with. Something in him felt like he knew the boxer, though he didn't understand why.

POV JASON

10 minutes ago…

Jason watched from his seat as the same girls from the day before surrounded Ethan, filling him with laughs and admiring comments. Ethan, as always, didn't seem comfortable. Jason knew him well. He didn't like being the center of attention, had never enjoyed it, and the last thing he wanted was to be surrounded by people staring at him curiously. But there he was, enduring the discomfort with a forced smile.

Jason felt a pang of discomfort seeing his friend in that situation. At another time, he would have intervened, gone over to Ethan, and taken him out of there, like he had done before. But this time, he didn't. He thought about what had happened with Nate, how Ethan had confronted him his own way, despite his warnings.

"If he wants to do things his way," Jason thought, "let him." If Ethan didn't want to listen to him, if he preferred to handle things on his own, then let him. Jason wasn't going to intervene, not after what had happened.

After seeing Ethan leave, a murmur from the back of the room caught his attention. He didn't want to listen, but the intensity of Nate and his group's voices forced him to tune in. That's when he heard Dylan, urging Nate to go after Ethan now, suggesting they do it as a group. Jason felt a stab in his chest, similar to what he had experienced before with his friend Trey.

"Damn it," he thought. He remembered Trey, his former school friend, who used to be bullied by the same group as Nate. Jason had tried to help him many times, step in to prevent things from escalating. But Trey, always kind and reserved, had never wanted Jason to intervene. "Let me deal with this my way," he would say. One day, Jason wasn't there to protect him, and the abuse escalated until Trey had to move cities to escape the torment. Jason always felt guilty for not having done more, for not insisting on helping him.

Now, watching Nate, who was keeping his own friends at bay, Jason remembered that feeling of helplessness. Dylan was pushing Nate to go as a group, but Nate cut him off immediately, making it clear this was something personal. "Same old," Jason thought, his stomach turning. He knew this kind of situation didn't end well, and the thought of Ethan going through something similar to what Trey had made him grit his teeth.

"Not this time," he told himself. He knew Ethan wanted to face it on his own, but Jason couldn't just stand by. If Nate had any plans for revenge, he wasn't going to let Ethan face him unprepared. With his heart pounding, Jason stood up from his seat and left the room, determined to find his friend and warn him.

Jason entered the cafeteria, met by the typical midday bustle. It was a spacious area, with long rows of rectangular tables filled with students. The sound of laughter, conversations, and trays clattering filled the place. The plastic chairs, some faded from use, were crowded with boys and girls chatting and eating their lunches: pizza, fries, and cartons of milk or juice.

To one side, the service area was filled with students standing in line, waiting for their turn to get food, while cafeteria workers quickly served portions. The smell of melted cheese and fries filled the air, typical for any weekday. The walls were covered with posters for sports events and announcements for school clubs, giving the place an organized chaos vibe.

Jason looked around, noticing that everyone seemed to be in their own world. Some groups were talking animatedly, others laughing out loud, and there were a few loners eating in silence, focused on their phones or books. That's when he saw Ethan, sitting alone at a table by the window. He seemed to be trying to stay out of the spotlight, hunched over his tray as he ate.

In the distance, Jason noticed how some students were pointing at Ethan, laughing among themselves, probably mocking him for the viral video. Others just looked at him from the corner of their eyes, whispering something to each other, as if afraid to get closer. "Wow, the rumors sure spread fast here," Jason thought, making his way toward his friend, ready to confront him face to face.