14 Arrangement

'Wu! Why is he here?'

"Oh, so wuwu is here."

The boy with trimmed white hair stood up.

"Hey, shut the fuck up prick."

"Ha! Woo woo."

Ray and Simon watched as Wu and the white-haired boy started to push at each other.

"Oh yeah, yours truly is going to beat your ass!"

"Ha! Learn to grapple first woo woo!"

'What a bunch of kids.' Thought Slippy

'What a surprisingly fun mood." Thought Ray.

"You guys are a bunch of retards."

Said Jack.

"Oh yeah? You wanna join in?"

"I refuse. I am not gay."

"Hey, it's called bro cuddling. No homo!"

Ray looked at Simon questioningly "what is happening?"

"You'll get used to it if you stick around long enough."

Said Simon who just smiled.

"Hey look at me!"

The shaved brown guy who previously had disappeared somewhere had reappeared dressed in a full white karate gi with a white belt holding it up.

Everyone looked at him.

Simon spoke.

"Bro…. You look kinda gay in that."

"Really?"

The brown guy grinned embarrassingly.

"Yeah, you should wear a matching black go instead!"

Said the white-haired boy.

"Now that's just downright racist Aaron!"

Jack looked at Aaron smiling.

"Ya, you're being a racist shit!"

"Cmon I was just joking!"

The brown guy looked on smiling at his friends messing around. Then he put his hand together before coughing out.

"Racist."

"Cmon!"

Simon looked back at Ray.

"You've met Wu?"

"Huh?"

Ray thought back to when he met Wu.

"I guess you could say that. Although I don't really know him."

'This Simon kid is oddly good at making Ray come out of his shell and with the way they are acting. Maybe the Black Menace gang isn't as bad as we had thought.'

Slippy thought to himself.

Wu upon hearing his name turned his head around.

"I beat his ass."

"Huh?"

Time seemed to have frozen over as everyone stood still.

A look of disbelief could be seen on Simon's face whose smile was replaced with a frown.

"Could you expand on that?"

Said Aaron who was squatting down again.

Wu looked at Aaron with a frown before continuing.

"It was Guy Law who started this shit."

"Oh."

"That makes sense."

"Sounds about right."

"That brat again huh?"

A mass feeling of understanding and agreement began forming in the room.

"Ha Ray it appears that they all know Guy is a brat too from their reaction!"

'Really? Is this actually happening?'

Simon patted Ray's shoulder.

"You're all good. Don't worry."

Ray felt a sudden chill on his back. What would have happened if he wasn't "all good?"

Aaron, who was still squatting by the door, looked at the brown boy.

"Yo anyway what's up with the gi Adam?"

"Did you forget that I am going to join a karate dojo?"

"Oh yeah, karate. Why are you joining it again? You should join one of us in another striking martial art instead!"

"Yeah like I am going to join any of you. All of you do such expensive martial arts. I am sure as hell not going to pay over $100 a month for martial arts!"

'I feel kinda lost and outta place here.'

"Yo Jack here. I've found it."

A hunky man with a shaggy Korean hairstyle walked in from behind the counter's door with a box.

"Finally."

The man placed the box on the counter and started typing on the counter's computer.

While Jack opened the box and peered in it.

"Yo how much would this gi cost?" asked Adam.

The man looked up at him.

"It is size A2 right?"

"Um, I think so?"

"This gi should cost about $60."

"Alright, I will take two."

Jack took out his phone and paid for the item in the box while Adam went to get changed.

Ray stepped forward to the counter upon seeing Jack finishing up.

He pulled out the Mister MMA hand wraps that Simon found earlier and placed it on the counter.

"Can I also get that 16oz grey pair of falcon gloves?"

"Sure, I will get it for you."

The man opened the counter and closing it behind he walked off to the glove section.

"Ray, you should choose a mouthguard while he is getting the glove for you."

'Oh yeah!'

Just as Ray turned around to look at the mouth guards. Wu strolled up to him with a sinister grin. Grabbing Ray by his shirt. When he felt a hand grip onto his shoulder.

"Wu what's up with you."

Simon standing behind Wu smiled.

Wu's grin intensify.

"Don't you get it?"

"Get what?"

Simon frowned.

"He's trying to get stronger after I beat him up."

Aaron's and Jack's eyes narrowed.

"So you think he wants to fight you again?"

"Damn straight. And yours truly won't back down from this brat!"

Simon stared him down with Wu glaring back.

"Ray I think you made a friend?"

'Oh.'

It had just struck Ray that Simon was the first person he met in Bellatrix to have ever stood up for him. Mark, Gun, and Quan have indeed helped him, but they have not directly stood up for him as Simon did.

'I guess the saying never judge a book by its cover is true! Heck, I am probably not a good judge of character. Well, actually neither is Ray.'

Slippy had almost forgotten that Ray was an awkward social outcast due to him talking so normally to Simon.

"How about this."

Aaron who was still squatting glanced at Ray.

"I heard that Ray was planning to train boxing. So how about you guys have a pure boxing match in a month?"

'How long does he intend to stay squatting.'

Slippy peered through Ray's eyes.

"Well, you certainly got my approval."

Said Simon.

"What about you Wu?"

"Alright, yours truly will punch the ever-living shit out of you!"

Wu said with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Ray look at them frantically.

"Wait, but-"

Before he could talk more Simon held a finger up to his face.

"It's this or a no-rule street fight. I'm sure you wouldn't want that, would you?"

Ray stood aghast.

"So let's find a place to do it. We could do this at a boxing ring or maybe a grass field. What would you like Ray?"

Wu with an annoyed started to talk but was also stopped by Simon with a finger to his mouth.

"Now it should be Ray's choice since you're the one who challenged him."

Wu grumbled a bit but kept mostly silent.

"Now Ray what will it be?"

'Ray says a ring. It should be safe and more regulated that way.'

"We will do it in a boxing ring!"

"I assume that since you are joining a boxing gym you will have access to a ring?"

"Yep. It is the pack of wild dogs boxing gym."

"Oh great, I hear of that place."

Simon has a wide smile on his face.

"Now at the end of the month, we will meet at that gym. It is September 8th right now so we will meet on September 30th!"

'Slippy. Simon seems weirdly happy.'

"Yea."

"Ray, can I have your phone number please?"

"Oh yeah sure."

Ray and Simon quickly swapped phone numbers.

Adam came out fully dressed again and the Black Menace gang members started to leave after he paid for the gi.

"See you in a month Ray!"

"Bye."

Ray waved awkwardly.

'How long has it been since I had waved to anyone else besides Miley?'

And with a series of rings, they were gone.

"Well, Ray it appears we have to prepare for a fight again. I know you are not that happy but think of it this way. You now got another reason to train and you have made a new friend albeit a strange one. A friend is still a friend."

'Yeah, I guess.'

"Hey, do you use visa or debit?"

"Oh, um...visa please!"