Running Late

Leo Belsay's heart sank as he watched the school bus disappear down the street once again. He was becoming far too accustomed to this frustrating routine of tardiness. As he hurried through the school entrance, Leo braced himself for the inevitable confrontation with Jack and his gang of bullies.

Like clockwork, the intimidating group materialized at Leo's locker, menacing sneers plastered across their faces. Jack relished any opportunity to seek out trouble and make Leo's life miserable. This marked the fourth such bullying incident in just two short weeks at his new school.

The previous time they clashed, the principal's verdict had not been in Leo's favour. He was sentenced to detention for fighting back, despite Jack initiating the confrontation.

Leo's act of retaliation had been to dump the contents of the lovingly prepared lunch his mother made over Jack's smirking face.

It was a small price to pay for some semblance of revenge. Jack had immediately ordered his lackeys to pursue Leo, but the principal happened to be passing by just as one of the bullies landed a punch. The principal quickly intervened, sending Jack's entire crew to detention while sparing Leo.

The next morning on the school bus, Leo couldn't help but notice a quiet girl with striking blue eyes and curly chestnut locks sitting alone towards the back. He mustered his courage and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Leo," he said with a friendly smile. The girl looked up shyly and replied, "Sophia."

When they arrived at school, Leo headed straight for his class. The teacher posed a question about the famous American Civil War - in what year did it begin, and when did it ultimately end? Leo quickly raised his hand and confidently stated, "It started on April 12, 1861, and ended on April 9, 1865." The teacher's jaw dropped slightly, clearly stunned that a new student just two weeks into the course could provide such a detailed and accurate answer. She thought to herself how Leo must have inherited his love of reading and historical knowledge from his parents, who she understood were brilliant scientists. Unlike Leo's wealthy yet perpetually absent parents, who entrusted his upbringing entirely to a butler.

As the final bell rang, signalling the end of classes for the day, Leo exited the building amidst the usual taunts and verbal abuse being hurled by Jack's gang. He did his best to ignore them, keeping his head down and continuing on his way home. That's when he spotted Sophia up ahead and quickened his pace to catch up with her. They greeted each other warmly, and Leo inquired how her day went. "It was fine," Sophia replied politely.

Leo decided to walk Sophia part of the way home, realizing her house was just a couple of blocks from his own. As they reached her doorstep, he watched Sophia embrace her mother in a loving hug. A pang of sadness washed over Leo, knowing his parents were always too consumed with their work and careers to have much time for him. He could scarcely remember the last time he had hugged his mother - it must have been at least three months ago.

Upon arriving home, Leo sought out Jared, the family's long-time butler who essentially raised him. "Jared, how is it that my parents never seem to have any time for me?" The butler's eyes conveyed sympathy as he gently explained that Leo's parents were immensely passionate about their scientific work and business endeavours, which unfortunately tended to monopolize their attention. However, Jared assured the young boy that he would always strive to provide the care, guidance, and companionship Leo needed.

After dinner that evening, Leo retreated to his bedroom, his mind replaying the day's events and dwelling on the stark contrast between his home life and Sophia's. He envied the closeness she shared with her mother. Eventually, physically and emotionally spent, Leo drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately, his slumber was plagued by a terrifying nightmare of a zombie apocalypse, where humans all around him - including his parents - were transforming into the undead. He abruptly awoke in a cold sweat, chest heaving. Jared must have heard his cries because he came rushing in to comfort and calm the distraught boy. As Leo described the horrific dream, Jared did his best to reassure him that nightmares were not real, just unsettling fabrications conjured by the subconscious mind during sleep.

A few hours before dawn the next morning, Leo's uncle Aaron arrived for an unexpected visit. "There's my favourite nephew!" Aaron bellowed

with a warm smile as Leo greeted him groggily. "Long time no see! How about telling your uncle a joke to put some pep in his morning?" Aaron let out a hearty laugh as Leo obliged with a silly joke he'd learned from a classmate.

Soon it was time for Leo to get ready for school once more. Jared reminded him not to miss the bus this time. Just before departing, Aaron pulled Leo aside. "Listen here, young man," he said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I want you to be on your best behaviour today, you hear? No more getting into trouble with those rotten bullies." Leo nodded obediently as his uncle ruffled his hair affectionately before seeing them off.

Hoping to avoid being tardy again, Leo opted to wait outside for Sophia so they could walk to the bus stop together. After what felt like an eternity, she finally emerged from her home. "What took you so long?" Leo teased, struggling to conceal his impatience. Sophia rolled her eyes and explained her mother had been fussing over packing her lunch for school that morning.

Once aboard the bus, Leo immediately noticed Dale, one of Jack's brutish sidekicks, glaring menacingly at Sophia from a few rows back. The loutish bully soon began harassing and taunting the petite girl. Despite Sophia pleading for him to stop, Dale's obnoxious behaviour only escalated until Leo could no longer tolerate it. "Leave her alone, you jerk!" Leo shouted, rising from his seat. When Dale arrogantly dismissed the warning, Leo's fear gave way to anger. Clenching his fist, he delivered a powerful punch squarely to Dale's nose, causing it to gush blood.

Sophia looked at Leo with a mixture of shock and admiration that he had courageously stood up to defend her honour against such an intimidating adversary. Once they disembarked at school, Sophia gushed, "Thank you for protecting me, Leo. That was so brave of you!"

During the lunch break later that day, Leo sat in the cafeteria enjoying his meal when Jack and his gang swaggered in, flanked by the sullen, bloodied Dale. Jack smirked as he deliberately led his clique to the table directly in front of where Leo was seated, clearly hoping to initiate another confrontation. Leo couldn't resist needling them, commenting smugly, "I see Dale enjoyed my knuckle sandwich special this morning on the bus." A peal of laughter erupted from the surrounding students as Jack and Dale flushed with embarrassment and stormed away, their bravado deflated.

The final bell signalling dismissal couldn't come soon enough for Leo. However, just as he began his walk home, Jack emerged from nowhere to violently trip him, sending Leo crashing to the pavement. Within seconds, Jack's entire gang had descended upon the helpless boy like a pack of ravenous hyenas. That's when Sophia came running, courageously trying to intervene. She managed to land a solid punch to one bully's face before the boys overwhelmed them both with a relentless flurry of kicks and blows.

Just as Leo was bracing for Jack's final blow, a powerful force knocked the villainous ringleader to the ground. A tall, imposing man had materialized, blocked Jack's punch with deft moves, and now stood protectively in front of Leo and Sophia. Introducing himself as Bruce, the martial arts master effortlessly dodged the bullies' clumsy attack attempts with his tai chi moves, subduing them with deft kicks and strikes until they finally retreated in a cowardly fashion.

"Don't think this is over, you losers!" Jack shouted angrily over his shoulder as they fled. "We'll get you again, I swear it!"

Battered but immensely grateful, Leo could only manage a feeble, "Thank you, sir," as Bruce gently lifted the boy's slight frame and carried him home, Sophia following closely behind. After depositing Leo into Jared's care, Bruce escorted Sophia the remaining blocks to her home to ensure she arrived safely.

Once Bruce had departed, Jared tended to Leo's injuries, freshening his cuts and wrapping his bruised ribs, Leo fell asleep.