9. Daniel

We arrived at the cafeteria with David and lined up for our lunch. The smell of freshly cooked pork chops whetted my appetite. We helped ourselves to potato salad, rice and accompanied everything with a lemon drink. As we sat down at our table, I noticed that several students began to surround us, which made me a little uncomfortable.

"Daniel is my best friend," David said to the others, as I sighed inwardly. I didn't want to draw attention to myself, but having rescued David, I was now in this situation.

"How did you manage to learn so much, Daniel?" asked one of the companions who had joined our table. I was thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"On the farm where I grew up, I had a very strict tutor," I told them.

I remembered how I had met Liam, that strapping but intellectual eighteen-year-old who had been my salvation after the attack on my mansion when I was eight years old. The mercenaries led me to him and left me on a table, where I couldn't stop crying. It was then that Liam came up to me and hugged me tightly, until the tears stopped. From that day on, he took me as his ward and younger brother. He had trained me not only physically, but he had taught me how to shoot and the art of studying.

"On the farm where I grew up, I had a very strict tutor," I told them. I remembered how I had met Liam, when he was fifteen, stocky but intellectual, who had been my salvation after the attack on my mansion. The mercenaries took me to their lair and left me on a table, where I couldn't stop crying. It was then that Liam came up to me and hugged me tightly, until the tears stopped. Since that day, we have never been separated. But I didn't tell that to my tablemates.

"Wow, that must have been tough," commented another student, trying to empathize with me.

"" I said, trying to change the subject and smiling at the others. Although inside I felt uneasy, knowing that every day that passed I was getting closer to my goal: to avenge the death of my parents. But that was neither the time nor the place to share that part of my story.

As I savored my meal, I couldn't help but look around the cafeteria for April. I found her sitting next to Sophie several tables away. If it weren't for David, I would be sitting with her, trying to get closer to my target.

Damn, I thought to myself, frustrated at not being able to do what I had planned. David, noticing my uneasiness, decided to intervene.

"Hey, buddy, we need to change for the next class, shall we go to the dorm?" said David slyly.

"Okay" I replied, accepting his help even if I wasn't entirely sure of his intentions, stepping out of the group that had surrounded us.

We got to our dorm and started to change into our sports clothes for our upcoming PE class. That's when David decided to talk.

"What's going on between you and April?" he asked directly, taking her by surprise.

"April White? The prettiest girl in our class, it must have been a surprise that you didn't notice, but I just like her" I replied, feigning surprise.

"I've seen you looking for her with your eyes," David admitted. "I know something's going on."

I decided to lie a little to protect my mission.

"I met her during exam days and I thought she was cute, that's all," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"I see..." replied David, thoughtfully. "But be careful, Daniel. Ethan is April's friend and you know what he did to me. I don't think April is someone you should give a chance to."

"Maybe April doesn't know what Ethan is doing" I argued, trying to defend my position. "Maybe something is happening to her and I can help her."

"Really?" exclaimed David, incredulous. "Forget April, there are lots of other pretty girls at this school. We can get to know them together. I'm popular, you're cute."

"All right, all right," I replied.

"That's it!" said David, patting me on the back. "Now, let's go to our next class and put this matter behind us."

We came out of the bedroom with our sports clothes on.

I inwardly cursed David, but said nothing. He was ruining my mission by drawing attention to us and then trying to separate me from April. I shook my head; there had to be some way to fix this. We left the room with our athletic clothes on and walked across campus to our next class.

When we arrived at the auditorium, we realized that we were the first to arrive. We looked at the clock and saw that the class was still an hour away. David suggested going for a walk, but I had other ideas.

"I'm going to stay here for a while," I said as I lay down on the floor and began to stare at the ceiling.

"What are you looking at?" asked David, positioning himself next to me.

"Getting bored is the best way to find solutions" I replied, trying to concentrate on how to deal with the problem at hand.

"Is something tormenting you?" asked David with concern.

"It's just... it's all weird, I'd be harvesting pumpkins right now" I lied, avoiding revealing my true concerns.

"I understand, Daniel. But I'm sure you'll soon feel at home, after all Mr. Perfect got a scholarship here," David said, trying to cheer me up.

"Sure" I muttered, unconvinced.

We spent some time in silence, each immersed in our own thoughts. I was still looking for a way to approach April without arousing suspicion, while David seemed to be enjoying the quiet moment before the next class. Still, I couldn't help but feel grateful for his friendship and support.

"We're going to be fine," David assured me, as if he could read my thoughts.

"Thank you, David," I said, feeling a little better.

"Mr. Perfect, don't forget that I'm your best friend!" he exclaimed, smiling.

"I guess so" I agreed, smiling back at him.

Suddenly, the door to the auditorium burst open and through it came Ethan, accompanied by a couple of his companions. At first I paid no attention to them, but when Ethan raised his voice, I couldn't help myself.

"Rock!" cried Ethan. "We still have unfinished business."

"What's the matter, Ethan?" I asked casually. "Are you in love with me or what, what other business can we arrange?"

Ethan became even more enraged.

"My back still hurts from the blow the other day," he spat, "and you're going to pay for it."

David, in a frightened voice, intervened:

"But it was all your fault..."

"Shut the fuck up!" ordered Ethan to David.

I picked myself up off the floor, shaking the dust off my feet, and looked at Ethan with boredom.

"Look, I don't want any trouble," I said, "We're partners, and from what I can see, David will forget what happened that day and won't say anything if you leave us alone."

"You bunch of cowards!" insulted Ethan.

"David, get away," I asked my friend.

David looked at me in fright.

"Ethan is a black belt and maybe it was luck what happened the other day," said David.

I smiled at him and reminded him:

"Don't forget I had a great tutor."

David nodded and walked away.

I watched Ethan, trying to calculate his next move and hoping to find a solution that would allow me to get out of this situation without major problems.

"This isn't over yet, Rock," Ethan warned me, anger in his eyes.

"You're amazing, Ethan" I replied, exhaling a deep sigh and preparing myself for whatever came next.

Ethan wasted no time; in an instant, he started running towards me with a burning fury in his eyes. I jumped and he threw a kick in the air, but I managed to dodge it at the last second, moving to the side. He didn't give up so easily and tried again, throwing deadly kicks, back kicks and trying to hit me with his fists. I ducked, moved to the side and jumped, all while keeping my hands in my pants pockets.

"Is that all you've got?" I asked with a sly grin.

Suddenly, Ethan seemed to flip out in anger, his face turning tomato red, and I let out a chuckle of satisfaction at seeing him like that. However, I didn't let my confidence get the better of me, knowing I had to stay on my toes. In a fit of rage, Ethan took off his sweater, revealing his huge muscles scarred from years of training. His chest stood out against his shirt and his biceps looked like they wanted to burst through his T-shirt.

"We could leave all this alone," I suggested, hoping he would come to his senses.

"Coward!" he spat at me, refusing to listen.

Ethan threw a fist toward me with all his might, but I caught it with ease and spun him forward, using his own momentum against him. He fell to the ground with a thud, leaving me momentarily victorious.

"Now do you understand?" I said, trying to make him understand that I didn't want to fight.

As I lay on the ground, I wondered if I had made it to Ethan. I remembered my training with Liam, he would have punched me in the face to knock me out, too bad he couldn't hit Ethan.

"This isn't over" Ethan growled from the ground, showing that he still wasn't willing to give in.

Looking into his eyes, I decided enough was enough.

"That's enough," I told him firmly, but Ethan seemed more annoyed than ever. Without warning, he launched a kick towards my face, impacting hard and making me spit out saliva as I staggered back two steps, staggering.

For a second, my vision blurred with pain, but I soon recovered. I watched as Ethan jumped to his feet, taking advantage of my distraction to punch me in the face. My eyes snapped open as I realized the auditorium door was beginning to open; I decided not to defend myself.

"Ethan!" shouted April from the doorway, accompanied by Sophie and several other students. The concern on her face was evident as I dropped to the floor after Ethan's blow.

Ethan looked scared now that April had caught him hitting me. I couldn't help but smile inwardly, knowing that I had finally been exposed to his friends. Despite the pain I felt on my face, at that moment I felt a certain satisfaction.

"What's going on here?" asked April, coming quickly toward us.

"Daniel and I...we were just settling our differences," Ethan replied, trying to justify the situation.

"Settling your differences doesn't mean beating him to the ground" she replied, clearly upset. Meanwhile, I remained silent, watching the situation unfold.

"You don't understand!" defended Ethan, but his trembling voice betrayed his fear. He knew he'd screwed up by attacking me in front of everyone, and it put him in a vulnerable position.

"That's enough, Ethan," April interrupted, not giving him time to continue speaking. "Daniel clearly doesn't want to fight you, so stop trying to provoke him."

"So what, you're going to protect him?" asked Ethan disdainfully, eyeing April suspiciously. I was surprised to see how someone like him could change his attitude so quickly, going from fear to hostility in a matter of seconds.

"This has nothing to do with protecting anyone," she replied firmly.