We Go Again

(The Present...)

Mr. Henderson distributed the question papers for the pop quiz, and audible groans resonated throughout the class.

"Talk about bad timing, bro..." someone muttered from behind me.

Mr. Henderson, positioned at the front of the class, responded to the collective reaction. "Let's settle down, everyone. This quiz will contribute ten percent to your final grade."

The groans grew even louder. "Oh, come on!"

"Let's settle down!" he continued, undeterred. "You'll have exactly forty minutes to complete this test starting... Now!"

I sighed, accepting the inevitable, and flipped over my quiz sheet. The next forty minutes were going to be quite the ride.

Mr. Henderson inquired, addressing a raised hand. 

"What do you need?" he asked.

"I need a new pencil, Mr. Henderson! Mine just broke," a student playfully teased.

"You've barely even written a word, George," Mr. Henderson responded.

"Maybe that has something to do with my pencil being broken, sir."

The class erupted in unified laughter.

"Alright, alright. Come get a pencil," Mr. Henderson conceded.

"Which of the following is a type of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay?.... What the hell kind of question is even that bro? Bro let me see something." I could some students whisper behind me.

I didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. It was the same two idiots who had been bothering me in the hallway. George, my locker neighbor, wasn't too bothersome—more of a comedian than a nuisance. However, Alexis was an entirely different story. He was a sophomore, the vice-captain of the football team. He was taking the class for the second year in a row.

"This is a pretty hard one, don't you think?" one of them whispered.

"Dude, I don't know... Just let me see some," the other whispered.

I tried to focus, but the whispers continued.

"Yo, this is really hard, bro. Like, what is wrong with these people? I can't believe they're really giving us a test on our very first day back. I wish there was another fire."

I was starting to feel irritated. I tried my best to block them out, but their stupidity was grating on my last nerve.

"Okay, okay, this one should be easy. They continued and out of nowhere, i snapped. 

"George, Alexis, do you mind!"

"Alright, guys. You're done. I'll be taking those, thank you." Mr. Henderson. announced as he swopped in.

"Bro come on man. Not cool..." George complained as he got up shaking his head.

"Thank you sir! Jeez," I continued as Mr. Henderson directed them to the door.

Alexis kicked my right foot as he walked past me.

"Hey!..." I snapped.

He turned around. "What, you got a problem my bro?"

I stood up matching his height, he was only slightly taller, I was now staring him intently in the eye. "Shii... mess around and find out."

A unified "Ouuu" echoed through the class.

He turned around as if to leave "Man what this freshman think he all about though..."

"Alright, gentlemen let's cut it out and keep it moving!" Mr. Henderson continued.

Alexis bit his bottom lip as we locked gazes eye to eye. "Man, sit down!" he announced as he shoved me to the floor. "Who you think you is son? Stepping up to your Daddy like you really about that, I run this..."

Pandemonium unfolded across the classroom. Some students were getting to their feet, while others were rising to restrain their peers.

"Come on, man, what are you doing?" George questioned as he restrained his friend.

"Alexis, the office, now!" Mr. Henderson ordered.

"Yeah, whatever," Alexis said. He looked down at me. "I'll see you later my boy," he smirked and left.

Mr. Henderson addressed the class. "Everyone calm down! It's over! We have a test to finish. You, come with me," he instructed.

I got up, fixed my clothes and followed him outside.

"Sorry about that, I had to let you handle it yourself, or he would have never left you alone," Mr. Henderson continued.

"Yeah, I understand," I said as we entered the main office.

"Go ahead and have a seat."

I took a seat and Mr. Henderson approached the receptionist. I watched on from the office window.

"Hi, Mrs. Thompson. We've got a bit of an incident here. Alexis needs to go home. Can you call his mother and have her come pick him up?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Henderson. Hey, why don't you have a seat over there," Mrs. Thompson said, addressing Alexis.

She picked up the phone and started dialing.

"Yes, hi. Hello Mrs. Carter? Hi, this is Mrs. Thompson from Chesher High. Yes, I'm fine, thanks. Listen, I'm calling because Alexis was involved in an incident today. Nothing too major, but we'd like him to go home for the rest of the day."

I tuned out their conversation as I began to reflect on the events that had just transpired. Alexis had humiliated me in front of the entire class, and I hadn't even attempted to stop him. It was almost like I had let him do it.

Mrs. Thompson finished her call. "Okay, well his mom will be here in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks, Mrs. Thompson," Mr. Henderson replied. He back over at me motioning with his fingers. "Come on, let's head back. You still have a quiz to finish."

We made our way back to the classroom.

"Well, well. Look who's back!" a student announced.

"You good bro?" another questioned.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm all good," I replied as I made my way back to my desk.

I picked up my pencil and resumed my quiz.

The bell rang and the class rushed to collect their belongings from the front and head out the door.

"Okay, guys, your tests will be graded and handed back on Thursday, so make sure you don't miss class." Mr. Henderson shouted.

"Thank you, sir." I started as I got to his desk.

"You're welcome, buddy. It's tough with the footballers, but you'll manage. Keep your head up," he replied.

I could hear the giggles and whispers as i made my way to my locker 

"Miller! What's going on?" James inquired.

"Why don't you ask your friend over there?" I gestured towards George, who was standing beside him.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I had no idea he was going to act like that," George continued.

"It's alright, no worries," I replied.

"...You kind of had it coming though, snitching and all..."

"What did you say?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I said what I said. You should have ignored him and you know, minded your business." George retorted.

I could see James looking on at us both. "Alright, guys, cut it out."

"Nah man, James. let the big man talk. Go on George let it out." I answered.

"Look, just try to mind your business ok."

I nodded sarcastically, "Sure, I'll mind my own business. Okay," and couldn't help but chuckle.

The bell had just rung again, and Brooke approached, with Andrea following closely.

"I'll be taking this one off your hands, James," she declared, linking her arm with mine and pulling me away. I continued to laugh at the situation. "I'm sorry; he's with me," she mouthed as we made our way along the hallway.

"Itching for a fight, huh?" Brooke questioned as we reached the second floor.

"Ah, The Chesher comedians " I mused as I wiped the tears from my eyes. "That was just light fun Brooke, yeah, that's what that was."

"What's good, though? I see you smiling and all of that," I added. She was excited about something.

"Oh, nothing," she said, casually waving a piece of paper around.

"Let me see..." I said, stretching forward to grab it from her grasp with some difficulty.

It was a letter

Dear Mr. Edward Miller,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to you on behalf of the Bentley's Boxing Association, a prestigious organization dedicated to promoting the finest boxing talent in the world.

We have been following your impressive career with great interest and admiration. Your skill, determination, and unwavering spirit have not gone unnoticed. We believe that you would be an excellent addition to our upcoming event, "Rematch Agony: Stevenson Vs Umar II".

This event promises to be a thrilling spectacle, featuring some of the most talented fighters in the world. However, we believe that it could be even more exciting with your participation. You will be fighting against a former opponent of yours, Olawale Agunbuyi. This rematch promises to be a fierce battle, and we believe that your experience and skills will give you the edge.

We are pleased to offer you a purse of $10,500 with bonuses up to $12,500. This is a significant opportunity for you to showcase your abilities and potentially earn a substantial income.

As you may remember Eddie, I, Mr. McKenny, was once your coach. Although my role has changed since then, I still hold you in high regard and believe in your potential. I am confident that you will deliver a performance that will leave the audience in awe.

We look forward to hearing from you soon. Please let us know if you are interested in this opportunity. We are certain that together, we can create a memorable event that will be talked about for years to come.

Thank you for considering our proposal. We hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards,

McKenny Ramsley. P.R.O, Bentley's Boxing Association.