Chapter 1: Young and Dumb

JOHN

It was another Thursday, math and free study before lunch, all of the routine and classes were the same as normal, but this would not be another Thursday. Today was the day where things were going to go down, for the past year most kids in the year level were trying to prove themselves, to get the best grade and to get the most recommendations from teachers all for one reason… battle school, the one place where all the boys and some of the girls wanted to go and fight and prove themselves to their countries. Battle school however had limited spots per school, and the school I attended had a large number of students making it competitive, this made things between the boys mean, fights would happen over grades and study and for the longest time I avoided it but now I couldn’t, the results for the last exam block had just came out and I had achieved the perfect score on all tests. This put me at the top of the list. This list contained the most likely students to be accepted to battle school, I was 4th putting me right in the firing line of the other students. This made my life hard as I had to avoid being picked on by everyone else. People were now out to get me, and 1st break today was when others below me wanted to ding me up, get me in trouble and move me down the list. No matter what if I engaged in physical misconduct self-defence or not, he would get in trouble and be put down the list, stupid regulations.

Lunch time came, and as I made my way across the school to my social group, I was caught in the hallway by a group of kids lower down the list, this kid however, was pretty high up but he was in the danger zone of not being accepted. This is why he was getting these kids to do this, it was a favour to him as the other boys were too far down to come back, but I was going to make them believe they can “Been looking for you Doddy, think your top shit because you are at the top of the list, heard you have been talking shit!” I knew they would do this however, they always made up a lie, and excuse to make themselves believe what they were doing was justified. “Don’t know where you heard that from, got nothing to do with you blokes, just trying to make my way through just like everyone else. I’ve got no stake in your lives, you don’t need to in mine, walk away boys it’s better that way.” The boys looked at each other, they were antsy they looked ready for a fight but not wanting one, it took me a moment to realise that these guys weren’t doing a favour, they were being told a lie. The main boy of the group said, “Myles told us, he said you think we’re a bunch of useless dickheads” Despite my attempts I laughed, Myles wasn’t above this kind of behaviour, he was always jealous when people did better than he did, he was egotistical, and it showed. “Don’t believe a thing that Myles says he is just upset because I overtook him on the list, he thinks I’m a threat and is trying to get you guys to push me down it with useless violence, well I won’t let him.” The boys couldn’t argue basic logic when they saw it, “Well do you want us to go mess with him then?” I shook my head and chuckled “No, let him be sad that’s his big punishment, he will get his serve don’t worry, they boys had felt foolish and walked away in shame, at this point I needed as many ally’s as possible I called out to them “Hey boys, don’t worry about what you did. It was silly but I can forgive it.” The boys nodded and continued their journey out.

Things would not be over however, Myles still wanted me out of the picture and that wasn’t going to change, being high up on the list basically ruined your social reputation with a good portion of the people in the year level. I would not let it ruin my spirits however, I wanted to win this thing and I would, I just had to keep out of trouble and keep my grades up. In saying that I got confronted by Myles, he strutted up to me confidently, although alone he acted as if he had an army. But no-one was willing to risk their entry in order to help him out “Hey John, you should be in hospital by this point?” he sounded genuinely confused like he had expected me not to talk them down even though it was my main talent. I was a social person, I was friends with everyone except for a few minor stubborn people like Myles, I had a way of getting along and relating to everyone, however Myles although popular had more enemies than I did, I knew this which is what made me not fear his threats. “well you should know better than anyone that I’m good with people, by the way you made two new dissatisfied people too, they didn’t like how you lied to them.” I watched his face turn irritated. “Yeah we had a chat about that, I’m fine by the way” I chuckled “Why should I care, you tried to have me beaten up, you deserved you get smashed.” I saw him break he grabbed my shirt and pushed me into a nearby wall. Myles was very tall for his age, so was I but he was still taller than me. “I will kill you Dodd and don’t you for a second think I won’t, you are not safe.” Even though he had me overpowered I happened to laugh, I did not mean too as it would only serve to make him angrier but I did, he then proceeded to throw me to the floor, I did not resist in any kind, I know it’s what he wanted, he wanted me thrown way down. “I know I’m safe, if I go down without any resistance any hopes of you going to battle school disappear.” He was seething with rage, you could read right through him. He broke, he began to kick me in the chest over and over again, I however did not fight back at all, it’s not because I couldn’t, all I had to do to beat him was catch a kick and use his own momentum against him, but I didn’t, I endured through the pain in order not to lose to the system, in saying that I was getting hurt and my patience was wearing thin, he threw another kick, but I didn’t make contact, someone had stopped the fight, it wasn’t a teacher either, it was a student, one I hadn’t seen much before she came in a grabbed his arm, bent it the wrong way until she had him at her will. But the next thing I saw I couldn’t hold back, the rage that was sent through my body at the sight of it, he headbutt her, broke out of his lock and began to beat her. I wasn’t having this, I lost control. I punched him in the back of the head, he fell hard hitting the floor with great force, I didn’t relent, I stomped him with the heel of my foot I don’t even know how many times before a teacher came down and noticed what’s happening I got ripped away from him, kicking and screaming to let me go I wasn’t letting down, he had bought all this upon himself.

I sat in the principal’s office, I knew it was over every chance I had at my one dream, gone, it was over I couldn’t do it now, I’d be too far down the list if I didn’t get expelled for it. Did I regret it? No, I did what was right and no-one could tell me otherwise. I had been sitting in the room for upwards of an hour before the man himself walked in, he sat down disgruntled and disappointed his stern old face burning right through. “so, run me through happened through your perspective John.” I had no idea what he knew so I was just going to shoot straight, “I got attacked by Myles, I didn’t fight back, I got saved by some random girl who he then proceeded to beat, I then broke and beat him to a pulp and here we are.” He sighed heavily “I understand that what you saw could induce rage within anyone, but I hope you know he is basically dead. And that’s not an exaggeration, he is unresponsive on life support now. You never fight in this school, no matter the circumstance.” I felt no guilt, he shouldn’t of beat me let alone her for the reasons he did, if he died, he will have got what he deserved. “I did what I had t-“ before I could finish someone walked in, It was a military commander for the battle school “Is this the kid?” he said firmly “I thought you were going to let us handle this?” there was clearly some tension “Well considering a kid was nearly killed today I say we have more jurisdiction.” He then sat down in the spare seat next to me, looked me dead in the eyes “Why did you do what did” I didn’t have a plan so I didn’t know, I just lost my cool because of my moral compass, but there was a reason there somewhere. “I care about others more than myself, I sacrifice a lot for people because I think they are more valuable than I am. I protected someone because they were being unjustly punished. So instinctively I defended them.” He commander took a moment to think, to comprehend “So why didn’t you defend yourself when he attacked you?” I was out of fucks to give by that point “because this system broken, and any physical misconduct even if self-defence gets you torpedoed down the list and gives you no change at getting into battle school. It’s a stupid system that doesn’t work for the target audience of the school.” The commander looked at me, he was stern, he then slowly showed a grin “Not many people break the rules when there trying to get into battle school and almost none of them end up making it in, mainly because of the reasons they broke the rules. You are different you acted exactly as a soldier would have in that circumstance, stand up for what is right even if you fall for it.” Everyone in the room exchanged glances, the principal was furious he was powerless here, he couldn’t get me in trouble at this point, a commander had just commended me on nearly killing a kid and I was gaining out of it, this might just make history. “So, I’m not in trouble? Like at all?” the commander still with a grin on his face stated “No, you have been let go on the count of self-defence, and if Myles does live, he will be facing two charges of assault and won’t make it into battle school” he slipped me a piece of paper, it was an formal acceptance form to battle school. I picked it up and examined it. I had made it in, and by the seems of it I was the first student too. “I was at school today anyway to start picking students, I know it’s a tad early but most students in this year level are old enough to enter the school, so we thought It best to start setting some people in stone. And you have impressed me enough with your courage in order to get in.” I was stunned, I couldn’t believe it, everything I had worked so hard to do I had finally done it. “thank you, sir,” I said quietly, the excitement of everything had sent me a tad mute. “Don’t sweat it.”