Cornered. That’s how you felt when you saw the bullies start to circle around you, following their usual schedule of after-school threatening and peculiar form of entertainment. Their sneers were sharp, eyes gleaming with the same malice you had seen too many times before. You clutched the strap of your backpack tighter, the weight of their presence growing with each step they took toward you.

Your mind raced, searching for a way out. The alley they had herded you into was narrow, flanked by tall brick walls that made escape impossible. You could hear their taunts, echoing off the walls, blending with the pounding in your chest.

“Nowhere to run this time,” one of them growled, a smirk curling on his lips.

“Leave me alone,” you said, the words coming out more firmly than you had expected. They laughed. A harsh, mocking sound that grated on your nerves.

One of them lunged toward you, your instincts making you flinch. A hand shot out, not in fear but in something else entirely.. The air around you seemed to pulse, and before you knew it, the bully was hurled backward, crashing into the wall with a force that didn’t make sense. The others stopped in their tracks, eyes wide, disbelief written across their faces.

“Leave them alone and go away,” a deep, unwavering voice said. Kyle Garrick, one of your chemistry classmates, standing there, with a pair of bloody knuckles as the bullies scurried off like scaredy cats.

You stood frozen for a moment, the adrenaline still rushing through your veins Then your gaze shifted to Kyle Garrick, his calm presence both a surprise and a strange relief. You barely knew him beyond the occasional group project or passing glance in the hallway.

He looked down at his bloody knuckles, flexing them slightly as if they didn’t even hurt, then wiped them on his jeans. His eyes flicked up to meet yours, and for a moment, you weren’t sure what to say.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice casual, as if he hadn’t just sent those bullies running.