Mikey gulped, face to face with another person the cops were so convinced was responsible for the rise in police behavior around the facility.

"Michael, good to see you've arrived," said Ms. Puckett, while Ms. Onest waved to him. He was relieved: knowing well, they would do their best to stop any nonsense.

"You arrived just in time. We have a transfer student from Coast Reef Academy introducing herself."

"Faith Yurei," said the girl who bowed before offering her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Uh, likewise," biting his cheeks. "Mikey Arclight." He was too stunt to ask her anything before they were requested to go pick a seat.

"Why can't I sit in the back?"

The whiny voice came from Jake Mendez, who Mikey winced at.

"Because we know you're a bright young boy and we think you have a lot of potential you can use by being up here. You even have your best friend next to you."

"Even he wants to be in the back, right Calvin?"

Mikey groaned as Caleb Cordon just repeated the same thing. Wherever Jake goes, Caleb follows.

"I'll take the back, then," he said, as fate took a seat towards the back left of the room.

"Sure."

"Why does he get to stay in the back? He barely showed up all of last year! Even I'm smarter than him!"

Mikey laughed. "I barely showed up and I still scored higher than you?"

"Take that back!"

"Nah," pulling out his report card. "Here's my proof," showing As and Bs for everything not in participation. "Where's yours?"

"Stop talking, circus boy."

Ms. Onest told them to stop. Mikey obliged, but Jake pushed his chair and stormed out of the room.

"I hate this place!"

Calb got up after him, to no one's surprise.

"I'll let the vice principal know."

"He'll come back, the rest of you know that's not how we act in a class."

The teachers instructed the class for a simple icebreaker, names and a fun fact. Mikey only paid attention to Faith's.

"I grew up in Japan for a while. I've only been living in America for about five months."

It was his turn next. "My parents work as circus performers, and I want to be just as enthusiastic and entertaining."

As he expected, snickers and laughter cracked throughout the room. About four people asked the teacher to use the bathroom, but they refused. Davis Gomez slammed the table in defiance, pushing the chair so hard it hit Faith's hand, who winced.

"Davis, please calm down. One boy and one girl out at a time."

"No, I don't care anymore. My mom says if I need to go, ignore the teachers!"

Mikey flipped out of his seat and caught his hand.

"Apologize."

"For what? Get out of my way!"

But Mikey gripped his hand, pointing to hurt Faith, trying to bear the pain. "Jerk," watching Kassandra Ekans and Alana Mason laughing at her. "If you got hit like that, you'd be trying the fight the person who did that."

"That's a lie!"

"Yeah, ugly."

"Like last year when you tripped over each other and started shoving?"

They sucked their teeth.

"Ms. Onest, can I go get them? I'll be quick."

"Sure, Faith, go to the bathroom to check up on your arm."

Trying to focus on the task at hand, he ran into the bathroom, spotting Caleb and Jake messing around, throwing toilet paper around the bathroom.
"Are you two serious? David needs to use it, and you're messing around?"

"No asked you, that's why no one cared when you were gone!"

Caleb laughed at him, and Mikey snapped.

"Why are you laughing Caleb? Still his pet. Are you his dog or his parrot?"

"What did you say?"

"Don't talk back to him like that or I'll go Ultra Instinct and smash you up!"

"Bring it, Goku, you and I know you can't touch me!"

Jake put that to the test and charged at him. Mikey tripped him with his leg, and pushed him into Caleb. A light breeze later, a paper flew past him and onto the boy as a wide commanding man darker than Mikey showed up.

"Hey, I hear people are messing around in the bathroom?! Go clean this mess up, what's wrong with y'all?"

Mikey snitched, not expecting to see a new vice principal.

"You're?"

"Call me Mr. Leonardo. Oh you're the kid who ditched the whole year?"

"Cuz of jerks like these two."

"We'll talk later. Jake, clean this up."

"Or what?"

"When I swing around the fourth grade with gifts, it'll be empty when I reach you."

"Crud, Caleb, helped me out."

"No, Caleb, you get back to class and stop following other people! Be your own person!"

He closed the bathroom door waiting on Jake, while Mikey saw the principal walk by, a thin dark-skinned woman strictly requesting they return to class.

"Come on Caleb, let's go. Caleb?"

He looked back to see the boy, silent, not moving.

"Look, I don't care if you're upset, but everyone sees it. Jake could run in the middle of the street, and you would still follow him. Come on, before Davis pees himself again."

"I am not a dog. I am no one's pet.!

He stepped back from the dreadful burst of wind as Caleb unleashed a loud sonic scream pushing him several inches back.

His classmate ran on all fours, charging at him. Mikey rolled away from the punch to the wall, expecting him to give up and go to the nurse.

Bones cracked, and Caleb used the same arm to tackle him down to the floor. He was going to try and fight him off, but someone was able to knock some sense into hi