As the guy at the center of it all, Sam knew damn well he'd started the fight on the field.
Everything was pointing to him being in the wrong—especially since he hadn't expected Mike to show up with an actual medical report documenting his injuries.
Sam was the type who bullied the weak but backed down from the strong, and Mike's calculated bluff totally spooked him. He stammered, his split lip making him slur: "I-I agree to settle this. Please, just don't call the cops."
The second those words left his mouth, the room went dead quiet. Principal Tom, representing the school, let out a relieved breath.
A nasty campus incident blowing up in the news? Yeah, that's the last thing any school wants.
On the other side, Grit had never really thought the school would expel Mike anyway. He'd just wanted to milk his son's injuries for a bigger payout.
But seeing his kid fold like that? Grit muttered under his breath, "Useless!" Then, without a care for Sam's feelings, he stormed out of the principal's office, slamming the door behind him.
Poor Sam—already growing up without much of a dad—was left alone to face the predatory stares from Mike and his crew. The big guy suddenly felt about three feet smaller.
He turned to Principal Tom and asked timidly, "Principal... looking like this, can I get a few extra sick days?"
Tom took one look at the kid's pitiful state and softened. "Go ahead, son. I'll approve your leave. Come back when you're healed up."
And just like that, the whole Mike vs. Sam drama wrapped up nice and tidy.
Once Sam and his dad were gone, Mike casually scooped up the glowing orbs they'd left behind.
[Constitution +1]
[Strength +5]
[Injury Resistance +3]...
That big strength boost came from Grit as he stormed out—guy must've been pissed.
Feeling lighter than air, Mike escorted Connie's grandma out of the office.
In the hallway, students were lined up with hopeful eyes. Grandma Connie beamed and announced, "Thanks for worrying, everybody—Mike's totally fine. We won!"
"Hell yeah!" xN
The kids who'd stuck around erupted in cheers, like good had just triumphed over evil.
Principal Tom heard the racket, shook his head with a sigh, then yanked the door open and barked, "Don't you all have classes? What grade are you even in...?"
With the principal roaring, the hallway cleared out in seconds.
The school slipped back into its usual calm.
Grandma Connie waved cheerfully at Mike and sauntered off campus like a boss.
After seeing her off, Mike turned around and spotted his classmate Lena—plus a few other girls from his fan club—still hanging back.
So, surrounded by his little entourage of cheering squad girls, Mike headed back to class.
Mike had always been the nerdy straight-A kid, which naturally made him a bit of an outcast with classmates. But after this brawl? Even the guys in class were looking at him a little friendlier.
The only one still grumpy was little Sheldon, who'd been annoyed that Mike disrupted his precious study time.
Still, Mike had officially blown up overnight—he was now one of the big names around school.
At lunch, Lena led her fan club girls straight to Mike again, inviting him to eat with them.
In high school, popularity basically equals status.
Mike said sure, and the whole group rolled through the halls like a parade—definitely the hottest scene on campus that day.
Hiding out in the library, eating his packed lunch with Sheldon, Dan watched Mike strutting by and sighed enviously, "Man, I wish I had that many girls into me."
Sheldon glanced at Mike's retreating back and scoffed, "Hanging out with those simple-minded people isn't gonna make Mike's lunch taste any better."
Dan stared at Sheldon in disbelief, thinking: Dude, are you seriously only seeing the food? Not all those girls fawning over Mike?
Over in the cafeteria, Katie saw the huge crowd around Mike and decided not to butt in.
She'd heard about his troubles these past few days and felt bad she couldn't help— she'd just been worrying from the sidelines.
But Katie was gaining confidence lately. Over the last couple days, she'd even made two new friends in class.
One was Janice, the punk girl who hated guys. The other was Damien, the super effeminate dude who wasn't into girls.
Both of them were misfits too, shunned by the other cliques because of their quirks.
Noticing Katie staring at the shining star in the crowd—Mike—Damien said, "If you like him, go for it. If you don't make a move..."
He struck a shy pose and added, "...who knows, maybe he swings the other way."
"NOPE!" Katie shuddered, goosebumps everywhere. "Mike definitely likes girls."
Janice shot Damien a disgusted look, then turned to the flustered Katie. "Damien's gross, but he's not wrong. If you want him, you gotta act fast..."
She nodded toward a spot and continued, "Word is, Queen Bee Regina's got her eye on Mike."
Katie followed her gaze and sure enough—there was the devilish-bodied trio. Regina was staring at Mike in the crowd with that intense, hungry look.
Over with Regina, she kept her usual smile plastered on, but she was muttering curses under her breath: "Those damn skanks, swarming Mike like flies..."
Then she leaned toward big-waved Karen: "Did you find out yet? Who's the closest girl to Mike around here?"
Karen whispered back, "Mike keeps it pretty professional at school, but he's been hanging with that new transfer in our class—Katie."
"Katie? Who's that?" Regina asked, all confident in her own beauty.
Karen sighed and pointed her out.
Regina turned, locking eyes with Katie right then and there. Both girls smiled sweetly—then looked away at the exact same time.
Regina shrugged it off. "Oh, that little hick bitch from the sticks. You two keep an eye on her from now on. Report anything juicy straight to me."
Karen and Gretchen could only nod along.
On Katie's side, she felt the pressure after that stare-down.
But then she remembered—Mike's coming over this weekend—and a smile crept back onto her face.
She made up her mind: She's gotta make a killer impression on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Mike had zero clue that two senior girls were already beefing over him.
He finished lunch with Lena, then during afternoon study hall, he chatted casually with her about random stuff.
Lena wasn't just the head of Mike's fan club—she'd also been voted one of the most popular juniors, thanks to her killer looks.
Of course, Mike wasn't just into her for the surface-level stuff.
While they talked, he even picked up a few mind attribute drops from her.
Proof that Mike was a true gentleman who valued inner beauty.
Later, during outdoor PE, Mike finally ditched the neck brace and jumped back into football practice.