The morning air was cool as Alex stepped out of his house, school bag on his back. He was heading to his private school in the United Kingdom. As he reached the front gate of the school, he saw them — a group of bullies standing near the parkway entrance.
Alex froze.
His mind went completely blank. Students walked past him, chatting, laughing, rushing to class. But Alex couldn't move. Fear and worry held him in place like chains.
Breathe, he told himself. Think positive.
He took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and walked as fast as he could past the group.
Then he heard it.
"Hey Alex! How are you?"
The leader of the bullies tapped his shoulder — then squeezed it, hard.
"I… I'm just fine," Alex replied, his voice trembling.
"Are you scared?" another bully sneered.
"Hey there! Leave the kid alone — you're making this school unsafe!" shouted the school guard from nearby.
"Ok, fine. We'll leave him alone," the leader muttered, and the group backed off.
"Thanks," Alex said quietly.
He walked alone to class, his steps slow but steady. Before entering, he stopped at his locker. That's when he saw her — Liana. She was standing nearby, beautiful as always. She was Alex's crush, but he could never confess to her. I'm just a nerd, he thought. Not cool enough.
Still, he smiled at her, then walked to class.
The classroom was already filled with students. The teacher hadn't arrived yet, so Alex looked around for an empty seat and sat down quietly.
A few minutes later, the teacher entered and the class began.
After class, the bell rang for recess. The students rushed out, heading to the canteen.