"Right, you—please remain silent, we are in the middle of a lesson." The teacher said with a gentle smile, though his tone carried weight.
"Okay, sir." Adrian replied casually, grinning, while Mark simply nodded.
The lesson continued. Mark jotted down neat notes, keeping pace with the lecture, while Adrian had his head resting on his desk, fast asleep. Fifteen minutes later, the bell rang for lunch.
"Alright, we'll continue tomorrow." The teacher said as he exited.
Adrian stirred awake immediately, stretching lazily. Before Mark could even pack his things, a girl approached Adrian, clutching a notebook to her chest.
"A-Adrian… here, I copied the notes for you." Her voice was timid, her cheeks flushed pink.
"Thanks, Aisha." Adrian flashed her his usual easy smile. The girl nearly melted on the spot.
Mark raised an eyebrow. What is this guy, a magnet?
Adrian stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Hey, Mark—walk with me."
Just as he stepped toward the door, three figures approached.
The first was a tall, broad-shouldered boy with deep brown skin and sharp features. His close-cropped waves gleamed under the classroom light, and his athletic frame made it clear he was no pushover.
Beside him stood a red-haired boy about Mark's height, his messy hair matching the cocky smirk plastered on his face.
The last one looked softer than the others: a short, bespectacled boy with neatly combed brown hair, thinner than his companions but with a careful, nervous air about him.
Adrian didn't stop walking, lollipop in his mouth, hands stuffed in his pockets. The three followed, and Mark instinctively trailed behind.
The tall boy was the first to speak. "Yo, new kid. What's good? Name's Hakim. I'm Class 1A's number two."
"Connor." The redhead gave a chin tilt. "Class 1A's number three. Don't forget it."
The short one stammered nervously, adjusting his glasses. "H-hello… I-I'm Austin… Class 1A's number four."
Mark blinked. "Nice to meet you… but, uh—what do those numbers mean? Are you, like, ranked by intelligence or something?"
Connor burst into laughter. "Pffft—HAH! This kid's dumber than he looks!"
"Ease up, Connor." Hakim chuckled, clapping Mark's shoulder. "He's new. The numbers? They're rankings of strength."
Adrian glanced back with a smug grin. "And yours truly is number one."
Mark's eyes narrowed slightly. "I see…" He thought back to the group that had backed off earlier when Adrian's name was mentioned. So that's why they didn't touch me.
By now they had reached the cafeteria. The place was loud, buzzing with chatter, food trays clattering, and groups already claiming territory at different tables.
"Alright, we're here." Adrian announced. "Grab yourself something to eat—we'll talk after." He pointed at Austin. "Go with him, yeah?"
Austin nodded, adjusting his glasses. "C-come on, Mark."
As they walked toward the food line, Mark asked, "Mind explaining how this whole ranking thing works?"
Austin pushed his glasses up nervously. "Well… you see, in Brookhaven—and especially here—strength is everything. It decides your standing, respect, even special perks. The higher you're ranked in your class, the more recognition you get. But…"
He lowered his voice, his face growing serious. "The real big shots? They're the Student Council. Only the strongest in the entire school get picked. And… don't even get me started on the president."
Mark frowned. "The president, huh…"
Before Austin could explain further, someone crashed into him, knocking his tray to the floor.
"Watch it, puny punk." A tall, muscular boy sneered, towering over them. His uniform sleeves were rolled up, showing off his bulk.
"Hey, what's your problem?" Mark stepped in front of Austin, his eyes narrowing.
"My problem," the boy growled, cracking his knuckles, "is weak insects crawling around in my way." Without hesitation, he drove a fist into Mark's stomach.
"Ugh—!" Mark doubled slightly, the air knocked out of him.
The boy smirked and wound up for another swing—but this time, Mark slipped aside. Unfortunately, the brute anticipated it, slamming a kick into Mark's chest and sending him back a step.
"Pathetic." His grin widened as he turned toward Austin, raising his fist to strike.
But before the punch could land, a hand caught his wrist.
"Tom Hanks. Class 1C's number ten." Hakim's voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp. "Show some respect."
Hakim's body moved like water. He slipped under Tom's arm and drove an uppercut into his jaw. CRACK! Tom's body froze midair before crashing flat onto the floor, out cold.
Gasps filled the cafeteria.
"Yo—you're kidding me!" One of Tom's classmates shouted. A group of ten students from 1C rushed forward, rage painted on their faces.
"If you wanna touch him," Connor smirked, stepping between them and Hakim, "you gotta go through me."
"GET HIM!" they roared.
Connor's grin widened. The first attacker lunged—only to eat a vicious knee to the face before being hurled into a cluster of his own allies. Another rushed, and Connor vaulted onto his shoulders, hammering punches down until the boy crumpled.
Landing back on his feet, he pivoted sharply, booting one poor soul in the groin before grabbing another by the hair and smashing his face into the ground.
BAM! BAM! CRACK!
One after another, 1C's fighters fell like dominoes. When the last body dropped, Connor cracked his neck with a satisfied sigh.
"Is that really all you've got?" He taunted, brushing imaginary dust off his blazer.
The entire cafeteria was silent for a moment, eyes wide at the display. Mark, still catching his breath, stared at Hakim and Connor with a mix of awe and realization.
So this is how Brookhaven works… survival of the strongest.
Connor cracked his neck, brushing dust off his blazer, when suddenly—
"KYAAAAA!"
Screams erupted from the cafeteria entrance.
He smirked. "Tch, guess Adrian's stealing the spotlight again."
But Adrian was still chilling at his table, surrounded by swooning girls, lollipop in his mouth, not paying the chaos any mind.
Then the doors swung open.
A tall figure stepped inside—5'10, lean and sharp, with jet-black hair falling over piercing eyes. A black rose tattoo bloomed on his neck, three silver piercings glinting in his ear.
"OMG, it's SK!" girls screamed, rushing forward with phones out.
Mark struggled to his feet, clutching his stomach. "Who… who's that guy?"
Hakim's expression darkened. "That's Sato Kazumi, aka SK. Japanese transfer. Been here a week. Class 1C's number one."
The cafeteria grew tense.
SK's eyes flicked across the carnage—1C delinquents lying unconscious on the floor, Connor and Hakim standing as the last line. Without hesitation, he walked toward them, each step slow, deliberate. His lean, wiry frame radiated danger.
He stopped in front of Connor, locking eyes. "Tell me… did you do this?"
Connor scoffed. "And if I di—"
The punch landed before the sentence finished.
CRACK!
Connor's body flew across the cafeteria, slamming into a table. He was out cold in one hit.
Hakim's eyes widened, but he didn't hesitate. He rushed in, throwing a flurry of crisp boxing combos—hooks, straights, uppercuts. His fists blurred.
But SK slipped through them like smoke. His head moved an inch, his torso swayed, his feet glided. Then—
WHAM!
A brutal reverse heel kick smashed into Hakim's guard, the sheer force blasting him to the ground.
Gasps rippled through the cafeteria. Two of Class 1A's strongest had been flattened in seconds.
SK exhaled, cold eyes sweeping the room. "Who's next?"
His gaze landed on Mark and Austin. Mark froze. Austin adjusted his glasses, trembling.
The air thickened—until a leg shot out of nowhere.
BAM!
A flying roundhouse collided with SK's block, pushing him back a step.
The crowd erupted.
"Sorry," a familiar voice drawled. "But I can't let you bully my classmates, yeah?"
Adrian Reed stood there, lollipop in mouth, hands in his pockets, smirking.
Now the cafeteria buzzed with electricity. The two most handsome, dangerous boys of Silver High faced each other—the Casanova Taekwondo striker versus the Black Rose Karate prodigy.
Girls screamed, phones shot up, whispers spread like wildfire.
No one dared interfere. This was the kind of fight you didn't miss.