During homeroom, Ms. Dalton reminded us once again about the upcoming tournament. Apparently, the school is planning to host its own competitions and training camps in preparation for this.
Classes passed smoothly, and I managed to stay awake the whole time, even though I only got a little sleep. That was one of the first improvements I noticed with this new body. I questioned Alexa about it, and she said my body could function optimally on as little as two hours of sleep.
Soon, the bell rang, signaling lunch break. I packed up my things, ready to head out with Cassian and the others, but then I noticed someone at the door. It was Ivy.
The realization dawned on me: we were supposed to have lunch together today. I quickly apologized to Cassian and the others and told them I would be having lunch with someone else.
They didn't question it much, so I grabbed the lunch Alexa prepared from my bag and went to Ivy, who was standing at the door. I couldn't help but notice some of my classmates staring at her. It was unusual to see a third-year student standing outside a first-year classroom.
"Greetings, it looks like you forgot about our lunch," she said flatly.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I had a lot going on."
"It's fine. Should we head to the cafeteria?"
I nodded, and the two of us walked toward the cafeteria. She didn't say a word as we walked. Socially awkward people really shouldn't be left alone like this.
When we got to the cafeteria, we quickly found an empty space and sat together at opposite ends of the table.
I noticed her lunchbox was relatively small. Her meal looked like something an athlete would eat, so I decided to ask her about it.
"Are you on a diet?"
She looked up at me without an ounce of interest.
"No, I'm not."
"Oh, it's just that your meal…"
Man, I stink at this. Casual conversations are not for me. Why do I even bother?
"If I can't set myself to a certain standard, how can I expect others to do the same?" she suddenly asked.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"As a manager, I'm constantly advising the members of the boxing club to live up to a certain standard. If I can't lead by example, then shouldn't expect them to take my advise seriously."
The look on her face made me certain she believed every word she said. She clearly had a passion for boxing, but why? And why did she decide to become a manager instead?
"Hey, you seem to have a love for boxing. Why not join the female boxing club?" I asked.
Suddenly, her gaze turned downcast. Maybe I shouldn't have asked that. She stopped eating and just stared at her meal without saying a word until she mumbled something.
"A frog cannot be a bird. It is the way of the world."
I partially understood her strange metaphor. For whatever reason, she was saying she couldn't be a boxer because she wasn't good enough or something along that line.
"But maybe if the frog trains its legs enough, it could jump as high as a bird." I countered.
She slowly looked up at me with a look of bewilderment.
"I… I'm not sure if that's true," she finally said.
"The best way to find out is to test it. If the frog wants to soar like a bird, then it must work hard toward that goal.... And maybe a humble fox will help it on its way."
A small smile tugged at her lips.
"Your fighting style is a bit different from what I imagined for myself, but when I saw you, I…" She held her head down bashfully. "I thought it was beautiful. You fought shamelessly not caring what anyone else thought. I admired that."
Her words caught me by off-guard, and for a second, it felt a bit awkward. She was right. I was shameless in the way that I fought.
"I'm always studying different fighting styles, and you're certainly not the first out boxer I've seen, but something seemed different about the way you move. Even last night, when I saw you pull that illegal rabbit punch on your opponent, I couldn't help but feel startled by it," she continued.
"Yeah, it was the only thing I could think of to win against someone twice my size. Rest assured, I know better than to use that move in a real match."
"Good." For a second, all that remained was silence between us before she spoke up again. "Were you serious before?"
"Hmm?"
"About the fox, I mean… will he really help the frog soar as high as a bird?"
"I—"
"No. Forget it," she cut me off before I could answer. "It was a stupid idea anyway."
It seemed she wasn't truly convinced about the idea of being trained as a boxer. She wanted to; I could see the passion burning in her eyes, but for some reason, she was holding herself back.
I decided to change the topic and talk about something else. Instead, we discussed boxing—about the different matches that had been happening recently, who the number one contender for the title was, and who the up-and-coming stars were.
Ivy was more knowledgeable than I was. Once she started talking, it seemed she would never stop. She quickly refuted and admonished everything I said that she didn't agree with. At times, she was downright rude.
But I didn't mind that much. It was fun to watch the ice princess break out of her shell. I bet even she didn't realize how much she was talking. Soon, lunch break was over, and it was time for us to part ways.
"Would you like us to have lunch again?" I asked.
"You want to have lunch again? With me?" she replied.
"Yeah, it was fun. Don't you want to?"
She sighed.
"I guess that's fine."
Her words and attitude made it seem like she was completely indifferent to the whole idea, but her face told a different story. Her cold attitude didn't hit as hard when the side of her face was lit up like a red Christmas tree.
After that, we wished each other goodbye and went to finish up our classes for the day.
When classes were over, I didn't bother heading to the club room; instead, I went straight to my sister's middle school.
That damn note was on my mind all day. After what happened last night, I had to make sure she was safe. Her school was over a couple of minutes before mine, and I prayed that she hadn't left by the time I got there.
I sprinted out of the school, trying to push past the crowd of students. Soon, I was running down the sidewalk in the direction of her middle school, but then I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.
[Watch out!!]
Alexa's voice rang in my mind, but it was too late. A black SUV was speeding toward me with no intention of stopping.
There was nothing else I could do but brace for the impact.