He stands over us covering the moment with oppressive shadows. Seemingly oblivious to where he is, the man emits intense killing intent. Even if help were to come they would be too frozen by fear to step up.I instinctively put my arm in front of Alyson which earns a raised eyebrow from Sever. Sever: “And you are?”Nao: “Alphon, what does such a dangerous guy want from my friend.”Sever: “You seemed more than friends.”Alyson: “Relax Alphon, I got this.”She moves my arm away and stands up against Sever. Usually, Alyson commands any ring she steps into against this guy, she looks as small as me.Alyson: “What do you want with my brother?”Sever shoots me a glance but quickly returns to Alyson, meeting her glare with his own.Sever: “I rather we discuss this away from strangers.”It’s my turn to get up and stand up against Sever. I might be taller by a small inch but I still feel like I’m still the young kid in the situation. Despite that, I puff up my chest and enter the fray.Nao: “

The air sparks from that revelation and I instantly get up. He’s…the king? He’s….Nao: “Y-You actually shorter than I thought you would be.”……Trevor: “Hahaha, yeah. But I like the fact I’m only 5’10. The faces of 6-foot guys getting crushed by me are priceless.”Nao: “Lucky you.”Trevor: “I actually didn’t believe that Anton’s plaything beat those same 6-foot guys. But look at you! I have to say, you’ve got my attention. I’ve been dying to fight someone interesting. No one else has the guts to step up to the plate.”Nao: “I rather not. As you can see, I’m tired.”Besides, I don’t want to go through…that again.Trevor: “Yeah but you see-”Trevor appears in front of me with a crazy grin and followed up with a punch to the gut. The blow forces me onto my knees coughing. That…blasted the air out of my lungs.Trevor: “I’m not that patient. I’m sure you’ll pull something out if I push you to the brink. Yeah, show me that look you had when you were beating down that poor bastard.” I loo

No…I place the old photo back in my drawer. It’s all in the past.I get ready for school and go downstairs to see Nell cooking. Nell: “Good morning honey.”Alyson: “Good morning Nell. How’s…work?”Nell: “You don’t have to worry about it. We get by and I can handle it.”Alyson: “Why don’t you tell Nao? If all three of us-”Nell: “I’m not blind, I know that there’s something going on with Nao. I don’t know what it is but won’t burden him with this too. I didn’t want to do that to you either but…*smile* you just don’t take no for an answer.”Alyson: “Don’t worry Nell, when I graduate at the top I can help out.”Nell: “You shouldn’t burden yourself Alyson. You should focus on what you want to do with your life, we’ll be fine.”Alyson: “That won’t last forever and besides…it’s the least I can do.”Nell: “Will you…stay for breakfast.”Alyson: “No I…okay.”She beams a tired smile and I return the gesture as best I can. We eat a quick meal together, just the two of us. I don’t know why I don

*Knock**Knock**Door Open*Alyson: “Come in.”I follow Alyson to her room and to the bed. Despite my hesitation, Alyson pulled me to sit with her. A few minutes passed with no words flowing. Only an awkward silence filled the air. Only Alyson would have the strength to break that silence.Alyson: “Your less…animated than usual. Did you have a bad day too?”Nao: “…You can say that.”Alyson: “Do want to talk about it?”Nao: “I came here for you so lets start there.”Alyson: “…Fine, I’ll go first.”Alyson: *Sigh*Alyson: “My brother got into a fight today, a really bad one. It’s partly my fault but I wish he wouldn’t put himself in these situations.”Nao: “You’re fault?”Alyson: “I shouldn’t have put him on the black list at the time. I was mad and…scared of Nao’s aggressive sudden improvement.”Nao: “That’s a…bad thing?”Alyson: “Not entirely but doing that is only going to hurt in the long run. What he’s trying is just not possible.”Why does she keep saying that!Nao: “Why do you say

Tonight, Hillview is getting lucky with a meteor shower. Couples of Hillview, be sure to take advantage of this to-”I change the channel. Why does everything remind me of him? Now I know what Nao felt like back he was rejected for the first time. I shouldn’t have made fun of him, this feels terrible. I look at my phone and the desire to call him consumes me again. No, I’ve called enough. At this point, I’m probably coming off as a stalker. I lost my chance at a love life.Look at me, I can’t even gather the strength to go to school early anymore. But I still have to go. I leave my room and go to the bathroom. At least, I try to but Nao is still inside taking a bath.*Knock**Knock*Alyson: “I still have to go to school Nao, get out already.” *Bathroom door opens*!!Nao: “H-Hey Alyson.”Holy….he…actually looks…hot? How did he get so tall and…well built? I actually have to look up a bit.Nao: “Are you…blushing?”Alyson: “N-No! Your growth spurt just caught me off guard. Out of the w