My Pro Boxer System

"Really!" She glanced up at me a slight blush creeping it's way up her cheeks. 

I never expected her to get so excited by it.

"Sure." I responded.

Immediately, she took out a small notebook and a pen from her shirt pocket. Her expression turned serious as she took notes on everything I said, up until we entered the school building.

"Thanks for answering my questions," she bowed her head. "I'll see you in the club after school; don't be late."

"Yeah, I'll see you later."

With that, we both headed our separate ways. I arrived at my classroom mere seconds before homeroom started. For a brief moment, my eyes met Cassian's, and a sense of relief washed over me.

He and Ken were the only ones staring at me while my other classmates ignored me like they normally did. That meant no one knew about the fight yesterday. If they did, I would've been the center of attention.

I figured that would be the case; everyone in the club is friends with Cassian. They probably didn't want to go around telling everyone that he lost to a guy like me. I, for one, was happy. Having other people's attention has never been a good thing for me.

I took my seat at the back of the class and gazed out the window as Ms. Dalton began today's homeroom with a lecture. She spoke about the sports tournament that was supposed to take place at the end of the school year. That would be around summer of next year since it's currently only November.

"The inter-school sports tournament is a way for sports-centered schools like ours to show off our talent," she said, looking over the faces of the students present.

From the moment we entered the school, all they spoke about was the tournament. Schools that normally placed high in this tournament or even had one student that excelled in a sport were highly regarded.

"We will compete with over 20 different high schools, so if we manage to bring home at least one medal from one of the 13 different sports that our school participates in, it will be a big achievement," she continued. "So far, we haven't been able to do that just yet, but this year is different. This year, we have an abundance of talent."

She continued to speak about all the different benefits the school and students would receive if they performed well in this tournament. She spoke until homeroom was over and other classes began.

At lunch, I opened the lunch box that Alexa had prepared for me. I decided to eat in the classroom since the cafeteria would most likely be crowded again, but just as I was about to take the first bite of my meal, I was approached by a blond-haired boy with small bruises on his face—Cassian.

"Can we talk?"

He was by himself, without his usual entourage.

"Yeah, sure," I responded.

His expression stayed the same as he glanced around the classroom. The room was mostly empty except for a group of girls who had pushed their desks together as they ate. They were deep in conversation, chatting and laughing.

"Not here. Come with me for a sec."

Without waiting for an answer, Cassian turned on his heel and walked toward the exit of the classroom with his hands in his pockets. I followed behind him as we exited the building and entered the sports field.

I glanced around, expecting an ambush or something but nothing happened. We eventually stopped in a shaded area, where a tree hung over the field.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked.

Cassian frowned and rubbed the back of his head before answering.

"It's about yesterday… You know, our boxing match…"

He paused as he struggled with his words. Frankly, when he said he wanted to talk and brought me to this secluded spot, I thought he was going to attack me or something. But now… now I was a bit confused by this whole thing.

What does he want?

"I just wanted to let you know that there are no hard feelings over what happened yesterday."

"Huh?"

His words surpised me. I expected him to be a big baby about it and declare me as his mortal enemy or something.

"What happens in the ring stays in the ring. It would be unprofessional of me or whatever to hold a grudge because you beat me in a boxing match."

I stared at him blankly, unsure of what to say. I tried, but I couldn't find the words to respond to him.

"Look, the boxing club means a lot to me, and so do its members. If we are going to be training together, then I don't want there to be any bad blood between us." he continued. "Lets be friends."

He held out his hand for a handshake, but I was still confused by what he said.

"Train? Together? Weren't you kicked out?" I asked.

"Uh, no. Didn't you hear? The coach said I could stay."

"He did? Well, that's good."

I took hold of his still-extended hand, and we shook hands. This was far from what I expected of him. He showed a level of professionalism that I initially thought someone like him couldn't replicate.

When we got back to the classroom, I was stumped by the sight before me. Ken and Adam had pushed their desks next to mine.

"Took you guys long enough," Adam said, a grin etched on his face. "You know better than to leave me alone with boring old Ken here."

Ken adjusted his glasses and gave us a curious look before speaking.

"I assume everything is fine between the two of you."

"Everything is peachy," Cassian said, dragging another desk to make space for himself.

I took my seat with them, and the four of us began eating our lunches.

"What was it between the two of you anyways?" Adam asked, oblivious to the whole situation. "Some kind of lovers' spat?"

Ken and Cassian looked at each other blankly, so I took the liberty to answer.

"I'm joining the boxing club."

"Wait, for real? Can you even box?!"

I nodded.

"I've picked up a few things."

"Lame," Adam said, fanning me off. "You should've joined the football team if you wanted to be popular with the girls. Girls get squeamish when they see blood."

"Luckily, I didn't join to attract girls."

"Huh? Why else would you join?"

Ken stared at Adam as if he were an idiot before slapping him on the back of the head. I unexpectedly smiled when I saw them carrying on; this time, I didn't feel like an outsider.

When the classes were dismissed, Ken and Cassian waited for me outside the classroom while I packed up my things. I was late because I had been scolded by Ms. Dalton for sleeping in class again. Cassian snickered while I was being scolded, while Ken shook his head in disappointment.

After I finished packing my things, I exited the classroom to where the two were waiting for me.