Moments pass after the fight.
Gage and Gadeon return to detention.
Gadeon leans against Gage for support, his expression tight—he clearly doesn't want this, but he has no choice. The Mirror technique has taken too much out of him.
But what they see stops them both.
The classroom… is calm.
The detention that was once split into factions is now completely unified.
Everyone is quiet.
Some students are working alone.
Others sit in small groups, talking in low voices.
Even Sheriff—the one who caused everything earlier—is calmly doing work beside Kurtiz.
Like nothing ever happened.
"You finally brought him back!" one of Gage's goons calls out.
Gage blinks, caught off guard.
"Huh? I mean… yeah… you guys are still here?"
The boy shrugs casually.
"Of course. How else are we supposed to go home if you're not back?"
There's no annoyance in his voice.
No attitude.
Just… calm.
Gage and Gadeon exchange a look, brows slightly raised.
Earlier, when Gage walked out, his goons had mocked him. Doubted him.
Now—
It's like none of that ever happened.
Still confused, Gadeon turns his gaze toward Kurtiz.
Kurtiz sits beside Sheriff, quietly working.
No tension. No hostility.
Just two kids… acting like everything is normal.
Both boys return to their seats as Sir Judah informs them that time has resumed. Soon after, as he finishes his last piece of paperwork, he declares, "Detention is over! You're all dismissed!"
Every student in the room begins to leave one by one. Gadeon and Gage's eyes widen in shock—they can't believe what they're witnessing.
Is this the same detention I was in? What the hell happened? Everyone seems so different…
Gadeon, still frazzled, scans each individual as they leave, remaining stuck in his seat despite being told he can go.
"Aren't you going to leave, Gadeon?" Kurtiz appears before him as he asks.
He may not know how to flex, but his words are powerful… in fact, he speaks like how an adult would speak to a kid… I couldn't hear much of what he was saying… but… does he normally speak like that? I'll need to talk to Ephraim Alfred. Sir Judah thinks as he stares at Kurtiz.
Gage gets ready to leave, but goes to Gadeon first. "How are you feeling?" he asks.
Gadeon shoots a scowl at him. "Who are you to check up on me? Don't think we're friends because of what happened."
"Happened? Did something happen?" Kurtiz says, intrigued, as he looks at both Gadeon and Gage.
"I want to be your friend," Gage says, which shocks both Gadeon and Kurtiz.
"Woah! What?! What the hell happened between you two? It sounds like you kissed and hugged!" Kurtiz says mockingly, clearly shocked.
"WE DIDN'T KISS!" Gadeon says as he slams his fists on the table.
"Okay… sheesh. I was just playing… kids these days," Kurtiz says, the words slipping out of his mouth.
"And don't you ever say that to me. Do you know how weird and disgusting that sounds?" Gadeon says, making a face like he's about to vomit, sticking out his tongue. "Don't ever say that to me again."
However, Gage ignores him, no longer reacting to his rudeness, and asks, "You live with both parents, have a great dad, and I'm sure your mother is good too."
"Why do you keep bringing that up—"
Gadeon is cut off as Gage's question interjects.
"So what made you turn out like this?"
In the headteacher's office, young Jason, who is nine years old, is asked that very same question. Bruises mark his face. The chair he sits on is far too big—made for an adult—his feet dangling, not touching the ground.
"I don't know!" young Jason says, his face twisted as he glares back at the headteacher.
"Well, I've called your mum. She's on her way to pick you up."
"You called my mum?! WHY DID YOU CALL MY MUM?!"
"Don't you dare shout at me, boy! Maybe you should have known the consequences of your mum being called in before you beat up a fellow student."
"HE STARTED IT!"
"All he did was ask you a question! You should not have touched him!"
"WHY DID YOU CALL MY MUM?!"
"Because she needs to know this, and we're quite concerned about your behaviour lately. Where's your dad as well? It's been a while since we've—"
"I SAID WHY DID YOU CALL MY MUM?!"
Jason shot up from his seat, his feet touched the ground.
"Do not talk to me like—"
Suddenly, the headteacher paused. She realised Jason's outburst wasn't from anger, but from sadness and frustration, as tears began to well up in his eyes.
"Why did you have to call my mum… she's busy… very busy… she's the only one… she's tired… she doesn't sleep, she doesn't eat… is this my fault… or is it his fault?"
His? the headteacher thinks.
"Please, if you're calling her to pick me up, I can go home by myself… please!" Jason pleaded, the tears unable to stop pouring down his face.
"Okay, Jason, I'm concerned. What's been going on at home? Is this why your behaviour has changed recently?"
However, Jason ignored the question. "Couldn't you just call her and tell her what happened? That would be easier for her."
"I can't do that, Jason."
"Why?!" Jason cries, his voice broke, filled with guilt and hurt. "But I didn't even start it… they started it!"
From the way he's talking about his mother… did something happen between his parents? the headteacher wondered. If that's the case, even if it was just an innocent question, I can see why that would trigger him… but still… it's not right for him to attack his classmates. He needs to learn this from young, or he'll grow up hitting anyone… but I've never seen him like this… he's usually playful, the class clown… I'm really worried for him.
After a while, Jason cried himself to sleep, dark bags forming under his eyes. Meanwhile, his mum arrived at the school and entered the office.
"I'm so sorry that I'm—"
"Shh," the headteacher said, pressing her index finger to her lips. With her other hand, she pointed at Jason, indicating for his mother to take notice.
"Oh, he's asleep? Jason, wake u—"
"It's alright, let him sleep. He's been crying a lot."
"He's been crying?! Is he hurt?! Look at his face! Who did that to my baby?!"
"Actually, madam, Jason did the most damage. He ended up winning the fight, from what the other teachers told me."
"He won the fight?" Subtly, Jason's mother formed a fist with her hand as she thought to herself, Score.
"But why did he get into a fight? That's not like him," his mother asksed.
"Because a classmate asked him a question about his dad."
Immediately, his mother's eyes widened slightly, as if she understood Jason's reaction.
"Why did that other classmate ask him about his dad? Isn't that just random?"
"Excuse me, but they're children. They can't help their curiosity."
"Yes, I know, but they could've asked anything. What made them ask specifically about his dad?" his mother became agitated.
"Madam, I don't understand why that's a concern. Your son just attacked his classmate because they asked a question."
"No! Don't word it like that! It's because of the sort of question they asked him! They need to mind their own business!"
"Madam, they're just children!"
"I'm sorry, Mum."
The mutter broke the high tension between the adults as Jason woke up.
"Jace! Baby! I'm sorry, did we just wake you up?"
"No, it's okay. I was awake from when you first entered."
"You were pretending to sleep?" the headteacher asked.
"No, I was really asleep, but hearing Mum's voice woke me up. I was too tired to open my eyes, so I kept them closed."
What a kid response, the headteacher thought to herself, a small smirk forming.
"So, Jason, do you want to tell your mum what happened earlier?"
"Okay…" he said, then continued, "So today we were doing art, and we were told to draw our families in a house, which was fun. But when everyone was finished, the teacher put up all our drawings on the walls for everyone to see."
"That's really good! I hope you didn't draw me fat!" his mother joked, and Jason chuckled.
"No, I didn't, but…" Jason's face began to change as he frowned. "Everyone was talking about their drawings, asking who had the best one. But Jeffrey said out loud, 'Why is Jason's picture the only one that has no dad?'"
Jason finally revealed it as he fought back tears, though some escaped. He sucked in his lips, trying to hold it together. His mother's eyes began to fill with tears as well, but they didn't fall as she forced herself to stay strong.
"And… that's when you hit him?" his mother asked.
Jason didn't respond—he simply nodded.
His mother approached him, crouching to his eye level as she held both his hands. "Jace, baby, I know the question overstimulated you, but it doesn't mean you should hit someone… you need to apologise…"
"Yes, Mum," Jason said, no longer resisting as he began to cry again.
She's a good mother, the headteacher thought.
"Sorry if this sounds insensitive, but now I'm really concerned about what's going on at home. Jason crying today isn't like him. What made him hit his classmate after what they asked? As his headteacher, we need to know that the safety of our children is secured—not just in school, but outside of it."
Jason's mother subtly nodded in agreement as she kissed Jason on the forehead. "I'm sorry, baby, I'm so sorry." Then she turned to the headteacher. "Yes, you're right… honestly, I was trying to keep this a secret. It's too embarrassing to talk about."
"I understand. I even asked Jason what happened to his dad—it's been a while since we've seen him. I hope he's doing well."
Jason's mother didn't respond immediately.
"Jace, baby, why don't you start making your own way home? You've got the key, right?"
"Actually… he won't be going home anymore," the headteacher revealed.
"But isn't that why you called me to pick him up?"
"I know, but he also won't be returning to classes today. He'll just spend the day with me."
"Okay… if that's the case, do you mind if he just leaves the room for a moment?" Jason's mother said, giving the headteacher a look to indicate it was something she didn't want him to hear.
The headteacher understood. She sent an email to call a teacher down, and they came to take Jason to an empty classroom to do some reading.