Lucas, a wealthy child whose parents were often absent, grew accustomed to their lack of attention. By high school, this led him to bully other students. One day, a new student named Alex was introduced. Alex, with his mullet and eyebrow piercing, quickly befriended the school's outcasts.
Lucas's first encounter with Alex occurred when he was bullying Zach, one of Alex's friends. Alex stepped in, blocking Lucas. "Boy, whatever your name is, get out of my way," Lucas sneered. "No," Alex replied firmly, "and by the way, my name is Alex. Also, no, you can't bully my friends." Lucas laughed. "Oh, a cool guy hanging out with weirdos?" Alex's voice turned cold. "So, you have a problem with that?" Lucas stopped laughing and demanded, "Get out!" Alex still refused. Before anyone knew it, a fight broke out, and a teacher intervened, sending both boys to detention.
After that incident, Alex became Lucas's target. Lucas constantly played pranks on him, like putting glue on his chair or dropping water on his face. One day, Lucas tried to skateboard into Alex, who was working on a painting project. Lucas bumped into him as planned, but Alex's painting fell, splattering both of them. Lucas's white shirt became see-through from the water, embarrassing him. Alex, frustrated, grabbed Lucas and pulled him into the empty bathroom. "Why did you do that?" Alex asked, his face close to Lucas's. Lucas, flustered by the proximity, mumbled that he had meant to fall, but not like that. "Alex," he continued, "you destroyed my drawing project!" Just then, Alex noticed Lucas's transparent shirt. He took off his coat and handed it to Lucas, pulling him closer. "Stop trying to win a fight you can't win," Alex said softly. "It's none of your business," Lucas retorted. "It is now," Alex replied before leaving to try and salvage his ruined painting.
Three weeks later, the school announced a sports day. Alex was participating in the baton race. While Lucas was practicing high jumps, Alex stayed after school to practice his running. Lucas, noticing Alex hadn't gone home early, decided to investigate. He followed Alex to the field and watched him run,with his mullet tied up. Alex spotted Lucas and approached him, curious. "What do you want?" Alex asked. "Nothing," Lucas mumbled. "Then why are you here?" Alex exclaimed. Lucas noticed Alex's sore foot and made him sit down. "What the..." Alex started to say. "You haven't answered my question," Alex reminded him. "I was just bored," Lucas replied. Alex saw the concern on Lucas's face. "It's okay," Alex assured him. "No, it's not," Lucas insisted, getting an ice pack and gently placing it on Alex's heel. Alex flinched from the cold. Lucas looked genuinely worried. "It's really okay," Alex repeated. Suddenly, Lucas started to cry. Alex was shocked and hugged Lucas, saying, "It doesn't hurt, it's okay." Lucas slowly stopped crying. "Really okay?" he asked. Alex nodded. "Who knew you were a crybaby?" Alex teased. Lucas tried to pretend he hadn't been crying. Alex laughed, still surprised. "You're funny," Alex said. Lucas looked away, saying, "I wasn't funny." "If you say so," Alex replied, getting up and hugging Lucas one last time before heading home. Lucas was confused, having never cried for anyone or experienced such warmth before.