Part-17
James stared at the s, a hollow feeliling in his stomach. The meager reward – a two-point increase in his "CHA" stat – felt insignifit pared to the chaos he'd unleashed. He g Ryan, who was slowly pulling himself up, his bravado shattered. What had he gotten himself into?
Just as abruptly as it appeared, the s vanished. In its pce, a new urgency filled the air. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing louder with each passing sed.
"What's all this otion?" a booming voice cut through the tense silence.
The students, as if startled awake from a dream, scattered like startled birds. James, his heart pounding in his chest, turo see Principal Byzed, his stern face etched with , striding towards them.
Principal Byzed, a stern man with a bushy mustache that seemed to permaly furrow his brow, ushered James, Ryan, and Mili into his office. The tension in the room was thicker thaale air. Byzed, ever the stickler for following protocol, started with Mili.
"Alright, Mili," he began, his voice gruff but fair. "Tell me what happened out there in the hallway."
Mili, relieved to finally have a voice, expihe situation clearly. "Ryan approached me, asking for my number. I politely deed, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. James here just happeo walk by and saw the whole thing." Her voice hitched slightly. "He didn't have to step in, but he did."
Byzed's gaze flickered to James, a hint of curiosity repg his initial disapproval. James met his gaze, his posture resolute despite the knot of worry in his stomach.
"That's right, Principal Byzed," James firmed, his voice firm. "I saw Ryan harassing Mili and thought I should intervene."
Ryan, clutg his still-tingling cheeks, scoffed. "Harassing? e on, she's overreag. I was just trying to be friendly." His bravado, however, cked its earlier vi.
Mili bristled. "No, Ryan, you were making me unfortable. James had nothing to do with me. He just saw someone being bullied and decided to do something about it. It's not like I call him or anything. It would have bee if he mind his own business."
Byzed steepled his fingers, his eyes narrowed in thought. The situatioed a challenge. On one hand, James' as, while seemingly well-iioned, had disrupted the school enviro and potentially resulted in some kind of strange phenomenon with Ryan's odd rea to the sps. Oher hand, Byzed couldn't done Ryan's behavior towards Mili.
"This is a serious matter," Byzed finally spoke, his voice heavy. "Ryan, your as were inappropriate. We have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying in this school. As for James..." He paused, his gaze lingering on James for a long moment. "James, while I appreciate you stepping in to help a cssmate, violence is he answer. However, I will o further iigate the... unusual events that transpired."
Byzed leaned ba his chair, a sigh esg his lips. He khis wouldn't be a simple case of a hallway scuffle. There was something more at py, something he couldn't quite grasp. He o find a way to hahe situation that addressed all aspects – Ryan's behavior, James' involvement.