"...demon boy."

Hearing the derogatory nickname some of his classmates used behind his back, Adam glanced over to see who had said it.

"Yeah, Oliver, why don't you go make friends with demon boy over there?" Lee snickered.

Adam assessed the situation involving the 'brownie incident' and noticed the two bullies, Liam and Lee, laughing while eating what he assumed was Oliver's brownie. Beside them, Oliver stood with anger written on his face, fists clenched.

Adam stood up, seeking an outlet for the fury he felt, and he'd just found it.

"Adam. Don't," Stella pleaded, worry creasing her brow.

"You know I can't let them call me that. I left them alone yesterday, and now they're taunting me again. I'm not letting it go this time."

Adam strode toward the unfolding scene, pushing a few kids out of his way.

"What did I tell you idiots? Didn't I warn you that if you dared call me names, I'd make you regret it?"

All eyes turned to Adam as he approached.

"If you want to bully the so-called weakling, go ahead. But for some reason, you guys involve me in these situations every year. Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

Adam confronted Liam and Lee, towering over them with a fierce glare.

"What do you want, demon boy?" Liam tried to stand taller, attempting to match Adam's imposing presence, but it was difficult given their height difference.

Lee stood there too, but his posture betrayed his hesitation.

As Liam sneered, Adam's anger boiled over, and he couldn't hold back any longer. He threw the first punch, his fist connecting with Liam's jaw.

"Don't!" Adam growled, punctuating each word with another brutal blow.

"Ever!" His knuckles collided with Liam's cheekbone.

"Call!" A sharp uppercut to the chin.

"Me!" Another punch to the gut.

"Demon!" His fists slammed into Liam's face once more.

"Boy!" The final hit sent Liam sprawling to the floor.

Lee, witnessing his friend's distress, lunged at Adam with a wild haymaker. "You'll pay for that!" he shouted, but Adam expertly dodged the clumsy attack and countered with a solid right hook to Lee's cheek, sending him crashing to the ground.

The dining hall erupted in chaos, with students shouting and scrambling to get out of the way. Teachers rushed over, trying to break up the fight and restore order.

Adam's adrenaline coursed through him as he continued to pummel Liam, landing blow after blow. Liam could barely defend himself, his arms feebly attempting to protect his battered face.

Just as Adam was about to deliver another strike, Lee mustered the strength to tackle him from behind. In the scuffle, Lee's fingernail scraped across Adam's right eyebrow, leaving a shallow gash. Blood began to trickle down his face, but Adam hardly noticed the pain.

"You're a monster!" Lee spat as he struggled to get up.

With a surge of strength, Adam shoved Lee off him and landed a powerful kick to his ribs, leaving him gasping for air. "I'm not the monster here," he snarled.

Both bullies were now on the ground, whimpering in fear and pain. The teachers finally reached Adam and managed to pull him away from the defeated bullies. Panting and bloodied, Adam glared down at Liam and Lee, who cowered beneath his furious gaze. It was clear they wouldn't dare challenge him again anytime soon.

Stella rushed over to Adam as the teachers led him away from the defeated bullies. Her eyes widened in concern as she saw the blood streaming down from the gash above his eye. "Adam, you're hurt!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with worry.

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He looked at her and gave her a small, reassuring smile. "It's just a scratch, Stella. I'll be fine."

Before they could say anything more, the teachers ushered him down the hallway and into the principal's office. They seated him in a chair, and the principal, Ms. Thompson, looked at him sternly from across her desk.

"Adam, this behavior is completely unacceptable," she began. "Fighting is not the solution to any conflict, and you've caused quite a commotion in the dining hall."

Adam remained unapologetic, his voice cold and defiant. "They deserved it. They are bullies, ask Oliver if you don’t believe me, and they kept calling me 'demon boy'. They needed to be taught a lesson."

Ms. Thompson sighed, her frustration evident. "This isn't the first time you've been involved in a fight, Adam. In fact, this is becoming a pattern. Many students are afraid of you because of your violent tendencies. Regardless of their actions, violence is never the answer. I'm calling your mother, and we'll be discussing this further."

She picked up the phone and dialed, waiting as it rang. When Adam's mother answered, Ms. Thompson filled her in on the situation. "Yes, Mrs. Emmanuel, I'm afraid Adam has been involved in a fight at school. He has a cut above his eye that needs attention from the school nurse, and we need you to come in to discuss the matter."

As they waited for his mother to arrive, Adam was escorted to the school nurse, who cleaned and bandaged the wound above his eye. Though the pain was minimal, the sight of his own blood was a stark reminder of the intensity of his anger.

When Adam's mother arrived, they all convened in the principal's office once more. Her face was a mixture of anger and disappointment. "Adam, what happened?" she demanded.

He recounted the events, his tone unrepentant. "I had to teach those bullies a lesson. They were messing with me calling my nasty names because I look different to them."

His mother's anger intensified. "Violence doesn't solve anything, Adam. You can't let your anger control you like that. I'm tired of coming to this school for the same reason over and over again."

Ms. Thompson interjected, "Due to the severity of the fight and your history of violent incidents, we have no choice but to suspend you for two weeks. We can't tolerate this kind of behavior in our school."

Adam's mother nodded, her jaw clenched. "We understand, Ms. Thompson. I'll make sure Adam knows the consequences of his actions."

As they left the office, Adam couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, despite the suspension and his mother's disapproval. In his mind, he had released his anger on two willing targets, and he'd put those bullies in their place so they would most likely not cause him or probably Oliver any issues, even if he didn't particularly care about Oliver. The only regret that he had with the situation was not being able to chill with Stella at school for the next 2 weeks.

‘I’ll see her tomorrow anyway at the Emmanuels. Where I can deal with the other pest’ he smiled thinking about the kind of pummeling that Rupert would receive from him.

“What the hell are you smiling about? Adam, you've really disappointed me today.” His mother scolded him. She opened the car door for him before saying, “Get in.”

---

Melissa's face tightened with frustration as she drove Adam home. "I had to drop an important meeting with a client just to pick you up from school, Adam. You have no idea how furious I am right now," she said, her voice tense with anger.

After hearing this Adam did his best to look at his shoes for the rest of the ride home.

When they arrived home, Yusuf, Adam's father, was already there, working from his home office. He looked up in surprise as they entered, taking in the bandage above Adam's eye. "What happened?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

Melissa filled him in on the events at school, her tone exasperated. Adam, sensing the tension in the room, attempted to lighten the mood with a joke. "You should've seen the other guy, Dad," he said with a grin.

Yusuf almost chuckled, but caught himself when he saw Melissa's glare. "This is not a laughing matter, Adam. And you, Yusuf, don't you dare encourage him."

Yusuf raised his hands defensively, and Melissa continued, "I've had enough of this behavior at school. I'm calling the therapist."

Adam and Yusuf both groaned, clearly annoyed. Yusuf glanced accusingly at Adam, his expression clearly saying, 'Look what you've done now.'

Sighing, Yusuf walked over to the whiteboard on the wall and wiped away the number '5,' changing it to '0' under the label 'Days since last seen therapist.'

They ate dinner in silence, each lost in their thoughts. Adam disliked going to the therapist because the therapist thought he was a liar, while Yusuf had his own reasons for disliking her. He believed the therapist was an Emmanuel family plant, spying on them since she never seemed to like him.

As they finished their meal, Yusuf couldn't help but voice his suspicions. "Melissa, I still think she's a plant from the Emmanuel family. They've always been trying to control us."

Melissa shook her head, dismissing his concerns. "Yusuf, you're being paranoid. She's just a therapist, and we need her help to get through to Adam."

They continued to eat in silence, the tension in the room thickening. Adam tried to focus on his meal, but his mind kept drifting back to the fight and the anger he felt towards the bullies. He couldn't help but wonder what consequences awaited him.

Yusuf cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Adam, we know you've been dealing with a lot lately, and we just want to help you. We're not doing this to punish you, but to figure out a way to handle your anger."

Adam sighed, not meeting his father's eyes. "I know, Dad. I just... I just let my anger get the best of me today."

The room remained quiet for a moment before Melissa spoke up. "Look, we're all going to see the therapist together. We'll work through this as a family. It's important that we support one another, and that includes addressing your behavior at school, Adam."

Yusuf nodded in agreement, and though Adam still felt annoyed about the upcoming therapy session, he knew that his family was there for him, and that, at least, provided some comfort.