The opening band was halfway through their set, though Coop couldn't even tell you any of the members names. The main act had done the music for a sci-fi flick he and Danielle had seen years ago. That was the only reason he had asked her if she wanted to go to the show.

His musical tastes and Dany’s were fairly far apart. He knew better than to try and play any metal around her. Christine had been surprised when he’d shown an interest in going.

She had only agreed to drive them tonight on the agreement that he would take over all the household chores for a month. As it got close to the intermission of the concert, Cooper leaned over and spoke softly into Danielle's ear. "I'm gonna hit concessions before the rush, want anything?"

He thought he saw Danielle shiver slightly when he started talking. 'I must have startled her.' He thought to himself.

It was his turn to tense when she had to get close to his ear to respond. "Could you grab me a root beer?"

She went to reach into her purse, Coop waved his hand back and forth. "I got it."

He hopped up the steps of the stadium style seating. Once at the top he surveyed the immediate area and sighted the drink stand. A few concert goers had the same idea as him and had rushed up before the opening act got off stage.

Coop took his spot in line and sighed. Momentarily enjoying a chance to not feel so self-conscious. He didn't used to worry so much about whether Danielle was having fun when they hung out. He was trying to be self-aware and not suffocate her. 'Just treat her like you always have, it's not like you've even told her yet.'

The customer in front of him finished up and carried off his drinks. Cooper greeted the women running the stand and ordered, idly swinging his vision from side to side. His body tensed as he looked down the line of vendors.

Two boys his age were striding his way and he couldn't help the death glare he directed at one of them. It was Anthony Farina, a former classmate at the middle school Cooper and Danielle had attended.

* * *

They had crossed paths back in middle school. Anthony had short black hair and a permanent sneer that he wore proudly. He had an average build as well as mind. He was nothing special and not someone you would take notice of, but he sure took notice of Cooper.

Whether it was the fact that Coop's family had a successful business, or that he got to hang out with the prettiest girl in school, no one could say. But he hated Coop, and for years whenever he could he made Coop's life a living hell. Things changed one day when Dany got involved.

Cooper and Danielle were headed to class one afternoon. Anthony passed by and said something to intimidate Coop. Danielle spoke up for him which irritated Anthony.

Anthony then made the mistake of saying something crass to Danielle as she walked beside Cooper, and then calling her a bitch when she called him out on it.

Up until that point a good portion of the students had assumed Coop was semi-mute, since Danielle was the only person he cared to associate with. Before the word had barely left Anthony's lips Coop rushed him, using his forearm to smash Anthony back into his locker.

What no one else knew was that Coop's grandpa had taken him aside when the subject of bullying had first come up. Franklin had been a boxer back in the day, before and during his time in the Marines.

The old man was still pretty spry for his age, and whenever he had time with Coop he'd teach him a few things. He didn't have time to work on conditioning or drills really. But he taught him how to stand, to keep his hands high and tight, how to jab, cross, hook, uppercut.

What spots on the body and head to go for. And a little bit of footwork to bring it all together. The most important thing he taught Coop was hit 'em hard and fast, violence of action. Use overwhelming force to bludgeon your opponent into submission.

So when Coop got Anthony against the locker he threw a quick jab with his left, obscuring Anthony's vision and throwing him off balance.

With his right shoulder already set back he balled his fist, stepped slightly to the left and hooked a body shot right into Anthony's ribs, dropping him to the ground.

Once on the ground, Coop let out all of his frustration over the years of abuse and bullying out. He started lifting Anthony up by his shirt and slamming him back down, before using his fists like a hammer and bringing them down on Anthony.

One of Dany's friends pulled her away as she was trying to calm Coop down. Their gym teacher had been forced to drag Coop off of Anthony. By the time it was done Anthony had a bloody nose and a black eye.

Coop ended up only getting suspended for two weeks, partially because Danielle had sided with Coop when talking to the faculty. Jack Bogdan wasn't happy about the suspension, but he was glad Coop had handled himself. They assumed that would be the end of it.

One day two weeks later, Coop was tasked with feeding the school mascot. A hog housed in a pen behind the gymnasium. As he was putting food into its trough, Anthony and his lackeys came up behind him. One of the boys dove for his legs and took him to the ground.

Once Coop was down the other three rushed forward and began stomping and kicking him before he could get back to his feet. He'd gotten one good shot, directly into Anthony's balls. After that he'd tucked himself into a ball and covered his head like his grandfather had taught him. If it hadn't been for the grounds-keeper approaching on his cart, Coop might have needed serious medical care.

The boys ran off and the grounds-keeper found him and took him to the school nurse. The school called his father, who came and took him to get stitches. One of the boys had managed to gash him directly below his bottom lip. Another blow had bruised his ribs as well as his stomach in several places.

By today's standards Coop's father would be considered borderline abusive. He wasn't above using corporal punishment if he was disrespected, or if his son did something liable to put himself in jail or a morgue. Coop wasn't really the kind of kid to step out of line, so he rarely got punished like that.

But Jack Bogdan had been absolutely furious that what he referred to as a 'group of base thugs.' had been allowed to assault his son on school grounds. Coop took two weeks out from school. The boys involved were suspended pending an investigation.

The resource officer had no witnesses other than Coop, and that part of the school had no cameras. Anthony had an extensive juvenile record and had made the mistake of boasting about the incident in front of faculty members. He had been expelled while his friends were allowed to resume going to classes.

It was during those two weeks that Coop and Danielle had come up with the idea to go to a private catholic school. Danielle had managed to get admitted to the school in large part due to her athletic prowess, she played volleyball. Coop would stammer and deflect if you pointed out that he was present for every game.

He even sat in at their practices when he could, using that time to study in the far back bleachers. Cooper had been admitted not because of sports but his grades and father’s connections.

The kids had gone to their parents, and each had made their case for why they wanted to change schools. They explained that this had started because Cooper had defended Danielle.

They said both were targets of the delinquents; a bit of a white lie since they mostly left her alone outside of some suggestive words and gestures. Danielle's parents were supportive for the most part. Their older children had already left home so they tended to dote on her.

The subject of how they would afford the tuition was something they would discuss later as a family. But they signed off on the idea almost without reservation. Jack Bogdan had told Danielle's parents he wanted to discuss the idea with his son more, privately.

He had invited Coop into his study; something that did not happen, ever. He motioned for Coop to sit down and went and stood by the window.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Are you doing this just so you can stay close to Danielle?"

Cooper wasn't the type to lie, he would occasionally skirt the truth to spare someone's feelings when it was warranted, but otherwise he spoke his mind, sometimes to his own detriment.

"No sir, I do wanna keep going to school with her but these guys have already proved they don't mind getting violent. I just think it's better in the long run if we aren't there to go after."

Jack crossed his arms and turned to look at his son.

"I've always resisted the idea of putting you or your sister in one of those schools, do you know why that is Coop?"

Coop shook his head. "No, why?"

Jack uncrossed his arms and sat down at his desk. "Entitlement, I've seen how some of my cousins had it growing up. They were allowed to behave as if the hard work everyone in this family has done was all so they could have nice things and look down on people.

"You won't be able to lead people if you think like that, especially doing the kind of work we do. If you go onto a rig you need to see everyone there as a part of your team. Not just someone responsible for putting money in your pocket."

Coop opened his mouth to respond, but Jack held up a hand to silence him. "I know you've got a good head on your shoulders, but if I'm gonna sign off on this you will have to agree to some terms, and they are non-negotiable."

He didn't elaborate for several seconds, so Coop took the opportunity to respond. "What would I have to do?"

"First, you'll need to maintain your current GPA, that means A's across the board. If I'm gonna pay ten thousand dollars tuition, you're gonna make use of it. That also means joining a school club, 4-H, newspaper. Whichever you like but something that will force you to interact with people and pad out a college application.

"Second, you will take up a sport, I won't tell you what, but you need to stick with it until you graduate. Part of the reason you're an easy target is because you're all skin and bones son. Not only will it build up your confidence, being part of a team will build character and instill discipline. Thirdly, I want you to start familiarizing yourself with the business. You'll start doing site visits with me and meeting the crews.

"None of those men will respect you if you can't even follow what they are doing. When you come out with me it'll be just like your uncle's ranch, everyone works. Finally, I want you to learn to defend yourself. You can keep boxing if you want. But if so we'll find you a coach other than my pop."

Jack gave Coop a pointed look, showing he knew about Franklin's training. "Regardless, the next time someone puts their hands on you I don't want you to be the one left lying on the ground, understood?"

Coop shook his head up and down vigorously. "Understood, I promise I won't let you down."

Cooper had agreed without a second thought. Over time he'd made good on everything his father had demanded, maintaining his test scores being the easiest to accomplish.

He was already a studious kid. That being part of the reason his dad wanted him to get more involved in pursuits outside of a textbook.

He had thought long and hard about the other two demands his father made of him. The first decision he had pondered on was which sport to get involved in. When looking over his options he saw they had a wrestling program, and his interest was piqued.

He knew no one would imagine he would try out for something that would require him to get hands on with someone else. He settled on it because of his grandpa. He loved to tell Coop about the heyday of professional wrestling.

Back when there were multiple markets and promotions throughout the country; it being on television was just a commercial to get people to attend the shows. After losing his mom, Coop spent Saturday mornings with his grandparents. His grandfather had a media room with a projector and a popcorn machine. He had an entire library full of matches, from old VHS recordings to pay-per-views.

Coop had always loved the performers who were considered technical wrestlers. The ones who used moves that most resembled wrestling as an actual sport. Next was what club to join, although the school was for grades K-12, the clubs were separated by the specific programs.

The one difference being 4-H, students from all grades participated together. Honestly, he was already planning to join if his dad allowed him to go there. And it had nothing to do with Danielle expressing an interest in doing it as well.

Finally, his dad wanted him to take up martial arts. He had gone back to the old man and asked if wrestling covered both check marks. His dad had chuckled and said no; wrestling alone wouldn't have spared him the beating Anthony and his thugs had dished out.

There was a mixed martial arts gym only a mile away from his house, nestled into a strip mall. They had a split program, teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu one night and Muay Thai the next. It was the closest so that's what he picked.

His father never said how proficient he had to get, just had to attend the classes. Not that Coop didn't want to learn how to not get the crap kicked out of him. He did fine if they went after him one on one or even two on one with what his grandpa had taught him, but since when do bullies do that?

He just imagined the gym being full of real macho types who would look down on him. Looking back, he couldn't have been more wrong. His instructors were easy going, letting people learn at their own pace.

They had two kinds of students, those who practiced for exercise and self defense, and those who competed. The athletes were given less slack than those just wanting to learn to defend themselves. Coop was more than happy sticking with the sparring matches they had between students.

Between his training there and wrestling he had gained a lot of confidence in his own abilities. He didn't hesitate to start walking back to his seat after receiving the drinks from the concession stand. Even though his path was taking him right past Anthony and his buddy.

* * *

Coop didn't make eye contact with either of the boys as they approached. He was hoping to avoid being recognized but looking away was more likely to draw their attention than just looking around.

Instead, he glanced past them, focusing just long enough to feign someone normally looking around. His fight or flight response was kicking in. No matter how capable he was now his body knew danger was near and was getting ready to respond should the threat materialize.

Once he got about ten feet past them, he started to breathe a sigh of relief. "Hey, isn't that the turd who got me expelled back in middle school?"

Coop fought the urge to drop the drinks and assume a fighting stance. Instead, he turned quickly and regarded both. He could tell they must have noticed him and that Anthony had only feigned ignorance to try and shake him up. But he could rile Anthony up just as easily.

"I'm pretty sure you got yourself expelled when you had to get all your friends to fight your battles for you."

Anthony had changed as well in the last three years, he looked meaner. He'd gotten bigger as well, he wasn't taller than Coop, but he had gotten heftier. After Coop's comment he was breathing heavily, looking like a small bull about to charge.

It was at this moment that Danielle appeared from the archway leading to their seats. Coop's back was to her, but she recognized Anthony. She considered walking over but thought better of it; her presence would guarantee the two would fight.

She turned around and started walking the other direction at a trot. Anthony marched up to within spitting distance. Coop shifted his left foot slightly forward but kept his weight firmly on his right.

Anthony pointed at him and spoke in a raised voice. "You need a reminder, cause we can finish it right here. There ain't no boarding school for you to run off to now daddy's boy!"

Coop kept his tone measured since he had no reason to fight, yet. Better to de-escalate the situation, even though he knew for certain Anthony wasn't evolved enough to walk away.

"Last time you blind sided me five on one, now I'm looking right at you and it's just the three of us. I just wanna go back to my seat and enjoy the show, so I'm asking you to let it go."

Anthony looked at the drinks in Cooper's hand, realization dawning on his face. "Don't tell me you're here with Double D, maybe we should all go say hi."

Coop immediately started pushing off his right foot to launch forward, prepared to toss both drinks into their faces before he kicked the shit out of them.

Before moving even a foot he felt a quite large arm wrap itself around his chest as a deep voice spoke. "Okay, that's enough of that."

Coop turned his head, half prepared to head-butt what he assumed was a third friend that had just arrived. Instead, he saw two event staff wearing security jackets. They both looked like offensive linemen. Coop could see they were annoyed by having to get involved.

Teen pissing contests weren't exactly a great use of their time. He saw over the shoulder of the one holding him back that Danielle was standing next to the doorway leading down to their seats.

"What's the problem guys?" The other security guard said.

Coop raised his hands, holding the drinks up as a sign of surrender. He stepped away and to the side as the man behind him took his hands off of him.

Anthony broke the silence first. "Oh, we're just catching up with an old classmate. Haven't seen each other in a few years." Anthony grinned at Coop, beaming at the fact that he had again provoked him to the point of violence.

Both guards shared a look before pointing back and forth between both sides. "Well however you want to 'catch up', do it somewhere else."

Anthony's friend chimed in with a voice that sounded something like a mix between a surfer and a cartoon dog. "Hey no problem Officer!" Then he began backing up and pulling Anthony's shoulder to coax him along.

Coop watched them go a moment before nodding at the two guards. "Sorry."

He started walking to where Danielle was standing. He hazarded a glance over his shoulder; making eye contact with Anthony who was doing the same. He turned back around and handed Danielle her drink. He breathed a sigh of relief and gave her a smile that said he really could have done without the excitement. His palms were sweaty, and it felt like steam might start escaping from his collar any second.

She shook her head at him and took a sip of her drink. "I can't take you anywhere."

Coop made an exaggerated show of silently laughing. "Thank you for taking pleasure in seeing me nearly die." Cooper looked behind him in the direction Anthony had gone.

Danielle snorted and laughed at the same time. "Whatever, you could have taken 'em."

Cooper started walking toward the archway back to their seats, stopping to let Danielle fall in step next to him. "I wouldn't put it past those jackasses to pull a knife." As they headed back to their seats, the main act began playing their set.