Queens High School Cafeteria
Same noise. Same faces.
Ashan walked through the buzzing cafeteria with his hood down this time. His water bottle in his hand. Posture straight. No tray.
He wasn't hungry for food anymore.
At the corner table: Ricky Farley cracking jokes, laughing way too hard. Jalen Ramos leaned back, arms crossed, scanning his phone. His 152 lbs state champ patch stitched neatly on his jacket. Everyone saw it.
Ricky noticed Ashan passing by. Grinned.
"Yo, Kung Fu Panda! Where's your black belt, bro?"
Some students snorted. Ashan stopped. Turned slightly.
"Keep talking. You'll find out."
His voice was low. Steady.
Ricky blinked.
"What?"
Ashan stared at him, expression flat. Calm.
Jalen raised an eyebrow, watching.
Ashan walked off.
---
Later, at the Back Lot
Ricky was pissed.
"Yo, J. That fatass just tried to flex on me like he's Goku or some shi-"
Jalen cut him off.
"You want me to shut him up?"
Ricky grinned like a kid offered candy.
"I'm just sayin'. He needs to remember who runs this place."
Jalen stood up, cracking his neck.
"Where's he live again?"
---
The Alley, 4:31 PM
Ashan walked home with sore legs, backpack slung over one shoulder. His mind was on his journal, ready to write down new numbers. 22 squats. 30 seconds plank. Clean form this time.
He turned the corner near the alley shortcut he always used.
Jalen was there.
Leaning against the brick wall like he'd been waiting.
"What a coincidence," he said.
Ashan stopped. His pulse rose. Fast.
"What do you want?"
Jalen stepped forward.
"You disrespected my boy. Now I gotta show you where your place is."
Ashan dropped his bag.
"If you wanna fight-"
Before he finished, Jalen slammed him with a double-leg takedown.
Crack.
Ashan's back hit concrete.
He couldn't breathe.
Jalen was already mounting him.
Ricky's voice echoed faintly from behind the wall.
"Woooo! Fold him, Champ!"
Ashan swung a wide punch, missed.
Jalen drove a forearm into Ashan's mouth. His lip split.
Another hit, to the ribs.
Another.
Ashan twisted.
Why can't I move?
He tried remembering Bruce.
Tried picturing Cosmo.
But his vision blurred.
His body was a shell.
His arms were noodles.
His breath was gone.
Then…
Jalen stood over him.
"Stick to movies, kung fu boy."
He turned and walked off. No glory. Just a message.
Ashan lay still.
Lip bleeding.
Back bruised.
His left eye swelling.
Rage and shame bubbling together.
"I couldn't do anything…"
---
Home, 6:12 PM
Ashan sat in the bathroom, shirt off. Staring at the bruises.
His knuckles had blood, not Jalen's. Just pavement.
He looked himself in the mirror.
He cried.
But his hands did not tremble as he opened the journal.
Project Dragon - Day 4
Training stopped. Got jumped.
I lost.
Couldn't land a hit.
He crushed me.
Then below it, in messy capital letters:
"NEVER AGAIN."