Note:

  I'm having an issue with the worldbuilding, and I hope you give me your reendations. As you know (if you didn't know, now you do), I'm following the timeline of the series Young Sheldon, but I have a problem with it.

  Right now, we're at the time of episode 5 where there's a time skip of 5 weeks, which we've already passed (in theory, we're at the end of week 4).

  But the following episodes have certain problems with temporal tinuity; there are things in the show that shouldn't happen but do. So, this note is to warn that I might skip some episodes of Young Sheldon or make ges to some things.

  Enjoy.

  ---After the game we won, the coach began to show new pys to learn for the oppos we would have. Geie, An, and I khey came from Sheldon, and even though they might seem risky and unon pys, I khey came from precise mathematical analysis by the little boy.

  Days ter using these pys, we won the game of the season with surprising ease.

  The following Friday after the game, in addition to the usual gratutions for the victory the day before, as I walked through the school halls, my previous assumption about Sheldon's anonymity in our victories proved to be incorrect.

  "The genius kid, the one who's like ten years old, they say he is pys using math," aed teenager reag in front of a group of other astoeenagers.

  Arriving at my locker, "So, Sheldon is your new coach?" Kat asked bluntly, apparently trying to joke as if the idea were ridiculous.

  "How does everyone know?" I asked, genuinely intrigued. I highly doubted that Coach Cooper was out there proudly announg that the risky pys he had made were at the reendation of his nine-year-old son.

  "I don't know, Mandel heard it from a guy, but we thought it was a false rumor, is it true?" she asked, surprised.

  "Yeah," I replied, still thinking about how someone could have found out or who might have said it, maybe Coach Wilkins.

  "But the kid 't run for more thay seds befetting tired; you should see him in gym css," Kat said incredulously and amusedly.

  "He helps with the statistics; you calcute which py has the highest probability of w if you have enough data and the ability to do the calcutions. Sheldon is more than capable of doing that," I expio the teenager.

  "So, he's like a calcutor?" Kat asked.

  "Basically."

  As I briefly expio Kat how probability and statistics worked, David arrived down the school hallway, as always, the day after winning a game, my friend walked with his chest puffed up with pride, greeting people he passed with a big fident smile.

  "Hey PJ, Stratford," arriving at his locker beside ours, the teenager greeted us, "what a great day, huh?" smiling at a group of girls passing by us and being ignored, David said without losing his smile.

  "Yeah, a great day indeed. Did you hear about Sheldon?" I asked.

  "Oh yeah, did Geie tell you too?" still trying to get the attention of any girl passing by him, David asked, "he told me yesterday after the game, and I thought it was awesome, it's like magic."

  "More like maths," I said, causing Kat to let out a small snort, "and did you tell anyone?" I asked, still ied in finding out how the rumor had spread.

  "Oh yeah, I told Mandy, the one who sits o me in math," shamelessly, David said.

  Bingo.

  The entire school's attention was once again on someone, fortunately for me, it wasn't me. Given my peers' astonishing ability fossip, the entire school possibly now khat Sheldon had possibly helped with the pys for the games we won.

  The little boy, seemingly oblivious or ued in all the stares following him around the school, lived his day without issues, while his brother, annoyed with David all day, maintained a furrowed brow as An and I stantly teased him.

  In a way, it was entirely his fault that everyone in the school found out his 'secret.' David wasn't the smartest of our friends, whi itself is not a bad thing, but when you reveal something you don't want anyone else to know, it's just on seo remind him several times that he 't tell anyone else.

  The day passed and si was Halloween I decided not to go to the hospital, Mom, with her festive spirit maximized by her pregnancy, had made Bob decorate the entire house, als everyone in the family to wear themed es, for several minutes making us pose in dozens of poses for photographs before letting us go free.

  Gabe, like any other child should be, was pletely excited about going trick-or-treating, ging the e Mom had chosen for him for one of his own choice; the boy was ready to go out a dy.

  "I invited my friends to join us, Kiddo, I have to go get them; you e with me or wait," I said, taking the keys to 'Debbie' still in the e Mom had chosen.

  "Okay, but we have to be fast; the best dies might run out immediately, and I don't know the good houses to ask," Gabe said to himself as he left the house carrying a pillowcase with him.

  For simplicity, the first one we reached was Kat, who had agreed to apany us a few days ago to give An and me pany while we looked after our brothers.

  Outside the Stratford's house with Gabe, who wouldn't miss the ce to go trick-or-treating at a 'full bar' house, whatever that means.

  "Trick or treat!" shouted Gabe after ringing the doorbell, preparing with his pillowcase. A few seds ter, the door opened, revealing Mr. Stratford with a bowl of dy in hand, "You're here early; we weren't quite..." the man was saying until his gaze fell on me, "Dun, what are you doing here?"

  "Hello, Dr. Stratford," I greeted the man, and before he could respond, Kat appeared, gently pushing her father aside, "I'm going out in a date with PJ," Kat said sarcastically as she smiled at Gabe, who was silently eyeing the bowl in the short man's hands.

  "What?," Mr. Stratford said, surprised.

  "I asked Mom, and she said it was okay," taking the bowl from her father's hand, Kat said before p a rge amount of dy into Gabe's bag, "see you ter, Dad," returning the bowl with much fewer dies, Kat said, dragging me across their porch.

  "Doctor; we're just going trick-or-treating with my brother and some other kids. I'll bring her ba a few hours," being pulled along by Kat while Gabe followed us happily, digging into his bag, I bid goodbye to Mr. Stratford, feeling the o expin to avoid any further misuanding with the man, who simply stood under his door, obviously surprised before slowly entering his house, apparently resigned.

  "You must be Gabe, I've heard a lot about you," smiling at my brother, Kat said as I opehe car and adjusted the seat fabe to get in.

  "I haven't heard anything about you, but I already like you," still maintaining his smile, Gabe said, silently thanking for the dies in his possession.

  "Your dad didn't hate me anymore," frustratedly, I said ihe car as Kat rummaged through the CDs that she had made me buy several days ago.

  "I thought it was funny, Charlie Brown," shrugging her shoulders arrogantly, Kat joked about my e, "you need more CDs; we have to go shopping in a few days."

  "Is she your new girlfriend?" from the back seat, Gabe, who had been silent for several minutes, asked.

  "No," at the same time, Kat and I responded, "she's my friend," I expined.

  "Oh, that's too bad; I like her more thaher one," alongside the sound of metallic ers, Gabe affirmed.

  "You never met Regina, kiddo," I said, trying to see what my brother was doing through the rearview mirror.

  "Yeah, and she never gave me dies, but she did," excitedly, Gabe said pointing to Kat, "look at this, full bars," leaning over, the boy showed me a rge open chocote bar.

  Laughing at the whole iion, Kat said nothing as she put one of the CDs, "Did you buy my brother with dies?" ironically, I asked the teenager, who without answering, turned up the volume of the speakers.

  Outside An's house as we got out of the car, Gabe, who also got out to take advantage of trick-or-treating at one of my friend's houses again, was ready to run and ring the bell until I stopped him by the shoulder.

  "Gabe, one of An's brothers is a very special kid," speaking seriously to the boy, I said, "that doesn't mean anything bad," I crified, "it's just that he be much more sensitive to some things like sudden noises ht lights," I tinued, "he may also have trouble iing, but don't take it as an insult because it's not, uand?" I asked, trying to make the seriousness of the matter known to the boy.

  "Yeah, he's like Sheldon," assumed Gabe.

  "Well, you could say that, but unlike Sheldon, I don't want you to make fun of him never, are we clear?" again, being as serious as possible, I asked the boy, squinting my eyes.

  "Yeah, don't worry, PJ," rexedly, Gabe affirmed.

  Before even reag halfway to my friend's house, the door of the house opened, revealing a little boy with a furrowed brow behind him An, along with another little boy with thick gsses on his face, slightly grabbed the clothing of my friend as they came out of the house.

  "Hey," greeted An when he was close enough.

  "Hi, how did you know we had arrived?" intrigued, I asked.

  "Braxton saw you ing," my calm friend expined, putting a hand on the head of the first child who came out.

  "So, Braxton and Christian," greeting the children, I pushed my brother slightly, "this is Gabe."

  "Hey," greeting the other kids, Gabe raised his hand slightly, only being respoo by Braxton.

  "Well, let's go."

  An took a seat in the back of the car, serving as a 'barrier' between Braxton, Gabe, who quickly became friends due to Gabe's surprising act of sharing his dies, and Christian, who was murmuring things against the side of the car, also enjoying a dy nervously.

  Arriving home, there were very few children oreet grouped together as they asked for dies in the neighborhood houses, "hurry, PJ, the best dies," eagerly in the back of the car, Gabe said as I parked 'Debbie.'

  Gabe and Braxton, followed by a nervous Christian, ran to the Cooper's house to call Missy and Sheldon and then to the Spark's; I had promised their parents to keep an eye on them.

  While we waited for the little army of children to gather, An, Kat, and I were leaning against 'Debbie,' talking, mostly them, about the es of the kids around us and their ins.

  "You really are like a caveman; how is it possible that you don't know who the ninja turtles or the Flintstones are?" teasingly, Kat asked.

  "I know Scooby-Doo," pointing to a kid dressed as a dog in the distance, I said, trying to defend myself.

  "My mother knows Scooby-Doo," Kat replied incredulously, "do you really do nothing but read books and exercise?" rhetorically, the teenager asked again.

  "PJ!" Missy, dressed in a glittery pink dress, shouted cheerfully as she was followed by the other kids.

  "Like my e? I'm a Valerian princess," showing her dress, pushing Kat, who was o me, Missy asked.

  "You're totally a Valerian princess," I replied, avoiding ughing at Kat's rea to being pushed by Missy.

  "Hello, Sheldon, or should I say Niko Tes?" I asked, seeing the boy dressed formally with a fake mustache aravagant hair.

  "Correct, I knew you'd get it," excitedly, Sheldon said, ining his head slightly.

  "I'm a cowboy," alongside them, Billy Sparks, with his ever-present smile, excimed.

  "Perfect Billy, well, let's go get some dies," I said, smiling at the i boy.

  "I think I gave my dies away too quickly," walking beside me in a whisper, Kat said.

  "What's wrong, Stratford, are you scared of a nine-year-old girl?" smiling arrogantly, I asked.

  "You haven't seen how she looks at me," rigidly, Kat said, pointing her eyes fixed ahead.

  Ahead of us, apanying the other children, Missy walked cheerfully, turning every so often with a great hatred towards Kat.

  "Oh yeah, that 't be good," I said, amused by the sudden rivalry that the little girl was surely iing in her head.

  While we apahe kids to ask for dies, I had once again uimated my 'popurity', this time among the neighborhood kids; seeing me oreet, many of the kids whnized me from my babysitting work or the kids Gabe used to py with joined us, guided by Gabe whhe majority of them.

  In some way, gathering information with the local kids, Gabe anized a list of the best houses, baptizing it as the 'perfect route' to ask for dies; every door that opened was surprised by the number of kids in front of their house at the same time.

  "So all those kids know you?" seeing the rge number of ed kids in front of us, Kat asked with a mog tone in her voice.

  "Yeah, I've babysat some of those kids, and occasionally I go out to py with Gabe, and a lot of kids join us," I expined calmly, greeting new kids who joihe group.

  "So, besides studying and w out, you go out and py with a bunch of kids, What? Hide and seek?" sarcastically, Kat asked.

  "Yeah, and sometimes I go to the ic book store with Gabe and Sheldon," I replied without shame.

  "PJ," again, in what seemed like a repetitive event tonight, someone called my name.

  "Hey, kids," turning to discover who called me, I found the Wilkerson brothers walking with their own pillowcases, seemingly quite full.

  "What are you doing here, trick-or-treating?" Francis, who carried a backpa addition to his pillowcase, asked amused, apparently trying to tease me.

  "I'm watg my brother and some other kids. What do you have in the backpack?" maintaining the pace, I asked, narrowing my eyes.

  "Nothing, why?" taken by surprise, Francis, along with his brothers, except for the little Dewey, nervously took a step back.

  "Reese, what does your brother have in the backpack?" staring at the boy, I asked again. Reese, feeling pressured by my question, took aep baervously, audibly swallowing.

  "There's nothing in the backpack," standing in front of his brother, Francis said pletely serious.

  "Yes, he doesn't have anything in there," apanying his older brother, Mal repeated, a bit nervous.

  I knew whatever they were hiding couldn't be good; knowing the kids, I could expee prank for the houses or people unfortunate enough to cross their path.

  "Look who's here," before I could tinue pressing any of the kids for the truth, from the road in an expensive-looking SUV, someone shouted, "it's sucker punch!" from the window in the SUV, the teenager who had attacked me several days ago was half out the window, ughing with other teenagers ihe car.

  "Is this some kind of joke?" surprised, I asked.

  "Oh and look who else we have here, the queer is also here," seeihe teenager shouted.

  "I didn't punch you," calmly and nontly, An said, "I just knocked you down," the calm teenager expined.

  "Do you think you're funny, idiot?" opening the door of the SUV and stepping out with the uys who apanied him, the agitated teenager shouted again.

  "Not especially," An replied, crossing his arms.

  "You're the idiot at the party," angry, Kat shouted, sidestepping An, who had silently pced himself between the agitated teenager and everyone else, "why would you hit someohout a real reason? Whatever Regina told you is a lie; they broke up, and PJ doesn't want her, so don't be an idiot," seemingly intending to advance, Kat tinued shouting.

  "What?" the agitated teenager, surprised by the sudden furious shouts of the girl, said, "Regina didn't tell me anything; he was following her. On our first date, he was there; he even interrupted us with a toy gun, and then at the party, we were i, and he showed up. Then while dang, he also approached us. When we were leaving and I was waiting outside fina, he tally left too," being supported by his friends behind him, the foolish teenager said.

  "What?" incredulous, I asked, "I didn't interrupt you; it was my younger brother, and we were there for ice cream," exasperated, I said, "and at the party, I never saw you; I was with her almost all night," pointing to Kat, I felt strangely offended, I spent over a week with a sore face because of the idiocy of a jealous drunk teenager.

  It was astonishing how idiocy could be dised on the face of the teenager as he pohe viability of what I had just said, mouth agape and squinting his eyes, it took him several seds before he closed his mouth again and furrowed his brow, "I might have made a mistake," embarrassed, the foolish teenager admitted.

  "Really?" Kat, also apparently incredulous about the turn of events, asked.

  "Fire!" suddenly, one of the idiot teenager's friends shouted; ihe SUV with the doors open, we could see the illumination that only a small fire could cause, quickly, the teenager who was driving the SUV ran to where the fire could be seen, "oh my God, is this shit?" after beating ainguishing whatever was burning ihe SUV, the teenager, looking at his hands and dirty clothes, shouted, "my dad's going to kill me," he tinued.

  Before anyone could ask what was happening, eggs started raining down on the car and the teenagers who were still outside it, "oh God, these eggs are rotten," with seemingly an endless amount of eggs following them, the teenagers quickly jumped into the now egg-covered SUV a few seds before speeding away down the road.

  As I watched the SUV disappear down the road, I could only shake my head, thinking about how the dumbest teenager I've ever met mao 'kick my ass.'

  "And don't e back," standing in the middle of the street, throwing an egg, Reese ughed excitedly.

  Apparently, all the iion with the other teenagers had caught the attention of all the kids, who had somehow acquired a bunch of eggs and, if what the teenager driving the SUV said was true, some excrement.

  Francis, in the midst of the crowd of kids, ily carried an y backpack, "I guess if I look in that backpaow, I won't find anything," uo help it, I smiled slightly at the kid.

  "Probably some rolls of toilet paper," also smiling, Francis said.

  "Okay, I think we still hit a few more houses before everyone has to go home," looking at the sky, I said, estimating how muatural light was left.

  With the deadline I gave, the kids quickly set off.

  "PJ," staying behind, Sheldon walked at my pace.

  "Yeah?" I asked.

  "The older kid had the eggs and a paper bag in his backpack," discreetly, he said.

  "I know," amused by the tattletale kid, I replied, lightly tapping his shoulder.

  "You won't tell his mom, will you?" Sheldon asked.

  "Don't worry about that, Sheldon. You should hurry; I'm not sure there'll be enough dies when you get there," pointing to the house on the 'perfect route' list.

  "Oh jinkies," the kid excimed before quickly walking to the house.

  Laughing with my two friends, we tinued following the kids to the st few houses.

  After the st house on the list, seeing the ck of light ireet, I sent all the kids home.

  Apanying the kids who lived in the same dire as me, we headed home, leaving Sheldon, Missy, and Billy at their respective homes.

  "Go inside, kiddo," tousling my brother's hair, I ordered him.

  "See you ter," after saying goodbye to Braxton, Gabe ran inside, surely to enjoy more dies.

  "PJ, would you mind dropping us off first?" pointing to his brothers, An asked.

  "Oh yeah, sure, but why?" I asked.

  "Christiao go to the bathroom," my friend expined, "and he won't go into a new bathroom unless Mom checks it first," he tinued.

  "I see, the's hurry," I said quickly, opening the door of 'Debbie' and adjusting the seat for them to climb into the back.

  After dropping off An and his brothers, Kat, who for Christian's sake kept the volume of the music low, immediately tur back up almost to the maximum, singing loudly along with the songs.

  Outside the Stratford's house still ihe car, "so?" l the volume of the musid leaning over my seat, I asked suggestively, smiling at my friend and stretg my hand behind her.

  "What?" taken abad tensing up, Kat nervously asked.

  Staring into her eyes for a few seds in sileh my haing on the car door behind her now, "are all the Duns equally annoying?" I asked, unlog the door and smiling before bag up to my seat.

  "You're su idiot," hitting my arm, Kat shouted annoyed, closing her eyes and hitting her head against the backrest of her seat.

  "I thought it was funny, Lucy Va," mimig her sass from earlier, I said, smiling.

  "Go to hell, you're so petty," ughing, Kat opehe door and got out of 'Debbie,' "see you at school, Charlie Brown," she said, leaning in before closing the door.

  After Kat ehe safety of her house, I decided to take a risk and ge my inability to defend myself.

  Remembering where Bob had told me the tainer pany was, I headed there, following the map in my glove partment.

  The pce by the side of the road holy looked like the perfect pce to hide a corpse. Maneuvering the car through all the garbage and scraps of metal, I arrived a few meters from a trailer.

  In an open space surrounded by a line of lights with a single worn-out pung bag hanging from a support beam and several rudimentary equipment, two ridiculously rge and muscur shirtless men were cirg each other, throwing puhat didn't quite ect.

  Taking a deep breath, I got out of the car and walked up to the two practig. One of the men was a shorter bck man thaher, who, upon closer iion, was a white man at least a few years older than me.

  The bck man was the first to notice my preseopping the other with a calm hand motion.

  "Good evening, I'm looking for Case Walker," somewhat intimidated by the two people in front of me, I asked.

  "What?" the bck man frowned, asking.

  "I'm PJ," I said, taking his question as an answer, "I was w if you could teach me, you know, how to fight."

  "Why would I teach you?" the man asked, crossing his arms, "do I know you? Are you reted to me? Do I owe you a favor?" he tinued asking.

  "My dad told me to e," I said, although Bob had also told me the man was nice.

  "Your Dad?" with exasperation, the man asked again.

  "Bob Dun," I quickly responded.

  "Oh, the exterminator," seemingly finally remembering, the man nodded slightly, "do you have money?" the man asked suddenly.

  "How much?" I asked.

  "For now, twenty dolrs a week and a five-pound bag of potatoes," the man who I now knew was Case Walker responded.

  A bag of potatoes?

  "Yeah, okay," nodding without hesitation, twenty dolrs didn't seem like mue, and I was sure the bag of potatoes wouldn't be much more expensive.

  "Okay, here's the deal, I teach you, and you pay me in blood, sweat, and money," the man said seriously, "I don't teach you what you want, I teach you what you need," he tinued, "now what I teach you here bees yours to do what you want with," he calmly crified, "e here regurly or don't e at all," he finished.

  "Now let me see," looking me up and down, he said, "football," he affirmed, shaking his head, "at least you're in some kind of shape, but it's useless to carry weight if you don't know what you're doing."

  "I know how to lift weights," feeling a bit offended, I said. I knew very well the process behind liftis, from muscle capacity to limb mobility.

  "Shut the fuck up," raising his hand, Case frowned, "I'm not talking about your teique; you o exercise useful muscles, not just fshy ones," the man tinued, "one more rule, you'll do what I say et the fuck out."

  "Have you ever throunch?" approag me, the man asked.

  "Yes," I immediately responded, once.

  "Show me," squinting his eyes, Case ordered.

  "Now?" taken by surprise, I asked, looking at my Charlie Brown e. It probably would have been a good idea to go home and ge my clothes.

  "No, in a month," sarcastically, Case said, stepping in front of me, "e on, throunch," bringing his hands to his body, he ordered again.

  Deg not to speak again, I mimicked what he and the uy were doing when I arrived, throwing a straight punch towards Case. I was going to stop before making tact, but the man stopped my fist on his own, "look at this motherfucker," with my arm in his hand, the man turo the other person, "if you hit something like this, yoing to break your hand. How long have you been doing this?" incredulously, he asked.

  "Once," for some reason, feeling embarrassed, I responded.

  "Okay, there's work to be done," letting go of my arm, Case said, turning to the uy, "hey, Tim, show the kid how to throroper pund take turns with fifty each."

  Once again, someone who's not House calls me a kid, "hey man, Tim Newhouse," said the man now known as Tim, "PJ Dun," I said, fist-bumping Tim.

  "Now, to throunch, you have to have good posture and foot positioning. Your arm has to be straight, and your hand as well, or you'll break your wrist," Tim began to expin.

  After training and being shown the correct teique for other things like kig and c, now without the top part of my e, Tim and I began stretg on orders from Case, who was doing pull-ups on a pipe hanging from the ceiling.

  "So, what's Case all about?" I asked as Tim showed me the proper way to stretch.

  "I found out he was a jiu-jitsu champion in Brazil several years ago, and inside 'Daisy' his trailer, I saw fgs from Japan and Thaind, so he may also be an expert in Judo and Muay Thai. But I don't think that's all he knows; I saw him fight on a bar for money, and he's a beast," Tim said.

  "And why does he live here, if he's so good, why doesn't he go pro?" I asked, genuinely ied.

  "He's on probation, does anything and goes back to prison," Tim whispered in response.

  Case was still doing his strange pull-ups, seemingly without much effort. If anyone could teach me how to defend myself, it was an expert in Jiu Jitsu, Judo, and Muay Thai, whatever those were, an ex-vid unfriendly, in some ways like House but in pletely different areas of expertise.

  "Same time tomorrow you may have heart, take this," Case said, handing me a piece of paper when he finished.

  "What's this?" I asked, opening the note. "Your new diet," Case said, apparently as a farewell, walking to his trailer home and closing the door behind him.

  "Let me see that," Tim said, taking the note from my hand as he gathered his things. "Two options, you're either bulking or Case is going to make you need a lot of energy," Tim said, returning the paper to me and lightly tapping my shoulder as we walked out of the pound.

  "Nice car," Tim paused as we reached my car.

  "Thanks, need a ride home?" I asked.

  "Oh no, my truck is parked oher side, but thanks," Tim politely deed.

  Fuy so big, he was surprisingly kind.

  When I got home, I could feel a bit of pain in my knuckles, although despite hitting many times and with force, it was much less painful than when I hit the idiot teenager.

  Ihe house "where were you, PJ?" Mom asked, seated o Bob on the cou the living room as they watched a movie on TV.

  "Sorry, Mom, it got ter than I pnned, I was with Case Walker," I said, widening my eyes at Bob, emphasizing the st part of my sentence.

  "Oh," Bob said quietly.

  "Who?" Mom asked.

  Fortunately, it wasn't too te at night, or Mom's scolding would have probably woken up the whole neighborhood. Only by promising Mom early that I wouldn't pick fights could I put ao her furious lecture.

  The day, I apanied Mom to buy groceries, using the list Case had given me, adding, apart from the usual, a rge amount of meat and grains, and to Mom's surprise, a five-pound bag of potatoes.

  At the same time as the previous day, I trained with Case and Tim, with Case paying more attention this time, correg the fws in my posture. "Before you move on to any teique, you have to learn the basics," Case said as he showed me by strongly hitting the worn-out pung bag hanging in the ter of the pound.

  In the end, after stretg, "don't e tomorrow, Sundays are for resting," Case said again, walking back to his home without saying goodbye.

  After saying goodbye to Tim, I returned home.

  The Sunday passed without much happening, resting, watg cartoons with Gabe, and studying books I had from the hospital library.

  After that, instead of my daily routine freeing up as I had hoped, it got even busier. During the week, I went to school and then to the hospital, where I spent almost all my time either in the library or in some b skill, or when House remembered his duty at the free ic, practically doing the man's work, now adding my training with Case, I had practically no time to do anything else.

  At school, Sheldon being an essential part of the football team's victories was already on knowledge, to the misfortune of my little friend, teenagers enjoyed lifting him off the ground and giving him hugs when they got close enough.

  To my misfortune, Sheldon was my little friend. Before, I had to apany him through the school hallways to protect him from unscious teenagers, now those same teenagers actively sought his presence, so I had to avoid every few people who lifted him up.

  "PJ, is it within your capabilities to prevent them from hugging me to high-five me?" Sheldon asked, almost at the end of the week, apparently tired of all the forced tact he was receiving, hopefully.

  "No, sorry buddy, but that's beyond my abilities," I said, secretly amused by the way the kid talked.

  "I uand," Sheldon nodded with disappoi in his voice.

  Many more days passed following my daily routih some ges ieiques Case showed me, although they all still focused on punches and kicks. Eight days ter, the game of the season arrived, following the new pys made especially for the opposing team, again in an impressive streak for Medford's history, as I was told, we won a game.

  My 'ability' to protect Sheldon the day after the game was incredibly reduced, the excitement over the new winning streak made the airborime my little friend received almost impossible to avoid.

  That weekend, aside from Case starting to show me 'bos,' I had another invitation to a party.

  On Sunday, f An to e again, we arrived at a party practically a few houses from mine, since we were no longer in the affluent street, the house ractically the same size as mine and the Coopers', appearing pared to Joey's party, few people ihe house.

  "Missy," as I tried to step out of the house for a bit of fresh air in the ter of the 'dance floor' in the house, I found my little neighbor in a e with wings dang happily.

  "PJ, let's dance," Missy shouted with a big smile over the volume of the music.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked carrying her under my arm, ign her surprised shout.

  "The weird friend of Sheldht us," Missy replied, now amused, hanging under my arm.

  "Wait, Sheldon is here?" I asked, surprised.

  "Put me down!" I heard Sheldon's voice from behind me, in a very high-pitched tone.

  "Your mom is going to be so mad," lifting Missy onto my shoulders to avoid bumping into a the party, I said.

  "Totally," amused, probably unaware of what I said, Missy responded as she tio dany shoulders.

  "Put him down," arriving where they had Sheldon, dangerously passing the boy from hand to hand over people's heads, I ordered the st teenager holding the kid.

  "Or what?" arrogantly, the chubby teenager holding Sheldon above his head asked.

  "What do you mean 'or what'? just put him down, idiot," annoyed with the teenager, I said.

  "e on, Dun, I know you're the quarterbad all, but we all know anyone kick your butt," the chubby teenager tinued fidently as he shook Sheldon over his head.

  "Please put me down!" Sheldon shouted with desperation in the air, squirming in the chubby teenager's hand.

  "Missy, hold on tight," letting go of the girl's legs, as I had trai least a huimes with Case, I quickly adjusted my feet and hips, releasing a powerful punch to the stupid teenager's face.

  Managing to catch Sheldon before he fell, I gently pced the boy on the ground before holding Missy's legs again, who was thhly amused by the show.

  Despite delivering a strong blow, my hand didn't hurt.

  "Thanks, PJ," breathless but still maintaining de, Sheldon said as he smoothed out his clothes, in this case, a robe.

  "Don't mention it," I said, leaving the paieenager on the ground and walking through the surprised people, followed closely by Sheldon, searg for someone.

  "Missy, Sheldon, what are you doing here?" finding my target in the house, Geie asked, surprised to see his siblings.

  "What are you doing here? Yrounded," shouting over the music to his brother, Sheldon responded.

  "I found them for you, I reend taking them home," I said, putting down a relut Missy from my shoulders.

  After the Cooper kids left the house, I looked for An at the party to leave, uhe previous party, I reended my friend t a ge of clothes so he could stay at my house again.

  The day in the m, being apanied by An as usual, Gabe and I went out for a run.

  Wheurned, each of us took a quick shower before having breakfast at the kit table. Sin and I went to school in my car, we weren't in a hurry to leave.

  Wheered the kit, Gabe and the other members of my family were already having breakfast.

  "What?" Teddy asked after I stared at her for a few seds wheered.

  "Oh nothing, I was just expeg you to run away screaming like the st time you saw An," I said sarcastically as I took my breakfast indicated by Case.

  "Not funny," Teddy muttered, ign Mom's intrigued look.

  Nothing iing happehat day beyond a fairly simple algebra exam.

  ---

  Author Thoughts:

  As always, I'm not Ameri, nor a doctor, AND not a fighter.

  Although I've watched a wide range of fighting movies, I'm not an expert fighter or anything simir. The most I've trained in my life was taekwondo for a few years in my childhood and a few months of boxing before the pandemic.

  I've been involved in dozens of fights unfortunately not initiated by me, yay bullying (Is anyone surprised by this. I've said many times that I'm a mathematics student, therefore a total nerd.), so I know how it feels to have pain in my fists after hitting someone and especially the pain after receiving a blow.

  The training sessions with Case will be mostly summarized, due to my clear ck of knowledge. Obviously, from time to time, to practice my writing, I'll try to describe some of the things they do, but unless it's a fight or part of the story's development, the training sessions will be summarized.

  Kat is intended as an important part of the MC's life at this moment, and if you 't bear her presence, I really don't know what to tell you. I try to write her as best I acc to the personality she presents in the movie and the one I imagine she had before some events occurred in her life.

  With that said,

  I think that's all. As always, if you find any errors, please let me know, and I'll correct them immediately.

  Thank you for reading! :D

  PS: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW.