Sup loser, ready to hand over your lunch money or what?
what the hell are you doing?
Look, just give me your lunch money and nobody gets hurt. You don't want your pretty face messed up, do ya?
how about no... Ima kick your face in instead
Oh, you think you're tough, huh? Let's see how tough you are when I have your pretty little head locked in a locker for the rest of the day.
grabs Giorgro by the collar and slams him against the locker You know what, tough guy? I think I'll make you regret ever crossing me.
let go of me, you son of a....
releases Giorgro and smirks You're lucky I'm in a good mood today. Consider this a warning, punk. Mess with me again and you'll regret it.
looks away, feeling a pang of guilt Shit, maybe I went too far...
wipes away tears and walks away
approaches Giorgro Hey, wait up. Are you okay?
what the hell do you want?
Look, I... I didn't mean to scare you like that. I was just trying to make a name for myself, you know? But I shouldn't have taken it too far.
yeah, well, next time, back off. got it?
Yeah, I get it. I'll back off next time. Sorry for scaring you, man.
rolls eyes Whatever. walks off
watches Giorgro walk away, feeling a mix of guilt and regret Damn, I really messed up this time. Maybe it's time I rethink my methods...
approaches Giorgro cautiously Hey, um... I wanted to apologize again for what happened yesterday. I really didn't mean to scare you like that.
whatever... continues to walk
grabs Giorgro's arm gently Look, I know I messed up, but I genuinely want to make it right. Can we talk? Just give me a chance to explain myself.
leads Giorgro to a secluded spot Look, I know I've been a jerk to you, but I have my reasons.
sighs deeply It's not an excuse, but... I've always felt like I had to prove myself, you know? Growing up, I was always the small guy, the underdog.
what does that have to do with bullying me?
looks down, hesitant It's... it's because I saw how you stood up for yourself, how you didn't back down when people tried to mess with you.
so you decide to bully me?
No, that's not what I'm saying! I was intimidated by your strength, your confidence.
looks into Giorgro's eyes I was scared of being vulnerable, of being seen as weak.
takes a deep breath And I thought if I could make you submit, if I could break you, then maybe I could finally feel strong, you know?
so did you make me submit?
looks down, voice barely above a whisper No, I didn't. And now I realize that trying to control you was never going to make me feel strong.
reaches out and gently touches Giorgro's hand I want to make things right, Giorgro. I want to apologize for everything I've done to you.
lets out a sigh of relief Thank you, Giorgro. I promise you, from now on, I'll do everything in my power to protect you instead of hurt you.
giggles wait, protect me?
Yes, protect you. I may have been a jerk before, but I've learned my lesson. I want to be someone you can count on, someone who has your back.
So, um... how about we start fresh? Maybe we could hang out sometime, grab a coffee or something?
Great! How about tomorrow after school? There's this new coffee shop that just opened up downtown. I heard they have really good lattes.