Gateway High. Deputy''s Office.The room reeked of stale coffee and marker ink. The table was littered with exercise books, all bearing the heading ''Mathematics.'' On top of this mess sat a silver mac-book, its screen under the intense scrutiny of the deputy headmaster.If they could still be called that, his glasses had only one remaining lens and were missing an arm. This forced the middle-aged man to tilt his head to keep them in place. The single lens had a visible crack that split it into three parts. Together with his scruffy coat, he looked like he had just stepped out of a comic book.John barely resisted, unleashing his usual disses. His months of work; and even his future — depended on this man''s go-ahead. He could not lose himself after going through the pain of setting up this meeting."Hn," Deputy Woo-Hat acknowledged with a nod as he continued scrolling through the sleek interface. His right hand wouldpause on the touchpad while his left propped up his ''glasses.''The effort it took to remain silent was immeasurable. Sensing his breaking point, John immediately introduced: "Automatic headcount, seamless attendance capturing and grading—no more paper cuts!" His words flowed like a rehearsed play.Woo-Hat remained unresponsive before finally asking, "Can this system also accommodate the other students from elementary on top of the high school traffic?" As a veteran in web development, he was skeptical of a high school teenager''s ability to pull off a system of this magnitude."Well, the framework I am using allows me to scale the project—""That won''t do. This system is clearly vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack. Do you even know what that is?" Woo-Hat asked, finally removing his nose from the laptop."I do. In fact, I was the top student in computer science—with a 98% average.""Oh." Woo-Hat buried his nose back into the screen, scrolling idly around a single point before blurting out,"So, you pulled this off alone?""Yes, and that''s exactly why I''m the best man for the job—""No, that won''t do. Even Picasso didn''t build Rome by himself. You need a team." Woo-Hat shut the laptop and clasped his hands under his chin, striking a pose that belonged in a CEO''s office.''But Picasso wasn''t even born at that time,'' John thought but wisely kept it to himself. He needed this man''s help to reach the school owners. But getting past him was not going to be easy.Noticing Whis shaken expression, Woo-Hat conceded, "However, there might be some merit to your work. I''ll need to take a closer look at it," Dropping his ''glasses.'', he continued, "The school appreciates your generous offer." He reached for his coat while grabbing some notebooks.John knew that was just a polite invitation to leave. "But can I take the laptop for a final test before the presentation?" He reached for it, but Woo-Hat instantly dropped his books, scooping the laptop into one of his desk drawers."Can''t do, the first impression is always the strongest. You should go get some rest." Woo-Hat''s gaze flicked to the dark circles under John''s eyes. A flicker of nostalgia crossed his face. Once, he had been an ambitious lad too. Yet... ah. He still had to crush the boy''s dreams."Fine, I''ll be on my way," John sighed, rising to his feet. Leaving his laptop behind felt like a mistake, but this was Gateway, the richest school in the city. Naturally, its security was top-notch. His baby wasn''t going anywhere. He''d spent too much time in the hood. Now, everyone looks suspicious. It was high time he moved uptown.As he closed the door behind him, a smirk tugged at his lips. ''At least I got his attention.'' He stretched his arms, letting out a triumphant chuckle. "Poverty—" His voice dragged out as he punched in the air while continuing, "I finally have the upper hand! Seventeen-year-old Bill Gates, ha-ha-ha!" His laughter echoed down the hallway, and moments later, a series of howls from nearby teachers spread out."Who''s that !?""Noise!""Get me my stick!""Oops!"Students peeked through windows, eager to spot the unlucky culprit. But they were too late; John was already halfway down the hallway, heading for the stairs to the ground floor....Behind the closed door, Woo-Hat''s hands trembled. After losing his previous job, he had started to doubt himself—to wonder if his programming career had slipped beyond recovery. He had convinced himself that his best years were behind him.But now, a broad smile crept onto his face. "This-this is it."The moment John introduced his idea, Woo-Hat saw its trajectory from the runway to the takeoff. Across the country, in underdeveloped nations, how many schools still lacked even a basic website?Let alone a system that allowed parents to monitor their children''s time of arrival and the current route of the school bus, along with many endless features. The moment this product hits the market, it''ll take the world by storm, and its creator will be the greatest genius of the century.* * *Slowing down at the corner, John took the stairs down to the ground floor. But after a few steps, his body froze like a lamb that had spotted a tiger. Out of the shadows emerged a dark-skinned youth with a lollipop perched at the corner of his mouth, flanked by two other boys.Who else but the notorious bully, Sweet Tooth? John slowly turned to retreat when he suddenly felt a hand grab his collar with practiced quickness. In an instant, he was slammed against the wall. The other boys rushed in, seizing his arms."Oh, where are you rushing off to, stick-man?" Sweet Tooth sneered, smacking his lips as he pressed his elbow against John''s neck. A muffled groan escaped John''s clenched teeth, but Sweet Tooth only pressed harder and taunted, "What, you can''t hear me?"In a burst of anger, John managed to push Sweet Tooth back. Through gritted teeth, he demanded, "What do you want?" In all his two years at the school, he had never encountered this squad. He couldn''t fathom why they would target him, knowing he wasn''t even rich. Especially Sweet-Tooth, weren''t they pals back in the day when they were both green newcomers?But the gang only chuckled, offering no explanation. "Stick-man sure has some fight in him," Sweet Tooth said, delivering another elbow to John''s neck. "They should probably make a game about you—oh, wait, they already did," he added, laughing as his cohorts joined in.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Desperate to break free, John attacked using his free limp. However, his counterattack was anticipated, and his blow was swiftly blocked."That''s a p*** move, even for you, sticks." Sweet Tooth jeered as he stopped John''s right leg a few inches below his nether region. Any slower, and he''d be having blue balls till dismissal time. Annoyed, Sweet Tooth released his grip on John''s leg before continuing to batter him in the stomach."Gugh!" John groaned as the force of Sweet Tooth''s blow sent pain shooting through his gut."That was for that low blow," Sweet Tooth said, swinging his fist again. "And this is for your frequent visits to our class. Has your Fountain [classroom] run out of b*** already?" he taunted, unleashing another blow that sent John staggering. This time, split flew in the air.Disgusted, the two boys holding John''s arms loosened their grip to flee. A momentary lapse flashed in John''s eyes. Seizing the cover, he swung his right hand and landed a solid punch on Sweet Tooth''s face—knocking a tooth out in the process. Don''t know if it was the sweet one.Caught off guard, Sweet Tooth stumbled, and his gang quickly dragged him down the stairs.


    John slumped to the ground, taking long, labored breaths as he clutched his knees.Though he had managed to fend off his attackers for the moment, he knew he''d only worsened his situation. Bullies hated nothing more than a retaliating victim.The gang halted their descent by clinging to the railings. One of the boys had already backed away. Poking a cornered chicken was not a wise idea.However, Sweet Tooth had a different idea. Stiffened in disbelief, the punk had just returned a blow. He started licking his lips in delight, but the taste of iron and a gap that ought to contain a..."You did not!" Sweet Tooth shouted as he clawed for John''s clothes.