Russell Knight is not your average geek. Sure, he may seem like the quiet, shy, and vulnerable guy in school. But there is far more to Russel than meets the eye.
At just 10 years old, Russell had already gone through the heartache of losing both of...
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Russell
I stepped into that ring with my heart pounding in my ear. I tried to block out everyone and focused on my breathing.
I thought back to the time my uncle started teaching me to box. My hands fisted as he took his hands up in defense, fisting them tightly.
✨✨Flashback✨✨
"Alright kiddo. Now, remember, never look down. Look at his movements, every flinch, every muscle he moves. He ain't gonna attack you with his face, so there's no need lookin' at his face. Got it?" He says as he strides his body from one foot to the other.
I nod, but my nerves were a wreck. My nose still lingered with dry blood, my lip busted, and a black eye from the beating I had just gotten earlier that day from some seniors in my high school. It was not a good way for me to start high school at all. I hate it already. I didn't understand why this was happening. All I wanted was to get by undetected and get to my next class. I never meant t0 bump into that guy, but he didn't care.
His reputation as the captain of the football team was far too important. If it wasn't for my best friend Asher, who picked me up and took me to the nurse's office and testified on my behalf, I would probably still be laying there. Hell, they even picked on Logan and Steven, because they tried out for the varsity team, saying freshmen have no say in this school.
Logan and Asher helped me out a lot today by bringing me home. I was scared to walk alone, to say the least. But I think I was more scared to find what my uncle's reaction would be when he saw my face all busted.
So now I'm here, standing in a ring with huge gloves on, and training to box with my uncle. He says that as soon as I learn the basics, he and another of his buddies are going to teach me different techniques, but at home since street fighting isn't allowed in here.
"What if they still pick on me, uncle Fred? I'm too scared. They're all bigger than me." I say, pacing towards the left like he told me with my hands up in defense, my hands tight, knees slightly bent and nerves wild.
"Son, it's up to you if you want to keep hiding and running from them fools. But you can't always hide. They'll find you eventually. Life is not always fair son, but you have the power to do something about it. Take charge of your life, take the chance to stand up for yourself, for your buddies, for your future. Don't let them keep stepping' on yah, take the damn bull by the horns, look him in the eye and say enough is enough. You are stronger than you think son. Your mom and daddy would be proud to see the man you turning' out to be, make them prouder by becoming the best version of yourself. Starting here, you gotta learn to stand up for yourself and not get bullied around. Got it?"
I wanted to cry, to say the least. But he was right. I'm tired of hiding, tired of running. And I am dead tired to see them pick on me and my two best friends, Brandon and Asher. To make matters worse, those assholes not only pick on us, but they have sided, allowing my old school's bullies to continue picking on us.
