Fighter || Lookism x Reader

2

The next morning, you arrived at school just as Daniel did. He waved shyly, his usual awkwardness making you smile a little.

"H-hi, (Y/N)!" Daniel greeted, clearly happy to see you.

"Hi, Daniel. How are you?" you asked, genuinely curious.

"I'm doing okay. How about you?" he asked, his voice soft but sincere.

"A bit tired. I kind of had a long night," you admitted, letting out a small sigh. Daniel nodded like he understood completely.

"Yeah, me too," he said, though it was hard to tell if he actually had or if he was just being polite.

As you both walked into the classroom, your mood shifted immediately when you saw Zack. You couldn't help but roll your eyes, your annoyance from the night before still fresh in your mind.

You and Daniel were talking about how he managed living on his own when your gaze accidentally locked with Zack's. You quickly looked away, remembering all too well what had happened between you.

Zoe's playful voice cut through your thoughts, and you frowned. She was standing with Zack and his friends, laughing over something on one of their phones.

"Do you really want to see it?" one of Zack's friends teased, but Zoe waved them off.

"No, it's gross," she said, catching sight of Daniel as he walked in.

"Don't act so coy!" Another one of Zack's friends added, laughing at their inside joke. It was hard to ignore that they were up to no good, and it reminded you of the kind of stuff you'd seen in your old school. Bullies really did follow the same script, no matter where you went.

You glanced at Daniel, noticing the uncomfortable look on his face. "Are you okay?" you asked quietly.

He shook his head slightly but didn't say anything. You didn't push further, but his silence said enough.

"Welcome to high school," you muttered under your breath.

Zack's friend started bragging about his so-called "skills," praising Zack's punches. You shot Zack a look, trying to gauge his reaction. A smirk tugged at his lips, but then he tried to act humble. "Hey, stop. I'm not proud of it."

It only made you more irritated.

You overheard Mira's voice nearby, just loud enough to catch your attention. "He's always fighting. A while ago, he invited me to the movies, but he ended up in another street fight," she said, clearly frustrated.

You turned to face her. "You don't say," you muttered, joining the conversation.

Her friend looked surprised that you didn't know. "He used to be a rising boxer in middle school."

"Oh, really?" you asked, the new information catching you off guard.

Now it made sense. That's what Mira was trying to hint at yesterday when she mentioned Zack to you.

"Haha, come to think of it, that piggy's mom must be a pig too. Pigs are born from pigs," a voice said, catching your attention. You hadn't cared about the conversation until you heard Zack laugh.

You turned around, annoyance clear on your face. Zack hadn't listened to a single thing you said last night—not that you really thought he would.

You turned, glaring at them. "Do you really have to be so pathetic?" you snapped, storming out of the classroom, needing a moment to clear your head. Even at a new school, in a new area, things felt too familiar. And it pissed you off.

After a while, you decided to head back to the classroom to be on time for class. As you approached, you noticed a crowd of students gathered outside the door. Squeezing through, you muttered a few "sorry"s and "excuse me"s as you made your way in.

Your jaw dropped. "How did you do that?" you asked Daniel, still shocked.

"I-I don't know," Daniel stammered, as surprised as you were.

You noticed Zack's jacket that he left behind, you grabbed your bag and his jacket. By the time you caught up with Zack, you found him sitting at the park gate, clearly brooding.

Zack scowled at you. "I'm not going to help you," he muttered, before hopping over the gate effortlessly. "Good luck," he added, smirking.

"Dumbass, I have your jacket!" you yelled after him, annoyed but not willing to back down. You jumped the gate and caught up with him easily.

"Piss off," he snapped, yanking the jacket from your hands.

"Zack, wait!" you called after him as he walked into the nearby park. Reluctantly, he sat down on a bench, clearly in no mood to talk.

"What do you want?" he asked, frustration lacing his voice.

"I wanted to check if you're okay," you said, though it was hard for even you to believe that.

"Do I look okay?" he snapped, glaring at you.

You didn't bother arguing. Instead, you sat down beside him, pulling the ointment from your bag. "Give me your hand."

He raised an eyebrow. "No."

You sighed, grabbing his hand anyway. To your surprise, he didn't pull away, just watched curiously as you applied the ointment to his bruised knuckles.

"If you don't take care of these, you'll end up with scars," you said softly, the words almost lost in the quiet.

He didn't say anything for a while, just stared at the ground. "Why didn't you hit me yesterday?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.

You hesitated. "Because if my mom finds out I got into another fight, she'll send me to the countryside," you muttered.

That seemed to catch Zack off guard. He looked at you, genuinely curious now. "What did you do that was so bad?"

"I made a lot of bad choices," you said, keeping it vague.

"Like?" Zack pressed.

You sighed. "I got involved with someone people."

Zack stared at you, processing this. "You seem innocent, but you're just messed up," he said, half-joking but half-serious.

You frowned, offended. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Before you could continue, it started to rain. Zack stood up and handed you his jacket without a word.

You blinked. "What?"

"Wear it. You'll get sick," he said simply.

You took it, grateful but confused. "Thanks."

Zack nodded, watching as you ran off in the rain, his jacket still draped over your shoulders. He stood there for a moment, lost in thought.

She's really something else, he thought.