Alex was briefly taken aback by the smile the boy before him displayed. He had been so used to seeing people come up to him only to bully him and none of them had ever showed a smile like that before.
'Wait, was I wrong?' He wondered, looking at the boy carefully. He then glanced at the boy's friend and noticed similar expressions. He looked at Ross to see what kind of expression he was showing as well. The two exchanged a look and noticed the confusion in their eyes.
Suddenly, the boy in question put his right hand in his hair and flashed a smug grin.
"The name is Zen Henjok. But you can call me Zen," he introduced himself. And from the way he behaved, Alex understood the kind of person this Zen fellow was.
'A narcissist, huh?' Alex thought.
"Alexander Gray. This is Ross Bongu and Julia Knight," he introduced himself and his friends, gesturing to Ross and Julia. Both responded with a nod in Zen's direction.
Immediately upon hearing the name of Julia Knight, Zen was rendered speechless.
"Oh… So, you must be the princess of the Knight family." He moved passed Alex and Ross and came before Julia. He attempted to take the hand of Julia but a glare from her stopped him in his tracks.
"Hehehe…" Zen gave a nervous laugh backing off.
'What is it with this guy? First, you approach me, then you ignore me as soon as you hear Julia's name. You didn't even introduce your friends or goons or whatever they are to you?!' Alex didn't know how to treat the person before him, and he was getting a little frustrated.
"What exactly do you want?" Alex was running out of patience. He already had plans with his friends, after all, they were planning on what to do and where to go before this Zen fellow interrupted.
"Calm down, pretty boy. I just wanted to see the best student of the bunch. Aren't I right people? I know for a fact everyone here is interested in the miracle boy and what makes him so special!" Zen said before turning to the rest of the class with his hand spread out as if he were giving a glorious speech about his achievement.
Alex observed the expression of his fellow classmates and noticed how they all looked at the scene happening. Of course, he understood their curiosity about him, but if that was the only reason they wanted to draw closer to him, then he was better off with just Ross and Julia.
Having had enough, Alex said, "Alright! You've made your point. So, now what? You've finally seen the 'miracle boy'" Alex asked, making hand quotes, emphasizing the phrase 'miracle boy.'
He was always aware of the nickname given to him by the media and everyone else. But he cares little about that and also has no interest in stopping them. They could call him whatever, they wanted, but he knew his goals and was therefore focused on them.
Hearing his words, Zen's smug smile disappeared, and a serious look replaced it, "Nothing, really. Just wanted to see if your strength is all that they say it is." He finished with a challenging look in his eyes.
Alex could finally understand what was happening. 'They aren't convinced, are they?' Alex thought, taking another look at his classmates. Every one of them in this class is the best of the best, but none of them had a stat even close to what Alex had.
'And this Zen fellow, did I peg him wrongly?' He had assumed he was a narcissistic fellow, but the way he quickly changed attitudes and talked made Alex wonder.
"And I am guessing you want me to prove that to you guys?" Alex questioned back, his expression showing the annoyance he was beginning to feel.
"Bingo! With nothing to do right now, we could all head to the combat systems and find out. Of course, it's okay to chicken out as well." Zen said, smiling with a malevolent glint in his eyes.
However, before Alex could respond. Julia stepped forward, standing before Alex and Ross, "And why would he do that? He owes you nothing." She stated with her hands over her chest. The look she adopted right now was cold and Alex and Ross were momentarily surprised.
Zen's expression quickly changed when Julia stood before him. He was now speechless as to what to do. He expected the princess to just stay behind and let the boys handle this, but that was not happening.
'Damnit, now what?' his mind was quickly racing for a solution. He knew how much power the Knight family had on Mars, and with her father being the Planet Lord, a single word would be all it took to kick him out!
He cleared his throat before coming up with his response, "Miss Julia, this is between Alex and I." He said, briefly glancing at Alex standing behind Julia. He half expected the boy to stand up for himself, but no word came from him.
Of course, it wasn't that Alex was leaving everything to Julia. He just hadn't seen this side of Julia yet, and honestly, he was impressed. The air around her had changed and he could even feel a slight chill in the air.
'Guess she's pissed.' He wondered with a small smile. When he came out of his thoughts and noticed the face Zen was making towards him, he understood his plight. Initially, he would have done nothing, but when he thought of the likely rumours that would go around, he decided to intervene.
"Julia, allow me to handle this," Alex said. Julia turned around to confirm, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Guys like this only speak one language." He looked directly into his eyes. He could already see the relief in his eyes. While he was being a jerk to him, he feared dealing with Julia, and it was understandable.
Julia cast a last glance at Zen and then stepped back. Ross, of course, just wanted to see what Alex had under his sleeves. He had always wanted Alex to stand up for himself. Now that it was happening, he would be damned to interfere.
"While I am not against the notion of having a bout with you, it would be on my terms. Just not right now." Alex stated, waiting for Zen's response.
At this point, whatever power Zen had amassed in the short period was already gone. Because he faltered before Julia, his momentum had deflated, leaving him looking like a dud.
"Fine." He said with as much venom as he could muster before storming off with his goons.
'You're going to regret that.' He silently thought to himself leaving the silent classroom.