It was Bull. He looked straight at me and asked, "Why's everyone in shock to see your face?"
As I turned around, the whole class went silent. Every pair of eyes stared at me — shocked to see my face covered in bruises. Even Bull's confident smirk faded for a second. He stepped closer, folding his arms.
"What happened, huh? Weren't me and my boys enough for you?" he said with a mocking grin.
I stayed calm, met his eyes, and said, "It's from my boxing practice."
The room fell silent for a moment — and then the entire class burst into laughter. Even Bull laughed so hard he had to hold his stomach.
"What kind of idiot gym trains someone like you?" he sneered. "They're just using you as a sandbag."
I didn't say a word. I just walked past him and took my seat. The rest of the day went by as usual, except for the constant teasing from everyone. They mocked me every chance they got, repeating Bull's words. But I didn't react. I had no reason to — not anymore.
When the final bell rang, I headed out. The others stayed behind, still laughing. I ignored them and went straight to the market to buy some groceries. I wanted to cook what I wanted, when I wanted — and as Jenny once told me, if I wanted to cook something in the quarters' kitchen, I needed my own stuff for that.
By the time I got back to the base gate, it was around 3:30 in the afternoon. The same two soldiers were on duty, the ones who used to mess with me before. As I walked up, I said calmly, "I know — here's my bag for checking."
But this time, they didn't stop me. One of them smiled and handed my bag back. "No need, man. Sorry for giving you a hard time these past two days."
I froze for a moment, surprised. Before I could respond, the other soldier chuckled. "You really gave Logan a run for his money in the ring yesterday."
I looked at him, confused. "How do you know about that?"
The guard laughed. "Everyone on base knows. Word travels fast when a rookie stands toe-to-toe with Logan Jetson."
I didn't say anything — just nodded and walked in. The silence in the air felt different now. The stares weren't mocking anymore — they were curious, maybe even a little impressed.
When I reached the living quarters, everyone from the team was there, relaxing. I put my groceries away in the kitchen, just like Jenny had told me to do. After that, I went to my room to change.
As I stepped back out, John spotted me and asked, "You ready for today's training?"
"Yes, sir," I said.
John nodded, then called out, "Jiya!"
A girl with silver-white hair walked up — her steps sharp, her eyes cold. The moment I saw her, I realized she was the same girl who had thrown a full bucket of freezing water on me that morning when I refused to wake up.
John said, "She'll be your shooting instructor for now."
I raised a brow. "What do you mean 'for now'?"
"She's the second-best shooter on the team," John replied.
"And who's the first?" I asked.
John gave a faint smile. "You'll meet him soon. And yes… he's here."
Before we could head out, Logan's voice came from behind us. "Don't let that little boxing match get to your head, rookie. Just because people are talking doesn't mean you're one of us."
I turned slightly. "I'm not trying to be," I said calmly, and walked away with John and Jiya toward the shooting range.
When we reached the range, two soldiers were standing beside a table full of weapons. Jiya gestured toward them. "Listen carefully," she said. "I hate repeating myself."
She went through every weapon — the pistols, the M4 rifles, their weight, range, and handling. Then she loaded a pistol, took aim, and fired a full magazine. Every bullet hit dead center.
She turned to me and said, "Your turn. I don't expect you to hit the target, but at least prove you're not a total loser."
I took the pistol, aimed, and fired. Every shot landed exactly where hers did.
Jiya froze, eyes widening. "You've fired a gun before?"
"No," I said simply.
Her expression shifted from shock to disbelief. Without another word, she picked up an M4 rifle, fired a perfect burst, and handed it to me. "Try this," she said sharply.
I took the weapon, adjusted my stance, and fired. Every single bullet hit the target, same as before.
Jiya stared at the target, then back at me, her jaw tightening. "He shoots like a professional," she muttered under her breath, "yet says he's never fired a gun before."
In the next second, she drew her pistol and pressed it against my forehead. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded. "You expect me to believe you've never fired a gun, yet you shoot cleaner than soldiers who've trained for years?"
I didn't flinch. "I told you the truth," I said quietly.
Before anything could happen, John moved in fast, grabbed her wrist, and pushed the gun away. The pistol went off to the side — the bullet missing my head by inches.
"Jiya!" John barked. "What the hell are you doing?"
She glared back. "You expect me to believe this crap? He shoots like he's been doing it his whole life! You think I'm blind?"
"Enough," John snapped.
Jiya's anger didn't fade. She looked him dead in the eye. "You're not the same John we used to know. You brought this nobody onto the team without telling any of us. We're supposed to be family, but ever since he showed up, you've been hiding things."
She stormed off, leaving the range in tense silence.
John exhaled and turned to me. "Let's continue."
We trained until evening. Afterward, we returned to the quarters, where the rest of the team was already gathered. The tension in the air was thick.
John spoke first. "Sit down, all of you. I'll explain everything."
He told them about the night he found me — how he saw something in me that couldn't be explained. "He has some kind of instinct," John said. "When his life is in real danger, his body reacts on its own — faster than thought. I've seen it."
Jiya crossed her arms. "And what about his shooting? Nobody just 'instincts' their way through perfect accuracy."
Before John could answer, I spoke up. "You told me to watch and learn. I just did what I saw."
The room went silent.
Logan finally leaned forward, arms resting on his knees. "You should've told us from the start, John."
John shook his head. "I wanted to make sure it wasn't just luck. Even if it was, I still would've trained him. He deserves a chance."
No one spoke after that. The air felt heavy, uncertain.
I stood up. "I'm going to take a shower," I said quietly.
When I came back, everyone was still in the living hall. I sat down beside them. Logan looked at me and said, "This doesn't mean we'll go easy on you just because you're on the team."
I smirked. "I wouldn't want you to."
Logan gave a short nod. "Welcome to the team — just don't let him down."
For now, it seemed only Logan had accepted me. The rest of the team stayed silent.
As dinner time hit, everyone got up and headed toward the mess hall. I followed behind them quietly.
And for the first time… I felt like I was finally walking toward something real.