Cafeteria, Queens High School, NY
It's loud.
Not chaotic like war, chaotic like people who've never known silence.
Ashan walked into the cafeteria with his hood up. The same way he always did: silent, stiff, slouching.
He wasn't bullied like in movies.
No one shoved him into lockers.
They just forgot he was there, until it was convenient to laugh.
"Yo Ass - an!"
It came from the table in the back.
A nasal, too-loud voice: Ricky Farley, skinny, ratlike, fueled by Monster energy drinks and TikTok.
Next to him was Jalen Ramos, short, stocky, wrestling team member and 2x state champion, loud for no reason. Always laughing too hard.
Ashan stopped.
Don't react. Don't fold.
"Didn't see you there, bro. You movin' like a ghost or somethin'. Hah!" Ricky exclaimed.
Jalen grinned.
"Damn, Ashan, you on a diet now? You skipped lunch last week, too."
He was holding a tray with a greasy pizza slice and two chocolate milks.
Ashan looked down at his own tray: nothing. Just a bottle of water and a hard-boiled egg he brought from home.
"Yeah," he said, eyes calm. "I'm fasting."
Ricky blinked.
"Bro, what are you? A monk?"
Ashan didn't answer. Just walked away.
They laughed like hyenas behind him.
Let them.
---
3:47 PM - Back Home
Door shuts.
Shoes off.
Curtains closed.
The world turns quiet.
Ashan drops his bag, changes clothes, plain tank top, shorts.
No fancy gym gear. Just intent.
He puts on an old Bluetooth speaker.
Instrumental lo-fi with distant kung-fu flute melodies.
Then he opens his notebook:
"Project Dragon – Day 3"
Pushups: 18
Squats: 25
Plank: 20 seconds
Shadowboxing: 3 rounds, 1 min
He gets to work.
---
Pushups: Fails by 12, but he grits his teeth, and keeps trying. Gets 18.
Squats: He paces them. Knees wobble.
Shadowboxing: Still stiff, but his hands move faster.
In his mind, he's Bruce. Or Gaolong.
In reality, he trips over his own foot.
"Again."
---
Ricky, Jalen… they don't know what this feels like.
The burn. The silence. The control.
They'll disappear by graduation.
I won't.
---
6:22 PM - Post-Training
Ashan writes with a shaky hand:
"Today sucked. I sucked. I kept stopping. But I still did it."
He looks at himself in the mirror. Still soft. Still average.
But something's different.
His eyes don't look away this time.
---
Quick Text from Dad (Overseas for Work)
Dad: "How's school?"
Ashan: "Quiet. I'm training."
Dad: "That so? Keep at it. Proud of you."
----
Ashan takes a shower. His teeth ache from clenching so hard in training, but his back doesn't ache as much anymore.
Before bed, he reads one page from The Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
This night's quote:
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities."
He smiles
Lights off.
---