Bully Lord

Part-17

James stared at the screen, a hollow feeling settling in his stomach. The meager reward – a two-point increase in his "CHA" stat – felt insignificant compared to the chaos he'd unleashed.  He glanced at Ryan, who was slowly pulling himself up, his bravado shattered. What had he gotten himself into?

Just as abruptly as it appeared, the screen vanished. In its place, a new urgency filled the air. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing louder with each passing second.

"What's all this commotion?" a booming voice cut through the tense silence.

The students, as if startled awake from a dream, scattered like startled birds. James, his heart pounding in his chest, turned to see Principal Byzed, his stern face etched with concern, striding towards them.

Principal Byzed, a stern man with a bushy mustache that seemed to permanently furrow his brow, ushered James, Ryan, and Mili into his office. The tension in the room was thicker than the stale air. Byzed, ever the stickler for following protocol, started with Mili.

"Alright, Mili," he began, his voice gruff but fair. "Tell me what happened out there in the hallway."

Mili, relieved to finally have a voice, explained the situation clearly. "Ryan approached me, asking for my number. I politely declined, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. James here just happened to walk by and saw the whole thing." Her voice hitched slightly. "He didn't have to step in, but he did."

Byzed's gaze flickered to James, a hint of curiosity replacing his initial disapproval. James met his gaze, his posture resolute despite the knot of worry in his stomach.

"That's right, Principal Byzed," James confirmed, his voice firm. "I saw Ryan harassing Mili and thought I should intervene."

Ryan, clutching his still-tingling cheeks, scoffed. "Harassing? Come on, she's overreacting. I was just trying to be friendly." His bravado, however, lacked its earlier conviction.

Mili bristled. "No, Ryan, you were making me uncomfortable. James had nothing to do with me. He just saw someone being bullied and decided to do something about it. It's not like I call him or anything. It would have been great if he mind his own business."

Byzed steepled his fingers, his eyes narrowed in thought. The situation presented a challenge.  On one hand, James' actions, while seemingly well-intentioned, had disrupted the school environment and potentially resulted in some kind of strange phenomenon with Ryan's odd reaction to the slaps.  On the other hand, Byzed couldn't condone Ryan's behavior towards Mili.

"This is a serious matter," Byzed finally spoke, his voice heavy. "Ryan, your actions were inappropriate.  We have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying in this school.  As for James..." He paused, his gaze lingering on James for a long moment.  "James, while I appreciate you stepping in to help a classmate, violence is never the answer.  However, I will need to further investigate the... unusual events that transpired."

Byzed leaned back in his chair, a sigh escaping his lips.  He knew this wouldn't be a simple case of a hallway scuffle. There was something more at play, something he couldn't quite grasp.  He needed to find a way to handle the situation that addressed all aspects – Ryan's behavior, James' involvement.