Elias shook, his arms trembling with effort as he forced out one last push-up. He tried to control his descent afterward but failed—collapsing to the floor as his limbs gave out.
The girl beside him kept going strong—unwavering.
Melinda’s arms were well-toned and strong—impressively so, especially for a fourteen-year-old. Her rapid progress was a clear testament to her exceptional attributes and determination. She’d also surpassed Elias in height, having hit puberty nearly four years earlier, while he had yet to go through his first real growth spurt.
All of this culminated in Elias being severely outclassed by her during physical training sessions with his mom. At least he’d managed to raise his Vitality by another level last year, which made him look a little less scrawny.
Combat training with his dad was going far better than physical conditioning, though his lack of stamina still meant he tired quickly, even then. He’d already learned to move with the rhythm of all the available Tier 1 and Tier 2 mana types. Peter had even let him attempt Storm mana—a Tier 3 type. He hadn’t succeeded, but he’d had a blast trying.
Melinda had started learning how to fight as well, though his dad wasn’t teaching her his own style. From what Elias had heard, she wasn’t ready for it anyway—she still needed to master the fundamentals first.
Elias was glad to be better than her at something. It wasn’t a feeling he was proud of, but he couldn’t help the envy that crept in sometimes. Everything just seemed to come so easily to Melinda, while he had to put in many times the effort and still struggled to keep up.
"Alright, that’s it for today, kids," Vivian said, clapping her hands as Melinda finally collapsed on her last push-up. "Melinda, do you want to stay for dinner?"
“No, thank you. My parents are expecting me back home,” Melinda replied, offering a polite smile.
Vivian nodded in acknowledgment and excused herself. She asked Elias to clean up and close the dojo, then headed next door to start dinner, leaving him alone with Melinda.
Elias watched as Melinda gathered her things to leave, his heart thudding faster, blood pounding in his ears. He stepped toward her slowly, each footfall feeling heavier than the last, his fingers fidgeting nervously in the pockets of his pants.
Noticing his approach, she turned to face him, eyebrows slightly raised, her gaze steady. His nervousness doubled on the spot.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"Are you sure you can’t stay? We could play a game after dinner or something," Elias asked awkwardly.
She looked at him with those large hazel eyes, her brows drawing together, and he quickly averted his gaze.
"I can’t," she said curtly, returning to packing her things without another glance.
Elias took a deep breath and summoned what little courage he had, even puffing out his chest slightly. He’d been meaning to tell Melinda how he felt for a while now, but he always backed down at the last second. Not this time. No more excuses. Like his mom had told him, the worst she could say was “no”—so he might as well go for it.
"Melinda, I was wondering if..." Elias' voice cracked, and he cleared his throat, flustered. "I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me sometime. You know, like... on a date."
Melinda burst out laughing.
Elias' heart sank. His face flushed red with embarrassment.
He tried to mask his expression, instinctively fighting to keep the hurt from showing—but it slipped through anyway. He’d had a crush on Melinda for longer than he cared to admit, and she was his only real friend. Now, it felt like his whole world was collapsing around him.
She looked at him again and made a visible effort to get herself under control when she saw his reaction. But Elias still caught the flicker of amusement in her eyes as she gave him a once-over, suppressing another fit of laughter. He didn’t miss the slight shiver that ran through her, either.
“Oh. You’re serious,” she said, still stifling laughter. “Sorry—it's not funny. But no. I don’t want anything like that with you. Sorry.”
Melinda quickly grabbed her things and hurried out before Elias could even respond. The moment she stepped outside the dojo, he heard her burst out laughing again—this time making no effort to hold back.
Elias balled his hands into fists, his jaw clenched so tightly he thought his teeth might crack. His vision blurred as tears welled in his eyes. Without a word, he turned and walked to the punching bag hanging in the corner of the dojo. He hit it—weakly at first—then again, and again, each strike landing harder than the last.
He poured his anger and humiliation into every strike, his sweat mingling with the tears streaming down his face. Blow after blow, he slipped into a rhythm, each hit landing with the steady persistence of a leaking faucet. He didn’t stop until his body gave out. His hands were raw and bleeding, as red as his eyes.
Vivian clearly noticed his state when he walked into the house, but neither she nor Peter said a word. The silence only deepened his embarrassment. With their enhanced attributes, they had probably overheard everything from inside the house.
Later that night, his mom brought dinner to his room and pulled him into a long, silent hug. He nearly broke down again right then and there.
The next day, he threw himself into training harder than he ever had before.
He wasn’t stupid—he’d seen the way Melinda looked him up and down before laughing. He knew his physique wasn’t attractive. He wasn’t attractive. And for now, there was nothing he could do about it.
Still, he made a silent vow: one day, he would prove to Melinda just how wrong she’d been about him.