Kade Evans had long accepted his place in the world—at the very bottom of the food chain.
He was the kid you barely noticed in the hallway. The one who got pushed into lockers but never pushed back. The one who sat alone at lunch, picking at cold fries and pretending they didn't taste like cardboard. The one who slinked into the back row of class, hoping no one remembered he existed.
In a school full of noise, Kade learned to survive by being silent.
He wasn't dumb. Just invisible. Not because he wanted to be—because the world decided he should be.
Every day was the same: don't stand out, don't look at Marcus, and try not to be late for first period. Somehow, even the weather seemed to mock him, like this particular Monday morning where the sky was spitting cold drizzle and his shoes had just enough of a hole to let water in. Great.
"Kade!"
He turned at the familiar voice, and there was Tommy—skinny, short, always dragging his hoodie sleeves over his palms like the world was too cold for him. Which, in this school, it kind of was.
Tommy jogged to catch up, his backpack swinging off one shoulder like it never quite fit him right.
"You zoned out again," he said, trying to hide his breathing. "You okay?"
Kade gave a half-shrug. "Yeah. Just tired of this place."
"Same. Two more weeks, man. Then we're out."
Kade wanted to believe that. But what was he going to after graduation? No scholarships. No plans. Just more days hoping someone would finally see him.
They walked to their lockers in silence, boots squeaking against the floor, surrounded by kids who talked too loud and laughed too fake.
"You hear back from the gas station job?" Tommy asked, fumbling with his lock.
"Nope," Kade muttered. "Didn't even call me for the interview."
Tommy didn't say anything, just gave him a look that said yeah, figures. It didn't feel like pity. It felt like understanding.
And then the sound that always made Kade's stomach twist showed up—boots. Heavy ones. Stomping down the hallway like they owned it.
Marcus.
Kade didn't need to turn around. He knew that voice.
"Well, well, well," Marcus grinned, voice loud enough to grab everyone's attention. "If it isn't the dynamic loser duo."
Tommy stiffened. Kade stayed still, staring into his locker.
"Leave us alone, Marcus," Tommy said quietly.
"Or what?" Marcus stepped in front of them, face way too close. "You gonna cry again? Maybe Evans here will write a sad poem about it."
Kade's jaw locked. He could taste the coppery bitterness of adrenaline forming under his tongue.
"Back off," he said, barely more than a whisper.
"What was that?" Marcus cupped a hand to his ear.
Kade turned to face him, eyes steady. "I said… back off."
Marcus laughed. "You must've hit your head or something."
Then, without warning, he shoved Tommy—hard.
Tommy slammed into the lockers, books falling out of his arms. His glasses went skidding across the floor. A few students chuckled. No one moved to help.
But Kade did.
Before his brain had time to second-guess, he stepped between them. Something in him snapped—not like a light switch, more like a floodgate.
He wasn't stronger. He wasn't faster. But the fear that usually pinned him down? It was gone.
He looked Marcus in the eyes and saw nothing worth backing down from.
"Touch him again," Kade said, voice shaking with rage, "and I'll make sure you regret it."
Marcus smirked. "You're hilarious."
Then Kade's fist connected with his face.
It wasn't clean. It wasn't cinematic. It was messy and clumsy, but it was real. Marcus reeled back, more surprised than hurt, and for a second the whole hallway froze.
Then Marcus lunged.
They both went down in a mess of punches and curses, fists flying wildly. Kade didn't care. He got hit—hard—but he didn't stop. All he could think about was Tommy, still on the floor behind him, and how no one else would ever stand up for them.
The fight didn't last long. Teachers came running. Arms grabbed. Voices yelled.
When it was over, Kade's shirt was ripped, his wrist hurt like hell, and Marcus had a bloody nose.
They both got detention. Tommy got a bruised rib. Kade got silence and a suspension slip.
But for once, he also got noticed.
In the nurse's office, Tommy sat beside him, ice pack pressed to his side.
"You didn't have to do that," he said.
"Yes, I did."
Tommy looked over. "Why?"
Kade didn't answer at first. Then: "Because you're the only person who's ever been real with me. I couldn't let him hurt you."
Tommy didn't say anything for a long time.
Graduation came faster than either of them expected. No big parties. No family cookouts. Just handshakes, speeches, and disposable gowns.
Kade's mom showed up late, took one blurry photo of him on stage, then left early for her night shift.
The next day, Tommy pulled him aside.
"I got accepted to a school up north," he said. "Leaving tomorrow."
Kade just nodded.
"This might be goodbye."
"Yeah," Kade said, forcing a smile. "Guess it is."
Tommy gave him a long look. "Thanks again. For that day. I don't think I ever said it right."
"You don't have to."
And that was it. His only friend disappeared into the distance, and Kade? He stepped into the real world completely alone.
Days blended together—job hunts, rejection emails, late-night walks through quiet streets. The city didn't care about him any more than school did.
But it was on one of those nights—after another failed job interview, hands in his pockets, walking home under a broken streetlight—that everything changed.
A sound echoed from a nearby alley.
Growling. Something inhuman.
Kade froze. Then, against every ounce of logic, he took a step forward.
He didn't know it yet—but that step?
That was the beginning of everything.
To be continued...