Chapter 1: CH 001: A falling sun
The locker room was thick with tension as Dave, still dripping from his victorious swim, made his way to his locker. His classmates, who had been cheering him on just moments before, now snickered and whispered among themselves.
"Hey, golden boy!" Tyler, his fellow classmate who had came second place sneered and blocked Dave's path. "Think you're so special just because you won, don't you?"
Dave tried to brush past him, but Tyler's friends closed in, trapping him.
"Yeah, what's the point of winning if you're just gonna make the rest of us look bad?" another classmate chimed in.
Tyler snarled, his face reddening. "I should've won that race. I'm the best swimmer here! But everything turned around since you arrived in this school! I'm very sure you cheated during the race!"
Dave stood tall, despite the intimidation. "That's not true! There's no way I could have cheated during the competition. You just weren't skilful enough to catch up with me. I worked hard for it, Tyler. You can't always win."
Tyler's expression twisted in anger. "Shut up, nerd! You think you're better than me? I'll show you who's boss!"
The group began to jeer, their taunts echoing off the lockers. Dave's heart raced, but he refused to back down.
Just then, Coach Jason burst into the locker room, his whistle blowing loudly. "What's going on here?"
The group scattered, leaving Tyler and Dave facing the coach.
"Tyler, I warned you about bullying. Apologize to Dave, now!"