(Senior Year – Day 1)
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School Entrance, 7:53 AM
Ashan walked through the doors like he never left.
Same backpack.
Same hoodie, just lighter on him now.
Same eyes, but sharper.
No one gasped.
No whispers followed him.
A couple people looked over, vaguely surprised, and kept walking.
"He lost weight."
"Guess summer changed him."
Ricky saw him by the lockers.
Raised his brows. Said nothing.
Jalen glanced over from the staircase.
Eyes narrowed, like he remembered the last time they met.
Then he turned away.
That was it.
No "Yo, Bruce Lee."
No cheap shots.
Ashan kept walking.
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Third Period, Gym Class
They were doing the fitness test.
Cooper test. Sit-ups. Push-ups. Pull-ups.
Ashan hit every mark.
50 sit-ups in a minute
30 push-ups in a minute
And 15 pull-ups in a minute
And for the mile: 7 minutes and 32 seconds
Nothing elite. But sharp. Clean form.
Some other kids fell apart after the mile run.
Ashan wasn't even breathing hard.
The coach glanced at his sheet, nodded.
"Korr, right? You didn't move like this last year."
"You wrestle or something?"
Ashan shook his head.
"Just training."
Coach nodded again.
"Keep it up."
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Lunch Table, 12:16 PM
Ashan sat alone.
Didn't feel lonely.
He ate what he packed:
Grilled chicken, rice, fruit, water.
Some people looked over.
A girl two tables down leaned to her friend.
"He got skinny. He used to be kinda… big, right?"
"Yeah. I think he stopped eating."
They laughed.
Ashan heard it. Didn't flinch.
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Project Dragon, Day 121
"School started."
"No one cares what I did over summer break. Not really."
"That's fine. I didn't do it for them."
"Noticed something today: my joints don't ache anymore."
"Everything's cleaner. Lighter. Not strong yet, but… sharp."
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