"And stay down!"

Ezekiel Laguna was stuck in an odd situation. He is just a young boy with a frail body who wore glasses. And in elementary, those who looked like nerds often get bullied, Ezekiel was one of them. Being attacked by the bullies wasn't really new to him, but today was different, a whole lot different.

"Are you okay?" said the girl, who just punched the kid bullying Ezekiel in the face. The girl has a humble and cute face. She has shoulder-length brown hair, and is just a few inches taller than Ezekiel.  "U-Uh," Ezekiel embarrassingly replied. "Good, you're responsive so you're fine," she smiled, reaching out her hand. Ezekiel gladly accepted it.

He looked at the bully who was lying down on the floor in pain. "Huh, I'm sure I didn't punch him that hard. Well, looks like you're not the one who's going to the nurse's office this time," she joked, and laughed. Ezekiel awkwardly laughed it off, too. He never really went to the nurse's office. He didn't want to run into more trouble, so he tend to fix himself up with his own first-aid kit.

"What in the world is happening here?!" A teacher finally entered the scene. It was Mr. Hendrickson, an English teacher and the head of the Languages Department of the school. "Are you okay, young boy?"
"He's probably not okay, mr. Hendrickson. He wouldn't be down on the floor if he was," the girl sarcastically responded.

Ezekiel was shocked. He didn't know being rescued would cause this much trouble for him. Why the hell are you instigating the teacher?! was in his mind.
"Very funny, miss Hino. Did you do this?" Hino was about to answer when the bully, who is still lying on the floor, suddenly pulled mr. Hendrickson's sleeve, "Nurse's office.."
"Alright, alright. Let's go," he replied and looked back at Hino, "we're not done yet, miss Hino." Mr. Hendrickson and the bully then went on their way to the nurse's office.

Ezekiel let go a huge sigh. "Wow, you sure were nervous the entire time. I'm Hino Nagai. You are?" Hino asked.
"E-Ezekiel."
"Well then, nice to meet you E-Ezekiel," she teased, offering her hand.
"Y-You too." Ezekiel ignored the tease and accepted the handshake. He never thought that a damsel in shining armor would save him and his elementary years.

---

After that incident, the two became close friends. They were also somewhat neighbors since their houses were on the same street, only one block apart. Their friendship prospered until they graduated elementary. Ezekiel was hopeful that he would end up with Hino again in high school, but fate wasn't that kind to them.

Ezekiel, now much taller and with a better physique, was patiently waiting for Hino at the playground near their neighborhood. There were kids having fun and playing with each other, and there were adults who excitingly exchanged gossips.

"Hi, Eze." A girl hugged Ezekiel from behind. It was Hino, who also matured well. Her once shoulder-length hair is now reaching her waist. The once cute Hino is now a beautiful lady. Ezekiel stood up, surprised. "H-Hino! What made you meet up all of a sudden?" Ezekiel asked. He's now taller than Hino. He also replaced his glasses with contact lenses. Hino simply answered back with a faint smile first then, "we're going back to Japan."

Ezekiel froze. All his dreams and plans involving Hino shattered. In fact, he didn't think of any other plans not involving Hino. He fell to the ground, kneeling. "W-What did you say?" He asked Hino, hoping that he misheard.
"Ezekiel, I-"
"What did you say?!" Ezekiel shouted in despair. Hino was surprised. She didn't expect for Ezekiel to react like this.
Hino sighed, "I-I'm going back to Japan, Ezekiel."

Silence enveloped the playground. The kids and adults were just looking at them. Hino was sad, but Eze was devastated. Ezekiel finally broke his silence when he stood up, "I'm going home."
It took a few seconds before Hino replied back, "Okay.. our flight is tonight."
"...what?" Ezekiel asked, trying his best not to let his anger overwhelm him, "Tonight already?"
"I'm sorry, my parents only told me now, too."
"Oh.. then it can't be helped, I guess. Have a safe trip," Ezekiel said with a cold tone. He walked away, without even waiting for Hino's reply.

In the end, Hino and her family left the country that night. Ezekiel didn't even bother to say his farewell. He was just in his room, cried his heart out and promised to himself that he didn't need her in his life. It was at that moment that he reassured himself that he won't get bullied in high school as well.

He did his promise, there was no one to bully him. Little did he realize that he turned into one. 4 years easily passed by and he already got kicked out of high school 4 times.

"Ezekiel, get down here!" Ezekiel's mom shouted from downstairs. He groaned in his bed, covering his ears with a pillow. "Ezekiel!" his mom shouted again. A few minutes later, his door was kicked opened by his dad, "EZEKIEL LAGUNA, YOU WILL GO DOWNSTAIRS RIGHT NOW."
"Y-Yes, sir!" Ezekiel jumped out his bed surprised, and quickly went down to his mom.

"Really? You had to make your dad angry first before coming down here?"
"I'm here, right? Just get on with it," Ezekiel grunted, intentionally avoiding his mom's eyes. His mom looked at him for a few seconds before breaking down. All the frustration that was building up inside her finally bursted out into tears. His dad glared at him, but Ezekiel avoided looking at him as well.
"It's fine, dear." His dad consoled his mom before turning his attention to Ezekiel.

"We talked to your grandparents because we really doubt our parenting is good. You know that you're our only child, and the way you're acting right now reflects how good of a parent we are. Well, we've decided to let you enter high school again for the last time." Ezekiel clicked his tongue, "sure, waste money on me again," he arrogantly replied.
"That's not all. Get kicked out of it again and you're going to go to the military."
"What?!"
"Your grandfather is a general, you know that, don't you? You have no way out of this."
"What kind of parents are you?!" Ezekiel questioned.
"The kind that don't want our child to suffer when we're gone!" his mom, still in tears, answered.
His dad sighed, "this coming academic year, you'll be enrolled in New Manila High School. Get ready."

-Prologue End-
Book Cover by: pandanne1