Mrs Snider, Oliver's boss, who had been watching silently from the kitchen doorway, stepped forward. Her arms were folded, and her eyes were as cold as ice.
"That's enough," she said, her voice low and dangerous.
George looked up, trying to act tough. "We're just customers, lady. The service here is slow"
"You aren't customers, you are troublemakers," Mrs Snider snapped, leaning over their table."If you can't act like humans, you can get out of my restaurant right now. And don't bother coming back."
Alejandro stood up, his face red with anger."Fine! This place is a dump anyway. The food tastes like cardboard."
"See you in school tomorrow." George said before they stormed out, making sure to kick a trash can on the way out of the restaurant.
The restaurant fell silent. Oliver immediately grabbed a cloth and rushed towards Mrs Snider.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice shaking. "I didn't mean to bring trouble to your business. I can pay for the food... and the water they spilled ..."
Mrs Snider held up a hand, stopping him. She looked at the door and then back at Oliver, her expression softening into something almost motherly.
"It's nothing, Oliver," She said firmly. Those boys have no character. You on the other hand have plenty. Go take a five minute break."
Oliver felt a lump in his throat. Even with the stress of bullies and the nerves of school starting the tomorrow, he felt a small sense of peace...
When he got back home in the evening, his mum called, instructing him to get prepared for school which will resume the next day.
His dad, Mr Montero, came home . But surprisingly, he was unusually calm and quiet. He didn't cause any trouble for Oliver , and Oliver also treated him like air. Oliver lied down on the bed, thinking of his life this past few weeks. His mind unconsciously drifting to Liam's image as he said. "I'm not a bad guy.."
Oliver got to school late the next day. He was criticized by the teacher but it was nothing serious.As expected, Liam never glanced at him for more than a second, and also didn't bother to talk to him. At least, this was a development from before, when he was a subject to Liam's bullying.
Nothing significant happened for the whole morning, not until a junior came to tell Oliver that his presence was needed in Mr Kim, the physics teacher's office.
When he got to his office, the young man , who seems to be in his early thirties, was reclining against the his chair.
"Ah Oliver, you're here," he said, reaching out into his drawer. He pulled out a small, sleek box and handed it over to Oliver.
"I wanted you to have this. Consider it a reward for having the sharpest mind in my class."
Oliver's hands trembled slightly as he opened the box. Inside was a high quality Newton's cradle. It's silver base was heavy and polished, and the five steel spheres hung from the delicate, perfectly aligned wires. It looked expensive, far nicer than anything Oliver could ever afford for himself.
Mr Kim reached out and gently tapped the first ball. It swung back and struck the others with a crisp, rhythmic click-clack.
"Do you know why I chose this for you Oliver...."
"It represents the conservation of momentum," the teacher explained. "In physics, you know, force is never truly lost, it is transferred. Look at the last ball, it doesn't break, it moves with the same energy it was given. It stays strong."
He looked at Oliver in the eye. "No matter how many things hit you, you have the potential to take that energy and turn it into something powerful. Don't let the world stop your momentum."
Oliver felt a lump in his throat. He clutched the cool base of the gift, feeling a rare surge of pride. "Thank you so much Sir..."
As he walked out of the office, he saw George and his group in the distance. He didn't look down today, he kept his head up, his mind already calculating the physics of the world around him. He placed the gift in his pocket, his hand covering it protectively.
He was still replaying Mr Kim's words in his head when a rough hand suddenly grabbed his collar and yanked him backwards.
Before he could scream, one of George's boys had dragged him into the thick overgrown bushes at the edge of the school grounds. A place where the teachers never patrolled.
"Let's see what the quiet boy got," George sneered, ripping Oliver's hands from his pocket. He then pulled out the Newton's cradle.
"This? This looks expensive. Give it to us and maybe we'll let you go."
Remembering Mr Kim's words about momentum and staying strong, Oliver scrambled up. For the first time in his life, he didn't just take it. He swung his fist, catching George on the chin. But the victory was short-lived.
"Fuck you!" George yelled, his eyes erupted in fury. With a single kick, Oliver was sent flying several steps away. Outnumbered and smaller, he was quickly overwhelmed.
They beat him mercilessly. Oliver curled into a ball, trying to protect his ribs as kicks landed on his stomach and chest.
His uniform was shredded, and his face was smeared with dirt and blood. Worst of all, George threw the Newton's cradle against a rock. The delicate wires snapped, and the silver balls scattered into the mud.
"Stop it !" A thunderous voice roared.
Liam didn't look like the cool, composed student from the mansion. He looked like a storm. He threw himself at George and his friends with a fury Oliver had never seen.
Liam was a good fighter, but there were many of them. He took several blows, a split lip and a bruised cheek. But he didn't back down until the boys, terrified by his sheer rage, finally scrambled away into the trees.
"Oliver,"
Oliver didn't answer at first. He crawled towards the mud, his fingers trembling as he picked up the tangled, broken remains of the Newton's cradle.
It was his first real gift, the only thing that made him feel special, and now, it was a mess of snapped wires and scratched metal.
The dam finally broke. Oliver began to sob, great, rocking gasps that shook his entire body. He cried for the broken gift, for the years of being pushed around, and for the confusing, overwhelming sight of Liam. The boy who used to hate him, standing there, bleeding for him.
"It's broken... it's all broken." Oliver choked out through his tears. Liam didn't say a word about the gift. Instead, he reached out and pulled Oliver into a tight, protective hug. He didn't care about the mud or blood...