My Pro Boxer System

She almost choked on her drink but quickly regained her composure. She glared at me with an annoyed expression on her face.

"No, not that you would listen," she shot back. "I only told you that because I thought you would be a distraction for him."

"A distraction?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Cassian has worked pretty hard toward being a boxer. Over the years, he has tried his luck at many other sports," she smiled as she spoke. I could tell that she cared a lot about him. "The first sport he picked up was basketball, then he tried football, then rugby, and a few other sports. It never worked out; he always ended up quitting within a week. Except for boxing. It was the only thing he stuck with."

"The two of you seem close," I commented. I was a bit curious about their relationship.

"Hmm? Our families are close, so we've been best friends since we were kids."

"I see."

She stared at me, then shook her head from side to side and took another sip of her smoothie.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked after finishing her drink. "What changed for you? You've changed a lot in these past months."

"What do you mean, I've changed? This is the first time we've had a proper conversation with each other."

"Yeah, but we've been in the same class. You used to walk around with that dead-fish look in your eyes. You didn't do any sports, you weren't good in school, and you didn't even have any friends. You carried yourself like a homeless person, and you would constantly fall asleep in class so the teacher would stop mid-lesson to wake you up."

As she spoke, I realized something… She was the type of girl I hated the most.

[You mean the type that is real and isn't part of your made-up fantasy of what a girl should be?] Alexa mocked.

I meant the type of girls who are superficial and look down on anyone who doesn't meet their standards.

"But now…" she continued, "you seem to have straightened up a bit. That's the only reason I allowed them to invite you."

Her words annoyed me, but I didn't let it show on my face. Things like this shouldn't have bothered me anymore, but somehow it did.

After a while, we were joined by her friends, Allyah and Lulu. Lulu was beaming with joy, waving at us from the entrance of the café, while Allyah had a nervous expression, her face carrying a pink blush. They came over to us and took seats beside Kiki.

Allyah was wearing a cute pink dress, while Lulu opted for a baggy t-shirt and pants.

From the moment she arrived, Lulu couldn't keep her eyes off me. It wasn't the type of look a girl gives a guy she likes, either. Honestly, I didn't know what the look meant, but she kept staring at me while rubbing her chin. After a while, she finally spoke in a theatrical voice.

"There is something different about you… Lee."

"Lee?" I repeated back to her.

"Cute, isn't it? It's my new nickname for you—Lee," she chuckled and covered her mouth.

She was one strange girl, that was for sure. Though I didn't mind. I found her strangeness comforting in a group like this. After a while, Ken, Cassian, and Adam showed up together. The three of them took seats beside me in the booth.

"All right! Are you guys ready?" Adam asked, grinning ear to ear.

"Just make sure you have all the tickets," Kiki told him.

"It's all right, babe, I have it all covered."

Kiki glared at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Don't call me that!"

"Yeah, it sounded creepy," Allyah interjected, and Lulu followed with a solid nod.

Adam slumped back in his seat, clearly dejected. After wallowing in self-pity for a while, he was back to his usual self, raring to go. We enjoyed a few drinks together before we left the café and headed to a movie theater.

"So Ken, how has your training been going?" Kiki asked as we walked toward the movie theater. From the light blush on Allyah's face, it looked like Kiki was playing wingman for her.

It was quite evident that Allyah liked Ken, though I wasn't sure if Ken was aware of it. By the way she was dressed up, I figured she must've thought of this as a date.

"It's going fine," Ken replied as nonchalantly as ever, but Kiki didn't relent.

"I bet your brother is pushing you hard, isn't he? A lot of people are saying he's going to be the one to bring home gold for this next summer's tournament. I can already imagine it happening. The entire school would be in an uproar," she giggled. "But I'm sure you'll bring home a medal too since you're his brother, right, Allyah?"

"Right!" Allyah was so startled that her words came out a little high-pitched. Her voice was also a little shaky, and she could barely manage to keep eye contact. Honestly, she looked like a mess—even I could see it.

While we were walking, I noticed Lulu standing unusually close to me.

Soon, we arrived at the movie theater. The tickets were for a movie called Crazy Red Head Toy 3. The story was about a doll possessed by a serial killer that went on a rampage. The movie itself wasn't that good. In fact, I fell asleep halfway through it but was awakened by a tight grasp on my arm.

Lulu was seated beside me with a horrified expression on her face. Her hand was trembling and a bit sweaty. I didn't know what to do, so I sat quietly as she clung to me as if her life depended on it. I found the seating arrangement a little suspicious. Kiki was seated between Cassian and Adam. Ken and Allyah were seated together, and Lulu and I were paired with each other.

After the movie was over, we left the theater to take a look at the different stores in the mall.