You know, it's funny how things change from time to time. In my sophmore year in high school, I went to a pretty rough school. A lot of fights. After I got my ass whooped a few times, my step dad told me it was time to learn to at least hold my own. He had me boxing and doing Karate (He was a sinsei). But he told me it was just to defend myself and if I ever started it, HE would kick my ass.
Then before my junior year, we moved to a much mellower school. The captain of the football team was a bully. He called me names and would push me around. I had been suspended too many times in my sophmore year and I knew if I got in a fight, my parents would not be happy. So I put up with it for half the school year.
Finally, one day I was walking toward him in the hallway. He shouldered me and sent me flying. That was it for me. I stood up and glared at him as he laughed with his buddies. That was it, and it was on. I put everything into a punch that landed square on his jaw. His head snapped back and his knees went wobbly. His friends got dead quiet, I think they were in total shock. Another shot to the breadbasket and an uppercut and he was down. I kicked him with all I had until a couple of teachers pulled me back.
I bloodied him pretty bad and got a week suspension for it. I didn't care, I had had it. My parents were pretty ticked off, but my step dad heard me out then looked at me with some pride in his eyes and said something like don't do it again. I didn't have to. Nobody messed with me after that. I am just glad that first haymaker landed, or I probably would have been dead meat.