Trent Galkin

*Now* *Maverick Central Highschool*

Buffy pushed Trent to the ground, his expression hard and unreadable. Trent trembled in fear, his words coming out in a rush. "Come on, Buffy. Please, I didn't mean to--"

Buffy's smile was cold and chilling. "You know what you did.

Trent's heart pounded in his chest, and he could barely breathe. This wasn't how he thought he would start the day.

 Buffy raises Trent up in the air, Buffy's grip tightening around his shirt's collar, Sydney stepped forward. "Buffy, put him down," he said in a cold, even voice. "You've taken things too far."

Buffy turned to Sydney, eyes blazing. "I'm not done with him yet. He deserves everything he's getting."

Sydney stood firm, refusing to back down. "I said, put him down. You're out of control."

"Stay out of this, Syd," Buffy growled, his eyes flashing with anger. "You're just a kid".

Sydney's expression hardened. "I'm not a kid", he said, refusing to be intimidated. "You need to calm down and let him go."

Buffy's grip on Trent's collar tightened, and his face was red with rage. "I won't listen to you," he snarled. "Stay out of this, or you'll be sorry. "Buffy snorted, but underneath his anger, he felt a twinge of defeat. "Fine," he growled, and he dropped Trent to the ground. Trent stumbled, gasping for air, relief flooding through him.

Some students in the hallway snickered at Buffy's outburst, and he shot them a look of pure fury. Sydney crossed his arms, his expression unimpressed.

"You're acting like a child," he said coolly.

Suddenly, Buffy grabbed Trent and yanked his underwear up, causing him to yelp in pain. He dumped him unceremoniously into a nearby trash can, and Trent scrambled to his feet, humiliated.

Sydney rushed over to help Trent, concern and anger flashing in his eyes. Buffy, meanwhile, turned on his heel and strode away, as if he hadn't just committed an act of bullying in front of the entire school. 

The hallway was silent for a moment, before a shocked murmur broke out among the students. 

"Are you okay?" Sydney asked, his voice full of concern.

Trent nodded, fixing his pants as best he could. "I'll be okay," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "Thanks for helping me."

The school bell rang, and students hurried to their classes, some glancing over at Trent and whispering to each other. Maverick Central High was known as one of the best public schools in Los Angeles, and it was rumored that only the richest kids could get in.

After school, Sydney found Trent in the hallway. "What happened in there?" He asked. "Ugh...he wanted to...you know, boss me around..." Trent trailed off, his voice full of anger and humiliation.

"More like bully," Sydney interjected, and Trent snorted in annoyance. "Sorry," Sydney said, realizing he'd interrupted.

Trent nodded, accepting Sydney's apology, and continued. "So I tried to stand up to him," he said, bowing his head in shame. "And then...that happened."

Just then, a tinted black Mercedes pulled up in front of them. The windows rolled down to reveal a tall, dark-haired man in a suit, his face stern and unreadable. "Master Sydney?" he said in a smooth, cold voice.

"I've got to go," Sydney said, his eyes wide. "My dad's taking me to Wales Industry's Nearse technology launch party. They're releasing the technology tonight - I can't miss it for the world!"

As he gushed about the Nearse technology, Sydney noticed Trent's face had gone slack, his eyes unfocused. "Hey," he said, snapping his fingers in front of his face.

Trent let out an excited whoop, which drew the attention of everyone nearby. "You mean John Wales, the founder of Wales Mobile?" he said, his eyes shining.

"Yes," Sydney replied with a grin. "The car that levitates?" Trent added.

Sydney nodded. "Bye, see you later!" He said, waving goodbye to Trent and heading to his car. As he climbed into the passenger seat, he wondered what it would be like to ride in a levitating car.

"Hey". Trent jumped when he heard Barbara's voice behind him. "You startled me!" he exclaimed. Barbara just shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips. "Sorry about that," she said. "Heading home?"

"Yeah," Trent replied, still a bit shaken. Barbara reached out and took hold of his arm. "C'mon, neighbor, let's go home," she said.

Trent wasn't sure how he felt about Barbara's hand on his arm. He liked the warmth of her body against his, but something about the gesture felt slightly inappropriate. Maybe it was because no one except his mom ever held him like that.