Jimmy recounted the events in detail, highlighting two main points: first, that the other party had intentionally intimidated him because he was new to the team, and second, that it was Jason who attacked first, and he was only defending himself.
Directly, Jimmy had already thought about minimizing his own responsibility.
The team members around him knew Jason's character well, and everyone agreed that Jimmy had acted in self-defense.
George Jr., who was also present, was a witness to the whole thing.
Although he felt that Jimmy's counterattack had been excessive, he decided to stand up and be ready to back Jimmy up if necessary.
At that moment, the cheerleaders, who had also heard about what happened on the field, changed their attitude toward Jimmy.
When they found out that Jimmy had struck Jason, the big guy on the team, and had sent him to the hospital, the way they looked at him changed.
"Who would have thought that nerd knew how to fight?" thought many girls who knew a lot about Jimmy because of the work he offered at an affordable price.
Veronica looked at the girls around her, seeing how they seemed to want "him for themselves," and she felt inexplicably annoyed.
This "target," clearly, was about to slip out of her control.
On the other hand, Coach George, seeing Jimmy's quick response, nodded slightly and commented, "Well, now you'll have to think about how to explain this to the principal. This matter isn't closed yet..."
He gave Jimmy some subtle advice, and noticing time was running out, he asked everyone to stop talking about it and called an end to today's practice.
Jimmy spoke to a few players who approached him to say he would be great for the team and then tugged at George's shirt, saying, "Come on, accompany me to the infirmary."
Seeing the calm expression on Jimmy's face, George couldn't help but be surprised and said, "Jason is no longer in the infirmary, I think they took him to the hospital."
"Are you implying I want to keep fighting? Don't worry, I'm not that bad of a person." Jimmy replied, patting George on the shoulder. Then he explained, "I'm just going to get an injury assessment so I can explain it to the school."
With that, Jimmy lifted his team uniform, revealing large bruises on his ribs and waist.
"Great!" George Jr. exclaimed upon seeing the bruises. "You've got everything planned."
"George Jr., go change, and you, Jimmy, come with me." George shook his head and led Jimmy to the infirmary.
Thanks to his accelerated development, Jimmy's injury was much less severe. After a good rest, it would likely heal on its own.
When Jimmy arrived at the infirmary with little George, he didn't see Jason. Even the nurse seemed to be about to finish her shift.
Upon seeing the football uniforms Jimmy and the others were wearing, the nurse asked, "What happened? The injured teammate has already been sent to the town hospital."
The nurse, seeing Jimmy's clothes and those of the others, assumed they were friends of Jason.
"We're not here to visit him, just to assess our condition," Jimmy explained. With that, he lifted his team uniform again.
The nurse, who remembered Jason's injury, saw the marks on Jimmy and sighed.
"Football is too dangerous!" She said while quickly checking Jimmy.
"Your injury seems serious, but it's just a skin trauma. You'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Compared to Jason's injury, which affected a "vital area," Jimmy's bruises were just minor injuries.
Hearing this, Jimmy stretched his arm and said, "Nurse, I think my arm is broken. I need you to check it carefully."
Seeing Jimmy's attitude, the nurse frowned but took out a small hammer.
Then, no matter where she tapped, Jimmy insisted that it hurt.
After repeating several times that it hurt, the nurse's frown relaxed, and she looked at Jimmy with a strange expression.
"Did you have any conflict with the injured player earlier?" the nurse asked.
Seeing that the nurse had guessed the truth, Jimmy didn't try to hide it. He responded sincerely, "That Jason, the older one, wanted to teach me a lesson for being new to the team. We had some small friction because of our differences of opinion."
The nurse was a little surprised by Jimmy's frankness.
However, relatively speaking, Jimmy's charm made people appreciate him even more.
At that moment, George Jr. also intervened, fueling the flames by talking about Jason's frequent bad actions.
Meanwhile, Jimmy took the opportunity to ask about Jason's injuries.
According to the nurse, Jason's wounds weren't serious and he would be almost fine after some time, only needing to replace his lost teeth.
"Nurse, do I need a cast for my arm?" Jimmy asked suggestively, after finding out that Jason's injury was much worse than he had imagined.
The nurse understood Jimmy's intention and shook her head. "I'll give you the injury report later. As for your arm, a bandage will be enough."
Jimmy thanked the nurse for her understanding.
Finally, Jimmy left the infirmary satisfied, with an exaggerated bandage around his neck and the injury report in hand.
When he got home, seeing the bandage on his arm resting on his neck, Mary, who had received the call to pick him up, looked at him in silence.
This time, Jimmy didn't hide anything and told his mom everything about the incident with Jason during the day.
She listened to her son, understood the source of the problem, and immediately realized that this wasn't his fault. Since he started attending school, he had never caused any trouble.
Judy knew that if Jimmy had fought, it was because the person bothering him had crossed the limits even he could endure.
"You did well, don't tell your dad," Judy decided and took her son out for ice cream. She was proud; she wasn't bothered by anything her husband did, but this time, she was thankful Jimmy had her character to solve problems.
Jimmy, who thought he would be in trouble, smiled happily and showed the helmet with which he had struck Jason, saying it was a gift from George Jr. that he would keep as a memento.
…
Over the next two days, Jimmy faked the injury and refused to go to team practice. Also, unfortunately, he had to postpone dinner at Ally's house.
The conflict between Jimmy and Jason on the football field remained unresolved due to Coach George's warning.
Even because of Jason's previous bad actions at school, when the students found out he had been sent to the hospital, many saw him as a hero.
The bandage on Jimmy's neck became considered a medal of honor.
Many girls from school, who didn't know all the details of the incident, approached Jimmy again, worried about his well-being.
"Jimmy, our class has created a support group for you. If the school or Jason ever causes you problems, we'll find a way to help you…" whispered Alice, a beautiful girl from his class, during the study session.
These girls hadn't approached Jimmy much before, fearing he might get them into trouble, but now they did without much thought.
But now, because of the fight incident, Jimmy had become a celebrity at school.
As his popularity grew, his followers no longer feared the consequences as much.
Even Max offered to deal with Jason's brother if he caused problems later, which Jimmy thanked with tasks for the entire month.
Meanwhile, in the principal's office, Principal Tom gathered all of Jimmy's teachers to ask them about his performance in class.