"The hell it wasn't!" declares Dash, struggling to his feet.

"Dash started it!" calls a student at the back of the crowd, and several others pipe up in support.

"I did not! He... I mean..." Dash trails off as the full horror of his situation sinks in; he can't very well claim that a twelve-year-old attacked and beat him up, not without losing any remaining shred of respect and machismo.

"I mean... he... asked me to help him practice! Yeah! Ha ha!" He gives Mrs. Tetslaff a rather sickly innocent grin.