Kick the dog. Dude, this is messed up." "Shut up and film." Blake grinned, basking in the attention. "Relax, Zuri." He taunted. "It's just a dog, and you need to be but before he could finish, a wave of outrage crashed through the crowd. A student shouted, "Are you serious?
Don't touch the dog again." Another yelled, "Dude, stop. It's a federal K9. That's a matter of go." A third voice added, "You're going to jail if you do that." Phones angled sharply toward Blake now. The atmosphere shifted, curiosity turning into disgust, excitement warping into alarm. Blake hesitated.
Just a flicker. Just long enough to reveal fear beneath his bravado. Connor hissed, "Dude, don't listen to them. Just do it." Reed whispered urgently, "Blake, don't. They're all filming." And Milo's video blew up over a thousand shares in 10 minutes.
Blake's confidence cracked, but barely. He tightened his jaw, forcing a laugh to hide the uncertainty. "Relax. I'm just messing around." He lifted his foot higher. Aimed directly at Shadow's ribs.
The crowd erupted with shouts. "Stop. Leave the dog alone. What is wrong with you? This is on camera, bro." Zuri grabbed Blake's leg with both hands.
"Don't touch him." She screamed. Her voice wasn't meek. It wasn't broken. It was raw. Powerful.
Filled with a fury that silenced even the loudest onlookers. For a split second, Blake froze, startled by the sudden force. Then he wrenched his leg away. "Get off me." Zuri stumbled back, nearly falling over Shadow's body. Blake sneered, "Fine.
You want to protect him so badly? Go ahead. But remember you chose this." Jenna knelt beside Zuri, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "It's okay." She whispered. "He didn't hit him.
You stopped him." But Zuri didn't feel victorious. She felt like the world was collapsing around her. Shadow's breathing worsened. His chest rose unevenly. His eyes fluttered open, then shut again.
Zuri's voice broke. "Shadow, please." The crowd's yelling faded into background noise. Blake looked shaken, now less confident, more cornered. Connor hovered behind him, unsure whether to follow or flee. Reed lowered his phone slightly, realizing the situation had turned from funny to something far darker.
And then, a new sound sliced through the chaos. A deep rumbling engine. A police cruiser. The sirens were off, but the authority in its presence rippled through the air. Students turned toward the entrance of the lot as the vehicle rolled in, dust scattering beneath its tires.
Officer Hemsworth's car. Jenna exhaled in relief. "Finally, someone to stop this. Zuri, Milo." Even Connor seemed oddly relieved, but Blake smirked. "Relax.
We know him." The cruiser rolled to a stop. Officer Hemsworth stepped out, broad-shouldered, uniform crisp, sunglasses hiding his eyes. Jenna pointed at Blake. "Officer, they assaulted her dog. You need to" But Hemsworth didn't look at Zuri.
He didn't look at Shadow. He didn't look at the trembling girl covered in dust and tears. He walked straight past them, past Zuri, past the injured federal K9, past the witnesses, and stopped directly in front of Blake, Connor, and Reed. "Boys," Hemsworth said, adjusting his belt, "you okay?" Blake exhaled in relief. "Yeah, Officer.
We're good." Zuri felt her stomach drop. Jenna's jaw unhinged. "You're kidding me." Officer Hemsworth turned slightly, just enough to glance at Zuri for a fraction of a second. Then he ignored her. "The boys called in a disturbance.
He said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. Said someone was causing trouble. Milo's face went white. What? That's not but Hemsworth raised a hand to silence him.
Step aside. He ordered. He wasn't talking to Blake. He was talking to Zuri. The gas station fell into stunned silence.
One more kick. And Zuri's fists tightened so sharply her nails cut into her palms. This wasn't just cruelty anymore. It was corruption. And justice was nowhere near the scene.
Yet, the patrol car's lights flashed red and blue across the concrete, splashing the gas station in violent colors that made everything feel sharper, colder, wrong. Students turned expecting justice to finally arrive, expecting someone in authority to shut down the cruelty unfolding before their eyes. Officer Hemsworth stepped out with an air of confidence that bordered on arrogance. He adjusted his sunglasses even though the sun was already dipping, a gesture meant to project authority rather than necessity. Zuri lifted her head, tears streaking her face, hope swelling in her chest.
Officer, please, he hurt my dog. Shadow can't breathe. Hemsworth held up a hand, silencing her before she could finish. Ma'am, he said, tone clipped and dismissive. You need to calm down.
Ma'am, he didn't call Blake sir. He didn't call Connor or Reed boys, but he called Zuri ma'am in that tone, the one that wasn't respect, but condescension. Blake took a half step forward, hands raised innocently. Officer Hemsworth, it's fine. We were just messing around.
She's overreacting. Messing around? Zuri echoed, disbelief ripping through her voice. He kicked him. He "Enough." Hemsworth snapped.
His attention slid toward Blake and the boys. "You three okay? Nobody hurt?" His tone softened noticeably, almost friendly. Reed nodded quickly. "We're fine, officer.
Thanks for coming." Students in the crowd exchanged looks. Murmurs rippled through them, confusion turning into unease. Hemsworth finally turned to Zuri, but his expression held no concern, only irritation. "What exactly is the problem here?" he asked, clearly uninterested in the answer. Zuri pointed at Shadow, who lay trembling, breaths shallow.
"He kicked my dog. Shadow is dying. Look at him, please." Hemsworth glanced down, barely sparing the injured K9 more than a second. "It's an animal." he said bluntly. "Dogs handle roughhousing better than kids.
It'll be fine." Jenna gasped. "Roughhousing?" Milo stepped forward. "Officer, with respect, that's a federal K9." Hemsworth raised a hand again. "I didn't ask for commentary." Blake smirked. "Told you she was being dramatic." The officer's gaze sharpened, but on Zuri.
"Now, I'm hearing you were causing a disturbance, screaming, getting physical." Zuri blinked. "Physical? I only grabbed Blake's leg because he was about to kick Shadow again." Hemsworth's tone darkened. "So, you admit to putting your hands on him?" "He was hurting my dog." she cried. "What was I supposed to do?
Just let him?" Connor chimed in quickly. "Officer, she started yelling and making a scene. We were just standing here." Jenna snapped. "Liar." Hemsworth ignored her completely. He stepped closer to Zuri, hand hovering near his handcuffs.