Most students had already left, but Ariel stayed late to make up a test she'd missed during her suspension. As she walked down the empty hallway, voices echoed from around the corner. Look at all this hair. What do you even call this mess? Laughter followed.
Ariel recognized Jake's voice immediately. Her muscles tensed. Please just let me go. The voice was small, frightened. Ariel peered around the corner.
Jake, Chase, and Logan had surrounded a younger girl, Jamila Carter, a freshman she'd seen in the library. Jamila's natural curls bounced as she tried to back away, but Chase blocked her path. "We're just trying to help, " Logan sneered, reaching for Jamila's hair. "Maybe it needs some special treatment, like Monroe did, " Jamila clutched her books tighter to her chest. "I didn't do anything to you.
" "Existing is enough, " Jake said, shoving her shoulder. Her books crashed to the floor. This school used to have standards, you know. Ariel's fists clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms. Her breath came in controlled bursts, just like Sensei Jordan taught her.
Each muscle in her body screamed to move. "Pick those up, " Chase ordered Jamila, kicking one of her books further away. Jamila knelt down, trembling. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she reached for the scattered papers. "Hurry up!
" Logan kicked another book. "Dance for us! " The boys laughed again, circling her like vultures. Jake pulled out his phone, already recording. Ariel watched Jamila's hands shake as she gathered her things.
The girl's fear was familiar, the same terror Ariel had felt in the locker room, the same helplessness that had haunted her for days. Her mind flashed to the acid threat in her locker, to the deleted videos, to the silenced witnesses, to every time she'd stayed quiet, thinking it would keep her safe. But Jamila wasn't her. Jamila was younger, more vulnerable. The kind of target these boys would never stop hunting unless someone made them stop.
Ariel's body moved before her mind could hesitate. She stepped around the corner, footsteps silent from years of training. Back away from her. Her voice cut through their laughter like steel. The boys spun around.
Jake's smirk widened. Well, look who it is. Missing your bleach treatment. I said back away. Ariel moved closer, positioning herself between them and Jamila.
Or what? Chase stepped forward, trying to use his height to intimidate her. Going to cry to the principal again. Jamila, Ariel said without taking her eyes off the boys. Get your things and go.
But Jamila started. Now, they heard scrambling as Jamila gathered her books. Logan tried to block her path, but Ariel shifted her stance, a subtle movement that made him step back instinctively. Run home to grandma, " Jake taunted as Jamila's footsteps faded. "Before we decide to fix your attitude problem permanently, Ariel didn't move.