Officer Ramirez frowned. The excuses came too quickly, too rehearsed, too in sync. But Riker was the one who stole the show. He spun around, face pale, but voice trembling with righteous fury. "Officer, you need to restrain her.
She's dangerous. She ambushed us. She tried to throw me off the roof." Nadira's jaw tightened, but she said nothing. Her silence alone made Riker flinch.
Officer Ramirez looked between the girl and the boys. Nadira wasn't advancing. She wasn't shouting. She wasn't even moving. She simply stood in her stance, steady, composed, as if she had survived something far worse than their lies.
But the officer couldn't act on instincts alone. He needed evidence, a story, a truth. Riker, seeing the hesitation, pushed harder. You have to believe us, he shouted, scrambling to his feet. She's crazy.
She "Sir," a voice called from behind. Everyone turned. A student breathless from sprinting up several flights of stairs appeared at the doorway, holding his phone out like a lifeline. a freshman, small, nervous, but brave enough to run straight into danger because he knew the truth mattered. "Sir," he repeated, stepping forward. "You need to see this."
Riker's blood drained from his face. "No, don'tโyou don'tโ" But it was too late. The boy tapped the screen. The rooftop exploded with sound, not their present voices, but the recorded ones from minutes earlier. Riker shouting.
"Drown that attitude out of her." Zayn laughing. Do it again. More. Trent howling.
"Look at her. Look at her." Then the first slam. The second. The splash of water.
Nadira choking. The boys screaming with excitement as they pinned her down. And finally, Riker's panicked lies caught side by side with damning visuals the livestream had captured in perfect clarity. Officer Ramirez's face transformed as he watched. Shock, anger, disgust, recognition.
The Blaze Jackets' excuses collapsed like rotten scaffolding. "Sir, sir, that's edited." Riker sputtered. "He's trying to frame us." But the livestream wasn't just on one screen.
Behind the freshman, three more students emerged. Two girls and another boy holding their phones up. All showing the exact same footage from different screens, different recordings, different timestamps. Live comments still streamed across the videos. You can't lie your way out of this.
We saw everything. Admin has the video. Riker hail is finished. Riker staggered backward, the truth hitting him harder than Nadira's throat. His knees buckled as he whispered, "No, this isn't possible."