Her books and papers scattered across the floor as several students gasped. The hallway fell eerily silent. Maya looked up to find a tall senior sneering down at her. Evan Loren planted his feet wide, crossing his arms as he towered over her fallen belongings. His Letterman jacket stretched across broad shoulders, and a cruel smile played at the corners of his mouth.
"Watch where you're going!" he spat, making no move to help. Other students pressed themselves against the lockers, eyes wide but mouths shut. Maya took a slow breath, refusing to let him see any reaction. She knelt carefully, gathering her things with deliberate calm. "You bumped into me on purpose," she stated matterofactly, her voice carrying in the tense silence.
Evan's smirk twisted into something uglier. "Looks like somebody doesn't know their place around here." He kicked one of her notebooks further down the hall. "This isn't your neighborhood, Princess. Brookwood has standards. The racial undertone in his words was unmistakable.
Maya's hand tightened on the strap of her bag, but she kept her expression neutral as she stood. With smooth movements, she pulled out her phone and hit record. "I suggest you back off," she said evenly, holding the camera steady. "Unless you want to explain your behavior to the administration." Evan's face flushed red when he spotted the phone. Several students had their own devices out now, too, filming the confrontation.
This clearly wasn't going according to his usual script. "You think you're clever?" he snarled, taking an aggressive step forward. But Maya didn't flinch. She kept recording, meeting his glare with unwavering calm. "I think you should be more careful about assaulting other students," she replied.
"The evidence speaks for itself." Whispers rippled through the gathering crowd. No one had ever stood up to Evan Lauren like this before. His status as the untouchable king of