She said no.
Another student made a playful fighting stance near her locker.
Nia stared until he lowered his hands.
“Sorry.”
She walked away.
The attention bothered her because Claire and Dylan had spent months painting her as aggressive.
Now people who claimed to support Nia were turning the fight into her defining trait.
It felt like the stereotype had simply changed owners.
Leah noticed.
“You look like you want to punch everybody asking about boxing.”
Nia looked at her.
“Do you hear yourself?”
Leah laughed.
“Terrible timing.”
The joke helped.
Still, Nia asked school counselors to tell teachers not to discuss the fight during class.
She did not want applause.
She wanted normal assignments.
Slowly, normality returned.
Claire came back first.
Her gray cardigan was gone, replaced by a plain black sweatshirt.
Students stared.
Some whispered.
Nia avoided her.
Dylan returned several days later without the red varsity jacket.
He also avoided Nia.
That was exactly what she wanted.
Then other students began retaliating socially.
Someone left a broken model planet on Claire’s desk.
A note attached to it read, DON’T TOUCH SCIENCE.
Another student taped a fake punching warning to Dylan’s locker.
Nia found out through Leah.
“Who did it?”
“No idea.”
“Tell people to stop.”
Leah stared.
“Why is that your job?”
“It isn’t.”
Nia closed her locker.
“But if somebody says they’re doing it for me, I don’t want it.”
The jokes faded after several students heard that.
Claire learned Nia had objected.
She did not thank her.
Nia did not care.
A month after returning, Claire requested mediation.
Nia refused immediately.
Counselor Dr. Rachel Mercer told her there was no requirement.
That should have ended it.
For five days, Nia was satisfied.
Then curiosity became annoying.
She wanted to ask Claire one question.
Why had destroying the model seemed necessary?