His eyes scanned the cafeteria and locked onto Leo.
Leo was sitting alone at a corner table, quietly working on a complex physics diorama made of carefully balanced wire and glass. It was his final project, worth half his grade.
Richard’s face twisted into a cruel sneer. He changed direction, marching straight toward Leo’s table. Trent and Chase exchanged a glance and quickly followed, forming a wall behind their leader.
"Hey, charity case," Richard barked.
Leo jumped, his hand jerking. A piece of the delicate wire structure bent. "Richard. Please, I'm just studying."
"You're taking up too much space," Richard said, slamming both his hands down on the edge of the table. The table violently rattled. The glass components of Leo's project tipped dangerously.
"Please," Leo begged, trying to shield the project with his arms. "I need this for my scholarship renewal."
"Your scholarship is dead," Richard leaned in, his voice a vicious whisper. "Just like this school. You don't belong here. You're just garbage taking up my air."
Richard raised his hand, balling it into a fist, preparing to smash it down directly onto the fragile glass diorama.
"Mr. Sterling."
My voice cut through the cafeteria like the crack of a whip. It wasn't the raspy tremor of the lunch lady. It was the sharp, commanding tone of Evelyn Vanguard.
Richard froze, his fist hovering inches from the glass. He turned his head slowly, his eyes narrowing as he saw me standing a few feet away, holding a damp rag.
"Step away from the boy's project, Richard," I said, my voice completely steady.
Trent laughed nervously. "Are you kidding me? The lunch lady is giving orders?"
Chase crossed his arms, stepping slightly toward me to use his height for intimidation. "You should probably go back to the kitchen, Evelyn. Before you fall down again."
I ignored them. I kept my eyes locked entirely on Richard.
"I know you're having a difficult morning, Richard," I said softly, letting just enough condescension bleed into my tone to sting his ego. "I know things are... declining for you. But taking your frustration out on Leo won't unfreeze your accounts."
Richard’s face went pale. Then, a dark, ugly red flushed up his neck. He stepped away from Leo and closed the distance between us until he was looming over me.
"What did you just say?" he hissed.
"I said," I replied, not backing up a single inch, "step away."
We stared at each other. The entire cafeteria had gone dead silent. Students were watching, breathless. Richard's hands opened and closed at his sides. He wanted to hurt me. He was desperate to reassert his dominance.
But there was something in my eyes he couldn't calculate. The memory of the encrypted phone. The memory of his father's sudden arrival yesterday.
"You're crazy," Richard finally muttered, stepping back. He looked at Trent and Chase, trying to salvage his pride. "She's out of her mind. Let's get out of here. This place smells like trash anyway."
He turned and stormed out of the cafeteria, his shadows following closely behind.
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I looked over at Leo, who was staring at me in absolute shock.
"Are you alright, Leo?" I asked gently, my voice softening.
"Yes," he whispered. "Thank you. But... he's going to make them fire you."
"Don't worry about me, Leo," I smiled sadly. "Just protect your work."