CHAPTER 2
Chloe’s hand didn’t reach Maya’s hair. It stopped, hovering in the air as Maya didn’t flinch, didn’t cower, and didn’t pull away. She simply pivoted her front foot, her weight shifting with a subtle, fluid grace that seemed at odds with her terrified expression.
“Don’t,” Maya said. It wasn’t a shout, but a low, firm command that cut through the hallway’s ambient noise.
Chloe blinked, momentarily confused by the lack of expected hysteria. Then, the laughter returned, louder and more jagged. “Did you hear that? The charity case is giving orders.”
Chloe’s friend, Sarah, stepped in, pulling out her phone to shove the camera lens inches from Maya’s nose. “Let’s see if she’s as brave when this hits the school group chat,” Sarah taunted, her voice dripping with malice. “Everyone needs to see the girl who thinks she can walk around like she owns the place when she’s nothing but a glorified janitor’s kid.”
The mention of her father—a man who worked double shifts as a night janitor to help keep her in this school—stung more than any shove. Maya felt her pulse quicken, but she forced herself to breathe. In the gym, her coach always reminded her: The fight starts when you lose your cool. Keep your center.
“I’m not looking for any trouble,” Maya repeated, her voice perfectly level despite the trembling of the crowd around her. She tried to side-step, but Chloe blocked her path, her designer clogs clicking rhythmically on the floor.
“You aren’t going anywhere,” Chloe said, her tone dropping to a dangerous, icy whisper. She signaled to her friends, who tightened the circle. The space felt like a closing trap. “You’re going to get down on your knees, you’re going to apologize for ruining these, and then you’re going to pay for them. I don’t care if you have to steal the money to do it. You don’t get to touch my things and walk away.”
The crowd erupted in cheers and jeers. Someone shoved Maya from behind, and she stumbled, barely catching her balance by grabbing a locker handle. A book slipped from her bag, hitting the floor. The Muay Thai keychain she kept tucked away slid out with it, spinning on the tile floor. A few people stepped on it, grinding it into the dirt.
Chloe kicked the keychain away, sending it sliding toward the center of the hall. “Trash belongs on the floor, just like you.”