The crowd parted as the Head of Discipline pushed through the throng of students. He stopped, eyes darting from the disheveled Chloe to the perfectly composed girl standing by the lockers.
Maya looked at the teacher, her expression respectful but firm. “Sir, I have been trying to get to class for the last ten minutes. These students blocked my path, harassed me, and attempted to physically assault me. I would like to go to my lecture now.”
The silence in the hallway was absolute, broken only by the sound of a hundred phones pinging as the footage hit the internet.
CHAPTER 4
The hallway remained frozen in that strange, suspended animation that only follows a public spectacle. The Head of Discipline, Mr. Henderson, walked over to where the discarded Muay Thai keychain lay near the trash can. He picked it up, turned it over in his hand, and looked at Maya. He recognized the logo—it was from the local “Iron Core” gym, a place known for training some of the most disciplined fighters in the state.
He looked back at Chloe, who was frantically checking her phone. The video was already circulating. The comments weren’t praising her; they were dissecting the footage, mocking the way she had lunged, and marveling at the technical precision of the girl she had tried to bully.
“Chloe,” Mr. Henderson said, his voice cold. “I’ve seen the video. And I’ve seen the security camera feed from the hallway junction. You didn’t just ‘bump’ into her. You initiated a physical altercation, and you used your position here to harass a student.”
“She ruined my shoes!” Chloe wailed, though her voice sounded hollow now. “She’s a scholarship kid, she’s nobody!”