“No, Yeh-Yeh,” Maya said, using the traditional term for grandfather. “She took Dad’s tablet. She smashed it. Then she shoved me. Harper attacked from behind. I used the redirection drills you taught me. I didn't throw a single punch.”
Arthur studied her face. He saw no deception, only a simmering, tightly controlled anger. He nodded slowly. “A shield is not a weapon until someone breaks themselves against it. You defended yourself.”
“They suspended me anyway,” Maya said, her voice finally trembling just a fraction. “Mr. Davis said I’m going to be expelled on Friday. The school board is having a hearing.”
“Let them have their hearing,” Arthur said, opening his car door. “We will attend. And we will speak the truth.”
Once inside her bedroom, Maya sat at her small desk. The shattered iPad sat in the center of her blotter like a wounded bird. She reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out the micro-SD card.
She booted up her ancient, heavily patched desktop computer. Her father had built it for her out of spare parts before his heart gave out three years ago.
She inserted the card into the reader.
The screen flickered, loading a directory of files. Maya’s breath caught in her throat. All of her father’s old engineering schematics, his notes, his voice memos—they were all safe. The relief was so intense it made her dizzy.
But she didn't have time to mourn. She clicked on the folder labeled Video Notes.
She found the file time-stamped from 8:15 AM that morning. Advanced Chemistry.
Maya opened the video. The camera angle was pointed toward the front chalkboard, but the reflection in the classroom's large side windows captured everything happening in the back row.
She fast-forwarded to the moment the teacher, Mr. Harrison, left the room to grab printed exams.
On the screen, in crisp 4K resolution, Chloe Sterling stood up. She didn't just look at a cheat sheet. She walked to Mr. Harrison’s desk, opened his locked top drawer with a silver master key, and pulled out the midterm answer key. She quickly snapped photos of it with her phone, slid the paper back, and locked the drawer.