Emily sat stiffly outside the headmaster's office, her fingers clutched around the hem of her sweater, knuckles white. Her stomach twisted with anxiety, but she had no choice. It had become unbearable. If she didn't speak now, she knew something inside her would break completely.
Moments later, she was called in.
Headmaster Keane sat behind a large mahogany desk, his round glasses perched low on his nose. A stern woman from the school board sat beside him, and in the far chairs, her parents — Mr. and Mrs. Clarke — sat looking more annoyed than concerned.
Across the room, Vanessa sat perfectly poised beside her mother, Mrs. Rivers, dressed in pearls and feigned innocence. Chloe, Madison, Brooke, and Jason all sat with their respective parents, expressions carefully blank.
Emily's heart thundered as the meeting began.
"She's exaggerating," Mrs. Rivers said sweetly. "Teenagers fight. But this? This sounds like a desperate cry for attention."
"She's been physically assaulted," the school board official said. "There's medical documentation—"
"It's high school drama!" Mr. Clarke snapped. "My daughter has always been sensitive. She makes up stories when things don't go her way."
Emily's head whipped toward her father, eyes wide with betrayal. "You think I made this up?"
Her mother sighed. "We didn't raise you to play the victim, Emily."
Headmaster Keane cleared his throat. "We're not here to assign blame. Emily, do you have proof of who hurt you?"
"They tied me up and burned me!" she burst out. "They've humiliated me every single day. Ask the teachers. Ask the students. Everyone sees it!"
"Rumors aren't evidence," Vanessa's mother said smoothly. "There are no witnesses."
Chloe looked down at her lap. Jason avoided her gaze. Not one of them spoke up.
Emily's hands trembled on her thighs.
Silence.
The meeting ended with a warning to "be more mindful of rumors" and a suggestion that Emily "speak to the school counselor if she feels overwhelmed."
No punishment. No justice.
Just a pat on the head and an unspoken demand to shut up and move on.
⸻
Outside, as everyone left the office, Vanessa paused beside Emily and leaned in.
"You talk too much," she whispered. "Keep it up, and next time, we won't leave bruises you can show."
Emily stood frozen, her parents walking ahead without a backward glance.
Something snapped inside her.
This place, these people — they would never protect her.
And if no one else would fight for her…
She would have to start learning how to fight for herself.
Not with fists.
But with something much colder, and far more dangerous.