The atmosphere in Class 3C is tense, a fog of whispers and sidelong glances hanging in the air. All eyes flick to the second-to-last row of tables, right in the middle—where two disgraced girls sit in silence. Jessica and Casey are back after three days of absence. Yet the shame of their public humiliation still lingers, raw and unforgotten.
They cannot look at anybody, heads down to the surface table, faces pale, hands clenched on the desk. Eyes are on them. They hear it all—whispers, murmurs, the occasional cruel snicker. Boys who used to flirt now avert their gaze. Girls who once fawned over them now mutter insults as they pass.
One thing stood out: one empty seat next to them - Brittany's. Once part of them, but now hated and transferred to another school. Wiped from their chats, blocked from every social media app they used to flood with selfies and hashtags. They have crumbled. From the iconic trio to the ashamed duo.
Emily, the victim of their bullying, looked at her bullies with guilt. She knows what they were doing was bad things to her, but she can't help feeling guilty towards them, even though she didn't do anything.
At the farthest corner of the classroom, next to the window, Blake is looking over it, enjoying the cool breeze hitting his face. The bullies are none of his concern now. They've learned their lesson, hopefully.
The whole lesson goes on without much focus. Mr. Raymond, however, is relieved. Mr. Graves, Jessica's father, decides to keep funding the school as well as Casey's mother after being convinced by their daughters. Mr. Raymond gets to keep his job, for now.
Riiiiiinnnnggg!!!
It's recess time. Students walk out to their desired destinations. Dining hall, restrooms, park, wherever they want.
Outside of the classroom, two men in black suits and sunglasses are standing against the wall. As most students have gone for a break, they enter the classroom before each of them stands beside Jessica and Casey. They are the two guards who have been assigned to protect them. The two girls are unable to eat outside due to the fear of people talking behind their backs. So, these guards have been holding on to their lunch boxes.
Blake stands up to head to his usual place. He walks past Casey's bodyguard. Their eyes meet for a mere second. Both pay no mind to each other. Blake looks weak to Casey's BG, while in Blake's eyes, the BG is just someone who is not concerned for him.
He makes his way to the bench near the vending machines, soda in one hand, sandwich in the other. The park in front of him rustles quietly under the late morning breeze. From behind his half-lid eyes, he watched the student wander-laughing, gossiping, pretending everything was normal.
But it isn't.
Even if they don't say it out loud, everyone feels it. The power balance in school had shifted. The throne is vacant. And like hyenas circling a wounded lion, others are already testing the silence, wondering who would rise next.
Blake takes a sip of ginger ale, eyes now drifting across the yard. A boy pushed another against a tree, a girl tripped, and a group laughed louder than they needed to.
The familiar pattern is back.
He takes another bite of his sandwich. Chews slowly. Swallow.
His gaze settled on a group near the cafeteria - four boys surrounding a younger freshman. One of them looks familiar. Dyed red hair and a smug-looking face. Then, it clicks. That boy is Brad, Jessica's boyfriend. There have been rumors that they have broken up after the incident.
"Hey, new kid. Don't you know the rules here?" His tall height towered over the weak-looking freshman.
"W-w-what rules?" The freshman is shaking in fear.
Brad grins. "New kids have to pay a fee to their seniors. $50." He brings his hand closer for the freshman to pay.
Shockingly, the freshman listens to him and places a $50 bill in his hand. "H-here. Can you leave me alone now?"
"Each."
"I-I'm sorry?"
"$50 for each of us." He points at three of his friends, and they smile sinisterly.
The freshman's eyes widen in shock. "T-two hundred dollars? I-I don't have that much money."
"Too bad. Guess we have to take your stuff to compensate for it. Joe, take his bag."
The big guy named Joe snatches his bag and rummages through his stuff. Books, a pencil case, papers, and a bottle of water.
"Bro, the kid has nothing valuable. It's just nerd stuff here." Joe drops the bag hard onto the floor. The bottle accidentally opens and soaks the whole bag.
Brad turns back to the freshman, grabs his collar, and presses him against the wall. "Hey, nerd. You better do something to pay us, or I'll make sure your mom can't recognise your face when you go home."
"I-I-I really don't have anything else." The freshman shakes his head vigorously.
Then, a shiny thing on the freshman's neck attracted Brad's attention. "Oh, what do we have here?" He takes it out under the freshman's shirt.
Terror kicks in the freshman's eyes. "W-wait! Y-you can't take that! It's very valuable to me. Please..." He plead.
"And why's that?" Brad inspects the locket. It's oval shape, shiny, and the material feels expensive. Then, he notices that the locket can be opened. When he opens it, a picture of a man in his 40s is in it, his face is facing forward, and his body is slightly facing 45 degrees to the side. "Who's this old man?"
"G-give me that back! That's my dad!" The freshman tries to snatch back the locket, but isn't able to.
"Whatever. I'll be taking this for compensation. Zack." Brad passes it to one of his friends before Zack puts it in his pocket.
"No! Please, I need that!" The freshman begs and pleads.
Brad tosses him aside and begins walking away with his friends, leaving the freshman shaking in anxiety. "G-give it back..." His legs can't move. The bullies walk away until they are out of his sight. Students passed by and glanced... but no one intervened.
Blake's lips curl downward, just slightly. His eyes darken, the way steel does when it's dipped into oil.
A moment later, he stands.
He finishes the soda, crushes the can, and tosses it perfectly into the trash from a few feet away. As he turns and walks back toward the building, his hoodie shadows most of his face. No one paid attention. Just another student moving through the crowd.
But Blake has already memorized their faces.
He doesn't need to interfere today. Not yet.
If the first strike taught the school fear... the next one would teach it silence.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
The school has ended, and students have gone home.
Casey should've gone home by now, but her car has broken down, and her bodyguard is currently fixing it. As she is scrolling on her phone while waiting for it to be fixed, a man approaches her.
"Hey, Casey." Brad greets her casually, but his smile tells otherwise.
"What you want, Brad?" Casey replies, not even taking a glance at him.
"Oh, nothing. I notice you're sitting alone. Where's your bodyguard, hm?"
"Ugh, he's fixing my car. Don't bother me." Casey is annoyed with him. Knowing his characteristics, she doesn't want to be anywhere near him.
Why did Jess choose him as her boyfriend? Thank God, they've broken up.
Brad takes a seat next to her. She moves slightly away.
"Jess dumps me. Wanna take her spot?" He looks at her seductively, but it ends up creepy and disgusting despite his handsome features.
Casey is surprised by his bold flirting and hates it. "God no. Go bother someone else, Brad."
"Oh, come on~ You know you wanted me too. Not many girls get to have me as their boyfriend, y'know?" His hand slowly reached Casey's skirt.
Even Casey finds Brad's narcissism annoying and too much to handle. She notices his hand is approaching her skirt and abruptly stands up.
"Uh, I think my BG has fixed the car. I should go." She walks away, but Brad stops her by grabbing her hand.
"Not so fast, girl. It has been almost a week since I had some 'action', and Jess doesn't wanna talk to me anymore." His eyes are ogling Casey's body, taking in the way her outfit sticks to her curves. It starts to get creepier when he acts like that.
"Let me go, Brad!" She struggles to free herself from his grasp, but his grip is too strong.
"You better listen to me, b*tch. You're dressed like you're asking for it." He yanks her closer to him, landing his hand on her hips.
"N-no! I don't want this! Mike, help me!" She is calling her bodyguard for help, and Brad quickly covers her mouth. "Mhmph!"
"Shut up, b*tch. Let me cop a feel on this delicious body. Oh yes..." His other hand is reaching her chest. Her scream in terror is muffled over Brad's hand covering her mouth. Eyes widen as she watches his hand reach her forbidden area. Tears formed over her eyes. The worst thing is about to happen to her.
"Agh!"
Out of the blue, Brad falls to the ground, releasing her in the process. She's panting up, breathing heavily, calming down her heart.
Eyes quickly land on Brad, lying flat on the ground, groaning in pain. Then, her eyes turn to in front of her and she sees a man in a black hoodie and a black mask covering his face. The only feature she can see is their eyes. It's black, lifeless, showing no emotion.
The man takes a glance at her before focusing back on Brad. He walks over to him and stands over him, looking down on him.
"Agh... Who the fuck you, huh?!" Brad groans, pushing himself up. He looks at the man in a hoodie with an angry expression. "Don't you know who I am?! I'm Brandon-"
Before he gets to say his full name, he gets kicked again. This time, on his chest. Where it hurts ten times more. He falls on the ground once again, hands clenching over his chest. The man stands above him and kicks him in the face before he finally passes out.
Casey watches the scenario that is happening in front of her eyes. Fear and anxiety are still in, but there is also one more feeling. Hope. A hope that this stranger is helping her. A hope that she is safe.
When Brad is finally unconscious, the man steps over him, takes a glance at her, and walks away.
Casey tries to stop him. "W-wait! What's your name?" She asks but receives no answer. The man stops, briefly. "T-thank you. if you didn't help me, I can't-"
The man walks away, not listening to her thanking him.
She gets a bit offended by the rudeness, but lets it go. She watches his back as he walks away until he is out of her sight.
So cool...
For the first time in Casey's life, her heart finally beats for someone. Her hero.