The classroom buzzed as the teacher droned on about Shakespeare.
Susan sat stiffly at her desk, trying to disappear into her oversized hoodie.
Jackim sat two rows behind her, occasionally tapping his pen against his notebook, lost in thought.
But Susan's peace wouldn't last.
Not at St. Ellis.
---
When the bell rang for lunch, Susan grabbed her bag, ready to bolt.
But the moment she stepped into the hallway, she saw them.
Jessica and her clique.
Waiting.
Jessica's smile was all sugar and venom.
"Susan!" she chirped, linking her arm through Susan's roughly. "Come. Walk with us."
It wasn't a request.
Behind them, Samantha was already recording with her phone.
Susan's stomach twisted.
She had no choice but to follow.
---
They dragged her outside to the courtyard where most of the school gathered for lunch.
Jessica climbed onto a bench, still holding Susan's arm.
"Everyone!" Jessica called, waving dramatically. "We have a confession to make!"
The students turned, their attention caught.
Jackim, halfway across the yard, paused, his sandwich forgotten.
Susan's mouth went dry.
Jessica smiled down at her like a queen about to sentence a peasant.
"Susan here," Jessica announced, "has been seducing Jackim! She's trying to trap him with pity and fake tears!"
Gasps and murmurs filled the courtyard.
Someone laughed cruelly.
Susan shook her head desperately, her cheeks flaming.
"It's not true!" she tried to say, but Jessica tugged her closer.
"She even sent him love letters!" Jessica lied smoothly. "Pathetic, right?"
Samantha swung the camera to Susan's humiliated face.
The crowd roared with laughter.
Some students started chanting:
"Gold digger! Gold digger!"
Jackim threw down his lunch and pushed through the crowd.
By the time he reached them, Susan was trembling.
Jessica smiled sweetly at him.
"Jackim, tell everyone the truth. She's been bothering you, right?"
Jackim's fists clenched.
He looked at Susan — small, broken, tears brimming in her wide brown eyes — then back at the laughing crowd.
And he made a choice.
---
"No," Jackim said clearly.
"She's not bothering me. She's the only decent person here."
The courtyard went dead silent.
Jessica's face twisted.
Susan blinked up at him, shocked.
Jackim grabbed Susan's hand gently and led her away through the stunned crowd.
---
They walked all the way to the old bleachers behind the football field.
Susan sank down onto the cold metal bench, wiping at her face furiously.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to—"
Jackim sat beside her, staring out at the empty field.
"You didn't do anything wrong," he said. "They're just… cowards."
The wind picked up, tugging at their clothes.
For a long moment, they just sat there, bruised and silent, two broken kids in a world that loved breaking things.
---
Back near the courtyard, Jessica watched them from a distance, her nails digging into her palm.
She wasn't done with Susan yet.
Not even close.
If Susan wanted to steal the spotlight, Jessica would make sure she regretted it.
Badly.
---