Henry rushed back into the school, his steps heavy as he ascended the stairs to the rooftop. The mont he reached the top, he let out a raw, anguished yell. "Arrrgh!"
Olive and Lara, already on the rooftop, turned toward him, startled.
"What’s wrong?" Olive asked, her brow furrowed in concern. "And why are you crying?" She and Lara moved closer, trying to make sense of his outburst.
"You scared the hell out of us! I thought so madman had broken into the building," Lara said, though Olive gave her a light shove, as if to remind her this wasn’t the ti for jokes.
Instead of answering, Henry collapsed, his body trembling as he broke down into sobs. Olive and Lara quickly knelt beside him, each placing a hand on his back.
"What’s going on? Talk to us," Lara urged, her voice softening with worry.
Henry struggled to find the words, his voice breaking between sobs. "You were right... the rich kids are dangerous. I knew it, but I was stubborn. If I hadn’t asked for Rachael’s number, hadn’t gone to the VIP room at the club... Michael would still be alive. He wouldn’t have died."
Olive and Lara exchanged a worried glance. Lara’s voice was barely a whisper. "His girlfriend killed him. But, Henry, this wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong."
Olive sighed, her voice heavy with sympathy. "I know you’re hurting, Henry. We all are. But falling apart like this won’t help. We need to keep it together. If we don’t, the police will be all over us."
Henry shook his head, the anger rising within him. "You don’t get it! Rachael was going to use . I was the one who was supposed to die in Michael’s place! She told everything, she planned to use to control him. Michael died because of ."
"What?!" Olive and Lara gasped in unison, their eyes widening in shock.
"That bitch!" Lara’s voice turned ice cold as she shot to her feet. "I’m going to destroy her for this." Without another word, she stord off, her fury driving her down the stairs.
"Lara, wait!" Olive and Henry shouted, running after her. But she didn’t stop. They chased her through the hallways and out into the garden, where they froze at the scene in front of them.
Rachael, Peace, and Anabella were locked in a violent brawl, their hands tangled in each other’s hair, screaming and pulling at each other. The scene was pure chaos.
Henry blinked in disbelief. "What the hell is going on?"
Lara didn’t even slow down. "I don’t care!" she yelled, charging toward Rachael and diving into the fight, yanking at Rachael’s hair with all the strength she had.
"Lara, stop!" Olive cried, but it was too late. The garden had beco a battlefield, with all four girls rolling on the ground, clawing at each other.
Olive and Henry stood frozen, watching the madness unfold. "You never told your best friend was this crazy," Henry muttered under his breath. "Mark’s going to have a hard ti if he ever crosses her."
"Shouldn’t we stop them?" Olive asked, biting her lip. " They’re going to hurt themselves."
Henry held her back, his eyes scanning the school grounds. "Look over there."
Olive followed his gaze to the approaching security officers. Four of them were already sprinting toward the fight.
"If we step in, we’ll be the ones in trouble," Henry warned. "They’ll pardon the rich kids, but we’re scholarship students. We can’t afford this."
Olive groaned, her frustration mounting as the security officers reached the scene, shouting for the girls to stop. But even the officers had a hard ti pulling them apart, as the girls flailed and fought, ignoring their attempts.
Lucas and Mark arrived just as the chaos seed to peak. "What the hell is happening?!" Lucas yelled, his face twisted in disbelief. "They look like they’re in a psych ward!"
Henry couldn’t help but laugh. "Girl fights are kind of entertaining."
Lucas shot him a disgusted look. "This isn’t funny, man."
Mark shook his head, his eyes wide in disbelief. "They’re definitely getting punished for this."
Eventually, the security officers managed to separate the girls, dragging them toward the staff room. Olive, Henry, Mark, and Lucas followed closely behind, the tension thick in the air as they made their way into the building.
__________
The teachers’ staff room at Belmont High School was a sanctuary from the chaos that often erupted in the classrooms and hallways. Located on the second floor, just off the main administrative wing, the cozy, L-shaped room had a warm, inviting atmosphere.
The gentle murmur of conversation and bursts of laughter filled the space as teachers attended to their daily activities. Desks were neatly arranged in rows, while a large table in the center served for etings. Shelves lined with textbooks and writing materials occupied one wall, and stacks of dusty files stretched from floor to ceiling, adding to the room’s cluttered charm.
Inside, Mr. Jas sat at his desk, his face a mask of stern disapproval. The staff room, usually a quiet sanctuary for teachers, felt stifling under the weight of what had just happened. The soft hum of teacher conversations filled the background, a stark contrast to the tension of the mont.
Mr. Jas cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping across the disheveled group. "I’m sure you’re all aware that fighting is strictly prohibited on school grounds." His voice was firm, leaving no room for excuses. "Now, explain yourselves. What caused this?"
Rachael spoke first, her voice small. "It was Anabella. She attacked in the garden."
Peace nodded quickly. "Yeah, I was just defending Rachael. Anabella never accepts her wrong, instead she blas everyone for it."
Anabella’s face flushed with anger. "That’s a lie! They ganged up on , Mr. Jas. This is all their fault! Those two are betrayals."
Lara, still fuming, interjected. "I don’t care what they were fighting about. I ca for Rachael. She deserved it. She shouldn’t ss with or those I cherish."
Mr. Jas pinched the bridge of his nose, his frustration evident. "Listen to yourselves. Does everything you just said make sense to you? You girls are always like this. You never learn to live in harmony unlike boys. I’m very sure that you’re also fighting about boys and so other things I don’t know.
You’re all seniors and should lay good examples for the juniors but instead you’re laying bad examples. Why don’t you just report to a teacher if anyone offends you. Why do you have to turn the school garden to a battle field?"
The girls remained silent, their heads hung low, avoiding his gaze.
He sighed heavily. "The ti you’re supposed to be studying, thinking about the college you want to go to, you’re wasting that on fights. Anyways, you all know that for every offense, there’s a punishnt. Rachael and Anabella, you’ll be cleaning the girls’ toilets after school. And you better scrub it clean."
"What?!" Rachael and Anabella shouted in unison.
"I just painted my nails!" Anabella protested, holding out her hands, showing off her perfectly manicured fingers."I’ve never cleaned in my entire life. We have maids for that Mr Jas. I can’t possibly end up in the hospital after washing toilets."
Rachael scowled. "There’s no way I’m doing that. I’ll puke."
Mr. Jas crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Do I look like I care about your nails or you ending up in the hospital? You should have thought about the consequences of your fight before starting it. You’ll do it, or you’ll face a harsher punishnt."
Peace chid in with a smirk. "Trust , Mr. Jas, putting those two together is a bad idea. They’ll probably kill each other. They’re both the reason why this fight started In the first place."
Mr. Jas shot her a stern look. "I don’t care. And you, Peace, along with Lara, will be cleaning the basketball court after school. Scrub the floors, the chairs. Make everywhere sparkling clean."
"What?! My mom must never hear about this," Peace muttered, rubbing her temples. "How can a princess of a state do manual labor?"
"Princess or not, I don’t care. This is Belmont High, and you’ll follow the rules like everyone else. You all should have thought about the consequences of your actions. Maybe you’ll never engage in a fight after carrying out this punishnt or you might go ahead and have another one. There are plenty of purnishnt available for you," Mr. Jas retorted, his patience clearly wearing thin.
He turned his attention to Rachael. "And you, Rachael, still owe half your tuition. Make sure it’s paid soon. You know how the school doesn’t joke with it’s money. Already called your parents lines but it’s not going through. You should try calling them and remind them later."
Rachael’s face flushed with embarrassnt as Anabella and Peace exchanged surprised glances. "Yes sir!"
"You’re all dismissed!" Mr. Jas barked, and the group filed out, heads down, the weight of their punishnt heavy on their shoulders.
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