The office door slammed shut, the echo bouncing off the walls.
The sound alone was enough to silence everyone inside.
Even the faint scent of coffee on the desk seemed to fade into the tense air.
Mr. Felix stood before them — his face tight, eyes sharp as they darted from one student to another: Rachel, Cassidy, then Laura.
He leaned against the edge of his desk, arms crossed, holding back anger that threatened to burst.
"Jenni. Sarah. Go to the infirmary," he said flatly, his voice low but pressing.
"But don't think for a second I'm letting you two off."
Cassidy spoke up timidly, trying to defend herself.
"My injuries are worse, Mr. Felix—"
"Quiet."
The word hit like a whip — cold and cutting.
Cassidy froze, her head bowed, fingers twisting the hem of her shirt.
Without another word, Jenni and Sarah, both still nursing the bruises on their faces, left the room.
The door closed behind them with a soft click, leaving four students in a silence so thick it felt alive.
Mr. Felix exhaled sharply.
"I still don't get it," his voice rose slightly. "Every single time there's a fight, it's always the same people involved. What is your problem?"
Laura, Sandra, Rachel, and Cassidy said nothing — only the hum of the air conditioner filled the room.
Their hearts pounded loud enough to hear.
"Answer me!" he barked.
Laura gathered her courage and lifted her head. Her voice trembled, but her eyes stayed firm.
"I was just helping Sandra, sir."
"There's nothing wrong with helping a friend," Mr. Felix replied, lowering his tone slightly.
"But did you really have to punch your classmates?"
Laura clenched her fists.
"What else was I supposed to do, Mr. Felix? That's what they deserved."
Rachel and Cassidy exchanged sharp glares — sparks of fresh hostility.
Mr. Felix drew a long breath, trying to steady himself.
"Tell me exactly what happened, or I'll be calling your parents."
"Please don't involve our parents," Rachel's voice quivered.
"Then talk," he snapped. "Now."
Laura straightened her shoulders, her tone hardening.
"They were bullying Sandra, Mr. Felix."
His gaze shifted to Rachel and Cassidy.
"Rachel. Cassidy?"
Both girls looked down, frozen.
"Do I need to call your parents?"
Rachel sighed, finally giving in.
"Yes…"
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, I did it," she muttered.
"And you, Cassidy?"
"I—I did it too," Cassidy stammered.
Mr. Felix stood tall, disappointment clouding his expression. His anger softened into weary frustration.
"Why did you two do it?"
Rachel stayed quiet; Cassidy avoided his gaze.
"Hey! I asked you a question!"
"It's all Sandra's fault!" Rachel snapped suddenly, her voice trembling between fear and fury.
"And what exactly did she do?"
"She's friends with Laura," Cassidy replied bitterly, eyes burning into Laura.
"That's it?" Mr. Felix frowned. "That's your reason?"
Cassidy's lips curled.
"No. It's because she knows what Laura did. Don't tell me you've forgotten, Mr. Felix?"
The words sliced through the air like a blade.
Mr. Felix froze — his eyes widened for a moment before his stern mask returned.
Laura's brows furrowed.
"What… what did I do?"
Mr. Felix pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly unsettled.
"You two may leave," he said at last, voice heavy.
"Wait, Cassidy!" Laura called out. "Tell me what I did!"
"Ask Sandra," Cassidy said coldly, and walked out the door.
Laura made a move to follow, but Mr. Felix's voice cut through the air.
"Stay where you are, Laura."
"But Mr. Felix—"
"Forget it. What's done is done. But this time, you've gone too far. You shouldn't have hit your classmates."
Laura bit her lip, eyes glistening.
"What else could I have done, sir? Just let them keep bullying me and Sandra?"
Mr. Felix sighed deeply, turning to the window. The grey clouds outside seemed to weigh down the room.
"I'll let it go this time. But if it happens again, I won't hesitate to call your mother."
Laura lowered her head, frustration simmering in her chest.
"Great. I'm the one who gets blamed."
"Laura, please. You're one of my best students. Violence isn't the answer."
"Oh, really? So what do you want me to do? Let them step all over me and Sandra? Thanks for the advice."
"You could've reported it to me."
"For how long, Mr. Felix? Until I get punched in the face again? Whatever."
Laura turned sharply, opened the door, and stormed out — her footsteps echoing against the marble floor.
Mr. Felix could only shake his head, letting out a tired breath. His gaze drifted to Sandra, who sat silently, eyes lowered.
"You can go now, Sandra."
------------------
Outside the office.
The school hallway was silent, echoing only with the sound of Laura's footsteps against the floor.
Her face was tense, jaw clenched tight. But she stopped when she heard Sandra's footsteps behind her.
Laura turned — their eyes met, speaking a quiet language neither could put into words.
"I'll send you home later," Laura said firmly.
"It's okay... I can go by myself."
"Let me send you," Laura repeated, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Sandra nodded faintly, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Inside the classroom.
The air buzzed with whispers. Everyone was talking about what had happened in the restroom.
Rachel and Cassidy sat stiffly at their desks, faces pale, avoiding everyone's eyes.
When the classroom door opened, silence fell.
Laura and Sandra stepped in. Every gaze turned toward them.
Laura stopped at the front of the class, her eyes landing on Rachel.
Her breathing grew heavy — the anger in her chest hadn't cooled.
She took a step forward, but Sandra quickly caught her arm.
"I'll tell you everything later," Sandra whispered softly, trying to calm her friend.
Laura exhaled sharply through her nose, forcing herself to stay still.
At the back of the room, Omar — who had been watching quietly — smiled faintly and clapped his hands once.
"How does it feel now? Satisfied?"
"There's nothing to feel, Omar," Laura replied flatly.
"You should've done that a long time ago."
Laura turned to him, eyes cold and sharp.
"For what? Even your father blamed me."
Omar froze.
"What? No... that can't be true."
"Forget it, if you don't believe me."
Omar shifted closer, pulling his chair toward her.
"So... any plans for the holidays?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'll look for a part-time job. You?"
"Hey, did you forget? I've got the semi-final game in Texas."
"Oh, right... I forgot."
"You're not coming to watch?"
"We'll see. No promises."
-------------------
A few hours later.
The final bell rang, echoing down the corridors. Students began packing up, chatting, and drifting out of the classroom in groups.
Laura slid her books into her bag, but her eyes lingered on something outside — Justin, Cassidy's older brother, talking to her in the hallway. Their voices were tense.
"Don't worry, Laura," Omar said softly beside her. "Justin's never taken Cassidy's side."
"I don't care," Laura replied coldly, standing up and calling out, "Sandra, let's go."
They walked toward the door.
Cassidy was standing right in the middle, arms crossed over her chest.
"Move," Laura ordered firmly.
"See, Justin? Look at her!" Cassidy whined, raising her voice.
Justin didn't respond — he only turned his head briefly toward Laura.
Their eyes met — just for a second, but long enough to make Cassidy bite her lip in frustration and jealousy at her brother's silence.
"Grow up, Cassidy," Omar muttered with a smirk.
Cassidy shot him a middle finger. Omar just laughed, shaking his head.
"I'll get going," Justin said awkwardly. "Please… don't start another fight."
"You're useless anyway," Cassidy grumbled under her breath.
Justin only sighed, shaking his head in disappointment before walking away.
------------------
Outside the school.
The evening breeze blew softly. Laura handed Sandra a helmet.
"Take it. Get on."
"What about you? Don't you need one?"
"I don't care. I'm pissed off right now."
Sandra simply obeyed. The scooter engine came to life, and they sped off, leaving the school grounds — carrying with them a tangle of unspoken emotions.
Laura stopped briefly to buy two drinks. Then she brought Sandra to Little Britain Recreation Park — the place they always hung out together.
The sky was cloudy. Grey clouds hid the sun. Laura parked her scooter near the man-made river. The gentle sound of flowing water broke the silence.
They sat on a bench under a large shady tree, each holding a cold drink.
Laura took a small sip, then exhaled deeply.
"What's wrong, Laura? You look different today."
"I don't know, Sandra... my head's a mess. I haven't slept well for a long time."
"Why?"
"I keep having weird dreams. But the strange thing is... they feel real."
Sandra stayed quiet, her eyes following the ripples in the water.
"If it's that bad, why don't you get treatment?"
"Is there even medicine for dreams?" Laura tilted her lips into a smirk. "Next thing you know, they'll say I'm crazy."
Sandra listened quietly, eyes softening on her best friend.
"Thank you... for helping me, Laura."
"You don't have to thank me. We're friends, aren't we?"
"If you think about it, Rachel and Cassidy are your friends too."
"Since when?"
"Since primary school."
Laura's brow rose.
"Seriously?"
Sandra nodded slowly.
"Back then your hair was black, Laura. The four of us — you, me, Cassidy, Rachel — we were really close. From age five until twelve."
"That's nonsense." Laura still didn't believe it.
"You don't remember?"
"It's not that I don't remember, Sandra. It's just... that memory doesn't exist in my head."
Sandra took a deep breath.
"But you remember me."
"That's different, Sandra. We've been friends since the first year of high school."
"Yes, I know." Sandra exhaled before continuing, her tone lowering. "What I'm about to tell you... it's a big secret. One that everyone's been hiding from you — even your family."
Laura frowned.
"What secret, Sandra?"
"Do you remember... Halen?"
Laura shook her head.
"No. Who's that?"
"The girl you hated the most."
"What?" Laura laughed faintly. "I never hated anyone."
"She was a transfer student when we were in Year Seven. She got close to Steve — that's why you hated her."
"If she was new, how did she even know Steve?"
"Steve's dad and Halen's dad were old friends."
Laura ran her hand through her hair.
"Can you just be straight with me... what happened between me and that girl?"
Sandra swallowed hard before answering.
"You... burned Halen, Laura."
The world seemed to stop. Laura stood up abruptly.
"What the hell are you talking about, Sandra!"
Sandra brushed aside her hair, revealing a long scar running from the side of her face down to her neck — burn marks.
"This... is my injury. Cassidy's was on her back, Rachel's on her shoulder."
Laura's heartbeat pounded. Her throat tightened.
"Y-you mean... I did all that?"
"Yes."
"Liar!" Laura screamed, her eyes blazing. "How could you accuse me like that, Sandra! I'm your friend!"
Her voice shattered the park's silence. Birds perched on the branches flew away in fright.
"I'm not accusing you, Laura. It's the truth."
"No! If I really did it, why don't I remember?"
"Because you were in a coma," Sandra replied quietly.
Laura froze.
"Coma?"
"Yes. After the fire in the school hall."
"So... you're saying I burned the hall too?"
"Laura..." Sandra shook her head, guilt weighing her voice. "It happened during prom night. Halen was wearing the dress you were supposed to buy. And that night, Steve and your brother were guests. That's why you were furious at her."
"Then how did I even burn her? It wasn't just me and her in the hall, right?"
"We didn't know either. Cassidy, Rachel, and I saw you holding a container full of petrol. No one noticed except us. We tried to grab it, but it slipped — the fuel spilled on the floor, right under Halen. Then Rachel saw you throw the lighter."
"Hey, Sandra... why are you telling me this only now?" Laura forced a smirk, but her eyes reddened. "You think I'll believe you? I'm not stupid, Sandra!"
"Maybe it's better if you don't believe me," Sandra said softly, her voice heavy with regret.
Laura was stunned. Tears streamed down her face.
"Sandra?"
"Forget what I just said, Laura. It's all in the past."
"If it's true... what happened to Halen? Did she die?"
"No, Laura... she suffered second-degree burns over most of her body. After that, her family moved away. I don't know where she lives now. Maybe Cassidy knows."
"Does my mom know, Sandra?"
Sandra nodded slowly.
"But don't worry. Your parents don't know the fire started because you were angry at Halen. Cassidy, Rachel, and I never told anyone."