They arrived at the head teacher's office. Mr. Henry gestured for them to take a seat. None of them spoke. From the look on his face, it was clear—they were already in trouble.
"So you girls think this school is a jungle," he said, his voice low, "where you can behave however you like?"
"No, sir. We were just having a disagreement," young Aria said softly.
"That was a rhetorical question, Miss Ariana Larken," he replied without looking at her. "Now, Miss Jasmine—explain what happened."
"Sir," Jasmine began, her voice trembling as she forced out quiet sobs, "my friends and I were simply talking about how happy we are for Aria over there. I mentioned that I would work hard so I will get such an opportunity as Aria, and that's when Marie suddenly got upset—for reasons best known to her—and started calling me a sore loser."
I looked at young Aria. Her lips trembled, her eyes glossy. She looked like she was holding herself together with sheer will. And suddenly, I felt it again—her pain, her anger, the weight of it all crashing into me at once.
"No, sir!" Marie shouted. "That's not true. We're the victims here, not her!"
"Enough, Miss Marie," Mr. Henry snapped, cutting her off.
Then his gaze shifted to young Aria.
"Just because you have gained a little privilege than some of your fellow mates," he said, "does not give you the right to cause trouble in this school."
"No, sir, I was actually—" young Aria tried to explain.
He raised a hand. She fell silent.
"No," he said firmly. "I have heard enough." His voice left no room for argument. "And let me be clear—no amount of privilege will help you escape the consequences of your actions. You may leave."
Young Aria broke down before she even reached the door.
And I couldn't stop the urge I felt to join her.
It was never about the truth. He had already chosen who to believe. Marie's voice didn't matter. Young Aria's didn't either.
I don't know why I thought we would be different.
Jasmine's father is a billionaire. He helps run this school.
That was why I never wanted trouble in the first place. Marie and young Aria left the office and began walking back toward their classroom.
"Did you see that?" young Aria asked, her voice shaking.
"What exactly?" Marie replied, stomping her foot angrily. "There was a lot to unpack in there."
"We tried to speak—to explain ourselves—but he didn't even give us a chance," young Aria said, still sobbing.
That was when Jasmine stepped forward.
"Of course he didn't," she said casually. "Do you really think getting selected for competitions changes anything?"
"But you started this," young Aria said, her voice breaking.
"And you helped me end it," Jasmine shot back. "Face it—no matter what little privilege you think you've gained, I'll always be more fortunate than you." She pointed directly at Aria.
"Can we not do this?" Marie interrupted quickly. "At least not while we're still this close to the head teacher's office."
Jasmine laughed. "Oh, I'm so glad you're finally scared. Because I always get my way."
Then she walked off, leaving them standing there.
They continued in silence until they were far from the office.
"I don't get it," young Aria said finally, frustration spilling out. "After all these years, the school hasn't changed. She caused everything, yet somehow we're the ones at fault."
"Come on," Marie said tiredly. "Like she said—she always gets away with things. Don't beat yourself up."
Young Aria stopped walking. "Wait. You knew she'd get away with it? And you continued even when I said to stop"
"I couldn't stand us being insulted," Marie replied.
"This is worse than an insult," Aria said quietly. "This is being reminded that we don't have a voice. This is injustice—and it hurts, Marie. It really hurts."
They had finally reached the classroom door.
"I didn't mean for things to escalate," Marie said.
"I know," Aria replied. "But Jasmine did. She wanted to remind us of our place. And when you ignored me, you played right into her hands."
She walked into the classroom.
Marie followed a moment later, regret weighing heavily on her chest. She knew how much young Aria hated feeling small.
And now, she had helped make her feel exactly that.