<b>Chapter 31 </b>
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42
Jade’s POV:
The final bell rang, but instead of the usual rush toward the exits, students streamed toward the
athletic fields, moving with the determined purpose of people who sensed drama unfolding. Their
excited voices created a buzz that traveled through the hallways like electricity.
“Fight! There’s a fight at the field!”
I had just finished organizing my locker when themotion caught my attention. Normally, I
couldn’t care less about teenage squabbles, but something in my gut twisted ufortably. I followed the crowd, maintaining enough distance to observe without getting pulled into their frenzy.
By the time I reached the field’s edge, a thick ring of students had formed, phones raised high to capture whatever was happening. Through gaps in the shifting bodies, I caught glimpses of what had drawn everyone’s attention.
My brother Max was in the center of the circle, blood trickling from his split lip as he faced Jason Reynolds, the school’s hulking football captain. The size difference was almostical–Jason towered over Max by at least eight inches and outweighed him by a hundred pounds of muscle.
“Look at the little cripple trying to fight back!” Jason’s voice boomed as hended another punch that sent Max staggering backward. “Not so smart now, are you?”
Despite his limp and the obvious pain, Max straightened himself and raised his fists again. “I told you to shut up about my sister!”
My blood turned to ice. This was about me.
Two teachers pushed ineffectually at the edge of the crowd. “Break it up! Everyone, step back!” Mr. Bet, the PE teacher<b>, </b>shouted above the noise, but the students were packed too tightly, too hungry for violence to disperse.
Jason circled Max like a predator. “Your sister thinks she’s so special now. The bitch who aced the test<b>, </b>got Peterson fired, and has the mayor wrapped around her finger.” He spat on the ground. “What is she, fucking the whole administration?”
Max lunged forward with surprising speed,nding a solid punch to Jason’s jaw that actually made the bigger boy step back. “I said shut your fucking mouth!”
The crowd roared their approval at Max’s unexpected show of courage, but their cheers quickly. turned to groans as Jason recovered and delivered a brutal blow to Max’s stomach, doubling him
over.
<b>42 </b>
“Freak!” Jason shouted, kicking at Max’s bad leg. “Look at you–pathetic! Where’s your high–and- mighty sister now? Too busy showing off to save your crippled ass?”
Something inside me shifted. The careful control I’d maintained since my rebirth began to slip. I moved through the crowd, and somehow–perhaps sensing the danger emanating from me–students
parted wordlessly, creating a path to the center.
The noise level dropped dramatically as I stepped into the ring. Jason was too focused on Max to
notice until the sudden quiet registered. He turned, his expression changing from confusion to a
smirk as he saw me.
“Perfect timing,” he sneered. “Come to watch me teach your brother a lesson?”
I ignored himpletely, kneeling beside Max. “You okay?” I asked softly, noting the bruises forming on his face. A sh of rage burned through me at the sight of his injuries.
“I’m fine,” Max whispered, trying to sit up. “He was saying things about you–I couldn’t just-”
“It’s okay.” I helped him to his feet, positioning myself between him and Jason. “Stay behind me.”
Jasonughed. “Well, well. The famous Jade Morgan, here to save the day.” He looked me up and down, his expression mocking. “You think your little math tricks make you tough? This isn’t calculus,
sweetheart.”
I turned to face him fully, letting a cold smile touch my lips. “You know what’s interesting, Jason?
There’s a significant difference between picking on a disabled kid and facing someone who can actually fight back.”
“Oh, and that’s you?” He chuckled, looking around at his friends for approval. “What are you gonna do, solve an equation at me?”
“No,” I said quietly. “I’m going to give you one chance to apologize to my brother and walk away.”
The crowd fellpletely silent, sensing something had fundamentally changed in the atmosphere.
“Fuck you,” Jason spat, stepping toward me. “Maybe after I finish with your brother, you and I can have some private time behind the bleachers.”
:
Mr. Bet finally broke through the crowd. “That’s enough! Everyone back to-” <ul><li><b></b>)) </li></ul>
Jason ignored him, lunging at me with a wild haymaker that would have been devastating if it had connected. But I wasn’t there anymore. I sidestepped with a precision that made it look like he was moving in slow motion.
“Stand still, bitch!” he growled, swinging again.
I moved effortlessly around his attacks, not bothering to counter yet, letting him tire himself out. Each missed punch increased his frustration.
“Fight back!” he screamed, his face reddening with exertion and anger.
“If you insist,” I replied calmly.
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My first strike was a quick jab to his sr plexus, delivered with just enough force to make him gasp. As he instinctively bent forward, I followed with an elbow to his ribs and a palm strike that snapped
his head back.
Three precise hits in less than two seconds. The crowd went silent.
Jason staggered, disbelief written across his face. Then rage took over, and he charged like a bull,
screaming incoherently.
I waited until thest possible moment before pivoting, using his momentum against him. As he stumbled past, I delivered a calcted kick to the side of his right knee–the one he’d nted his
weight on.
The sound was unmistakable–a sharp crack that cut through the silence.
Jason’s scream transformed from rage to pure agony as he copsed, clutching his now–twisted leg. He writhed on the ground, face contorted in pain.
“My knee! You broke my fucking knee!” he wailed, tears streaming down his face.
The entire crowd stood frozen in shock, staring at me with a mixture of fear and awe. No one spoke.
No one moved.
I walked calmly back to Max, who was looking at me with wide eyes. “Let’s go home,” I said quietly. “There’s nothing more to see here.”
<b>42 </b>
As we turned to leave, the crowd parted again<b>, </b>this time more dramatically than before. At the edge
of the field stood Dr. Winters, her face a mask of authority and concern.
“Morgan! Stay right where you are!” she called out. “My office, immediately!”
I met her gaze evenly. “Of course, Principal Winters,” I replied. “Though perhaps you might want to address the pattern of bullying that led to this situation first.”
I could feel the weight of dozens of stares as Max and I walked away from the scene, leaving behind
the sounds of Jason’s continued cries and the arrival of more school staff. Max walked slightly behind me, his expression aplex mixture of gratitude, worry, and something else–a newfound respect that hadn’t been there before.
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