Chapter 2
Before the first period ended, my homeroom teacher Dorothy Hale dragged me down the hallway and told me to call my mom.
Just then, my phone buzzed—Mom was already calling.
Like she knew.
"Where's the office?" she asked.
Inside, Tina's mom Vivian Brooks was sobbing, saying Tina's face was swollen and the doctor diagnosed a concussion.
Tina's dad Derek Brooks was on the phone pulling strings, yelling about getting us thrown in jail.
Tina sat between them, her cheek puffy, glaring at me like she wanted me dead.
The second Mom and I walked in, Vivian charged at her like a rabid animal.
But Mom didn't flinch—just stood there with this presence that stopped Vivian cold, a step away.
Vivian started wailing and making a scene.
"You'll pay for this! A public apology! If not, we're calling the cops and you're going to jail!"
Dorothy and a couple of other teachers rushed in to break things up. The office descended into chaos.
Mom just watched with cold eyes. Finally, Derek hung up and stormed over, his voice dripping venom.
"You're not getting off easy. Either pay up and apologize, or we'll see you in court!"
Then Mom reacted. She pulled out her phone.
"Forget the apology," she said quietly, but everyone heard it.
"Compensation? Name your price."
Dead silence again.
Tina's parents exchanged glances, clearly pissed at Mom's attitude.
Derek sneered and threw out a ridiculous number—15 thousand dollars—thinking he'd cornered us.
Mom just nodded and started tapping her phone.
"Give me your account number."
Derek hesitated, then rattled off the digits.
Seconds later, his phone dinged with a bank notification.
He pulled it out, eyes wide. His face went from rage to shock to pure, undisguised greed.
He'd tried to humiliate us with money. Instead, money humiliated him.
Mom stood up, her eyes sweeping over the three of them and their twisted expressions.
"Keep your daughter in line. My patience is way thinner than my wallet."
With that, she took my hand and led me out.
On the way home, every breath felt heavy with guilt.
Once we got inside, I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Mom... I'm sorry about the money..."
Mom poured me water, then sat across from me on the couch.
"Anna, look at me."
I looked up and met her eyes.
"That 15 thousand? To me, it's pocket change—worth less than your school uniform."
Her voice was calm, but every word hit hard.
"But you let someone bully you, didn't fight back, and didn't even tell me—that's the real problem."
She leaned in, her eyes sharp.
"I slapped her and paid up—not because I want you to be violent, but so you remember: some people don't understand reason. When you deal with people like that, you hit them where it hurts. Make them afraid."
She patted my head gently, her eyes holding something I couldn't quite read.
"You need to learn to protect yourself, to have boundaries. If you can't, or if you're scared, that's okay. Just come to me.
"No matter how big the problem is, I've got your back. Remember—with me here, the world won't end."
*****
From that day on, I became a legend at Riverside High School, and Tina's parents had her transferred.
Her sidekicks now kept their heads down and hurried past me.
No one dared stuff trash in my locker anymore. My textbooks stayed clean. The whispers in the hallways faded.
The world was quieter than ever.
But it wasn't peaceful quiet—it was heavy, suffocating, like the silence after a storm.
I became the school's curse. Everyone avoided me like bad luck.
When I asked a classmate for an eraser, she nervously slid over her entire pencil case, hands shaking.
"T-Take it all... Use whatever you want."
During gym class, everyone else paired up instantly, but I stood alone like there was an invisible barrier around me.
I wasn't the bullied kid anymore—I was the girl with the gangster mom.
The rumors were insane.
Some said my mom ran a casino.
Others claimed my dad was a loan shark.
The wildest one? People whispered that my family kept enforcers at home—if anyone crossed me, they'd get their legs broken and dumped in the river.
These stories spread like a virus, creeping into every corner of the school I couldn't see.
I felt like I'd been dragged out of one nightmare into something even colder and lonelier.
Before, they came at me head-on. Now they treated me like I was dangerous—keeping their distance.
When I got home that night, Mom was on the couch smoking like usual.
She heard me come in and asked casually, "Things okay at school?"
I dropped my backpack, changed into my slippers, and walked over.
I wanted so badly to ask her—why did you have to go that far?
Did she even know what it was like for me now? Like I was some kind of freak everyone watched or avoided.
But I swallowed the words.
She looked exhausted.
Suddenly, I realized—she'd already handled things her way, clearing every obstacle in front of me.
Maybe she thought I should walk the rest of the road alone.
I lowered my head and muttered, "It's... alright.
"No one's messing with me now."
It was the truth, but also a lie.
Mom stared at me for a long moment, then just nodded and stubbed out her cigarette.
"That's good.
"If you get hungry, just order something."
I muttered "okay" and headed to my room.
I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
All the fun, all the excitement—it belonged to everyone else. None of it had anything to do with me.
Tina had transferred out, but her grudge stayed behind.
I started catching bits of gossip about myself.
"Look at her—never talks. She's stuck-up, thinks she's better than us..."
"I heard her personal life is a mess. That's why her mom's so intense—she's covering up something..."
"Exactly! Why else would she ignore everyone? She must've done something shady and feels guilty!"
I tried to tune it out, but those stares followed me everywhere, reminding me I was the one they called trashy—the outcast in all their gossip.
Fists make noise and leave marks, but rumors are silent knives—they cut deep without ever drawing blood.
For the first time, I felt totally helpless.
I couldn't exactly have Mom storm into school and slap every gossip she found.
And that was when Tina's real revenge finally came for me.