"That's Brett," Lexi said bitterly. "I ended up drinking too much, trying to forget. Tom took me home. My parents are furious."
"Lexi, this has to stop. Brett needs to face consequences."
"How? No one stands up to him."
"I am," Amaya said. "And I could use your help. Would you be willing to testify about what he did? Not just to me, but to you, too?"
Lexi looked terrified at the thought. "I can't. Those photos..."
"What if you could do it anonymously? At first, just a written statement."
After a moment, Lexi nodded slowly. "I could do that. But Brett can never know it was me."
"He won't," Amaya promised, though she wasn't entirely sure she could keep that promise.
Later that day, Amaya found a folded piece of paper in her locker. Inside was a photo of her and her father through the window of their house taken at night. Beneath it, written in block letters: Back off or else.
A chill ran down Amaya's spine. She quickly folded the paper and put it in her pocket, looking around the hallway. No one seemed to be watching her, but the message was clear: they were escalating.
When she got home, Amaya showed the threat to her father. Elijah's expression darkened as he studied the photo. "They're watching the house," he said grimly. "Time to upgrade our security."
That night, Elijah installed motion sensor lights around the perimeter of their home and set up small cameras at key points. He also checked his gun safe, making sure his service pistol was secure but accessible if needed.
"I don't want you walking home alone anymore," he told Amaya. "I'll pick you up after practice."
"Dad, I can't live in fear."
"It's not fear, it's tactics," he corrected. "Never give your opponent an easy target."
The next day, Grace introduced Amaya to someone unexpected: a former Westbridge student named James, who had been expelled two years earlier.
"James has information," Grace explained as they met in a coffee shop off campus.
James, a thin young man with nervous eyes, glanced around before speaking. "Brett and his crew got me kicked out," he said quietly. "I caught them cheating on the SATs—paid someone to take the test for them. When I threatened to report them, they planted drugs in my car."
"And you were expelled?" Amaya guessed.