"We should call the police," Elijah said, meeting her eyes in the mirror.
Amaya shook her head. "Brett's dad is the mayor. The police chief plays golf with him every Sunday. You think they'll take my side?"
Elijah's jaw clenched. "Then we go to the school and say—"
"What? They have a video that they've probably already edited to make it look like a joke, like I agreed to it." She turned to face her father, her eyes red but dry now. "No, I need to handle this my way."
"Amaya, you've been training me since I was 10, Dad," she interrupted. "You taught me to defend myself, to be strong, but what good is any of that if I can't use it when it matters?"
Elijah was quiet for a long moment. Finally, he nodded. "You'll decide how this ends, but when you're ready, we fight smart."
The next day, Amaya stayed home from school. She couldn't face the stairs, the whispers, the inevitable video that would be circulating. Instead, she sat in her bedroom, staring at her phone as notifications flooded in.
A Snapchat video was making the rounds—her screaming in the locker room, but with the sound distorted to make it seem like she was laughing. The caption read: New girl's initiation. Welcome to Westbridge.
Texts from unknown numbers continued to pour in: Nice haircut. Guess you're not so special now. Go back to where you came from, psycho.
One text, however, stood out. It was from Grace. "I heard what happened. This isn't right. I'm so sorry."
Amaya didn't respond to any of them. Instead, she called Coach Williams.
"Amaya," the coach answered, concern evident in her voice. "Are you okay? You missed practice."
"I need to report something," Amaya said, her voice steady now. "Brett Carson and his friends attacked me yesterday. They cut my hair against my will."
There was a long pause. "That's a serious accusation."
"It's the truth."
"Do you have any proof, witnesses?"
"They filmed it, but I doubt they'll share the unedited version."
Another pause. "I'll speak to Principal Harrison. But Amaya, Brett's family has a lot of influence here without concrete evidence..."
"I understand," Amaya said.