Derek and his crew were surrounding a freshman girl by the water fountain. Close enough that Jake could hear every word. "Come on, Amy, don't be shy," Derek was saying, his jaw still slightly swollen. "I just want to talk." "I need to get to class," the girl whispered.

"Class can wait. We're having a conversation here." Derek moved closer, backing her against the wall. "You know what happened to the last girl who was rude to me? She got suspended, might even get expelled." Jake had seen this exact scene play out dozens of times over the past two years.

Different victims, same predator, but something about watching it happen again. So soon after Maya's suspension made him feel sick. "Please, I just want to go to class." "See, that's not how this works," Derek said. "You show me some respect. Maybe smile a little and then we can talk about letting you go."

Jake stood up without thinking. "Hey." Derek turned annoyed at the interruption. "What do you want, Taco Boy?" "Leave her alone."

Derek laughed. "Or what? You going to call your girlfriend Maya? Oh, wait. She's suspended for being a violent thug." Jake's hands were shaking, but he didn't back down.

"Just leave her alone." "You know what? You're right." Derek stepped away from the freshman. "Amy can go, but you and I need to have a conversation." The freshman girl fled without looking back.

Derek's friends moved to surround Jake, who suddenly realized he'd made a terrible mistake. "You think because Maya sucker punched me, that makes you tough, too?" Derek grabbed Jake by the shirt and slammed him against the lockers. "Let me explain something to you. That girl got lucky."

"It won't happen again." Jake tried to pull away, but Derek's grip tightened. "And if I hear about you running your mouth to anyone about what just happened, you're going to wish you'd stayed in whatever border town you crawled out of." That afternoon, Jake walked home with a split lip and a black eye. Derek's threats echoing in his head.

But he also walked home with something else, a phone number he'd copied from the substitute teacher's desk. Maya answered on the second ring. "Maya, this is Jake Santos. We don't really know each other, but we need to talk." "What happened to your voice? You sound like you've been crying."

Jake touched his swollen lip. "Derek happened. Look, I know you're suspended, but when you get back, we need to meet. There are others." Kids who've been dealing with Derek and his friends for years.

"How many others?" Jake thought about all the students he'd seen cornered in hallways, humiliated in bathrooms, threatened into silence. "More than you think. And after what you did to him. After seeing someone finally fight back, Jake's voice grew stronger.

"People are ready to listen." Maya was quiet for a long moment, remembering her father's words about building something bigger. "Where do you want to meet?" "Behind the gym. First day you're back."

"We'll figure out what comes next." After hanging up, Jake stared at his reflection in his bedroom mirror. For the first time in 2 years, he didn't look away from the bruises. Instead, he started making a list of names. Every kid he'd seen Derek's group target.

Every student who'd been too scared to speak up. The war was about to get bigger. Maya's first day back at Westfield felt like walking into enemy territory. Students stared as she passed, some with admiration, others with fear. Word had spread about her suspension, but so had whispers about Derek's continued behavior while she was gone.

Behind the gym, Jake Santos waited with three other students Maya didn't recognize. His split lip had healed, but the black eye was still fading to yellow around the edges. "You came?" Jake said, relief evident in his voice. "You said there were others." Maya looked at the small group.

"This them?" A thin girl with short brown hair stepped forward. "I'm Emma Rodriguez. Derek and his friends cornered me in the bathroom last month, called me names, threatened to flush my head in the toilet if I told anyone." "Marcus Washington," said a tall black sophomore.

"They've been taking my lunch money since freshman year. Yesterday, they shoved me into the trophy case and told everyone I was trying to steal something." The third student, a pale boy with thick glasses, barely whispered his introduction. "Ben Chen. They... they make me do their homework." Maya felt her father's words echoing in her mind.

"Build something bigger than just you." "How many others?" she asked. Jake pulled out a folded piece of paper. "I've been making a list. Kids who've been targeted."

"Kids who've been threatened. Kids who just keep their heads down because they're scared." He handed her the paper. "There are at least 20 names here, and that's just the ones I know about." Maya unfolded the list and scanned the names.

Some she recognized from classes. Others were complete strangers. "They can't suspend all of us." "That's what I was thinking," Jake said. "But we need a plan."

"We can't just start throwing punches randomly." Emma spoke up, her voice stronger now. "What if we don't throw the first punch? What if we just don't run away anymore?" "What do you mean?" Ben asked.

"I mean, when they corner you, you stand your ground. When they try to intimidate you, you don't back down. When they put their hands on you," Emma looked at Maya, "You defend yourself." Maya nodded slowly. "My dad taught me some things."