"Basic self-defense. I could show you." "You'd do that?" Marcus asked. "Derek's not going to stop. The school's not going to help us."

"So, we help ourselves." Maya folded the list and put it in her pocket. "But everyone needs to understand. Once we start this, there's no going back. They're going to come at us harder."

"They're already coming at us," Jake said. "At least this way we hit back." Maya looked at each of them in turn. "Okay. We meet here every day after school."

"I'll teach you what I know, but remember, we're not starting fights. We're finishing them." Over the next 3 days, their group grew. Word spread quietly through the school's underground network of victims and outcasts. Students who had been suffering in silence began to find their way to the meetings behind the gym.

Maya taught them basic blocks, how to break free from grabs, where to hit to cause maximum damage. She showed Emma how to use her speed to stay out of reach. She taught Marcus how to use his height advantage. She helped Ben overcome his fear of physical contact. "The most important thing," Maya told them on Thursday, "is to not fight fair."

"They don't fight fair, so neither do we. You go for eyes, throat, knees, whatever it takes to get away safe." Jake watched her demonstrate a knee strike and realized Maya was becoming something more than just another victim who'd fought back. She was becoming their leader. Meanwhile, Derek had noticed the whispers.

Students who used to scatter when they saw him coming were making eye contact now. Kids who had been easy targets were walking differently, standing straighter. "Something's going on," he told Tyler as they stood by their lockers Friday afternoon. "These losers are acting weird." "Weird how?"

"Like they're not scared anymore. That freshman girl, Emma. She didn't even flinch when I walked past her yesterday." Tyler shrugged. "Maybe they're just getting used to you being back."

But Derek knew it was more than that. He'd built his reputation on fear, and fear was a delicate thing. Once people stopped being afraid, everything changed. "We need to send a message," Derek said. "Remind everyone what happens when you don't show proper respect."

"What kind of message?" Derek's eyes scanned the hallway until they landed on Jake Santos, who was walking toward the exit with purpose instead of his usual nervous shuffle. "The kind that leaves a mark." As the weekend approached, both sides prepared for what everyone could feel coming. Maya's group had grown to 15 students, all of them learning to fight.

All of them ready to defend themselves and each other. Derek's group had also grown, recruiting older students and even some graduates who still hung around the school. The battle lines were being drawn. Maya spent the weekend practicing combinations in her backyard, her father watching from the porch. "You sure about this path?" Marcus asked during a break.

Maya wiped sweat from her forehead and looked back at the house where her mother was pacing by the kitchen window, worried sick about what was coming. "No," Maya said honestly. "But it's the only path that leads anywhere good." Monday morning couldn't come fast enough. Monday morning brought the first real test.

Jake was walking to his locker when Derek and Tyler cornered him by the stairwell, the same place they'd ambushed him dozens of times before. But this time, Jake didn't look away. "Well, well," Derek said, stepping closer. "Look who thinks he's tough now." "I'm not looking for trouble," Jake said.

But he didn't back down. "Too bad. Trouble found you." Derek shoved Jake hard against the concrete wall. "I hear you've been talking to people, making lists. That true?"

Jake felt his heart pounding, but Maya's voice echoed in his head. "Don't fight fair. Go for whatever it takes to get away safe." "I don't know what you're talking about." Derek grabbed Jake's shirt and pulled him forward, then slammed him back against the wall.

"Don't lie to me, Taco Boy. You and that psycho girl have been recruiting losers for your little club." "Let go of me." "Or what?" Derek laughed. "You going to call your—"

Jake's knee drove up into Derek's groin with everything he had. Derek doubled over, gasping, and Jake broke free, running toward the main hallway where teachers would be. "Get him!" Derek wheezed, but Jake was already gone. 20 minutes later during first period, Emma Rodriguez was leaving the bathroom when three senior girls blocked her path.

Maya had warned them that Derek might recruit others. But Emma hadn't expected this. "You're Emma, right?" The lead girl, a blonde cheerleader named Brittany, smiled coldly. "I'm friends with Derek."

"Okay," Emma said, trying to step around them. "Not so fast." Brittany moved to block her again. "Derek told me you've been spreading lies about him. That's not very nice."

"I haven't said anything that isn't true." "See, that's the problem. Truth is relative." Brittany stepped closer. "And Derek's family has been good to this school. Your family? Nobody even knows who you are."

Emma felt the familiar fear creeping up her throat. But then she remembered Maya's words about standing your ground. "Move," Emma said firmly. "Excuse me?" "I said move. I need to get to class."

Brittany's smile disappeared. "You little—" Emma didn't wait for her to finish. She pushed past Brittany with enough force to send the cheerleader stumbling backward into the sink. "You're going to regret this," Brittany called as Emma walked away. By lunch, word had spread about both incidents.