Zarabel returned to Riverside High, carrying scars. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but she never imagined the cruelty waiting for her beyond those crowded breezeways. Mason Keegan and his circle of football players made it their mission to crush her spirit. She endured every taunt, every shove, and every cruel joke about her illness. But when the bullying escalated into something dangerous, they left her father with no choice.
What the bullies didn't know was that. Marcus Bell was a Navy Seal trained to protect his daughter at any cost. They couldn't have been more wrong. The metal doors of Riverside High burst open as students poured into the breezeway after the final bell. Zarabel adjusted her nasal canula, threading the clear tube behind her ears.
Her fingers brushed against her smooth scalp, still strange after 3 months of chemo. She hitched her backpack higher and kept her eyes forward, focusing on getting through the crowd. "Well, look who it is. ". Mason Keegan's voice cut through the afternoon chatter. He leaned against the wall ahead, his letterman jacket a splash of crimson against the beige concrete.
Our favorite space alien. Zara's stomach clenched, but she didn't change course. Changing direction would only make it worse. She'd learned that lesson weeks ago. Hey everyone.
Lana Briggs's voice rang out as she raised her phone. Time for another episode of Weird Science. A few students laughed. Moore gathered, forming a loose circle around them. Mason pushed off the wall, circling.
Zara like a shark. What's wrong, alien? Don't you want to say hi to your fans? Leave me alone,. Zara said quietly, trying to step around him.
But. Mason moved faster, blocking her path. But we've got a science experiment to do. He reached for her face. Let's see what happens when we disconnect the life support.
His fingers caught the tubing of her canula. With a sharp yank, he pulled it loose from her nose. Pain shot through her nostrils as the tube whipped free. Stop. DJ Carter's voice boomed from behind them.
He shoved through the crowd, his dark eyes blazing. Back off,. Mason. Or what? Mason's grin widened as he dangled the tube just out of.
Zara's reach. She tried to grab it, but he tossed it to one of his teammates. DJ launched himself at. Mason, but two other players caught him midstride. They slammed him against the lockers with a metallic crash that echoed through the breezeway.
"Keep recording! ". Lana squealled, bouncing on her toes as she filmed. "This is going viral for sure. " Through the growing crowd,. Zara spotted. Coach Talbot standing by the gym doors.
Their eyes met. He looked away, checking his clipboard as if he hadn't seen a thing. Look, she's not even human anymore. Mason grabbed a water bottle from his bag and sprayed it in. Zara's face.
Cold droplets ran down her scalp, her neck, soaking into her blue t-shirt. Maybe she needs to be watered to grow her hair back. Bald Barbie. Bald Barbie. Lana started the chant and several others joined in.
The sound bounced off the walls, surrounding. Zara like a cage of noise. Mason's teammates released. DJ long enough to shove him to the ground. When he tried to get up, one of them planted a foot on his back.
"Stay down, hero! " the player sneered. "Unless you want to join the freak show. ". Mason advanced on. Zara again, backing her against the lockers. The metal was cold through her wet shirt.
Her lungs started to burn. She needed her oxygen back, but she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her panic. What's wrong, alien? Mason leaned in close, his breath hot on her face. Nothing to say?
No clever comeback? Zara stared straight ahead, her face a mask of stone. She'd learned that tears only fed their hunger. Silence was her shield. Some students in the crowd shifted uncomfortably.
Others pulled out their phones to join. Lana in documenting the moment. A few called out encouragement to. Mason, their voices eager for more entertainment. "Maybe she needs mouth to mouth,".
Lana suggested with a cruel laugh. "Who wants to volunteer? " "Oh, wait. You might catch cancer. " The burning in. Zara's lungs intensified. Black spots danced at the edges of her vision.
Still, she didn't move, didn't blink, didn't let a single tear fall. Boring. Mason finally stepped back, gesturing to his teammate. The boy tossed the oxygen tube onto the floor where it landed in a puddle of water from the spray bottle. "Come on, let's go. " The alien's no fun when she plays dead.
The crowd began to disperse as. Mason and his friends swaggered away. Lana lingered just long enough to get a final close-up of. Zara's wet face before following them. Already tapping at her phone to upload the video.
DJ scrambled to his feet the moment he was released, rushing to retrieve. Zara's tube. "Here," he said softly, trying to help her reconnect it. His hands shook with rage. "I'm so sorry, Z.
I tried. "It's okay,". Zara whispered, taking the tube from him. "Just I need to go home. " She waited until everyone was gone before making her way out of the school. Each step felt heavy, like she was walking through deep water.
Her nose had started bleeding, a common problem since starting chemo, made worse by the rough removal of her canula. The walk home was a blur of autumn leaves and sidewalk cracks. Zara counted her steps, focused on breathing, refused to think about tomorrow. When she finally reached her house, she paused at the door, wiping carefully at her nose with her sleeve. The door opened before she could reach for it.
Her father,. Marcus Bell, stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling the frame. His dark eyes took in everything at once. Her wet clothes, the blood on her sleeve, the slightly crooked angle of her cannula. For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence between them held the weight of everything that had happened, everything that would happen next. The kitchen was quiet, except for the soft clink of forks against plates. Zara pushed her mashed potatoes around, making little mountains and valleys. The bleeding had stopped, but her nose still felt tender, and the canula tube rubbed uncomfortably against the raw skin. "You need to eat, baby,".
Janelle said softly, reaching across the table to touch. Zara's hand. "Keep your strength up for tomorrow's treatment. ". Marcus sat at the head of the table, his plate untouched. His eyes hadn't left.
Zara since she'd come home. "What happened to your nose? " he asked finely, his voice low and controlled. Just a nosebleleed,. Zara mumbled, scooping up a tiny bite of potato. They happen all the time now.
This one's different. Marcus's fork clinkedked as he set it down. The tube was disturbed. Someone pulled it. Zara shrugged, not meeting his eyes.
It's not a big deal. Not a big. Janelle started to rise, but. Marcus placed a gentle hand on her arm. His phone buzzed on the table.
He glanced at it, then went very still. DJ sent me something. Zara's head snapped up. Dad, don't. But.
Marcus was already pressing play. Lana's voice filled the kitchen. Time for another episode of weird science. The phone's small speaker made the cruel laughter sound tiny and distant. Zara wanted to disappear into her chair as her father watched the video.
Her wet clothes,. Mason's taunts,. DJ being thrown against the lockers, all of it playing out again in terrible detail. She could see the muscles in her father's jaw working, but his face remained eerily calm. Janelle moved behind.
Marcus to watch, her hand covering her mouth. "Oh my god," she whispered. "Those monsters. " When the video ended,. Marcus set the phone down with precise care. He stood up and walked to the kitchen counter, returning with a notepad and pen.
His movements were measured. Deliberate names, he said, sitting back down. "Mason Keegan, football captain, senior. The girl filming? Lana Briggs,.
Zara said quietly. She's head cheerleader. Marcus wrote in his neat block letters. The two who attacked. DJ.
Tyler Reynolds and Jake Morris. Also, football coach standing by the gym doors. Coach Talbot. He's the defensive coordinator. Marcus documented each detail.
Times, descriptions, who laughed, who joined in, who just watched. His pen moved steadily across the paper like he was filing a mission report. "Marcus,". Janelle said, her voice carrying a warning. "I know that, look.