“Had to make sure nobody followed us,” Brad replied, his voice tight. “Can’t afford any more videos going viral.”
Tommy shifted uncomfortably. “I still think this is a bad idea. What if someone finds out we’re working together?”
“Nobody’s going to find out,” Derek snapped, “unless you plan on running your mouth.”
Connor leaned forward. “Look, we all have the same problem. This girl made us look weak, and now everyone thinks they can stand up to us. Our reputations are garbage.”
“It’s worse than that,” Jake added. “She’s teaching other kids to fight back. Yesterday, some freshman actually pushed back when I tried to mess with him.”
“A freshman?” Tyler nodded angrily. “Same thing’s happening at our school. Kids who used to hand over lunch money are suddenly growing spines.”
Derek pulled out his phone and showed them a video from that afternoon’s training session. “Sixty kids. She’s got sixty kids learning to fight. In a month, it’ll be a hundred.”
“So what’s your plan?” Brad asked.
Derek’s smile was cold and calculating. “We can’t touch her physically anymore. Too many people watching. Too many cameras. But we can destroy her legally.”
“How?”
“Assault charges. My dad knows people in the legal system. We file complaints with the police. Claim she attacked us unprovoked. Get her arrested. Expelled. Maybe even sent to juvenile detention.”
Connor frowned. “But there’s video evidence of what really happened.”
“Videos can be misinterpreted,” Derek said smoothly. “Especially when you have the right lawyer explaining them to a judge. My dad’s already talked to our family attorney.”
“What about the bus stop thing?” Tyler asked. “That video’s everywhere.”
“Three high school boys versus one girl. We’ll claim she was armed. That we were defending ourselves. Who’s going to believe we were actually trying to hurt those sophomore girls?”
Jake nodded slowly. “And once she’s arrested, her little fight club falls apart. Kids go back to being scared. And we go back to being in control.”
Brad looked skeptical. “This could backfire. What if people don’t believe us?”
“They will,” Derek said confidently. “Because my family has influence in this town. And hers doesn’t. Because we’re the victims here, not her.”
The six boys spent the next hour planning their strategy. They would coordinate their stories, file complaints simultaneously, and present a united front, claiming that Keisha Williams was a dangerous individual who had attacked innocent students without provocation.
Meanwhile, back at the school, Keisha was finishing up the training session, unaware of the legal trap being set for her.
“Same time Monday?” Sarah asked as students gathered their belongings.
“Absolutely,” Keisha replied. “And remember, practice your situational awareness over the weekend. Trust your instincts.”
As the students filed out, chattering excitedly about their progress, Coach Rodriguez approached Keisha.
“You’ve done something special here,” he said quietly. “These kids are different, stronger.”
“They were always strong,” Keisha replied. “They just needed to remember it.”
“Be careful, though. Change like this makes some people nervous, especially people who benefit from the old system.”
Keisha nodded, gathering her own things. She’d felt the tension building all week—the way Derek and his friends watched her, the whispered conversations that stopped when she approached, the sense that something was brewing beneath the surface. What she didn’t know was that the storm was about to break, and it would test not just her fighting skills, but her faith in justice itself.
Monday morning, Dr. Patricia Williams received the call that changed everything. She was reviewing patient charts at the hospital when her phone rang with an unfamiliar number.
“Dr. Williams? This is Sergeant Hayes with the Millbrook Police Department. We need you to come down to the station with your daughter.”
Patricia’s blood went cold. “Is Keisha hurt? What happened?”
“She’s not hurt, ma’am. But assault charges have been filed against her. We need to bring her in for questioning.”
“Assault charges? That’s impossible. My daughter doesn’t…”
“Ma’am, we have six complainants. I suggest you contact a lawyer.”
Patricia’s hands shook as she called Keisha’s school, then her own supervisor, to request emergency leave. By the time she reached Millbrook High, police were already waiting in the principal’s office.
Principal Martinez looked stricken as she explained the situation. “Six boys from two different schools have filed formal complaints, claiming Keisha attacked them without provocation.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Patricia said firmly. “My daughter was defending herself and protecting other students.”
“The complainants tell a different story,” Sergeant Hayes said, checking his notes. “They claim she’s been systematically targeting and assaulting male students. They’re requesting restraining orders.”
When Keisha was called to the office, her calm composure wavered for the first time since transferring to Millbrook. Seeing her mother’s worried face and the police officer’s stern expression, she understood that Derek’s retaliation had taken a form she hadn’t anticipated.
“Am I under arrest?” she asked quietly…
