“Maya!” Jake Santos jogged up to her, a huge grin on his face. “Did you see the news?”
“What news?”
“Derrick got sentenced yesterday. Two years in juvenile detention, plus community service when he gets out. And his dad lost his seat on the school board.”
Maya nodded, feeling a complex mix of satisfaction and sadness. Justice had been served, but she took no joy in Derrick’s downfall, only relief that he could no longer hurt others.
Emma Rodriguez appeared at Maya’s locker, practically bouncing with excitement. “Also, did you hear about Principal Anderson?”
“What about him?”
“He’s gone. Forced resignation. And guess who they’re bringing in as interim principal?” Emma’s smile was infectious. “Coach Rivera. She’s already implementing the new policies.”
Maya felt a genuine smile spread across her face. Coach Rivera had been one of the few adults who’d supported her from the beginning, recognizing her Muay Thai skills and understanding the situation she’d been facing. As they walked toward their first class, Maya noticed something that still amazed her six months later: students walking confidently through the halls. No one hugged the walls anymore. No one kept their heads down in fear. The atmosphere of terror that Derrick and his friends had created was gone.
“Maya Johnson, report to the principal’s office, please.”
The announcement echoed through the hallway, but this time Maya wasn’t worried. These calls had become routine since Coach Rivera took over.
In the principal’s office, Maya found an unexpected gathering. Coach Rivera sat behind the desk, but she wasn’t alone. Ben Chen was there, along with Marcus Washington and several other students Maya didn’t immediately recognize.
“Maya, sit down,” Coach Rivera said warmly. “I wanted you to meet some people.”
The unfamiliar students introduced themselves. They were from other schools across the state, all dealing with their own bullying situations.
“We heard about what you did here,” said a girl named Samantha from a school an hour away. “We want to do the same thing at our school, but we need help. We need to know how you organized everyone.”
Maya looked around the room at the eager faces. Over the past months, she’d received hundreds of messages from students across the country asking for advice, sharing their own stories, requesting help with their situations.
“The first thing you need to understand,” Maya said carefully, “is that what happened here got really bad before it got better. People got hurt. I got arrested. It was a war, and wars have casualties.”
“But it worked,” Ben said quietly. “Derrick’s gone, the administration changed, and bullying reports are actually being taken seriously now.”
Maya nodded. “It worked. But there might have been other ways. Better ways.”
“What would you do differently?” Marcus asked.
Maya thought about this question, which she’d been asking herself for months. “I’d try harder to work with adults first. I’d document everything better from the beginning. And I’d focus more on changing the system instead of just fighting the symptoms.”
Coach Rivera leaned forward. “That’s actually why I asked you all here. The district is implementing a new peer mediation program, and they want Maya to help design it.”
“Me?”
“You’ve become something of an expert on student conflict resolution.” Coach Rivera smiled. “Your case is being studied by school districts across the country. They want to learn from what happened here.”
The meeting continued for another hour, with Maya sharing strategies for organization, documentation, and building coalitions. As the students from other schools prepared to leave, Samantha approached Maya…
