Part 1: The Church Hallway
My ear felt like it was being torn off.
“Move, Miss Miller! Or do I drag you all the way to the office?”
Mr. Gable’s voice echoed through the long stone hallway of St. Andrew’s Academy, sharp and unforgiving. His fingers twisted cruelly against my ear while his other hand shoved my wheelchair forward in rough, uneven jerks. Each movement sent a wave of pain through my body.
“Please,” I gasped, my vision blurring. “Mr. Gable, stop… it hurts. I didn’t do it.”
“Silence!” he snapped, tightening his grip.
The church bells had just finished ringing, but instead of quiet, the corridor was filled with whispers. Students peeked through classroom doors, some pretending not to watch, others openly staring.
And inside one of those rooms—
Tyler.
The real one who caused everything.
He sat comfortably, leaning back, arms folded, a smirk playing on his face. Untouchable. Protected by money, by influence, by a system that never questioned him.
My wheelchair hit a crack in the tiled floor. The jolt made me cry out.
Mr. Gable didn’t stop.
This was what it meant to be the outsider. The scholarship student. The girl who didn’t belong in a place built for perfection and appearances.
“You’ve embarrassed this institution enough,” he said coldly. “Father Dominic will decide what happens next. Expulsion, most likely.”
Expulsion.
The word crushed me.
My father worked endlessly so I could be here. So I could have something better.
And now—
I was about to lose it all.
