Chapter 2: The Breaking Point
Mr. Gable shoved my wheelchair into the administration office.
The sudden stop made my body jolt again.
“Get Mr. Henderson,” he barked at the secretary.
Ms. Pringle looked up, startled. “He’s on a call with the Superintendent—”
“I don’t care. This student destroyed school property.”
“I didn’t!” I shouted, my voice cracking. “It was Tyler! He threw it because I wouldn’t help him cheat!”
“Liar.”
The word came out smooth. Controlled. Final.
I pressed my hand to my ear. When I pulled it away, my fingers came back red.
Blood.
I stared at it, my chest tightening. I was twelve years old… and completely powerless.
“Stop crying,” Mr. Gable muttered, looming over me. “Tears won’t help you. You don’t belong here, Lila. You never did.”
People like me.
I knew what he meant.
Poor.
Different.
Disposable.
I closed my eyes, wishing I could disappear. Wishing I wasn’t small. Wishing I had someone who could make him stop.
But my dad was across town, working under the hood of some broken engine. He couldn’t hear me.
The office door opened.
Principal Henderson stepped out, adjusting his tie. “What’s going on here?”
“She destroyed the smartboard,” Mr. Gable said smoothly. “Thousands in damage.”
“I didn’t!” I cried again, my voice breaking under the weight of it. “It was Tyler—”
“Enough.”
Mr. Gable’s hand lifted.
Open palm.
Ready.
I froze.
Curled into myself.
Waiting for the impact.
Because this wasn’t the first time.
