Chapter 81

Betty’s face burned with pain. She widened her eyes and lunged at Zinnia, ready to strike back. Maisie quickly pulled Zinnia aside, causing Betty to crash into her instead. Anne instinctively stepped in to help.

At one point, Zinnia grabbed a handful of Betty’s hair. Betty shrieked, and Anne instinctively pushed Zinnia in an attempt to intervene.

“Zinnia,” Maisie shouted in alarm, kicking Anne in the chaos as she tried to protect her friend.

Acting on impulse, Betty grabbed Maisie’s hair, making her wince in pain. Seeing this, Zinnia didn’t hesitate. She reached out and yanked Betty’s hair hard.

From behind came the startled voices of Ethan and the others. “Zinnia, what’s going on here?”

In no time, the stairwell turned into chaos – students of Class 19 and Class 2 were brawling. The students of Class 19 stood fiercely on their own, while students of Class 2, unwilling to watch their classmates get overwhelmed, jumped right into the fray.

“What are you little punks up to now? What’s all this chaos?” Just as the brawl reached its peak, an enraged voice boomed across the scene.

A man shouted, “Stop! You little troublemakers think you can turn the whole school upside down?” The dean stormed in, furious at the sight of the brawl ahead, barking orders to the security guards behind him to pull the students apart.

“Who gave you the nerve to mess with someone from our class?” Even as the guards were dragging Ethan away, he lashed out with a kick aimed at one of the boys from Class 2.

“Ethan, you little rascal, stop it!” The dean, Tom Hardy, a man in his fifties, gave him a sharp glare, and his tone brooked no argument.

“All of you, to my office! This is a school, not a street brawl. Think you’re tough, do you?” He swept his gaze over the defiant faces from both classes, his anger barely contained.

Surrounded by security guards, the group was ushered toward the dean’s office. On the way, Zinnia noticed that Maisie’s hair was in a mess because of the scuffle. Feeling guilty, she reached out to smooth it. “Maisie, I’m really sorry. Are you okay?”

She lowered her gaze, a pang of guilt washing over her. If it hadn’t been for her, Maisie wouldn’t have gotten hurt.

“It’s nothing, Zinnia. I’ve long been sick of Betty. Giving her a good beating today felt amazing.” Maisie rolled her shoulders and casually tousled her hair, her face glowing with satisfaction.

“You two got into a fight and didn’t even think to call us? Look at you – almost lost the fight.” Ethan and Brian walked up, their mock annoyance barely hiding their amusement.

“It just broke out on the spot. Who had time to call anyone? Anyway, we didn’t lose. I yanked out a bunch of Betty’s hair, and Zinnia landed a slap on her face. We totally came out on top.” Maisie waved it off casually.

“But seriously, we really owe you two today; otherwise, Zinnia and I would’ve taken a hit. Everyone, lunch is on me. We’re meeting at Blue Moon Grill!” Maisie called out, turning to shout excitedly at her classmates behind her.

“Awesome. We’ll be waiting for your treat, Maisie.”

“Sounds good.”

“Thanks, Maisie.”

The students from Class 19 responded with great enthusiasm. Their unity was unrivaled. Most of the boys were loyal and eager to support one another. Those who hadn’t participated in the fight also participated in lunch, achieving an overwhelming victory. The battle was truly exhilarating.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Class 2 was much gloomier. Different from Class 19, they didn’t have a strong sense of camaraderie. Some students who didn’t want to get involved were pulled into the fight, only to end up being beaten and humiliated.

To make things worse, they lost the fight. Now, many of them cast resentful glances at Betty. They thought, ‘What was Betty even thinking, picking a fight with Class 19?’

“Maisie!” The dean, furious and stomping ahead, turned around and shouted as the crowd started getting noisy again.

Maisie held back a smirk and stayed quiet. She thought, ‘This old guy just loves to nag.’

Other students from Class 19 quieted down, but they couldn’t resist whispering among themselves, poking fun at Class 2. They strutted around like proud peacocks, their smugness practically oozing.

“Zinnia, you’re not hurt, are you?” Maisie turned to her with concern. The fight had been such a chaotic mess, and she wasn’t sure if Zinnia had gotten hurt.

Zinnia said, “I’m fine, no real injuries. That scratch on your face, though; I’ll grab some ointment for you later.”

Zinnia really didn’t get hurt. Maisie had been shielding her the whole time, and the rest of Class 19 quickly rushed over. She was practically pushed out of the fight before she could even get involved, let alone injured.

Only her hair was a bit of a mess; someone must’ve yanked it in the chaos. The neatly tied bun was now crooked, wobbling awkwardly on top of her head.

“It’s nothing,” Maisie said with a careless smile, brushing her face. A small scratch, now scabbed over, marked her cheek. Zinnia couldn’t shake the guilt, though, feeling bad for what had happened.

The group marched into the disciplinary office and were given a serious lecture. Most of them involved in the commotion were required to write reflection essays and were then dismissed. However, four key individuals – Zinnia, Maisie, Betty, and Anne – were told to stay.

“Mr. Hardy, I was part of the fight too. Let me stay, or I’ll feel totally left out.” Ethan clung to the office door, grinning as he tried to negotiate with the dean.

“You little troublemaker, double your essay.” Tom’s eye twitched.

Outside the door, Brian reacted quickly, yanking Ethan away. “You two, get lost!” Tom barked. His glare was icy as he shot them both a look.

“So grumpy. Careful, or you’ll end up with memory loss when you’re old,” Ethan muttered from outside, completely unfazed. His laid-back personality and frequent run-ins with Tom had made their exchanges oddly familiar.

“Get out of here. Brian, drag him away and make sure he writes a thousand-word essay!” Tom was fuming, clearly at his limit with this rascal.

“Wait, Mr. Hardy, wasn’t it just five hundred words? That’s so unfair.” Ethan’s eyes widened in mock disbelief.

“It’s doubled. And if you’re even one word short, you’ll be standing in the hallway as punishment.” Tom’s temples throbbed as he smacked the doorframe.

“Alright, a thousand it is.” Ethan quickly relented, not wanting to push him over the edge. He tugged Brian along, retreating out of sight while sneaking glances back into the office.

Once Ethan finally left, Tom let out a long sigh, his anger mostly spent. He turned his attention back to the four students standing inside the office, his earlier fury now significantly subdued.

Tom said, “Wait until your homeroom teacher gets here. You’re all grown-ups now, but still getting into fights?” His tone had softened quite a bit.