The cafeteria was quiet like a graveyard.

Aria's knees trembled but she didn’t move an inch. Instead, she gripped the edge of the table so hard her knuckles became pale. She felt a knot in her throat.

Aria scoffed, “No.” she said, firmly.

The word hung in the air.

People sucked in their breaths as they shifted their attention to Damian who looked shocked.

Jason’s grin faltered, then twisted into something nastier. “What did you say?”

“I said no,” Aria repeated, this time her voice was louder than the first, though her voice cracked on the last syllable. “I won’t.”

The room exploded with sounds.Half the crowd booed, stomping their feet against the floor. The other half cheered wildly, thrilled by Aria's defiance, eagerly waiting for a fight.

Vanessa shot up from her seat, rage flashing in her perfect face. “You little..” She shoved her tray aside, stepping toward Aria like she’d scratch her eyes out. “You don’t get to talk back to him.”

Jason moved faster. He leapt forward, shoving his hand against Aria’s shoulder, trying to force her down. “On your knees, peasant. Don’t make me help you.”

The cafeteria was noisy as students shouted, some students even climbed onto tables to see better.

Aria twisted under Jason’s grip, her chair scraping across the floor. “Get your hands off me!” she snapped, her voice was sharp but still coated with panic. As she struggled to free herself, her hand hit the tray,it clattered to the ground, and the soup spilled across Jason’s sneakers.

“Aw, gross!” He let go instinctively, shaking his foot, and Aria ripped free.

She rushed towards the entrance of the cafeteria

Her footsteps echoed as she gasped for air. Laughter, jeers, and mocking whistles chased her toward the entrance of the cafeteria.

Someone threw a carton of milk,it burst against the wall beside her, spraying her hair with white liquid.

She forced her way through the doors, the chaos behind her grew faint. She used the back of her hand to wipe the tears gathering in her eyes.

Was she the first person from a poor background? Why would they treat her so badly on her first day in the school?

Just as she disappeared into the hallway, Jason’s voice rang out.

“Don’t worry, Lopez. We’ll make you kneel in the gym!” It was a warning.

The crowd erupted in jeering again, chanting after her as the doors closed behind her.

Aria’s heartbeat was still fast when she slipped into the girls’ locker room. The smell of disinfectant and sweat clung to the air. Rows of metal lockers rattled as girls laughed, gossiped, and changed into their gym clothes.

She kept her head down, praying no one would notice the soup stains on her uniform.

“Look who finally crawled in,” one of Vanessa’s friends sneered, blowing bubbles with her gum. “I thought you’d skip out after lunch?”

A wave of giggles spread through the locker room.

Aria didn’t answer. She clutched her gym bag tighter and moved to the corner locker assigned to her. She removed her uniform slightly. Her fingers fumbling with the zipper of her bag.

“Oh my God,” another girl’s voice sang out, “Hold on, are those knock-off sneakers?”

Before Aria could put them back inside, Vanessa stormed in. She snatched the bag from Aria’s hands roughly, almost pulling Aria along with the bag

“Let’s see what our little scholarship queen brought to play with.” Vanessa opened the bag and emptied its content onto the bench.

Secondhand sneakers. Faded pair of shorts. A worn towel.

The girls laughed again when they saw the contents of Aria's bag.

“Is that even washed?” one girl asked.

“She probably pulled it out of a donation bin,” another chimed in.

Aria charged forward angrily, grabbing her things, but Vanessa held onto the towel tightly and pulled it out first. “Oh, this is rich.” She held it high, waving it victoriously like a trophy for others to see properly.

“Give it back!” Aria snapped, with a trembling voice.

Vanessa smirked, then with one sharp tug, she ripped the towel apart.

Gasps and screams of delight filled the air.

Aria felt a knot in her stomach.

“Oops,” Vanessa said sweetly, letting the ripped towel fall to the floor. “I guess you’ll have to use what's left.”

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a bell ringing from afar. It echoed through the room signalling that it was time for class. Girls walked out in their spotless uniforms, still laughing, and some still whispering.

Aria squatted, quickly trying to gather her things, her face was red. But when the last girl walked out and closed the door behind her, Aria realized she was alone and half-exposed, still clutching a torn piece of the towel.

The door opened again. She heard heavy footsteps entering the locker room. From the footsteps, one could tell it wasn't the step of a girl.

Jason’s voice echoed, oozing sarcasm. “Oops. I've got the wrong door.”

The laughter behind him told her he hadn’t come alone.

Aria's eyes widened in shock, clutching the ripped towel across her chest.

Jason leaned lazily against the doorway, a cunning smirk played on his face. Three other boys crowded behind him, peering in with greedy grins.

“Sorry, ladies,” Jason spoke in a slow, smooth tone . “I think there’s a locker mix-up, right?”

“Yes,” his companions replied in unison.

“No ladies here, just Lopez.” One of them whispered.

Aria’s heart pounded in her chest. “Get out,” she snapped,the tremor in her voice betraying her. “This is the girls’ locker room.”

Jason stepped inside. The door banged shut behind him.

“Lopez, relax,” he said, spreading his arms innocently. “We just came to check if the scholarship girl needed help, you know, getting dressed.”

The other boys burst into laughter.

Aria placed her back against the lockers, her shoulder blades pressing the cold metal. She tightened her grip on the torn towel, every nerve in her was screaming silently.

Jason strolled casually towards her “What’s wrong? Are you too shy? Don’t worry,we’ve all seen worse.” He glanced over his shoulder, smirking. “Right, guys?”

“Yeah,” one chuckled, “though I've never seen anything this cheap.”

“She even borrowed her towel from a motel.” another snorted

The laughter swelled again.

Jason stopped a few inches away from her. He leaned down, his voice was low. “Come on, Lopez. Show us what you’re hiding.”

Her stomach churned.

Before she could react, Vanessa’s voice rang out from the hall. “Don’t be shy, Aria! Boys don’t bite.”

The boys roared in laughter. Jason laughed loudest, his hand snapping out, catching the edge of her towel.

Aria clamped both fists tight around it. “Don’t touch me!”

Jason tugged harder at the towel testing the strength of her grip.. The towel slipped off a bit exposing the upper part of her shoulder.

The boys cheered.

“Wooo!” one screamed

“Come on, Jason, take it off!” another said, enjoying the little show.

Her chest heaved, her nails digging into the fabric. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think of a way out. She just closed her eyes, anticipating Jason's final move.

“Enough.”

A voice said from the door, Aria opened her eyes.

Everyone turned towards the sound of the voice.

Damian stood in the doorway, with his hands in his pocket.

Jason grinned wider, his hand still holding onto Aris's towel. “Relax, man. We’re just having fun.”

Damian’s expression grew colder. “I said, Enough.”

Jason’s grin faltered, but he didn’t let go of the towel. “We’re just messing around, man. No harm.”

Damian’s gaze intensified. “You think making her cry is fun?”

Jason looked momentarily stunned. “Well, yeah.” he said looking at the other boys who had moved close to the door.

Damian’s jaw clenched, his voice low and sharp. “Then maybe I should make you kneel for me.”

The boys erupted in nervous laughter, unsure if he was joking. Jason quickly released the towel, raising his hands. “Alright, alright. Chill.”

Damian walked past him, closing the distance to Aria.

Aria took a few steps backwards pressing herself against the lockers, her heart pounding. For a few seconds, she thought,is he actually protecting me?

Unexpectedly, his hand snapped down, grabbing the torn towel from the floor. He tossed it against her chest.

“Cover yourself properly,” he ordered.

The words didn't seem kind, but it felt better.

Aria collected the towel and clutched it on her chest, trembling. She couldn’t read his face. The smirk was gone, replaced by something unnoticeable in his eyes.

Behind them, Jason muttered, “You’re seriously siding with her?”

Damian’s gaze shifted to him sharply, “I don’t like sharing my toys.”

The boys exchanged surprised looks, before Jason forced a laugh. “Yeah, whatever you say.”

Vanessa appeared in the doorway, her smile tight, and her voice sweet. “Damian, baby, let’s go. We’ll be late for warmups.”

His eyes lingered on Aria for a moment before he brushed past her, pulling Vanessa with him.Jason and the other boys followed behind..

The door slammed, leaving Aria alone, still clutching the towel, her pulse thundering in her ears.

Then a whistle shrieked from outside,the coach was calling everyone to the gym.

Aria dropped onto the bench,her hands shaking as she shoved her things back into the ripped gym bag. The towel barely clung together. She needed her uniform, anything to get out of here before more eyes found her.

She unzipped the bag.

It was empty.

She checked again, this time slowly, but it wasn't there.

She sucked in a breath. She turned it upside down, shaking it hard. Nothing. Her gym shirt and shorts are gone. She looked around the locker room. And found nothing.

Her throat tightened. She brought it to school, she recalled putting it inside before leaving the house. She checked the bag again for holes. There was none.

How did it get out of her bag? Then she realized she had company earlier and it seemed they took it.

The whistle blew again outside. She heard movement outside the locker room, students were heading to the gym.

Soon, someone would come looking, someone would notice she wasn’t there.

Aria’s chest constricted. If she walked out like this, wrapped in a towel, she’d be finished. But if she stayed here,Vanessa would make sure everyone knew anyway.

Her head dropped into her hands. For the second time all day, she felt tears prick the corners of her eyes.

“No, I can't. I can't let them see me this way. No!” She muttered under her breath, sniffing.

Suddenly, she heard a faint sound.

Her head jerked up.

On the bench beside her sat a folded set of clean gym clothes.

Her eyes darted around the room. There was no one.

“Hello” she said, standing up to look at the other side of the locker room.

There was no response, the only sounds she heard were the sound of the distant whistle, and the muffled thud of basketballs hitting the gym floor.

Her hands hovered over the fabric, trembling. She kept asking, where did this come from? How did it get here?

From the corner of her eye, she caught the smallest movement, a shadow shifted at the far end of the lockers.

But when she turned her head, the space was empty.

No one was there.

Her heart pounded as she clutched the uniform to her chest, confused, and scared,unable to wait another second. She slipped into the clothes as fast as she could, tying her sneakers with shaky hands.

When she looked up again, the bench where the uniform had appeared was bare.

The locker room door closed loudly. Aria rushed to the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever just closed the door.