Down the hallway, Bella and Natie walk out of the room with the latter having an unsatisfied strong facade. She got one wrong answer in their Calculus test and she was disappointed. Just one point and she’ll get an A+. But woefully, that did not happen. 

“I’m just confused, how did you get 755? My calculator says 745. I kept solving for it over and over again and I kept getting the same result.” Natie breathes a sigh as they both open their lockers. Bella puts her textbooks in that she will not be reviewing tonight and takes her homeworks with her.

“It’s the last 2 weeks of school, Natie. Give yourself a break, come on.”

Natie shakes her head aggressively in response. “I ain’t gonna be a senior without getting the explanation behind this ing solution.”

“Okay, then. Call me tonight at 8 and I’ll tell you how, okay?” She replies and shuts her locker close.

“Why? You can just teach me now. We’re still at school.” Natie asks and raises her brows.

“I need to hurry home. It’s mom’s birthday and I’m going to bake her a cake.” Bella winks at her and wears her jansport backpack.

“Can I join you?!” Natie gives her tiny jumps, palms under her chin.

“Yeah, sure. Mom would love to have you around.” Bella says and then scrutinises the hallway, looking for a sign of Rafaela and her friends.

“I caught a glimpse of them in the field, don't worry.” Natie tells her that puts her at ease. 

Natie walks Bella to the bathroom, making sure she's safe. Albeit there’s really nothing that she can do. Natie has a very small figure and she also has a kid’s voice. As much as she wants to fight Rafa, she admits that she’d go flying in the polluted air if Rafa kicks her lightly when she messes with them. 

Natie waits outside the comfort room. She leans against the cold wall while scrutinising the piece of paper of her solution. She can’t just accept she got it wrong. She does not understand her subject teacher’s explanation about it earlier.

Suddenly, some dickhead flings her paper down, tearing it apart. 

“Hey!” Is the only thing Natie is able to let out. It’s Rafa and her unfortunate group of friends, Natie calls them. 

“Hey, airhead. Bella must be in there, aye?” Cassie asks as she sets down her elbow under Natie’s shoulder, which she pushes off immediately.

“Leave her alone!” Natie yells. Then Tera shuts her up, covers with her palm and takes her eyeglasses off of her and spits her chewed gums on it.

“You’re so noisy, Natie little kitt—”

“Shh!” Rafa shushes, her back facing them. “There she is.” She tells them as soon as she sees Bella’s shadow coming out of the comfort room. Rafa tilts her head, cracking her neck. “I’m in the mood to break some ing bones.” She brings her back leg into a chamber position by pulling it up towards her opposite shoulder.

Before Bella could even dudge it, the powerful kick Rafa has thrown, striking her head makes her fall unconscious. The last thing Bella could ever remember was hearing indistinct noises from outside of the comfort room and her head hitting the cold concrete. 

“She’s so lame. I didn’t even get to do the trick I learned from the internet.” Rafa looks down on her as she hardly and violently steps onto Bella’s finger. Natie’s afraid that her friend might wake up with a new non-functional finger.

“Rafaela! Stop it, you ! Pitiful, unfortunate, stupid !” She screams at the top of her lungs when she notices Bella’s head begins to bleed out. Tera pins her small figure against the wall, preventing Natie from moving and hurting them with her tiny fist.

“Oh, Shut up! What is a preschool student even doing here?” Rafa throws her a look. “Tell your friend to leave this place next