The next day at school, tensions simmered beneath the surface as Victoria made her way through the crowded halls. As she passed by a group of girls, she caught snippets of their conversation, glances and whispers that made her blood boil.
But it wasn't until she rounded a corner and came face to face with Sarah, one of the girls who had been talking about her, that things truly exploded. Before Victoria could stop herself, harsh words flew from her lips, igniting a firestorm of anger and resentment between them.
The argument escalated quickly, devolving into a heated exchange of insults and accusations. Victoria's chest heaved with rage as she faced off against Sarah, her fists clenched at her sides.
Suddenly, without warning, Sarah lunged forward, her hands reaching out to grab Victoria's hair. Victoria fought back, her adrenaline pumping as she landed a solid punch to Sarah's jaw.
The hallway erupted into chaos as the two girls began to physically fight, their screams echoing off the walls. Students and teachers rushed forward, trying to pull them apart, but the frenzy of the moment was too intense to be stopped.
Just as Victoria felt herself being dragged away from Sarah, she caught a glimpse of Mr Reed out of the corner of her eye. Her heart lurched with a mixture of fear and longing as she saw the worry etched into his features.
For a moment, she locked eyes with him, silently pleading for him to come to her aid. But she knew that he couldn't, that he was bound by the rules and obligations of his position as a teacher.
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the fight was over. Mr Reed stepped forward, his strong arms reaching out to pull Victoria away from the chaos.
'Enough!' he bellowed, his voice cutting through the tumult like a knife. 'Breathe.'
Victoria collapsed against him, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to catch her breath. Around them, the other students and teachers worked to pull Sarah away, their voices a cacophony of confusion and concern.
As the chaos began to dissipate, Mr Reed turned to Victoria, his expression softening with concern. 'Are you okay?' he asked his voice gentle.
'Get off of me.' Victoria rolled her eyes, and moved from his grip.
'Are you okay? What happened?' Mr Reed asks, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer.
'Ale... Mr Reed... please get off of me.' Victoria said with a fake smile.
'Sorry. I forgot.' Mr Reed nodded and backed away.
Victoria gathered her stuff, and headed with Mr Reed and the headteacher to the office, with Mr Reed holding her wrist, while walking into the office with her.