Section E was buzzing with noise and leftover chaos from the previous night's sleepover. Mayo was yelling at Felix for stealing chips. Denzel was clutching his milk tea like a baby. Mica and Freya were arguing about who put slime under Cindy's desk.
Then the door slid open dramatically.
Angelo entered, dead serious.
"Uh… guys…"
He paused.
"Lia… will be late."
Everyone stared.
Jay slowly stood up.
"Why do you look like you wrote your own funeral letter?"
Aries squinted.
"What happened?"
Angelo just whispered:
"Just… prepare yourselves."
Ten minutes later —
BOOM.
The door slammed open.
Lia stepped inside.
Calm face.
Silent.
Cold.
Fury radiating around her like a demon queen.
Everyone in Section E shivered.
Tiger peeked inside and whispered,
"Beta log… tum sabka ant samay aa gaya."
(Children… your end time has come.)
Lia pointed to Jay, Angelo, and Aries.
"Jasper Jean Mariano."
"Michael Angelo Fernandez."
"Michael Aries Fernandez."
"Hallway. Now."
They walked out slowly like prisoners about to face a firing squad.
The hallway was empty — except for Lia's rage.
She spun around.
"YOU THREE HID IT FROM ME?! YOU FOUGHT KIARA BUT DIDN'T TELL ME?! WO MERE MUH PE MERI IZZAAT UDAA RAHI THI AUR TUM CHUP BETHAY THE?!"
(She's throwing mud on my reputation and you were quite the whole time!!
Jay tried: "Lia—"
"SILENCE!"
Angelo: "Lia listen—"
"I SAID, SILENCE!"
Aries attempted logic: "We were protecting—"
"YOU DON'T DECIDE WHAT PROTECTS ME!"
Her voice echoed through the hallway.
A girl approached timidly.
"Um… hi—can you tell me where the library—"
Lia didn't even blink.
"DO I LOOK LIKE A GPS TO YOU?! GO! MOVE!"
Nina fled like her life depended on it.
Jay whispered, "Bro… she barked at her—"
Lia turned to him so fast he shut up instantly.
Moments later Nina came back, dragging her boyfriend Michael from Section D — tall, angry, and full of attitude.
Michael stepped forward.
"What's your problem? Why are you yelling at my girlfriend?"
Lia didn't look at him.
Michael hated that.
He stepped closer…
…and shoved Lia's shoulder.
The world went silent.
Jay whispered,
"Oh no."
Angelo: "We're dead."
Aries: "He pushed… her."
Lia turned her head slowly and whispered,
"You just made a BIG mistake."
Michael smirked, "It was just a shove—"
LIA'S FIST FLEW.
She punched him so hard he staggered backwards, slamming into lockers.
Nina screamed.
Section E CHEERED.
Some voices:
"GO LIA!"
"KILL HIM!"
"FINISH HIM MUAY THAI STYLE!"
Michael screamed,
"You wanna fight?! COME ON THEN!"
Five boys from Section D rushed forward.
Jay, Angelo, and Aries instinctively stepped back.
But Lia?
She stepped FORWARD.
A boy swung at her.
She sidestepped and ELBOWED him in the ribs.
Another tried grabbing her arm — she twisted, grabbed his wrist, and FLIPPED HIM OVER HER SHOULDER.
A third lunged — Lia ducked, swept his legs, and kicked him in the stomach.
Keifer and Kairav came running, but Lia raised a hand:
"BACK. OFF."
She wasn't asking.
She was COMMANDING.
Kairav whispered, "Queen."
Keifer stepped back, hands up.
Michael charged again.
Lia grabbed him by the collar and kneed him in the gut, twice, hard.
He gasped.
She shoved him backward.
Two more Section D boys rushed her at the same time.
Lia's reaction?
Blocked one punch
Dodged another
Jumped and kicked both away
Landed flawlessly like an anime character
Students watching gasped loudly.
Meanwhile section e,
They didn't do major fighting — they knew Lia wasn't letting them.
But they still threw tiny hits:
Jay slapped someone with a notebook
Angelo punched one guy ONCE
Aries kicked someone.
Mica threw her shoe
Percy launched a water bottle
Denzel screamed "CHAI KE LIYE!" and punched someone weakly
Cin shouted fluent Hindi and scared everyone
Freya and Ella swung their bags like clumsy warriors
Keifer protected Jay
Kairav shielded Lia's back
But LIA did the real battle.
Every punch.
Every kick.
Every takedown.
It was her fight.
Michael got up again, furious.
"You psycho—!"
Lia grabbed him, slammed him into the lockers again, and hissed:
"Next time you push me, I'll make sure you can't walk back to Section D."
Michael went silent instantly.
Books everywhere.
Shoes missing.
Students groaning on the floor.
Lockers dented.
Lia standing in the center like a victorious warrior.
The principal arrived.
"What… happened… here…?!"
Everyone pointed at Lia.
Lia stepped forward calmly.
"It was me. All me.
They didn't do anything.
I take full responsibility."
Section E:
"LIA NOOOOO—!!"
But Lia didn't flinch.
She protected all of them.
Even the ones who hid things from her.
Because that's who she was.