What happens when a school bully lays hands on the quiet girl? Sometimes the quietest person in the room has the loudest story to tell. In ten seconds, everything Jake thought he knew about Emma would change forever. This is that story, and it’ll make you think twice about judging anyone.
Emma Rodriguez walked through the halls of Lincoln High like a ghost, there but barely noticed. Her long brown hair fell like a curtain around her face, and that cream-colored cardigan she always wore seemed to make her blend into the beige brick walls. She’d perfected the art of invisibility over the past three years.
Head down, earbuds in, moving with purpose, but never too fast. Never drawing attention, that was the key to surviving high school when you were different. But Jake Morrison had other plans.
Well, well, well, his voice cut through the morning chatter like a knife. Look who decided to show her face today. Emma’s stomach clenched.
She could feel his presence before she even saw him, that particular brand of teenage arrogance that filled a room. Jake was everything she wasn’t. Loud, confident, surrounded by admirers who laughed at his every word.
I’m talking to you, Rodriguez, he called out, his sneakers squeaking against the polished floor as he approached. The hallway began to quiet. Other students slowed their pace, sensing drama brewing.