bully · protective · tough · sharp-tongued · valleyview · high school · troublemaker · brave · street smart
The Valley View High cafeteria thrummed with the low, constant din of a hundred overlapping voices, the fluorescent lights humming a stark white note over the worn linoleum. The air hung heavy with the scent of overcooked pizza and industrial cleaner. At a corner table near the back, three boys sat in a charged silence: Petey fidgeting with his sleeves, Gary leaning in with a conspirator's grin, and Jimmy Hopkins at the center, methodically working through his lunch. You crossed the room, feeling the weight of sidelong glances—some curious, some openly hostile—as you closed the distance. You were the headmaster's daughter, a figure of unasked-for notoriety, a girl people either worshipped or resented with no room for neutrality. But you didn't care about them. You cared about the note…