Titi's voice rose to a scream, shaking the walls.
"Yeah, seems you really forgot who my family is. Thanks for bringing them up, Fabian… Do you idiots even remember who my family is? Do you know how much money we pour into this university every single year? Millions. My family built half of these programs. Without us, this place collapses. If you go through with this, I'll make sure every cent is pulled. Let's see how your precious school survives when my family cuts you off!"
Gasps tore through the room. Witnesses shifted uneasily, some whispering, others staring wide eyed. Fabian's jaw clenched, his fists tight, ready to explode himself.
Joseph's calm cracked. He stood, his voice booming like thunder.
"Enough, Ms. Bardot! Do you think money excuses violence? Do you think donations buy you immunity from accountability? This university does not bow to threats, and I will not tolerate you using your family's contributions as a weapon."
Titi sneered, eyes blazing.
"You'll regret this. My father will hear about it, and when he does, you'll be begging for mercy. You think your little authority means anything when my family can erase your entire budget with one phone call?"
Joseph leaned forward, his tone sharp as steel, his anger now matching hers.
"Your arrogance is astounding. You attempted to strike another student not just once but multiple times, with other students too, which I turned a blind eye to because your father begged for your ass every time. Fabian stopped you. Renae reacted, yes, but she did not harm anyone. You were the aggressor. And now you dare to threaten this institution as if your family's money makes you untouchable? Let me make this crystal clear: USC's integrity is not for sale. If your family withdraws donations, so be it. But your behavior will still have consequences."
The silence that followed was suffocating. Even the witnesses looked shaken. I squeezed Renae's hand, whispering, "She's digging her own grave."
The verdict came swift.
"Veronica Thompson and Renae Richards," one announced, "light disciplinary action. One week behavioral check ins. Written reflection due at the end of the week. No restrictions. Renae, you will receive a formal written warning. Any further incidents of threatening behavior will result in probation or suspension. Fabian and the other witnesses, thank you for being here."
Joseph spoke again, ignoring Titi's protests. Fabian shook his head, still upset.
"She shouldn't have been punished at all. Titi was the source. Renae was defending her sister. But fine—at least Titi got what she deserved."
Titi's glare at Fabian could have cut glass.
"You think you're some hero, Fabian? Pinning me like that? You humiliated me in front of everyone. And now you're begging for her like she's innocent. Pathetic. You will pay for this… you all will."
She laughed bitterly, shaking her head.
"Unbelievable. You're all blind. She's dangerous, not me. And you'll regret letting her off easy. That girl needs mental help… like the whole damn hospital," Julian muttered, shaking his head at the entire scene. It was utter bullshit, but I knew deep down he was relieved.
Joseph raised his hand again, silencing the room.
"This hearing is concluded. Titi… this university is about opportunity, not destruction. Learn from this and protect each other without violence. This goes for everyone in this room. Titi, you will comply with the probation terms. Any further outbursts will escalate your punishment. Leave now."
Titi grabbed her bag, her friends trailing behind her like tics, muttering curses under her breath as she stormed out, slamming the door so hard the walls rattled.
Renae smirked, leaning back as Dad finally released his restraint on her.
"That's it? Damn, I thought we'd at least get detention."
I grinned, adrenaline still buzzing.
"Me too."
Watching her go, my smile turned dangerous.
"She can rage all she wants. She knows now—mess with us, and she'll pay for it."
I squeezed Renae's hand, Fabian still shaking his head in frustration. The tension lingered, but one thing was clear: Titi's fury wasn't over… and we were ready.
We sat back in the empty room, watching Dad's hands cover his face. He sighed deeply, then shot up, glaring at us.
"One day—"
"Dad, come on—" Renae started.
"Shut up, Renae," Julian snapped through his teeth, trying to mask his anger. "I promised your mom a very relaxing evening… Does this seem relaxing to you?"
"Dad, I am—"
"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!" He slammed his hands on the table, his voice breaking. "You promised… fine, you were defending your sister, I get it. But there must have been other ways. Other ways, Renae, to de escalate this situation. But what did you do? And against the Bardot family? I am proud and disappointed at you at the same time."
Renae sat quietly, tears welling in her eyes as she looked away from him.
"You are amazing, Renae. Best daughter a dad could ever ask for. But violence doesn't always solve our issues. Logic and a good headspace does. If she had hit you… fine. By all means, take my car and run her the fuck over. Self defense." His voice shook, his sigh heavy, showing how much he hated lecturing his princess.
"I'm sorry," Renae finally burst out, tears streaming. Dad pulled her into a hug. I looked over at the door, Fabian watching the whole scene, sadness in his eyes.
"Mom's gonna kill me," Renae whispered through her tears.
"Well, she's gonna have to kill both of us," I said, smiling wide at her.
Julian cracked back into his fun self. "Well, sleeping under the stars with mosquitoes biting our ass—'Let me suck your blood, blah ba blah'—catching a couple mountain chickens, pushing a stick through their asses, dropping them on a grill, eating with my two favorite girls doesn't sound too bad. 'Cause your momma's gonna scale all our asses."
Renae laughed through her tears, putting on a Dracula voice. "Mountain chicken, blah ba blah."
"What's blah ba blah, and what's a mountain chicken?" I asked, curious, as six pairs of eyes turned on me.
"You aren't human, are you?" Fabian broke the silence.
"Hotel Transylvania. And frog like… Are you from planet Earth?" Renae teased, wiping her tears away.
Ewwww. Did she just—did he just—ewww. Who kills frogs and eats them? My inner voice screamed in disgust.
My face contorted in horror, eyes bulging like they were about to pop out of my head.
"What?! No way! Who eats frog?!" I screamed, my voice laced with utter disgust. My stomach lurched violently, and I slapped a hand over my mouth, like I was about to vomit right there. "Mountain chicken? More like monster frog!"
"Hold her," Renae said, coming closer to pull me into a hug while my entire face screamed you monsters.
"Your face looks like you're about to catch a stroke," Julian said, moving closer. My muscles twitched involuntarily. I shot up, grabbed my stuff, and bolted for the door. One quick glance back—and then I ran.
What if these motherfuckers wanted to eat me? I mean… they fucking ate frogs.
"Ribbit, ribbit," Renae croaked like a frog as she chased me down the hall, Julian and Fabian jogging lightly behind us, laughing.
Yes, laughing at me because I never knew what mountain chicken was, and Renae wasn't making it any easier.
Arriving at the car, I waited for Renae and Dad. When the door clicked open, I hopped in the back. Renae and Julian slid into the front.
"Sooooo," Julian said, turning to us with a plan written all over his face. The crazy, scary thing was—I didn't even know what the plan was about.
He started lecturing, half joking, half serious. "Your mother's been working twelve hours keeping a ward alive. Now she's coming home to kill us. Congratulations."
Renae laughed nervously. "She's gonna still be in scrubs, scalpel in one hand, just ready."
"And we're the patients," I said, my tone serious.
My words wiped the smiles off their faces. The reality of the situation soaked in. Julian's tone shifted, serious now, scared as fuck.
"Do you two even realize what you've done? Your mother's been on since seven in the morning—running an entire ward. She's been keeping people alive all day. And now she's coming home to kill us."
"Honestly, that's impressive. Save lives by day, end ours by night. Talk about balance." Renae joked, but her voice was starting to crack, panic bleeding through the edges.
I watched her laugh nervously, the sound bouncing awkwardly in the car, and for a second it felt less like a joke and more like a prophecy.
"You wanna make jokes? She…is…going…to…kill…us!" I screamed, imagining Mom peeling our skin off with nothing but words and turning it into soup.
Julian went mock-dramatic.
"Exactly. And trust me, she doesn't need scalpels for this surgery. She's got words sharp enough to cut bone. Twelve hours at the hospital, and now twelve minutes to dismantle her children."
Renae laughed, though her voice carried a defensive edge. "Dad, come on. It was my first offense. They acted like I was plotting world domination."
Julian raised a finger, his tone shifting into that familiar lecturing cadence. "First offense or not, you threatened someone. That's not world domination, that's self-destruction. And let me tell you—your mother doesn't need USC to suspend you. She'll suspend your Wi-Fi, your Netflix, and your social life in one swing."
I snorted from the back seat, shaking my head. "Honestly, that's worse than expulsion."
Julian nodded, confirming the universal truth. "Exactly. Expulsion is temporary. Losing Wi-Fi? Eternal damnation."
Our laughter filled the car, bouncing off the windows, nervous and uneven. It was the kind of laughter that tried to mask fear, the kind that said maybe we'll survive this. But then the shrill ring of Julian's phone cut through the noise.
All three of us froze. Renae's smile vanished. My eyes widened. Julian's hand, still raised mid-lecture, dropped slowly to the steering wheel as if it had turned to stone.
The car went silent except for the insistent ringing.
Renae whispered, her voice tight with panic. "That's her."
I clutched the seatbelt across my chest like it was armor. "We're dead."
Julian swallowed hard, his mock bravado gone. He reached for the phone with the caution of a man defusing a bomb.
He glanced at us, grimaced, and answered on speaker. The faint hum of a hospital ward bled through—machines beeping, clipped voices in the background.
"Julian. Put me on speaker. Now." Mom's voice was clipped, tired but sharp.
Julian leaned back, whispering to us with mock gravity. "Alright, brace yourselves."
"I've been on rounds," Mom snapped. "Do you know what it's like to run an entire ward all day? Forty patients, three emergencies, one doctor who thinks he's God. And then I get a call about you two in a disciplinary hearing?"
"Technically," Renae tried to joke, "it was light disciplinary action. Like, diet punishment. Low calorie."
"Renae Thompson," Mom shot back, her tone deadly serious, "I don't care if it was sugar-free. You embarrassed this family. And you—Veronica—don't think you're off the hook. Reflection essay? I expect Shakespeare."
"Mom, it's literally one page," I groaned.
"One page?" Mom cut me off. "Did this girl just say one page like it was a trophy from the United States of America? Veronica, listen and listen well… you better make it the best damn page USC has ever seen. Because when I get home, I'll be grading it harder than your professors."
Julian cleared his throat, trying to lighten the mood. "Sweetheart, maybe we should wait until you're home to—"
"Julian, don't 'sweetheart' me," she snapped. "You're supposed to keep them in line. Instead, you let them waltz into a hearing like it's a talent show. Do you know how this looks?"
Julian leaned toward us, whispering like a man announcing doom. "She's running on hospital coffee. That's the deadliest kind. We're doomed."
Mom's sigh crackled through the speaker, heavy with exhaustion. "I've been on my feet since dawn. I'm exhausted, I'm furious, and when I walk through that door tonight, you better be ready. Because saving lives is my job. But disciplining you three? That's my hobby."
The line went dead. Silence filled the car. We stared at Julian.
"Well," Julian said flatly, "that went well. Anyone else feel like we just got admitted to the ICU?"
Renae snorted. "Yeah. ICU stands for 'I See You Dead.'"
I groaned, clicking my seatbelt tighter, clutching it like it was the only safe thing in the world. "She's gonna skin us alive. And she won't even need anesthesia."
Julian and Renae gulped nervously. He shakily fastened his seatbelt, followed by Renae, before starting the car and putting it in reverse.
"How did you get here?" Renae asked, trying to break the silence.
"The bus… now shut up so I can prepare for your mom's death execution," Julian muttered, voice shaking as he put the car in drive.
Silence.
That was us the entire ride home… knowing once Mom walked through that door… WE ARE DEAD.