**Two months later**
In these two months, the monster boys had begun visiting the school far too often for "official matters."
Each arrival sent a quiet tremor through the corridors. Conversations died mid-sentence, laughter thinned into uneasy silence, and even the teachers straightened as if summoned by an unseen command.
As board members, they carried authority—but it was the kind edged with cold scrutiny. Their footsteps echoed like verdicts, their presence heavy, watchful, feared by everyone who crossed their path.
Over these past two months, Vernon carried the girl's memory like a quiet ache beneath his ribs.
More than once, he had stood at the edge of decision, tempted to return to the school and search for the girl he had seen that night—the one whose handkerchief still rested folded in his pocket.
The girl who had fallen against him on the campus floor.
The girl whose brief touch had unsettled something deep and unnamed inside him.
He had thought about her—everytime walking through that school gate, scanning corridors.
But each time, a feeling tightened around his heart.
If he went looking for her, his world would follow. And his world was not kind. It would bring danger her innocent soul doesn't deserve.
If he goes near her and the Krossvales finds out, they will surely destroy her .
So he stayed away.
He convinced himself that distance was protection. That silence was mercy. That his absence was the safest gift he could offer her.
And in the quiet of his nights, he wished only one thing—
that she would never cross paths with the Krossvales within those school walls.
-----
Within these two months, the bond between Ira and Alina had grown deep and unbreakable. They were now inseparable — eating lunch together every day, walking home side by side, sharing secrets on the rooftop stairs. Ira had become Alina's safe place, and Alina had become Ira's quiet strength.
Their friendship had become a quiet sanctuary in the middle of the school's constant tension.
One ordinary Thursday afternoon, during the short break between periods, disaster struck.
Alina had been feeling cramps all morning but hadn't said anything.
As she walked , a small dark stain was seen on the back of her gray uniform skirt.
Vanessa Blake said,
"Oh my God, look at her!" she burst out loudly, pointing. "Alina just bled all over herself!"
Ava Collins let out a loud, mocking laugh .
"Eww! Period stain! Right inside the classroom like a little baby who can't control herself!"
Sophia covered her mouth dramatically. "That's disgusting. How can you even walk around like that? Everyone's watching it."
Daria smirked, tilting her head. "Poor thing. Must be embarrassing. Imagine leaking like a baby in front of the whole school."
Alina's face burned red. She tried to cover the stain with her hands.
Sophia Bennett covered her mouth dramatically. "That's disgusting. Did you forget to wear a pad, loser? Or are you just that clueless?"
Daria Solen smirked, voice dripping with fake pity. "Poor thing. Maybe your orphanage didn't teach you basic hygiene?"
Students started at them—some giggling nervously, others looking away uncomfortably.
Alina's face burned red with shame. She tried the best to cover the back of her skirt with her hands, eyes filling with tears. Her cramps were already making her feel weak and dizzy.
Ira's saw it.
She stepped in front of Alina, voice sharp and trembling with anger.
"Shut up! All of you! Leave her alone!"
Vanessa raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Look who's talking. The new girl playing hero again. You really think you can tell us what to do?"
Daria sneered. "What's wrong, Ira? Can't handle seeing your precious Alina embarrassed? Maybe you should teach her how to be a proper girl instead of acting like a dirty orphan."
Ava sneered. "Mind your own business. Or do you want us to beat you ?"
Sophia laughed. "Yeah, go away. This is between us and the bleeding mess over there."
Daria looked Alina up and down with disgust.
"Pathetic. Can't even control your own body. No wonder no one wants you."
Alina's eyes filled with humiliated tears. She was trembling, clutching her skirt, clearly in pain and too weak to fight back.
Ira screamed,
" Shut up. I said leave her alone! She's sick. She's hurting. You're all just cruel for no reason. You're disgusting."
Vanessa's face twisted with rage.
"You think you can talk to us like that? You're nothing but a new bitch who thinks she's special because she fell on Vernon Krossvale. Stay in your lane before we ruin you too."
The bell rang, but no one moved.
Alina was now visibly shaking, face pale, one hand pressed to her lower stomach.
Ira turned to her gently.
"Go home, Alina. You're not well. I'll handle this."
Alina looked at her with teary, grateful eyes, then nodded weakly and slipped away toward the gate, trying to hide the stain with her bag.
Ira glared at the four girls one last time.
"Stay away from her."
As Ira helped a shaky, tearful Alina out of the classroom, the bully girls stood there fuming.
Vanessa stared at Ira, voice venomous.
"I won't spare you."
But Ira didn't pay any attention to her.
-----
The monster boys came to Draxton High again on this humid Thursday afternoon.
No convoy this time—just one black SUV pulling up quietly at the side gate. The seven of them stepped out in black, faces unreadable, coats open, moving like they already owned every brick.
They didn't go to the principal's office.
They walked straight to the staff room on the ground floor.
Teachers inside froze the moment the door opened. Papers slipped from hands. Coffee cups trembled. Faces turned ashen.
Kai entered first, mirrored sunglasses reflecting the terrified eyes staring back at him. He didn't sit. He stood in the center of the room, hands in pockets.
The other six fanned out behind him — silent, still, suffocating.
Kai's voice was calm, almost bored.
"We're checking attendance today. Every teacher will personally verify that no student is absent without written permission. Any discrepancies go directly to me. Understood?"
No one answered. They didn't dare.
Kai tilted his head.
"I said… understood?"
A chorus of shaky "Yes, sir" filled the room.
---
Meanwhile, on the second floor, from the windows overlooking the courtyard, Sophia watched the monster boys coming and said, "they are here!"
Vanessa smirked.
Vanessa's cheek still carried the faint memory of Ira's slap. They were always jealous of Ira . And today's incident — Ira standing up for Alina again — was the final spark.
They cornered Ira in the empty corridor just after the bell.
Four against one.
Ava grabbed Ira from behind, clamping a hand over her mouth so hard Ira's teeth bit into her palm. Sophia and Daria seized her arms, twisting them behind her back. Vanessa stepped in front, eyes blazing.
"You think you're some hero?" Vanessa hissed. "Standing up for that bleeding bitch? You don't learn, do you?"
Ira struggled, muffled sounds escaping against Ava's palm.
They dragged her — kicking, twisting — into the second-floor girls' bathroom at the end of the corridor. The door slammed shut. Sophia locked it.
To be continued.....