Trouble is now following her at every corner

Zoan isn't too sure, but she certainly feels like someone is watching her. "Zoan? Is something wrong?" Jiho asks, her face filled with concern as Zoan turns toward the open doors of their classroom.

The others had left for break time—not too keen on staying inside. Now it was just Jiho, Zoan, and Ving, who was busy at the front of the class, quietly wiping the teacher's table.

"Hn? Ah—nothing, I thought I saw someone at the door," Zoan replies, spotting a strand of hair blown by the wind at the corner of the doorway. There really was someone there. Who could it be? Zoan wonders, while Jiho hums beside her, nodding slightly.

"Okay, if you say so," Jiho responds, turning back to her work and humming under her breath. She lets out a soft sound when she sees Ving walking up to them with a small smile.

"Hello, good morning Jiho—Zoan. Would it be alright if Jiho and I talk in private?" Ving asks, turning to Zoan, whose eyes widen. She nods slightly and stands, allowing Ving to take her chair.

"Ah, sure, go ahead. I'll head to the bathroom anyway," Zoan says, waving a hand as Ving gives her a thankful nod before taking a seat and turning to Jiho to speak in hushed tones.

Zoan stuffs her hands into the pockets of her blazer for a moment before turning to the door and walking out. She needs to wash her hands—she had accidentally been writing on them earlier, and the ink smudges are becoming too distracting.

She dodges a few girls running in the halls and enters the bathroom silently. It's empty—thank goodness, because she really hates sharing the bathroom with others. It just feels awkward.

Zoan runs water over her hands, scrubbing with soap to get the ink off. Just then, the door swings open with a slam, and three girls enter.

Zoan turns at the noise, raising an eyebrow.

Oh—it's that weird silver-haired girl and her, uh… lackeys? Zoan ponders, giving them an odd look as they stare at her. She quickly looks away and wipes her hands with a tissue.

Maybe it was just a coincidence that they entered the bathroom at the same time as Zoan.

As she tried to walk past them, the rainbow-haired girl suddenly grabbed the front of her blazer and shoved her against the wall, lifting her as if she were a sack of potatoes, completely disregarding her weight.

Zoan let out a confused noise as the silver-haired girl approached, glaring down at her.

"You know—you fucking pissed me off yesterday. Do you even know who I am?" she hissed. Zoan grabbed the arm holding her and shot back, "Should I? You're not some celebrity, are you? Because I don't really care."

Before she could react, she was slammed to the floor, crashing into a trash can that toppled over her.

Tissues and trash tumbled down, and the three girls laughed at her as if she were a joke. "What the fuck?!" Zoan yelled, kicking the debris away as she struggled to stand. The blonde girl kicked her again, sending her crashing back, her back thudding painfully against the stall.

"She's all talk, no bite," the blonde sneered.

"God, you're so right, Lor," the silver-haired girl cackled, tossing a strand of hair from her face. Zoan glared back, frustration boiling inside her.

Is she seriously getting bullied just for refusing to befriend them? What the hell?

"She's a nerd—a pervert. Of course, she doesn't know how to fight," the rainbow-haired idiot taunted. Zoan stifled the urge to sneer; she could easily handle them if it weren't for the fact that her father would be furious.

But isn't this self-defense? she thought.

"Tsk, whatever. She's getting too boring anyways. I'll think of what to do with her next time. Let's go," the silver-haired girl clicked her tongue, disappointed at the lack of reaction from Zoan, who remained on the floor, head lowered.

The three girls left the bathroom, leaving Zoan sitting amid the trash, her clothes ruined. She was pretty sure she had landed on a stained pad, and her skirt was mostly covered in blood. Definitely…

She walks back to her classroom, refusing to raise her head as she hears gasps and feels burning stares at the back of her head. She certainly looks laugh-worthy, with a.... is that really period blood stain on her skirt?

She's also certain she lost one of her buttons when the rainbow-haired girl grabbed her.

"Is she okay?" someone whispers. "I knew it when I saw Aliani, Lorelai, and Saige following her like a pack of hyenas," another replies, and Zoan turns to glare at them.

She watches them wilt under her gaze.

Stifling a sigh, Zoan approaches the shut door of her classroom, already embarrassed about what she's about to reveal.

"Z—Zoan! What happened?!" Jiho yelps like a wounded puppy as Zoan slides the door open, her hair a mess, clothes rumpled and dirty as she stumbles inside.

She refuses to acknowledge the stares from her classmates as she sits beside Jiho, who is almost shaking with a mix of fear and worry, her hands hovering over Zoan's arm and shoulder as if unsure of what to do.

Ving stands from her seat, looking furious—no, beyond furious—as she walks up to Zoan. "Who did this?"

—

Zoan flinched when something cold was placed against the lower part of her back—it was an ice pack that Jiho had set there. Ving had told Jiho to take Zoan to the clinic while she went to find Atiro to discuss the bullying issue.

"I told you, I'm fine. This is nothing," Zoan said, laying on her chest with a chuckle, but Jiho let out a small, weak noise from the back of her throat.

"How can you say that? This was Aliani and the others' doing, wasn't it? I knew it; this is all my fault," Jiho whimpered, sitting in the chair beside the bed. Zoan sighed, resisting the urge to groan.

She wasn't the best person for comforting someone in pain; she really wasn't equipped for that. But Jiho needed reassurance that it wasn't her fault.

Zoan placed a hand over Jiho's. "Relax, it's not your fault. Besides, I don't feel hurt at all; it doesn't really hurt," she said, laying her head on the soft pillow and relishing its comfort—she could certainly take a nap right now and use it to her advantage.

As she closed her eyes, planning to do just that, she suddenly heard sniffles.

Jiho was crying.