Dog eat dog world

Zoan never really considered Lisa a close friend, but Lisa definitely did. She always approached Zoan with hugs and warm smiles, as if they shared a deep bond.

"Is there something you need?" Zoan asked, glancing up from her desk as Lisa grinned at her.

In front of Zoan, Adonis and Desmond had turned their chairs to face her, both engrossed in conversation while she tried to read her book. She wished they would notice her focus and leave her alone.

"Actually, yes," Lisa said, twirling her hair between her fingers as she popped her gum loudly. Zoan looked around the empty classroom; everyone else had gone to the cafeteria.

"What is it?" she replied, reluctantly closing her book. Lisa seized her arm, wrapping it around Zoan's and flashing a sickly sweet smile. "Come with us! We have a surprise for you. I heard a certain girl is bothering you… so… Come on!" She tugged Zoan out of the room, calling for Adonis and Desmond like they were loyal guard dogs.

Zoan's brows furrowed as they walked toward the computer lab—the abandoned one, with only old desks remaining since the new lab had been built elsewhere.

Lisa stopped in front of the door, beaming at Zoan like a proud idiot. "I heard from Adonis that he saw you with someone, and that this certain girl is bothering you. So we did this for you!" She swung the door open and gestured for Zoan to enter.

Inside, Zoan paused, bewildered by the dark room. Dust covered every surface, and a newspaper stuck to the window barely filtered the sunlight, casting a single ray onto the floor.

Then she heard it—sniffling and whimpering. What was that?

"What are we doing here?" Zoan mustered the courage to ask, but before she could process the noise, Lisa flicked the lights on, signaling for Adonis to shut the door as she dragged Zoan toward the corner of the room.

Zoan freezes. In the corner of the room sits Mei, her legs bound with duct tape, hands taped behind her back, and a sock stuffed in her mouth.

"What are you doing?" Zoan mutters, confusion and disgust flooding her as she turns to Lisa, whose face morphs into a mock pout. "What? You don't like it?" Lisa crouches next to Mei, grabbing a fistful of her hair and forcing Mei to look up at Zoan.

Tears spill from Mei's eyes, and Zoan's heart races—what the hell is happening? What could possibly be going through Lisa's mind?

Lisa yanks the sock from Mei's mouth and throws it to the floor. Mei coughs and whimpers, trying to shift away from Lisa, only to be kicked in the stomach by Adonis.

Zoan flinches, stepping back as Mei cries out. Desmond picks up the sock again, shoving it back into Mei's mouth. "Sorry, Zoan, the bitch is just really loud," he giggles, slapping Mei's cheeks repeatedly as if this is a normal Monday.

Zoan recoils again when Lisa slaps Mei, silencing her sobs. "Stop crying like the little bitch you are, will you?" Lisa hisses, then turns to Zoan with a grin. "Sorry about that. She's usually calm and cute, but she just started crying the moment she saw you… Maybe she thought you guys were friends," she adds, clicking her tongue in disappointment.

Lisa turns back to Mei, who looks at them with fear-filled eyes. "I told you to stop assuming things, right? Do you really think Zoan would be friends with someone like you?" Lisa asks, pressing her heels into Mei's stomach, digging in as Mei whimpers.

Zoan remains frozen, unable to move, her mind racing as she watches Lisa revel in Mei's torment.

—

In the end, Zoan couldn't tell the teacher or the principal. Every time she tried, her mouth would dry up like the Sahara Desert, and she'd cough in fear.

She couldn't even confide in her father, her maid, or anyone else.

In short, she was terrified. She had witnessed a crime—did that mean she was complicit for not speaking up?

She remembered her father saying that being a witness and refusing to testify could also be considered a crime.

Nights blurred into one another as Zoan lay awake, staring at the ceiling. What was she feeling? Was this bullying?

This was the first time she had seen something like this, especially from Lisa. Zoan always knew Lisa had a knack for wrongdoing, often shifting blame and pretending to be innocent.

Even stealing. Didn't everyone steal nowadays? No, that wasn't right. What Lisa did was wrong—beyond wrong. It was something that could land her in juvie.

But would Zoan end up there too? Wasn't juvie just a prison for minors? No… she didn't want that.

She thought, she should just pretend this never happened. She could stop talking to Lisa and pretend Mei didn't exist. No one had to know she was there when Mei was hurt, when she saw her cry for help.

Just pretend… just pretend…

And pretend was what she tried to do. But Lisa grew bolder. She would let Zoan see what she did to Mei, forcing her head into the toilet bowl when Zoan walked by to wash her hands.

Or making Mei eat food off the floor while Zoan hid away on the rooftop in the darkest corner. Mei would look her way—she knew Zoan was watching—but never called for help.

Zoan should be relieved that she wasn't. It meant she could continue to ignore what was blatantly unfolding before her.

Zoan always acknowledged that she was a coward—but perhaps this was stretching it. She really was a coward, a dog that hides its tail between its legs the moment danger approaches.

She lacked backbone. Just as her father had told her, she clearly lacked the motivation to do anything, which was why she forced herself to act like something she wasn't.

"Do you like it? Seeing me in pain?" Mei asked, standing beside Zoan's table. Her fists were clenched, her hair damp from yet another waterboarding session with Lisa—who had shoved her into a water barrel and closed the lid.

Mei had missed half of the day of classes after that. It was only when the basketball coach found her while cleaning the gym floor that she was rescued.

Zoan's hands gripped the book in front of her, terrified to look up at Mei.

"Are you?!" Mei screamed, her voice echoing in the room. Zoan flinched, noticing her classmates turning to watch, eyes wide with surprise.

Lisa, who had been napping under the table with a thick jacket draped over her, finally sat up. Mei gasped, not realizing she was there. "Mei-mei, are you shouting at Zoan? How low can you go?" Lisa's voice dripped with sarcasm as she stood.

She handed Zoan's jacket back to her, and Zoan silently slipped it on, still staring at her book. She wasn't even reading; she didn't know what page she was on or what topic had captured her attention.

Not since Mei had entered the classroom.

Mei took a step back as Lisa cracked her knuckles, crossing her arms. "You're going to regret that, little birdy."

Zoan could only hide her face behind her book as gasps filled the classroom, followed by the sound of skin hitting skin. Grunts of pain and cries echoed behind her.

But she never looked back.