Student brawl

A crowd was forming, and as it got closer to 7 AM, Zoan wasn't surprised to see so many students gathered. But why were they all crowding in one spot? And where was Jovi?

"What's going on here?" Zoan mumbled, trying to peer over the sea of heads. Suddenly, the crowd parted as a student barreled through, crashing to the floor.

Gasps echoed around her, and Zoan's eyes widened in shock. Was this… a school fight? Out in the open? How bold!

"Stop it, Vin!" someone shouted as a girl with bruised knuckles and a bloodied nose pushed her way through.

"Shut up! She started it!" Vin shot back, her long, curly hair wild and her uniform disheveled—just a pencil skirt and a loose white top with her tie hanging untidily.

Zoan's brow furrowed. "Hey, idiot, you hurt my friend. I can't stand seeing jerks like you do that."

Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Jovi, her face a mix of panic and surprise. "What's going on?" Zoan asked.

Jovi shook her head. "This always happens between Class 3 and 4. I already passed the form; we should get out of here—especially you." She gently pushed Zoan away from the chaos and toward an empty hallway.

"You're a Class 1 student; it's not good for you to be around student brawls like this," Jovi murmured, tugging Zoan further away. Cheers and gasps erupted from the crowd behind them.

"There are student brawls... Out in the open?!" Zoan exclaimed, incredulous. "Don't they care about getting expelled?"

Jovi scratched her head. "Yeah, most Class 1s are on the other side of the building, while the lower classes hang near the dean's office. They're the ones always getting called in."

"Isn't anyone going to stop them?" Zoan looked back just in time to see Vin punch another girl on the ground. Suddenly, another student kicked Vin, sending her sprawling.

Students scattered as Vin skidded toward them. Jovi let out a frightened squeak.

"Move!" Zoan grabbed Jovi's arm and pulled her out of the way just before Vin collided with them. Three girls rushed after Vin, surrounding her and kicking her as she curled up defensively.

"You bitch! You pick fights with me every day!" one girl shouted, delivering a sharp kick to Vin's stomach.

"Oh gosh, we should get out of here, Zoan!" Jovi pleaded, tugging her away. They ran up the stairs, finally reaching their club room.

Jovi flung the door open, and they both dashed inside, closing it loudly and locking it behind them.

"What the hell was that? In all my weeks here, I've never seen a brawl out in the open like that!" Zoan exclaimed, her heart racing.

Jovi bit her lip. "Class 3 and 4 tend to be the worst. Fights happen a lot more around that part of the building. You just never see it because Class 1s are kept separate."

Zoan looked surprised. "We are? Jesus, and the school isn't doing anything about this?"

Jovi shrugged. "They all come from wealthy families. Their grades may be lower than average, but they're still rich."

"Ridiculous! What kind of school is this?" Zoan clicked her tongue, sitting down at the table and shaking her head in disappointment. This was just like Dawn International, where almost everyone seemed to just not care about the consequences.

"Of all places, they decide to fight in front of the dean's office too. I'm just glad we got out of there," Jovi said, wiping sweat from her forehead and letting out a relieved sigh.

"Wow, the audacity! Honestly, why didn't anyone tell me this?" Zoan asked.

"I thought you already knew," Jovi frowned.

"No, I never knew. Ugh, this is just crazy," Zoan sighed, hanging her head in disbelief.

—

It's safe to say Zoan wanted to applaud her father's decision-making. How could he not know about this? And to think he would throw her to the wolves again, just like before.

What if he did know? What if this was a test to see her self-control? To see if she had changed?

Elias had always been psychologically manipulative, and Zoan wasn't immune to his experiments. "What an asshole," she mumbled to herself, now alone in the club room.

The others were likely busy grabbing lunch or doing whatever they wanted during their break. Zoan had her own plans: using the club room as her personal refuge, a space where no one could bother her.

It wasn't like Jovi or Jiho were upset about it. Of the four of them, only Jovi, Jiho, and Ving actively used the club room for art activities. They often helped other students with materials and projects, and while it wasn't free, they seemed to enjoy it. Zoan, on the other hand, was ambivalent—she hadn't signed up to be a helper.

Didn't Jovi promise to teach the members how to draw or paint? Where was that promise now?

Zoan sighed. "Not like it matters. As long as I have a resting place, that's all that counts." She stood up from the desk and turned toward the Japanese folding screen that Atiro had brought in.

A grin spread across her face as she pushed it open. There, nestled against the wall, was a small bed. The metal frame was rusty, but she'd done her best to restore it, and while the mattress was tattered, Ving, Jovi, and Jiho had put their sewing skills to good use in cleaning and fixing it up.

They had made the art room feel more like home than just a club. Jovi and Ms. Atiro had mentioned that a cozy space would attract more students.

"We should definitely get couches in here," Zoan mused, sliding off her blazer to prepare for a short nap before the next class. Just as she settled in, the door slid open, and someone stepped inside—someone who wasn't Jovi, Jiho, or Ving.

"Wha— hey, who are you?" Zoan asked, surprised as the girl closed the sliding door with her back turned. Zoan bit her lip. "Hey, I'm talking to you—" She stopped when the girl turned around.

Her nose was bloodied, and there was a scrape on her chin. Her hair looked like it had been pulled in every direction. "Wait—you're that girl," Zoan murmured. It was Vin, the one she had seen earlier getting her ass kicked.

"Thanks," Vin glared halfheartedly as Zoan cleared her throat—she probably said that out loud. "Sorry… I—I have nowhere to go. They're trying to find me," Vin said, sliding down to the floor and leaning against the door.

Zoan sighed, crossing her arms.

As much as Zoan wanted to help the girl, letting her stay would likely lead to trouble. She had no interest in getting expelled from school.

"I'm sorry, but you have to leave. The club has already gone through its emo phase, and I don't want other students messing with us again," Zoan said, stepping closer to Vin, who looked up at her with pleading eyes.

"Please, just for a little while. Let me rest here," Vin sniffed, tears welling in her eyes as blood dripped from her nose onto her lap. Zoan winced and turned to grab some tissues from the table, handing them to Vin.

"Wipe your nose first. Fine, I'll give you ten minutes, then you need to go, capiche?" Zoan raised an eyebrow. Vin nodded, dabbing at her nose and groaning softly as she tried to clean the scrape on her chin.

"So, what year are you in?" Zoan asked as she settled into a chair, crossing her legs. Vin looked surprised, clearly not expecting Zoan to initiate a conversation, especially since she had stormed in unannounced.

"Uh... first year, class four," Vin mumbled, stuffing two tissues into her nostrils. Zoan stifled a snort, covering her mouth with a cough. "I see—so you're out looking for fights now, huh?" she teased, tilting her head.

Zoan wasn't sure why she was engaging with this girl, but her curiosity about the lower classes was piqued. Class 1 was considered the best, Class 2 a close second, but Classes 3 and 4 were regarded as the bottom tier. She wondered why.

"I wasn't," Vin growled, glaring at Zoan, who met her gaze with a cool, nonchalant expression. "They were hurting my friend. They took a video of her in the restroom, and… why am I even telling you this?" Vin looked away, frustration evident.

Zoan's expression softened. "Hey," she said, catching Vin's gaze again. "I'll give you another ten minutes to recuperate. Go use the bed back there. You look worse for wear." She gestured to the folding wall that was partially open.

Vin's eyes widened at the sight of the bed. "You have a bed here? I thought this was just a club room," she said, rising unsteadily to her feet and making her way to the bed. She sat down heavily, letting out a pained grunt.

"Just rest," Zoan mumbled, turning back to the table to retrieve her book. If she wasn't going to get any rest, she might as well read something and distract herself with a mental exercise that would surely lead to a headache.