Athena thought her hand would crush under the pressure as the girl stepped harder on it. The sharp pain shot through her bones, but she didn't make a sound. She wouldn't. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction.
"Still not going to make a sound, bitch?" one of the girls sneered. She crouched low beside Athena and grabbed her braid, yanking her head back to face her. Athena's face turned, but her eyes remained blank. A tired, hollow look. The kind of look that said, I don't care. I don't give a damn.
That nonchalant expression only pissed them off more.
The one stepping on her hand raised her other leg and kicked Athena in the chest. The blow knocked her backward, sending her flat against the cold corridor floor.
"Fuck off," Felicity shouted her voice loud and rough.
Laughter echoed around them as Felicity, their leader, straddled her. Athena only stared back with that same detached look, completely unfazed.
"You think you're somebody now?" Felicity leaned closer, her hot breath brushing Athena's face. "You react when I cause you pain. You cry when I yell. You don't get to act tough here, rich girl." Her grip tightened in Athena's hair, jerking her face closer as she screamed those words, her spit spilling slightly on Athena's face.
But Athena only looked at her. Silent. Expressionless.
That silence cut deeper than any words.
"End her pathetic life, Felicity," one of the girls at the back said, folding her arms, her gaze burning with cruelty. "She's useless anyway."
Felicity smirked. "We'd be doing her a favor if we kill her. But a little torture will do the work." She tilted her head toward another girl. "What do you think, Mia?"
Mia's lips curled. "Of course. Let me see what you've got, Felicity. And you, Whitehead," her eyes glinting with malice, "I want to see how far you can hold it in."
With that, Felicity let go of Athena's hair. Athena brushed the loose strands from her face, calm and steady.
The calm shattered when a slap cracked across her cheek. Her head whipped to the side from the force.
The corridor filled with low murmurs. More students had gathered now, whispering, watching.
Athena turned her head back slowly, her cheek stinging red. Her eyes locked on Felicity blank, unshaken.
Another slap landed.
And another.
Felicity's hand rose and fell again and again and again, the sharp smacks echoing through the corridor. Students lost count. Even Felicity was panting, her palm burning, when she finally stopped.
Athena sat there, her face burning and swollen, but her eyes never watered. She didn't flinch. She didn't beg.
Instead, she pushed her hair back behind her ear, exposing the red cheek even more, and then, she smirked. A slow, devilish smirk that sent a shiver crawling down Felicity's spine.
For the first time, Felicity's confidence cracked.
But she wasn't the type to back down. She raised her hand again and slapped Athena across the face.
This time, Athena didn't stay silent.
She laughed.
The sound ripped through the corridor, sharp and wild. She laughed so hard her stomach hurt, the sound echoing off the walls. The students froze, staring at her like she had gone crazy but actually, she didn't care, in fact she was done with their bullshit. Felicity's hand hovered mid-air, her knuckles white.
And still, Athena laughed.
Her laughter wasn't joy, it was defiance. Felicity, flushed and furious, pushed herself up from Athena's body, glaring down at her. That laugh burned Felicity's pride more than any insult would.
She wasn't going to accept defeat. Never.
Felicity straightened, brushing off her skirt, and turned sharply to her friends.
"Break her."
The order was cold.
Mia's lips curled into a smirk. She rolled her shoulders, stretching like a fighter warming up.
"This looks like so much fun," she said, her tone dripping with mockery.
Athena tried to stand, but three girls rushed her at once. One grabbed her arm and twisted it. Another shoved her back down, her knees hitting the floor with a thud. Then the first slap landed hard, stinging her cheek.
The second came with a fist to her stomach.
And then the kicks followed.
One to her side. Another to her ribs. Then her back. The blows came from everywhere, hands, legs, nails dragging across her skin. The sound of sneakers hitting her body echoed in the corridor but no one interfered, they knew better and Athena couldn't blame them. Everyone was running away from being a victim of bully.
Athena gritted her teeth. She would not scream. She would not beg. Her silence was her weapon.
The girls grew more vicious when they realized she wouldn't make a sound. Mia's kicks got harder. Another girl yanked her braid so sharply her scalp burned. Felicity stepped closer, crouching low just to slap her across the face again and again, waiting for her to break.
But Athena only bit her lip until she tasted blood.
Her silence enraged them.
"Cry, damn you!" one of them spat, kicking her in the shoulder.
Athena's body ached, but she held on. She refused to give them the satisfaction. Her breathing was uneven, her lips trembling, but she stayed silent.
The group of students watching whispered from a distance, some curious, some afraid. None of them dared step in. The corridor buzzed with cruel laughter, shuffling feet, and the sound of Athena's body being beaten.
Then
"What's going on here?"
The voice cut through the air like a whip.
Everything stopped. Even the girls who were mid-kick froze where they stood.
The crowd scattered instantly, panicked students rushing into classrooms, slamming doors, peeking out through small cracks. But Felicity and her friends weren't like the others. They stood tall, smirking as though the interruption meant nothing. They walked past the principal boldly, brushing shoulders with him as if he were just another student.
Beside the principal stood a young man. His eyes caught on something that froze his breath in his chest. Long strands of white hair, now tangled and stained, glimmered faintly under the corridor lights. His chest tightened instantly.
Athena.
He moved without thought, pushing past the principal. He dropped low beside her, his hands trembling as they reached for her.
When Athena looked up and saw his face, the walls she had built inside her broke. All the silence, all the strength she forced herself to hold, it collapsed. She buried her face into his chest, her shoulders shaking as she cried silently.
"I'm sorry, my love," Oliver whispered, his voice raw. His hand rubbed her back gently, again and again, like he could wipe the pain away with his touch.
Athena clutched his shirt tightly, trembling. The world blurred for her, but his warmth felt safe.
When she finally calmed enough to breathe, she looked up, her lips quivering.
"Take me home… Uncle Oliver."
His chest ached hearing her call him like that. Oliver nodded without hesitation, gently wiping her tears away with his thumb.
Then his gaze snapped to the principal, his eyes cold, his jaw tight.
The principal shifted nervously.
"Mr. Oliver, I'm so…"
"Oh please, spare me. Is this how your students behave? Attacking someone in the middle of the hallway?" Oliver snapped, his voice sharp with fury.
The principal swallowed.
"I'm so sorry. I will make sure they receive their punishments accordingly, sir."
Oliver's face darkened.
"Punishment? What punishment? Are you going to slap them around like they slapped her? Kick them like they kicked her? Look at her face!" he barked, his anger breaking loose. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?"
Athena tugged at his arm softly, her cheeks burning with shame. Students were watching from windows and door cracks. She had already cried in front of everyone now Oliver's yelling made her feel even more exposed.
Her voice was soft, pleading.
"Let it go, Oliver…"
But he shook his head violently.
"No, I won't. I'll sue this school and make every single one of you pay for letting this happen. You let her suffer, you let them do this. I'll tear this place apart."
The principal raised his hands, his voice trembling.
"Mr. Oliver, please… it hasn't gotten to that. Don't do this…"
But Oliver didn't care. He stood tall, holding Athena close as if shielding her from the whole world. He walked past the principal without even a glance, his face locked with rage.
The principal hurried after them, desperate.
"Wait, Mr. Oliver, we can talk about it!"
But Oliver didn't stop. His steps were firm, his arm wrapped tightly around Athena, carrying her out of the place like nothing else mattered.