Chapter 14
Unspoken Things10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sXfE2nkUe
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64pFj7qhet
They ran.
Me and Jasmine tore through the courtyard, ducking vending machines, sticking to the shadows where the south building stretched long and dark. Sirens started to wail behind us, chasing the last scraps of chaos like hungry dogs. Red and blue lit the walls. Cop cars rolled in hot through the side gate.
"Go left," I told her, and we dove between the dumpsters behind the cafeteria, our hearts punching out of our chests.
"Do you think they saw us leave?" Jasmine asked, whispering like the air itself might snitch.
"Not yet. But they will." I looked back once. "We’ve got minutes—maybe. If we don’t wanna get questioned... we need to disappear. Now."
Across Campus - Room 204
Class was still going. Like nothing had happened.
Back in Room 204, Marcus Brooks looked like he was ready to physically fight a math problem. Just stared it down, pencil floating mid-air like it might figure itself out. Dude looked tense—way too tense for a Tuesday.
Ms. Cartwright was up front doing her usual deadpan routine, pacing and talking like someone clocking in for a shift she didn’t want.
"Remember, simplify before applying the exponent rule. And please, do NOT forget to distribute," she said. The words came out dry, like paper. Nobody was listening.
Everyone else had their heads down, scribbling like they were actually trying. But Marcus? Nah. His mind was somewhere else. I knew that look. He was thinking about Jasmine.
A few seats down, Mei sat there—blurred into the background like some quiet character in a drama nobody noticed. Except she was noticing him.
Watching.
Carefully.
Her eyes kept shifting between Marcus and his paper, and then she did this smooth move: ripped a scrap of notebook paper, wrote something fast, folded it tight, and slid it across to him without a sound.
Marcus looked at it. Opened it.
The answer.
He glared at her.
Mad.
Like she’d just handed him a cheat code in front of God and everybody.
Still... he sighed, wrote it down, and shoved it back.
Mei wasn’t fazed.
She flipped it, slid it back like it was just more schoolwork. Like they were trading boring notes.
He raised an eyebrow and opened it.
"I'm sorry for what I did. With Jasmine."
His pencil froze.
He glanced up.
Ms. Cartwright was still humming and stacking papers like her life depended on it.
Marcus didn’t waste time. He scribbled fast.
"Congratulations. You just confessed in math class, you guilt-sprinkled muffin."
Note went back. Quick.
Mei grabbed it like clockwork.
Cartwright turned. Mei played it off like she was just flipping through her textbook and pretending to care. Even threw in some fake scribbling for style points.
And then—Mei smirked.
Not cute. Not soft. Just... sarcastic. Tired. Real.
She wrote something else and sent it back.
Marcus read:
"Let’s not get caught, Professor Sassypants. Here’s my contact. Text me."
He shot her that sideways glare.
She gave him the look.
The one that says try me without saying anything.
He sighed like he knew better. But he pulled out his phone anyway. Quiet. Sneaky. Opened ChatBop, found her number, and texted:
Marcus: "What’s your deal with Jasmine? You jealous of her or something?"
The reply came fast.
Mei: "Used to be. She had it all and I didn’t."
Mei: "Didn’t live in a rich neighborhood. Didn’t have a rich life."
Mei: "Remember those two Asian folks on Darla and East 19th? The ones sitting on milk crates, always asking for change?"
Mei: "Those were my parents."
Mei: "You never saw me with them ‘cause I hid. I was too embarrassed. I didn’t want anyone from school to see."
Mei: "I asked Jasmine's parents for help once. They didn’t give me a dime. So I treated her like trash for it."
Mei: "Hung around the wrong people. Became her bully."
Silence.
Then another message lit up:
Mei: "Before you met her, Jasmine was my best friend. We did everything together."
Mei: "Now her parents are gone. My parents are gone. And we still cry together... just not in the same room."
Marcus just sat there. Phone in hand. Screen glowing.
Quiet.
Sad.
Then the bell rang.
Kids scrambled like it was the best sound they’d heard all day. Mei disappeared into the crowd like smoke. Marcus didn’t move.
Not right away.
Then finally, he got up.
Ms. Cartwright caught him near the door. "Everything okay, Marcus?"
He smiled at her. One of those fake ones that hides a lot. "Just tired of pretending exponents matter."
She chuckled. "Fair enough. Get to lunch before the pizza runs out."
He gave her a nod, but if anyone knew they could tell.
His mind was still stuck in that chat.
Hallway - Outside Room 204
Marcus stepped out of class and boom—froze.
Down the hallway, near the lockers, Mei was there.
But she wasn’t alone.
Some tall, tattooed black dude was in her space. Grimy flannel. Greasy hair. Looked like he crawled out of a gas station fight. I didn’t know who he was, but from what I was told I didn’t like him.
He had her by the arm.
Too close.
Talking low.
Marcus couldn’t hear everything, but he caught pieces.
"...shoulda done it already..."
"...you think this changes anything?"
"...ain’t no baby gonna ruin my—"
Mei flinched.
Tried to get away.
"Let go," she said, voice barely above a whisper.
He raised a fist.
"Don’t push me, Mei. I swear—"
He went to punch her. Right in the stomach.
She caught his wrist. Barely. Hands shaking.
"Don’t! Please, just let me go!"
He pulled back to swing again—
That’s when Marcus moved.
Fast.
Grabbed the guy’s shoulder and yanked him around.
"She said let go."
The dude turned, all fire and spit. "Who the heck are you?"
Marcus didn’t blink. "Someone who doesn’t hit girls. You should try it."
"Mind your business, kid."
"Make me."
The hallway shifted.
Tensed.
The guy stepped forward, knuckles popping like bubble wrap. Marcus didn’t budge.
Didn’t flinch.
Fists ready. Jaw set.
Mei behind him, shaking, whispered, "Marcus... don’t. Please."
But he didn’t back down.
"You got two seconds to walk away before I make a scene."
The guy stared at him.
Sizing him up.
Then scoffed and shoved past, muttering curses under his breath.
Gone.
Marcus turned back to Mei.
"You good?"
She nodded. Eyes glossy. Lips shaking.
"You sure?"
She gave him this small, broken smile. "Yeah. Thanks."
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