Because this? This isn’t just bullying.
It’s harassment.
It’s targeted.
And it’s the final straw.
I can feel it—the shift in my spine, the snap of something inside me that had been bent but not yet broken. I’ve taken the bruises. I’ve walked the hallways with eyes on my back and whispers trailing me like smoke.
But this?
No more.
Not one more day of letting them control the narrative.
Not one more step of walking with my head down like I belong beneath their shoes.
Not when I’m finally good enough for college ball.
Not when Coach believes in me.
Not when I still have something left to fight for.
Someone in the crowd snickers. “You gonna cry, scholarship girl?”
I raise my chin, meet their gaze, and smile.
“Nope,” I say calmly, pressing stop on my recording. “I’m gonna press charges.”
And with that, I turn on my heel and walk straight toward the administration building, fish guts and all.
Let them watch.
Let them laugh.
But I’ve got claws too.
And I’m done hiding them.
A hand grabs my elbow, gentle but firm. Coach Roman.
“Hey,” she says, voice low but fierce. “Come with me.”
I blink. I don’t argue.
She leads me back inside, past the stares and muttered jokes. Through the back entrance of the gym and into her office. The door shuts behind us. The world goes quiet.
“I heard,” she says, not looking at me as she pulls two water bottles from a mini fridge and hands me one. “What happened out there was disgusting. And I already submitted a report to the school board. But we both know that’ll take weeks to resolve. Maybe more. You okay?”
I nod. Lie. “Yeah.”
She finally looks at me. Her eyes are sharp. Clear.
“Jade, I played D1 soccer. I know what this kind of targeting looks like. But let me tell you something—you don’t survive girls like that by shrinking down. You survive by being better. And you, kid, are better. I’ve had calls from BC. From Northeastern. From coaches who don’t just want tape—they want you on campus.”
I blink again. “Wait, what?”
“They like your game. Your grit. That goal you scored yesterday? I sent it to my old assistant coach at Northeastern. She thinks you're scholarship-worthy. But you’ve gotta keep your head in the game. No missing practices. No slipping on your grades. No quitting.”
