My brother was brutally beaten in the school bathroom by Oliver and some other guys.
The last time this happened, it was on a Thursday after gym class, so I'd made my brother stay home that day to rest. But once again, the universe demonstrated that I couldn't change the past; I could only alter how events unfolded. This time, my brother got attacked on Friday.
Which made me realize that Oliver had planned this assault beforehand, that it hadn't been a spontaneous fight like we'd all believed. It wasn't a moment of provocation spiraling out of control. Oliver had deliberately orchestrated Leo's suffering.
I rushed to the principal's office when I heard the rumors spreading through the hallways. Inside, I found Oliver, Leo, three boys from the football team, and Coach Martinez.
"So, explain to me what happened," the principal asked the teacher, leaning back in his chair.
"I found the boys fighting in the bathroom, so I immediately separated them," Coach Martinez replied, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.
"Have you seen the state my brother is in?" I turned to facethe coach directly. "They weren't fighting. These four boys were beating him up. But you won't say that because you need these guys for the next game."
"Lily..." Leo warned me.
"Don't try to stop me," I snapped. "I'm tired of my brother being mistreated every day by Oliver and his gang while the adults here do absolutely nothing to protect him."
"And now he needs a lawyer?" Oliver mocked, his smugness making my blood boil. "The kid couldn't handle the fight alone, so now he needs his big sister to fight his battles."
"That's enough," the principal interjected. "Lily, what are you doing here? Did you witness the incident?"
"I didn't see anything. They cornered him in the men's bathroom because these cowards aren't capable of doing anything in the open where people can see how unfair it all is."
"Well, Lily, if you're not a reliable witness to the events, I don't see why your presence is necessary right now," the principal explained with bureaucratic detachment.
"Of course I'm necessary," I objected. "Just look at them. None of them has a single bruise. My brother has injuries on his arm and a black eye. You can't seriously believe this was just a fair fight between kids or that my brother initiated it."
"But do you have concrete evidence to support your claims? Because three students are telling me that your brother started the altercation with Oliver."
"I have no proof, but common sense dictates that?—"
"But nothing. You have no business here." The principal cut me off.
"Lily, everything's fine, don't worry," Leo said, then turned to the principal. "She's just concerned, but everything's handled."
I stormed out of the office and sat in the waiting room, waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the boys to come out. When they finally did, I immediately went to Leo.
"So what happened? What did they decide?"
"I have to go to the infirmary to treat my injuries, and everyone gets two days of detention next week."
"Everyone? Why you too?"
"Because I started the fight, Lily."
"But that's not fair, Leo. They provoked you. This was completely orchestrated to make you lose control."
He looked at me with confusion. "How do you know that?"
I was silent for several moments, trying to find an explanation that wouldn't sound insane. "Because I know how that psychopath thinks, and I know this wasn't a coincidence."
"Don't overthink it, Lily. Let's just go."
I hugged him tightly, and he hugged me back.
"Everything's okay. Thanks for trying to defend me."
I didn't respond because I knew I didn't deserve any gratitude.
