Part 2Bite Back

I didn't write a single word of that apology.

I didn't think I was wrong. I didn't think I owed anyone anything.

So, I found an old essay, crossed out the title, and wrote [Apology Letter] at the top. Then, I walked confidently onto the stage in the auditorium.

I took the microphone from Mr. Lee, faced the entire student body, and said one sentence:

"Please, learn from me."

"Jordan, are you crazy?!" Mr. Lee hissed, his eyes bulging. He realized too late that I was going off-script.

He lunged to grab the mic.

I didn't let him.

I ran across the stage, shouting into the microphone as I dodged him.

"I don't think I was wrong! And I don't think fighting back is crossing the line! Some people are born cheap and won't learn until they get hit!"

"You laugh when you give people nicknames, but you cry when you get one back? Brad, you are the most spineless coward in history. Even a dog would spit on you for bad luck!"

"You think you won? You only 'won' because the teachers are biased! If you had any guts, you'd own up to your nasty habit of sexually harassing girls! If your parents came to school, I’d ask them exactly how they raised such a disgusting piece of trash!"

"You have no shame! You think acting like a clown gets you attention? Brad, let me tell you—in everyone's eyes, you’re just a joke!"

I got all my anger out before the administration cornered me like a game of hawk-and-chicken.

I was caught, obviously.

But I held my head high. I didn't feel an ounce of shame.

Standing in the principal's office later, I was smiling.

Especially when I saw Brad outside, looking furious but terrified to show his face, shrinking away from everyone’s gaze. I stared at him, remembering how arrogant he used to be. It felt amazing.

"Well said!"

"We're with you, Jordan!"

"Good job!"

The girls in my class started clapping. Even though Mr. Lee was screaming for order, they cheered for me.

Applause is contagious. Led by my class, girls from other grades started clapping too.

Some even shouted that I was their hero.

I felt vindicated.

I realized that bravery feels good. I realized that if I go crazy enough, no one dares to bully me.

Not even the biased teachers.

The Principal reprimanded Mr. Henderson and Mr. Lee for letting it get this far, criticizing their lack of professionalism.

Brad was quiet for a few days. The other boys, seeing their leader taken down a peg, stopped using the nicknames.

We thought we could go back to studying, to living a normal high school life. We thought nobody would be stupid enough to start trouble again.

That’s how I thought it ended.

But I forgot that some people are born petty. They have to win, no matter how dirty they have to play.

Brad was that kind of person.

A few days later, a vague rumor started circulating on the school’s Discord server and anonymous confessions page. It said a female student's mother worked in "that kind of industry" and serviced old men.

The attached photo was a woman in a cocktail dress, her face blurred out.

Because the post used banned words, the students, hungry for drama, started digging. They wanted to know whose parent was so "scandalous."

They dug and dug until they pointed the finger at me.

Because my mom liked fashion. She liked wearing nice dresses when she picked me up.

Just like that, inexplicably, my mother became a sex worker in the mouths of these disgusting boys.

When I heard the rumor, I was stunned. I never thought the misogyny would be directed at my mother.

I was consumed by rage.

Without evidence, just because my mom dressed nicely, they did this? I was going to find out which little bastard started it, and I was going to kill him.

I started my own investigation. I threatened the admins of the confession page, telling them this wasn't over, that this was defamation, and I would call the police if they didn't give me the source.

The issue had gotten too big in the group chats. The admins, terrified of liability, gave me the user ID immediately.

It was a burner account. But in the digital footprint, I found a frequent visitor link.

It led straight to Brad’s main profile.

There was nothing left to understand.

I laughed out of pure anger. I gripped the heavy metal water bottle in my hand, feeling like I had been too gentle before. I had given him the ability to hurt my family.

So, the next morning, I stood at the classroom door with my water bottle, waiting for Brad.

The moment he walked in, I slapped him. Before he could react, I smashed the metal bottle directly onto his head.

Clang.

Everyone froze. No one knew why I had snapped. No one knew why I was starting the day with violence.

They just watched, stunned, as I jumped on Brad and started swinging the bottle like a maniac.

Brad took several hits. A lump was already forming on his head. But he refused to submit.

"Jordan! Why are you hitting me?!"

"I didn't even talk to you today! Are you off your meds?!"

"Off my meds? You want to know why I'm crazy?"

I wiped a splatter of blood from my eye, smiling like a demon. "I'm not just crazy, I'm going to end you!"

"You spread rumors about my mom! You photoshopped her face onto porn actresses and spammed the group chats! If I don't beat you to death today, I don't deserve to be her daughter!"

I threw the dented water bottle aside and pulled a heavy thermos from my other pocket.

I swung again.

This time I missed, and Brad scrambled away, crawling on the floor, running for his life.

I chased him, hair wild, thermos raised high. I was going to beat the shit out of him.

"Jordan! Jordan, wait!"

Sarah was chasing me. Seeing me standing at the school gate looking like a predator, she rushed over to grab my thermos.

I was furious. "Sarah, are you stopping me? If you stop me, we are done! I have to end him today!"

I couldn't believe it. Sarah was siding with that trash? Was she not my best friend?

My eyes burned with tears.

Then, she pried my fingers open. She took the thermos.

And placed a badminton racket in my hand.

"My dad bought this. It's titanium alloy. Light, aerodynamic, and hurts like hell."

"The thermos is too clumsy. This is better."

"...Oh."