Chapter 93: Mia’s Discrecy

The weekend had ended, and the first day of the new week had arrived, marking the true start of the school’s regular cycle of assignments, homework, tests, and every other academic obligation waiting in the days ahead. This was the stretch of the week most students genuinely dreaded, weighed down by the mind numbing pressure of sitting through endless theoretical lessons straight out of a textbook.

For most students, this period also tended to see a sharp spike in school vices, bullying, harassment, theft, cheating, outright assault. Students who couldn’t finish their own assignments, whether from laziness, genuine difficulty, or simple lack of preparation, sometimes turned to picking on weaker classmates instead, forcing them to shoulder the burden in their place.

This pattern showed up most commonly among the freshmen, since this stretch often marked their very first real brush with the harsher realities of school life. For some, the mounting pressure was enough to draw out bullying tendencies they’d previously kept well hidden. The sophomores weren’t entirely different either. Plenty participated in the exact same behavior, sometimes even targeting students from lower years simply because they made easier, more convenient targets.

The junior class, by contrast, stayed noticeably less aggressive, largely unaffected by this particular stretch. Their focus remained fixed almost entirely on pushing through the year and eventually stepping up into senior status, their real next milestone within the school’s academic hierarchy.

Plenty of other situations tended to crop up and circulate through the school during this period too, though the administration had already taken careful note of most of them by now. They stood ready to step in the moment things escalated too far, and teachers had been explicitly warned to stay alert for any unusual behavior among their students.

Along a quiet, empty corridor, with nearly everyone already settled inside their classrooms, Mia walked beside Victor. He carried her violet backpack slung over one shoulder, its weight heavy enough to leave him quietly wondering what exactly she’d packed inside it this time.

The bag felt unusually heavy.

Heavy enough to genuinely pique his curiosity, though he decided against asking her outright for now. Whatever sat inside could wait.

Mia had arrived a full hour late for the class period because of the morning’s earlier activity, which was exactly why Victor had come to escort her, same as always. He walked beside her casually, seemingly unbothered by the time they’d already lost.

"So, haven’t heard a word from Jack since detention wrapped up. Funny thing to say, but it almost feels like something’s missing," Mia said suddenly. "Everything alright with him? I know I probably should’ve asked sooner rather than now."

Victor’s thoughts stumbled briefly at the question.

For a moment, he genuinely wasn’t sure how to respond. He hadn’t expected Mia to bring up Jack so casually, especially given everything that had unfolded recently. He quickly composed himself and shrugged it off.

"Eh, haven’t really been around him much lately. I mean, it’s really only been the weekend. Maybe the guy’s just keeping to himself, working on some self improvement thing or whatever. Wait, what am I even saying right now?"

He let out an awkward chuckle at the end, clearly unconvinced by his own explanation even as he gave it.

"Okaaay?" Mia replied, stretching the word out skeptically.

She shrugged it off regardless as they continued down the quiet corridor together.

"Just let him know I’ll be needing both of you for something later today."

Victor nodded in understanding.

"Sure thing."

They walked a few more steps in silence before Mia glanced sideways at him.

"I need to use the bathroom real quick, so go ahead and get to class with my bag all set up. Here, take this and wipe my seat down before I get back."

She handed him a folded handkerchief.

Victor glanced at it briefly before accepting it without comment.

He offered a faint smile before turning down a side corridor leading toward the sophomore classroom wing. Without another word, he walked off, her violet backpack still hanging from his shoulder.

Mia watched him go for a moment before turning down a separate corridor leading toward the bathrooms instead.

As she walked, she adjusted the front ribbon of her uniform tie, realizing it had come loose and hadn’t been properly fastened. Her heartbeat felt slightly off from its usual steady rhythm, her body carrying a kind of heightened sensitivity and discomfort that wasn’t entirely normal for her.

Once she was certain she was fully alone, her pace slowed considerably.

She pressed one hand gently against her lower stomach.

The cramps had been nagging at her steadily since she’d first woken up that morning.

Mia frowned slightly, slipping a hand into her pocket. After searching for a moment, she pulled out a small white package of pills, examining it briefly before giving it an absent, habitual sniff.

Her lateness carried a quiet, private reason behind it, and this wasn’t even the first time it had happened.

She’d been managing a personal medical condition since sophomore year began. Starting around that time, she’d occasionally dealt with PMS in the days leading up to her period. Her body tended to react strongly to the shifting hormones, bringing on painful cramps, fatigue, and occasionally nausea along with it.

Nothing serious, in the grand scheme of things, though on certain mornings the symptoms could hit hard enough to keep her stuck in bed for a while. Usually, an over the counter pain reliever, some rest, plenty of water, and a little patience were enough to see the worst of it pass.

It had happened plenty of times before, which meant showing up to school an hour late wasn’t particularly unusual for her at this point.

She simply never told anyone about it.

She hated the idea of people knowing, so she’d never once mentioned it to anyone at school. Even when symptoms hit particularly hard, she preferred working through it quietly rather than fielding unnecessary questions from people who didn’t need to know.

She’d already taken some pain medication that morning, though it clearly hadn’t kicked in fast enough yet.

Now, she just needed a few quiet minutes to herself before heading back to class.

Mia let out a sigh, straightening up before continuing on toward the bathroom.

The corridor stayed unusually quiet around her.

Her footsteps echoed faintly against the tile as she moved further from the classroom wing. Distant voices occasionally drifted through the walls, though none close enough to disturb her.

Then, passing an upward staircase leading to the other floors, something caught her attention.

Mia stopped.

She turned her head slightly.

A faint light glowed from somewhere beneath the stairwell.

Not the ordinary overhead lighting either. This one carried a sharper, almost artificial glow, strangely out of place tucked away in that dim, forgotten corner.

Her curiosity immediately took over.

She lingered there a moment, eyes fixed on the source of the light, before glancing down at the pill package still in her hand and quietly tucking it back into her pocket.

Something about that light tugged insistently at her instincts.

Without fully understanding why, she stepped toward it.

It turned out to be some kind of device, similar in shape to a tablet, though clearly far more advanced in design than anything she’d personally ever handled before. Only three buttons sat positioned along its frame, colored red, green, and yellow respectively.

Mia crouched down slightly to get a closer look.

The moment she leaned in, the screen flickered to life.

A full report display suddenly populated across its surface.

Her eyes widened.