punishment

Egg.

A raw, slimy egg.

Sarah froze, swallowing hard as the cold yellow yolk trickled past her jaw. Next to her, Bunny’s face flushed a deep, furious red.

Sarah looked up toward the second-floor balcony. Standing there, leaning casually over the railing with a vicious smirk, was Nova.

Bunny didn't hesitate. She bolted for the stairwell, her sneakers slapping loudly against the steps as she sprinted to the upper level.

Waiting at the top of the stairs were Nova’s top two sidekicks, Ella and Anna. They flanked Nova like bodyguards, and as Bunny charged forward with every intention of tearing Nova apart, they stepped in, grabbing Bunny by the arms to block her path.

“What do you think you’re doing, blonde?” Anna sneered, raising an eyebrow.

“Do you want to die?” Ella added, shoving Bunny back.

Phones were already pulled out, shutters clicking repeatedly as a crowd gathered below. Not a single person stepped in to help.

“I swear I’m going to tear you limb from limb, Nova!” Bunny spat, writhing violently against their grip. “Tell these dogs to get out of my way and face me one-on-one, you coward!”

By now, Sarah had snapped out of her shock. She reached up with a trembling hand, weakly wiping the dripping egg off her forehead and cheeks.

Once she had cleared her vision, Sarah walked up the stairs. Her steps were slow and deliberate, a sharp, deadly contrast to Bunny's frantic sprint.

When she reached the top, Sarah didn't bother arguing. She grabbed Bunny by the arms and yanked her back out of the girls' hold, forcing Ella and Anna to stagger sideways.

Before anyone could react, Sarah swung her arm, landing a heavy, cracking slap across Nova's face.

The surrounding crowd gasped in unison.

Without giving Nova a second to recover, Sarah struck her again.

Anna and Ella, initially paralyzed by shock, snapped back to reality and lunged forward to pull Sarah off their leader. But before Ella could touch her, Sarah delivered a sharp side kick, sending Ella flying backward onto the floor.

Bunny seized the opening, grabbing Anna by her hair and slamming her down, pinning her to the tile.

Sarah turned her full attention back to Nova.

Grabbing Nova by the roots of her styled hair, Sarah violently rubbed her own egg-soaked bangs directly into Nova's face, smearing the yolk everywhere before yanking her hair backward with ruthless force.

Nova screamed in pain. Behind them, Bunny sat squarely on top of Ella and Anna, pinning both girls under her knees like a triumphant wrestler.

“Seriously?"

The deep, calm voice cut through the chaos. Sarah's hands paused on Nova's hair for a fraction of a second, but she quickly tightened her grip again.

"Hey, hey... you're going to hurt yourself," Blake said smoothly. He stepped in, wrapping his arms around Sarah's waist and lifting her off Nova's collapsed body as effortlessly as if she weighed nothing.

Sarah was still fuming, her chest heaving as Blake pulled her back. He turned her around, his broad hands cupping both sides of her face.

"Hey, baby girl. Look at me," he commanded softly.

Sarah couldn't tear her glare away from Nova, her features still flushed dark with rage.

"Sarah," he murmured, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone.

"I promised myself I would never degrade myself like this," she said, her voice shaking, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "But this has gone way too far. I need to put her in her place!"

Blake's hand slid down to the small of her back. Adding a little force, he held her close against his body, patting her back gently.

Sarah stiffened against his chest, her hands rising to press firmly into his jersey.

Slowly, the rigid tension in her body melted away, and her stance softened against him.

Around them, a chorus of loud gasps abd murmurs echoed down the corridor as dozens of cameras recorded the moment.

When Blake finally broke the hug, he rested his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry about that," he whispered against her hair.

Sarah nodded numbly, dropping her eyes to her shoes.

"Stay right here," he instructed, guiding her to lean against the brick wall.

He turned around and strolled over to Nova, who was still curled on the floor, her face bruised and messy.

Blake squatted down to her eye level. He clicked his tongue three times, slowly shaking his head.

"Nova," he said softly, a dark, dangerous smile spreading across his face. "Nova, you touched my woman. You really couldn't contain your madness, could you?"

His smile faded into something terrifyingly cold.

“Now you’ve stressed her out, and you’ve forced me to talk too much,” he continued quietly. “I’ll stick to my rule about not putting hands on a woman... but you should probably go submit yourself to the officers outside.”

He stood up, looking down at her like something stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

“They aren't very nice, Nova.”

Bunny stood up off the two groaning girls, dusting off her hands in disgust before running over to Sarah’s side.

Blake walked back over to Sarah, picking up her fallen backpack from the floor. Before she could react, he bent down, scooping her into his arms in a swift bridal carry.

Turning on his heel, he carried her straight down the hall, with Bunny trailing happily in their wake.

Blake carried Sarah out toward the courtyard, his long strides making quick work of the space while Bunny hurried behind them, practically vibrating with excitement.

“Put me down, Blake!” Sarah protested, her face burning hotter than the egg yolk still drying on her cheek.

Her arms rested loosely against his broad chest, her vision bouncing with every decisive step he took.

“Everyone is watching! Put me down!”

"No can do, Butterfly," Blake said, his voice smooth and untroubled despite carrying her weight effortlessly. "You've had a busy morning beating people up. Consider this your personal chauffeur service."

"I didn't beat anyone up—okay, maybe a little," she muttered, hiding her glowing face against his chest as they approached the white Ferrari parked at the curb.

“Smith, Sarah, Bunny, in my office right now!”

The sharp, echoing voice of the principal sliced through the courtyard. The principal turned sharply on her heels back toward the building entrance, pausing briefly to bark over her shoulder at the three girls still sprawled on the balcony floor, “And you three, don't let me get to the office before you do.”

She turned her sharp gaze to the staring crowd of students. “Maybe I should ban the use of phones too.”