THREE DAYS BEFORE DASH'S RETURN

Principal Ishiyama sat behind her cluttered desk, adjusting her jacket as she let out a deep sigh.

"Principal Ishiyama, you have Samantha Manson and Jasmine Fenton waiting to see you."

The irritation in her expression was evident, but she pressed the intercom button and reluctantly allowed the two young women standing in front of her office door to step inside. "Send them in." Seconds later, the two irate ladies walked in.

"Ms. Manson. Ms. Fenton." She greeted calmly, leaning back in her chair. "I assume you're here regarding Mr. Baxter's suspension?"

Jazz and Sam took their seats, neither of them offering pleasantries. Jazz's hands were balled into fists in her lap, her nails digging into her palm to ground herself. Sam, arms crossed, let out a scoff.

"Damn right, we are." Jazz said, her voice sharper than usual. "You have got to be kidding me with this decision, Principal Ishiyama."

Ishiyama sighed, rubbing her temples. "Mr. Baxter committed an act of violence on school grounds, and—"

"This all took place last school year, and no one knew about it until six months ago." Sam interrupted, her anger slowly building. "Tucker Foley, someone Danny thought he could trust, was the one behind all of it. Kwan, Dale, and Jake are the ones who attacked Danny. And Dash Baxter… Dash Baxter was the one who exacted the perfect type of revenge. Karma came back on all four of them. Six months ago, Principal Ishiyama, Danny was severely and brutally attacked by Kwan, Dale, Jake, and Tucker was behind the entire thing. They left him barely able to walk—no, barely able to SURVIVE, and they got away with a slap on the wrist. But now, you're punishing Dash for doing what you and the rest of the staff should've done?"

"My brother was unconscious after they did what they did to him. I'll never forget that…" Jazz felt angrier than ever as she thought back to everything. "I'll never forget the night he told me what happened to him. How could you or the school board let something like this happen and not do anything about it?"

Ishiyama let out another sigh. "The problem is that Mr. Fenton never came forward. If what you're saying is true, I don't understand why he didn't report the incident. Why he never told anyone."

Jazz's eyes darkened. She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a deadly quiet tone. "Are you fucking serious? He didn't have to say anything! Anyone with working eyes could see how badly he was hurt. He had bruises covering his broken ribs, a deep cut on his forehead, and a separated shoulder! He barely even moved for weeks! He still has nightmares about the entire situation. And... and you mean to tell me that none of you thought to ask what happened? None of you put two and two together when Kwan and the others were bragging about their little 'initiation' for weeks?!" Jazz's voice cracked, but she swallowed the lump in her throat. "You failed him. You failed my little brother. YOU did. And now you want to make Dash suffer for something that should've never happened in the first place?"

Ishiyama shifted uncomfortably, but her resolve remained stiff. "I sympathize with what Mr. Fenton went through, I really do. But regardless of the past, Mr. Baxter still used violence to resolve an issue. I cannot in good conscience reward that behavior."

Sam scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Oh, but allowing Kwan, Dale, Jake, and Tucker to walk away unscathed is completely fine, huh?" She leaned forward, slamming her hands onto the desk, making Ishiyama flinch. "You let them keep their scholarships. You let them keep their spots on the team and allowed Tucker to continue running around here like he's untouchable. And now, six months later, Dash finally gets fed up. Dash finally takes matters into his own hands. He finally stands up for Danny, exactly what you should've done, and suddenly that's where you draw the line? That's bullshit, Ishiyama, and you fucking know it."

Jazz took a deep breath, trying to compose herself, though her hands trembled with barely contained rage. "My sweet, innocent little brother was savagely beaten by three of your football players and one of your tech scholars. My brother was left for dead in the middle of that locker room until Dash—the same Dash that you are currently suspending—immediately took him to get medical help. I may no longer be a student here at Casper High, but I have the utmost respect for what Dash did."

"As do I." Sam remarked.

The graduate student took another deep breath. "You know Dash. He's been one of your best student-athletes. You know what this scholarship means to him. He worked for it, just like they did, but now you want to take it away while the real criminals get to walk free? You want to ruin his future for protecting someone he cares about?" She shook her head. "I always thought schools were supposed to protect their students, not punish the ones who do the right thing when the administration turns a blind eye."

Ishiyama remained silent for a long moment, avoiding their burning stares. She exhaled slowly, running a hand down her face. "My apologies, Ms. Fenton. No one brought that information to me. However, I still do not excuse Mr. Baxter's actions, and I... I can't just erase the consequences of his actions."

"Why? He stood up for my friend." Sam spoke up, staying firm. "If it were the other way around, Danny would've done the same thing."

"Ms. Manson, I'm well aware of that." Ishiyama remarked quietly.

Jazz scoffed. "Oh, but you had no problem erasing the consequences of their actions?" She stood up suddenly, placing both hands on her desk and leaning in. "Either you punish all of them fairly, or you reinstate Dash's scholarship and rescind his suspension. You can't have it both ways."

"Ms. Fenton, please do understand—"

"No, you understand something. My brother was attacked by YOUR students in YOUR school's locker room, and you want to suspend the one person that actually tried to help him and then give those four exactly what they deserved?"

Sam could see the rage coming out. "Deep breaths, Jazz."

And Jazz did take deep breaths. She refocused herself on getting Dash his scholarship back and suspension lifted. "Dash did what I would've done. Dash did what anyone would've done. Violence may not be the answer, but if he has to lose his scholarship and be suspended, so do the other four. This has to be a level playing field."

"She's right, Ishiyama. You cannot show favoritism to students just because you were not made aware of a traumatic situation that happened under your own roof. If Dash has to be stripped of everything, so do they. Everyone must suffer the same consequences."

Ishiyama looked between the two of them, then looked down at the paperwork on her desk. She massaged her temples again before letting out a heavy sigh of defeat.

"Fine. Mr. Baxter's suspension will be rescinded. His scholarship will be reinstated. But I expect him to stay out of trouble."

Jazz let out a sigh of relief that she hadn't realized she was holding. Sam smirked in victory.

"Good choice, Principal Ishiyama. Good fucking choice." Sam said smugly, standing up. "Guess we'll let Dash know he still has a future here."

Jazz turned, but before walking out, she shot the tense authoritarian one last glare. "Next time, try protecting your students before it gets to this point."

The door shut behind them with a click, leaving Ishiyama slumped in her chair, staring at the ceiling, wondering how the hell she let a senior and a college student back her into a corner.

"That did not just happen… but let me make the call." She sat up and reached for her desk phone, dialing a number. "Hello? Is this the parent of Dash Baxter? Yes, I'm calling to inform you that Dash is to report to school next Monday morning. His scholarship has also been reinstated, but I expect him to stay out of trouble. Uh huh. I understand. Thank you. Have a good rest of your day."

As she hung up the phone, she slumped in her chair, thinking about the events that took place. Then, she wrote down a note, and walked out to her attendant, who is ironically Danny's teacher Mr. Lancer, and handed him the note.

"Make sure to inform all staff that we are having a very impromptu meeting after classes today. There's been a report of a violent crime on my campus, and I will not allow it. I've already contacted one student's parents, but I'll need you to contact the parents of football players Kwan, Dale, and Jake, and our head tech scholar, Tucker Foley. Let them know that their students will be suspended for the hazing of Daniel Fenton."