Kevin rubbed his temples; he already knew why this was being brought to him now.
"Kevin, I only accompanied the two of them. Miss Villa just came along, but she wasn't really involved," Cielo explained with a sigh.
He had seen the punch land straight on Raymond's mouth—and it was Chris's sister's doing. The bruised knuckles on her hand were proof.
He had also seen the video, along with the viral clip of Raymond kissing Melissa. He even heard the cruel words that followed.
Footsteps echoed in the faculty room, mixed with raised voices.
"Hey! Kelly!" Jonathan's voice cut through sharply.
"What are you doing here? You're not allowed inside," Kevin told her, letting out another long breath.
"No—I am allowed. My sister got dragged into this mess because of him," Kelly snapped, pointing straight at Raymond.
"Pres, what do you want me to do here?" Kevin asked Chris, who was already standing nearby, listening.
Chris sighed heavily. "Let them sit. And you, Kelly—take a seat."
When the pictures of Melissa's diary had first gone public, Kelly had nearly gone berserk. Jonathan had struggled to restrain her. And after seeing Raymond kiss Melissa, her rage doubled.
Chris rubbed his temples again. Joel sat silently beside Cielo, both of them observing quietly.
How do I even start this? Kevin wondered as he looked around the room.
"Julie, why did you punch Raymond?" Chris finally asked, breaking the silence.
The tension inside the room was suffocating—not just between Julie and Raymond. Kelly, sitting rigidly in her seat, looked like she was restraining herself with every breath.
"It was his fault. He deserved it," Julie muttered.
Raymond scoffed. "You've got some nerve saying that. Don't forget—you were the one who messaged me last night and sent me those pictures." He leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "And now you're pretending you forgot?"
"Excuse me? Me? Chat with you?" Julie shot back. "We're not even friends on social media. And why would I ever humiliate Melissa like that?" Her eyebrow arched sharply.
"Repeat that, Raymond," Kevin demanded.
Raymond sighed in annoyance. "Yesterday, she sent me this message." He pulled out his phone and showed their supposed chat.
Kevin frowned and looked at Julie.
"You messaged him?" he asked.
Julie's eyes widened. "Why would I message you? Since when are we close? Check your phone again—I never sent you anything. Who do you think you are, some big shot?" She rolled her eyes at him.
And Kevin confirmed it—Julie never sent Raymond any message.
"So, who knew that Melissa kept a diary?" Raymond asked.
"I did. Why?" Nicole admitted.
"Then maybe you were the one who messaged me last night," Raymond shot back.
"Bullshit!" Nicole snapped. "Why would I put my friend in harm's way for a worthless jerk like you? Melissa and I grew up together. I know everything about her—and I'd never humiliate her."
"The real issue isn't who messaged you," Kelly cut in sharply. "The issue is that you publicly humiliated my sister—not just in front of your classmates but the entire campus. Do you even think before you act?"
"Answer me—why did you do that to my sister?"
Raymond smirked. "For fun."
"Fun?" Kelly shot up from her seat. "You call that fun? You think it's funny?"
"Yeah. Want to try it? Didn't you enjoy that kind of fun before?" Raymond sneered, a mocking grin stretching across his face.
A loud slap cracked across the room.
"Enough!" Chris thundered, silencing everyone.
*****
"You know, Julie's punch wasn't nearly enough for your filthy mouth. I don't even care about my past issues anymore—but this? This is about my sister." Kelly's voice trembled with fury she was fighting to control.
"You don't know what my little sister goes through. Don't you ever treat her like she's some joke!"
Jonathan grabbed her arm. "Stop," he warned quietly but firmly.
Kelly's body shook with anger, her fists clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms. Raymond still showed no remorse.
"That's it?" he mocked as he stood. "Your sister is weird. And creepy."
"You seriously want another slap, don't you?" Kelly snapped.
"Go on—until you're satisfied. But I wasn't the one who spread those pictures. It was Navares, wasn't it? You saw the post—it wasn't me."
"I don't care who spread it! You only made her humiliation worse!" Kelly's voice rose, cracking with frustration and emotion.
"What the heck? I'm a victim here too," Raymond sneered.
"Victim? Don't make me laugh," Nicole muttered. "You're no victim."
"You know what? One of you is two-faced," Raymond said coldly.
"What did you just say?" Nicole shot back. "Two-faced? Are you describing yourself? Because you're the one with two faces."
Raymond's smirk widened. "Nicole, you've known Melissa since childhood, right? Honestly, maybe you were the one chatting with me last night. Don't act like you didn't enjoy it."
Nicole lifted her hand to slap him, but Joel caught her wrist.
"Don't stop me, Joel! He deserves it!" Nicole growled.
Raymond leaned in, tapping his cheek. "Go ahead. I'm waiting."
"Enough! Both of you, stop," Cielo intervened.
"This won't be solved if you keep letting your anger control you," Dave added. "You're actually fighting in front of the disciplinary officer?"
Kelly jerked her arm free from Jonathan and sat down hard, still glaring at Raymond.
"Whatever happens to my sister—I will never forgive you, Raymond," she spat. "Never. I'll do whatever it takes, even if I get suspended. Don't you dare touch my little sister again."
"Julie and Nicole would never do this to her. Julie never knew, and Nicole wouldn't betray Melissa. I know who's around my sister—I trust them. I'll find out who really spread those posts."
"You finally showed your true colors," she added, glaring. "You haven't changed at all. And now you've targeted my sister."
Chris finally spoke, his tone firm but calm. "This is only a temporary solution. We'll take down the viral videos before they spread further. Two videos—Melissa's and my sister's." His gaze landed on Julie.
"I have to protect my sister too. Julie, I don't condone what you did. You weren't taught to throw punches," he scolded.
Julie didn't argue. She only glared at Raymond.
"Post this on our school page: anyone who refuses to delete or keeps sharing those videos—anyone caught spreading them—will face consequences. That includes everyone here," Chris ordered.
Phones came out immediately, and the videos were deleted.
"As for the diary post—I'm not sure who posted it. I know my sister isn't involved, and I'll give Nicole the benefit of the doubt. Someone is pretending. We'll trace the original post."
He exhaled. "We'll handle this fairly. Don't make this worse."
Everyone reluctantly nodded. Shortly after, the school page admins issued strict rules about sharing content. Students knew better than to disobey; punishment would be harsh.
Still, Kelly felt uneasy. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Claire smirking, whispering with her friends about Melissa—and about her.
Kelly ignored her. Melissa hadn't come back for lunch. Her brother had already taken her home—and by now, he knew everything.