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The warm smell of coffee filled the small school café.
Soft lights hung from the ceiling,
and the wooden tables were neatly arranged despite the heavy crowd during the break.
Lavinia stood in the middle of all this noise,
carrying a plate with a customer's order, her black hair tied neatly,
and her hazel eyes always alert for any trouble
—and that was exactly what happened.
She placed the order on the table, and before she could turn around…
she felt a rude hand touch her ass.
She froze for a moment.
Then she spun around in a sharp, quick motion, grabbed the harassing student's hand with a force that made him scream in pain.
She shouted, trembling with anger: — "How dare you touch me, you bastard?!"
The student stood up, stepping back nervously.
His brown hair was messy from panic, and he said with arrogant frustration:
— "I touched you?! You clumsy idiot! Look at your height! You're taller than me anyway! A giraffe!"
The place froze.
Students' eyes suddenly turned toward them.
Whispers filled the air…
But before things escalated further, Mira stepped forward quickly, her features calm despite the tension.
— "What's going on?" she asked, looking at both of them with concern.
The student laughed mockingly and said: — "Heh, your stupid friend is trying to get my attention. She's not even my type."
Fire ignited inside Lavinia.
Her hand clenched until her knuckles turned white. Meanwhile, Mira tried to calm things down and said with a forced smile:
— "I'm really sorry for what my friend did…"
The student blushed with fake modesty, then said in a disgusting tone: — "Yeah… for your sake only, I'll forgive her."
He looked at Lavinia with contempt, as if he were looking at something unwanted.
Mira reached out to pull Lavinia back… but she couldn't.
Because Lavinia completely snapped.
She grabbed the student's shirt tightly, leaned in close, and then—
she head-butted him in the face so hard that he fell to the ground,
the table beside him crashed over, and cups and chairs scattered as chaos filled the entire café.
The student tried to get up, shouting messy insults, but he couldn't.
Lavinia was on top of him, hitting him hard in the face and stomach, fast, furious strikes she couldn't stop.
Suddenly, his friend intervened.
He punched Lavinia in the face with a strong blow that made hot blood run from her nose…
and a muffled gasp rose from the gathered students.
The class president entered.
Students followed after them, trying to separate them… but it was useless.
Lavinia's anger was like a tornado.
And amid the chaos…
a deep, powerful voice filled the place:
— "What's going on here?!"
It was Mikel.
Carrying the item they had asked him to bring.
He stopped for a moment, stunned… seeing Lavinia with her clothes disheveled, her hair messy, blood from her nose, and her hands striking fiercely.
He ran to her and pulled her from behind, trying to get her away.
— "Lavinia, what's going on?!"
She shouted violently: — "He was touching my ass! That filthy bastard!"
At that moment… Mikel completely changed.
His muscles tensed, veins bulged on his neck and face,
and his calm eyes went dark and frightening.
Mira tried to grab his arm, saying: — "Mikel, calm down… please!"
But in a single instant…
Mikel lunged toward the student and attacked him.
He punched him directly in the face, once, twice, three times…
until his hand was smeared with blood, and the student screamed in agony, his nose breaking with a clear crack.
Students intervened to save him. Four students grabbed Mikel and pulled him back by force.
Voices and screams filled the place, and the door burst open as the teacher and then the principal entered.
The entire room turned into chaos: overturned tables, shattered cups, and shocked students crowding around.
--
The principal's office
Everyone sat before a large desk made of dark wood.
The heavy scent of the principal's perfume filled the room.
The two harassing students looked miserable—swelling, blood, scratches, and a bruised eye.
The principal shouted in a booming voice: — "What is this?! Did you think the school was a battlefield?!"
He pointed at them one by one as he yelled:
— "You! And you! Have you lost your minds?! Who allowed you to turn the school into chaos?!"
Mikel breathed angrily and said in a steady tone despite the tension: — "He touched my classmate's ass… so I hit him."
Everyone's eyes shifted to the other student.
The principal asked sharply: — "Is this true? Answer immediately!"
The student couldn't lie. He hesitated for a few seconds, but then lowered his head and confessed.
A gasp rose among those present.
And because of that… Mikel and Lavinia were exempted from punishment.
---
Back to the present
Rocky looked at Lavinia, his eyes wide in shock as he heard the story for the first time: — "I can't believe it… did you really do all that?!"
Lavinia exhaled in frustration and said: — "If you don't want me at the festival… then I won't go."
The department head quickly said: — "No no, I'm not trying to punish you, Lavinia. We just don't want a repeat of what happened last year… we need to be cautious."
Rocky added with a gentle smile: — "How about we wear matching outfits for the festival? In my old school we did that… it was amazing."
The head's eyes lit up: — "Great idea!"
Everyone began suggesting ideas.
Someone said: "Animal costumes!" Another girl: "I want cute pajamas!"
Then one student raised his hand excitedly: — "What about swimsuits? It would be awesome to see the girls—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
Because the department head smacked him in the face with the mop while saying: — "Shut up, you pervert!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Then one of the girls, Karen, said: — "I got it! What if the girls wore floral dresses and flower crowns, while the boys wore knight outfits? It would look like a fairytale!"
Everyone's imagination started working… picturing themselves in those outfits.
The head finally announced: — "I approve! We'll go with Rocky's idea and Karen's costume suggestion."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the period, and everyone left excitedly.
Memories of the past
– Last year's festival
Lavinia walked out of the principal's office with Mikel.
He walked ahead of her in heavy silence, his steps wide, his shoulders tense.
Lavinia whispered: — "Mikel… I'm sorry. I was the reason for the problem."
He stopped suddenly.
He turned to her.
Then… slowly, he took off his coat and wrapped it around her waist, covering her stained and disheveled clothes.
He leaned toward her ear and said in a low voice: — "These clothes… don't suit you. And they don't look good on you."
Lavinia froze.
She blushed intensely.
As if she truly were the cause of everything that had happened.
---
Her thoughts were cut off by a familiar voice: — "What are you thinking about?"
She looked up… Mikel was standing behind her.
She quickly said, averting her gaze: — "Nothing."
---
In the evening, Lavinia was walking down the quiet school hallway,
the sunset light reflecting off the polished floor.
And suddenly, Rocky appeared in front of her.
Their eyes met.
She tried to move away… but he gently took her arm.
He spoke in a low voice… a little tender, a little hesitant:
— "Lavinia… we need to talk."
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