PART 2: Seven Seconds That Changed Everything
Before anyone could react...
Lina moved.
One clean slap echoed across the cafeteria.
Ryan staggered sideways in complete shock.
The room fell silent.
But Lina wasn't trying to hurt him.
She was stopping him.
As Ryan stumbled forward, grabbing at her jacket, Lina instinctively used the self-defense techniques her father had taught her since childhood.
She secured his wrist.
Shifted her stance.
Redirected his momentum.
Ryan lost his balance and tumbled onto the cafeteria floor.
Plastic trays rattled.
Students jumped backward.
Someone dropped a soda.
Nobody had expected the quiet transfer student to remain so calm.
Ryan lay on the floor staring at the ceiling, stunned more by his own surprise than anything else.
Lina never celebrated.
Never shouted.
She simply stepped back and let go.
The cafeteria remained completely silent.
Then teachers rushed into the room.
Within minutes, both students were escorted to the principal's office.
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Everyone assumed Lina's future at Westbrook High was over.
They were wrong.
