Yuna took a deep breath as she pushed open the heavy doors of the school and stepped back into the crowded hallway for the first time since her surgery. Instinctively, she turned to the familiar comfort of Nick by her side.
Though the doctor had done an excellent job minimizing Yuna's facial scar, she still felt self-conscious as students' eyes lingered on her walking past. Shefought the urge to pull up her hood and hide.
"Don't worry, I'm right here," Nick said, noticing her unease. He gave her arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Yuna nodded, gathering her courage. She refused to be ashamed of surviving something that wasn't her fault.
At her locker, Yuna noticed a group of popular girls whispering and staring in her direction. She recognized them as the same bullies who had taunted her in middle school for being shy and different.
Yuna's suspicions were confirmed when she overheard a cruel reenactment of the abuse she had suffered, followed by exaggerated gagging noises and peals of mean laughter. Hot tears stung her eyes.
Nick's face flushed with anger when Yuna told him what she had heard. "I'll take care of this," he said through gritted teeth, jaw set. Yuna had never seen him look so intimidating.
Confronting the girls, Nick loomed over them. "If you ever mention Yuna again, you'll regret it," he said, voice low and threatening. The bullies looked stunned, like predators unprepared for their prey to bare teeth.
After that, the girls gave Yuna a wide berth in the halls. Though Nick disliked using fear, he refused to let anyone add to the pain Yuna was recovering from. He would be her protector for as long as she needed.
At lunch, Yuna smiled seeing Nick trip one of the bullies "by accident" in line for food. Though normally sweet-natured, he had embraced his new role guarding Yuna fiercely. She was endlessly grateful for him.
Over time, the gossip and questions about Yuna's past faded as her peers moved on to the next topic of interest. Walking beside Nick, whose very presence exuded strength and security, Yuna gradually relaxed again at school.
For the first time in years, Yuna felt reasonably at peace within these walls. The hardest days were behind her now. The healing journey had been arduous, but with her ally Nick standing guard, she had made it through the storm.
Her head held high, Yuna let the sunlight wash over her face as she exited the school doors at the end of the day. The future sprawled before her, bright with hope and possibility