The bell rang, dismissing us to go to fifth period. Hector sloppily picked up his backpack, turned around, and knocked off my pencil bag onto the ground. At this point, I didn’t care; I kept my eyes up to make sure Eden was still there. She was finishing packing up her bags and Hector was leaving the classroom.

I couldn’t let him get away. Eden swung her backpack around her shoulder and stood up. Even though I didn’t finish picking up my pencils and pens, I darted out of my chair and stuck the rubber controller onto Eden’s arm.

Eden, completely baffled at first, turned around and looked at her arm. Her eyes shifted towards me and she gave me a very puzzled look.

“Um…Andrew, why on Earth did you just- ” Eden stopped midsentence and her face changed to a blank expression.

Eden’s body stood frozen, she stopped breathing, her backpack fell from her shoulder, and her face became a bit pale. I waved my hand in front of her eyes. Before I could even say, “Eden?” she instantly became animate again.

Eden swiftly twirled around and dashed for the door. She shoved our classmates, Nathan, Sofia, and Glenn as she was rushing into the hallway. I stood, there watching and waiting for what she was going to do next. The classroom was getting empty and Mr. Fowler walked up behind me and said, “Andrew, you’d better hurry up. The bell is going to-”

Before Mr. Fowler could even finish his sentence, we both heard a loud wave of screams coming from the hallways. Mr. Fowler and I both quickly ran to the door and turned our heads to the direction of the screams.

All we could see was a large pool of students gathering into one spot between the lockers. The screaming was getting louder and louder. I was hearing a group of girls chanting, “Eden! Eden! Eden! Eden!” There was a boy shouting, “Get her Hector!” and another boy yelling, “Sack her in the face!”

At the corner of my eye, I saw Brett and Avery in the middle of the crowd. They finally noticed and waved for me to come in. I ran towards them, situated myself in between them, and looked through a small gap within the crowd.

Within that gap, I was actually watching Eden Calloway lifting Hector Markowski right above her head before slamming him onto the ground. Hector rolled himself on the ground and pushed himself up before Eden could climb onto his back. He positioned his should and tackled right towards Eden’s chest. Eden proved herself to be a mighty fighter. She held her hands in front of her and managed to block Hector’s impact. I studied her hand positions from a distance. She quickly grabbed Hector’s shirt and once again, lifted him up into the air. She did it with such ease that it looked like Hector weighed as much as a stuffed animal. Eden’s legs bent down slightly and then, with Hector still lifted up, charged towards the lockers, smashing Hector right against the doors.

Hector’s face was turning red and I could see sweat dripping from his face. Eden’s back was turned towards me, so I couldn’t see any expressions from her face. I kept my eyes locked onto her. With her left hand wrapped around Hector’s neck and keeping him pinned against the lockers, she pulled back her right hand, cuffing it into a fist. Eden’s body was now at an angle and I could get a view of her face. Her eyes were angry, her nose was scrunched up, and her teeth were snarling.

The seconds were slowing down. The chanting, yelling, and screaming in the hallways seemed to fade. I could feel my heart pounding, my breaths becoming shallow, and the adrenaline rushing through my veins. Then came the moment where Eden released a punch heading straight towards Hector’s face. His eyes closed as he braced for the impact. Just before the punch could reach his face, Principal Van Dooren popped into the scene, grabbed Eden by the shoulders, and thrusted her away from Hector.

My brain felt as though it suddenly jumped back into reality. I could hear the chanting, yelling, and screaming again and the adrenaline’s effects quickly dissipated from my body. I still couldn’t process things 100% perfectly yet. I just watched Principal Van Dooren pulling back Eden Calloway, who was still fighting against his restraint. A nurse came to check Hector, who was now lying against the lockers. Mr. Norton, the advertising teacher, was yelling extremely loudly into the hallway “EVERYONE TO CLASS! RIGHT NOW!” Brett and Avery grabbed my shoulders and pulled me away from the crowds. I just kept my head turned and watched Principal Van Dooren walk away with Eden in his arms.