Hidden Flames

Chapter 6

[Juliette's Home]

Juliette's heart raced as she entered her house, shutting the door and hoping that her parents weren't home. No such luck. Her mother was sitting on the couch, arms crossed, with a stern look on her face. Her father stood by the window, his brow furrowed with concern, a stark contrast to her mother. As Juliette took a seat, her mother wasted no time.

"What is this I hear about a video?" She demanded, her voice sharp and accusatory, causing Juliette to flinch, "What were you thinking, Juliette? Do you have any idea what trouble you've caused?"

Her dad turned to her with a softer gaze, his concern evident, "Sweetheart, what happened? They're saying this video led to...to Karen's..."

Juliette swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her dad's empathy. She knew he was trying to understand, but her mother's relentless pressure made it difficult to find the words, "It wasn't like that" She began, "Karen was bullying us, all of us. We were just trying to make her stop. We didn't mean for..."

Her mother cut her off, her tone escalating, "Making crude videos? Getting involved in such messes? This is not how we raised you, Juliette. You have a future, and you're jeopardizing it with this reckless behavior"

Frustration surged within Juliette, "Mom, you don't understand. Karen...she was horrible to us. We didn't know..."

"You should have come to us" Her mom interjected sharply, "Instead, you chose to handle it in the worst possible way"

Her dad stepped forward, his voice calm but firm, "Let her explain, Hadley. There's more to this than just what's being said"

Juliette took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts amidst her mom's disapproval, "There's going to be a disciplinary hearing" She continued, feeling the weight of the situation, "They're investigating everything that happened"

Her mother's expression hardened further, her disappointment palpable, "This is a disgrace, Juliette. We raised you better than this"

Tears welled up, frustration boiling over, "I didn't kill her, Mom! None of us did! Karen...she was..."

Her dad stepped in again, his voice gentle yet authoritative, "Let's not jump to conclusions, Hadley. There's an investigation for a reason. We need to hear Juliette's side of the story"

Juliette looked at her dad gratefully, thankful for his attempt to understand, "I just want things to be fair" She murmured, feeling the weight of her mom's expectations pressing down on her

Her mom sighed heavily, her disappointment evident, "We'll deal with this" She said finally, her tone cold, "But don't expect me to condone this kind of behavior, Juliette. You've made a mess of things"

[Tuesday]

As Juliette walked into school, she noticed everyone's eyes on her, making her ridiculously uncomfortable. She soon found out why. Tabby found her and pulled her to the rest of the girls, showing her the newspaper. Shock coursed through her veins as they read the news article.

"Have you guys seen this?" Mouse asked as she walked up to them

"Way ahead of you, Honrada" Noa told her

The newspaper headline read, "Bullied to Death," and the article painted them as the bullies, "Let's hope the disciplinary committee makes the right decision and demands the bullies' immediate expulsion" Imogen read

"We're so dead" Mouse said

"This is fucking insane" Juliette murmured

The hallway felt like it was closing in on her, the weight of the stares almost suffocating. She made her way to music class, hoping to slide under the radar. But as soon as she stepped into the room, she could feel the tension. Mr. Reynolds, her music teacher, was standing at the front of the class.