You trained your ears to hear Oshiro before you saw her. So you weren't surprised one day when you heard more than saw Oshiro follow you into the girls' bathroom.

She rounded the stall and you were on her in a moment, throwing the first punch before the advantage could be taken from you.

She blocked it and spun you, sending you to your knees. You ducked and dodged her next swing, kicking at her legs. If you could just topple her, get her on the ground, maybe you would have enough time to run for the door.

No luck. Oshiro planted a foot in the middle of your chest, sending you flying backwards and rolling across the dirty bathroom floor. Your elbow connected solidly with the wall, turning it limp and numb, making it useless to you.

Somehow, you managed to get your feet back under you. She probably let you do it out of pity. She was perfectly situated between you and the exit. There was no getting out without going through her. So you rushed her.

As you crashed into her, she twirled you around like a dancer and brought one arm up in an attempt to choke you out. You tucked your chin in and sank your teeth deep into that arm until you tasted blood. Then you shook your head back and forth like an attack dog, trying to loosen the flesh from the bone.

In retaliation, she bent down and bit down where your neck met your shoulder. You panicked for a moment before doing the first thing that came to mind. Instead of shrinking away from the teeth so close to your throat, you threw your head back.

It worked. She let you go. You made a mad dash for the exit, only to be grabbed by the back of your blazer and dragged back in the fight. You spun around, hand raised and fist curled, and managed to catch her in the face while she was still reeling from the broken nose.

The expression on her face wasn't angry or pained. It was just... Tired. She was obviously ready to end this. Which she could if she just let you go, let you go, let you go! Hadn't she done enough?!

But she didn't. Instead, she took your dominant arm like one might take a bird's wing, bringing it out and around. Then she rested one hand on your smarting elbow. Pain flared sharply as you tested her hold. You realized too late what she came here to do, why she didn't let you go before.

"Don't, don't, don't-!" You chanted desperately.

"I'm sorry."

Then she broke your fucking arm.

...

An ambulance picked you up from school instead of your mom's car. Minoru offered you a ride, but you gave her the middle finger. That didn't stop her from following you to the hospital, however. She tried to climb into the ambulance with you, but the paramedics wouldn't let her after the stink you raised.

The nurses were as gentle as can be as they set your arm and fit the cast around it, but it still hurt like a motherfucker. Your face was a mess of snot and tears by the time they were done. The doctor took one look at your agonized expression and offered you a prescription for painkillers, but you refused after seeing how Minoru's eye lit up at the mention.

The cherry on top of the hospital visit was the pamphlet on abusive relationships that one of the nurses slipped you after taking note of your black eye, broken arm, and bitten neck.

"You should leave him, sweetie," she advised, voice as sweet as sugar.

"This is what I got for trying to leave him. I think he may actually kill me," you said, just happy to have someone to talk to about this whole crazy situation.

Minoru, lurking like a shade in the corner chair, stiffened before giving the nurse a venomous glare. You pointed at her with the thumb of your good hand and said, "Can you remove her please? She's not my friend or family, and I don't want her here."

"Oh! Of course, sweetie."

Minoru pouted and gave your broken arm a longing look before being escorted out. "Call or text me if you need anything. You still have my number, right?"

"I have your number, alright. I have it blocked. Now get the fuck out."

...

Aina's dad was waiting for you in the living room when you got home. He was sitting in the middle of the sofa with his elbows on his bad knees and his head in his hands. His eyes were red and puffy when he looked up at your shoulder sling.

There was a waver in his voice when he finally spoke. "I thought girls fought with words, not fists."

"Not all girls," you told him bluntly. Not Oshiro and, by extension, Minoru. Her message rang loud and clear in the aching of your broken limb.

"I'm so sorry, Aina... If I'd known-" It was strange to see a grown man cry. If he was really your dad, you may have felt differently. Instead, you just felt a lingering resentment. I told you I was being bullied. You didn't say a word when I started coming home with new bruises every day.

"I want to change schools."

"Aina... You're not particularly smart and you're not a particularly hard worker. I was just worried about your college prospects."

"What's worse: a failure of a daughter or the corpse of one?"

He was silent for a beat as he processed what you just said. Then he dropped his head back into his hands. "I'll start the paperwork so you can transfer to the nearest public school. It'll take at least a couple weeks for your transfer request to be approved. You'll just need to attend Haruki until then."

You nodded but he wasn't looking at you. Then you simply walked upstairs to go to bed.

There was a light at the end of your tunnel now. All you needed to do was survive for a couple more weeks. Oshiro could break every bone in your body and you still wouldn't give up or give in.