Chapter 1
MACY's P.O.V
If someone told you violence wasn’t the answer, what would you say to them? If you said it was always the answer, you’d get an A.
My mother liked to say violence solved nothing but I was a keen believer some people just needed to get punched one time in their lives. Which was funny considering one punch was the reason I was getting expelled.
The day started like every other boring Thursday at Rosewood Preparatory Academy. Too many rich kids with fake smiles and not enough coffee in the cafeteria to start a morning right. I was halfway to fourth period headphones around my neck blasting whatever the FM radio had broadcasting, when I noticed a crowd.
It wasn't big but it was enough people to peek my interest. I almost kept walking, I promise you I did. Even my therapist would have been proud of my growth not to stick my nose where it didn't belong.
Today would have marked a whole three weeks without getting into a fight, a personal record if I do say so myself.
Then I heard Lucy Newman crying. And yeah that pretty much sealed my fate and killed whatever character development poor Doctor Kalman had starting seeing with me.
I pushed through the small circle of students until I saw her. Lucy, sat frozen in her wheelchair beside the lockers, shoulders curled inward like she was trying to be a turtle and disappear into her shell. Her glasses were crooked. Her eyes were red and Becky Johnson stood over her holding Lucy's phone just out of reach, while her two best friends laughed beside her.
"You got that freak?" Becky asked. Lucy nodded quickly, tears staying unshed in her eyes. "Good, then next time you'll stop staring at Ethan during Chemistry."
"I wasn't—"
"Shut up." Something hot burned in my chest. I hated bullies, especially cowards who picked on people smaller than them.
"What's going on?" I ask stepping forward before my brain could stop me. Becky looked over her shoulder slowly. The girl had perfected the art of looking at people like they were gum stuck to her designer shoes.
"Oh," She said. "It's Macy Keen, shouldn't you be in anger management or jail or something?"
"Give her phone back." I say ignoring the few people that snickered. Lucy looked at me with panic instead of relief, which honestly should've been my warning sign to leave it alone. Lord knows I should have left it alone.
"Or what?" Becky asks folding her arms in front of her. I inhaled slowly trying to breathing techniques I'd learned with Doctor Kalman.
One breath in.
One out.
I could do this. I could stay clam. I needed to stay calm. I was absolutely not going to get another suspension.
"Becky." I say gesturing like I was talking to child. "Give Lucy her phone."
She smirked. Then she shoved Lucy's wheelchair hard enough for it slam into the lockers. The sound echoed through the hallway. And that was pretty much the end of my short lived healing journey.
My fist connected with Becky's face before anyone could blink. The crack of it hurt my knuckles and caked my hand with Becky's makeup.
She stumbled backward with a scream, clutching her nose while blood spilled between her fingers. The hallways exploded into chaos around us.
"Oh my God!"
"She punched her!"
"Somebody get a teacher!"
"Oh shit," I say as reality settle back in. Becky stared at me in pure horror like she genuinely couldn't believe someone had finally hit her. Personally, I couldn't believe it had taken this long.
"You psycho!" she shrieked.
"Don't touch people who can't fight back." I flexed my aching hand wiping the makeup into my pants. Lucy looked stunned and maybe a little terrified.
Fair enough I guess.
Becky lunged for me with a scream that sounded more embarrassing than threatening, but before she could reach me, Coach Ramirez appeared out of nowhere and grabbed my arm.
"Keen!"
And there it was. The consequence portion of the morning.
I'm carted away towards the principal's office while Becky dramatically cried behind us about assault and trauma like she in the last ten minutes wasnnt tormenting a disabled girl.
"You have got to be kidding me," Coach muttered under his breath.
"I know," I said. "Her right hook was terrible."
"Macy."
"What? I'm just saying if you're gonna attack somebody—"
"This isn't a joke." That sobered me a little, because he sounded tired. He wasn't angry, which was worse.
By the time we reached the office, Principal Arden already looked like he was developing a migraine. Becky sat in one chair holding an ice pack to her face while her mother practically vibrated with outrage beside her.
The second my mother walked through the door, that's when I knew I'd truly messed up. Her expression alone could've frozen hell.
"Macy," she said quietly. That was the scariest possible tone. Not yelling, not screaming but the sound of a disappointed mother. I suddenly would've preferred prison.
Mrs. Johnson practically launched out of her seat immediately. "Your little fiend assaulted my child!"
I rolled my eyes muttering under my breath. "She assaulted me emotionally first."
"Macy," My mother snapped and I leaned back in my chair because honestly I regretted nothing. Lucy hadn't deserved that kind of treatment and if I had to punched Becky Johnson again, I would. Without a doubt I would.
Unfortunately for me Rosewood Preparatory had a strict policy against violence. Apparently "She deserved it" isn't considered a valid legal defense.
And then by midnight, my parents had decided to send me to boarding school in England.
England of all places.
They didn't even drive on the right side of the road and was supposed to teach me discipline and make me into a lady respectable enough to carry the Keen name. Which honestly I felt was a little dramatic for one punch.
But at the end of the day my fist and I were happy we stood up for Lucy.
