the cafeteria had that usual hum of the scraping of trays, the constant buzz of gossip, and laughter echoing off the polished tile walls. you were already standing before you even realized it, muscles tight and blood boiling. your eyes were locked on aaron samuels from across the room

he was laughing with his boys at one of the far tables, mouth full of fries, smug and untouched by consequence like he didnt do what he did. like he hadnt taken advantage of regina

she told you yesterday. her voice had cracked. youve never seen regina george look small before. not when she tripped in those heels during the halloween dance or when some girl tried to snatch her crown last semester but yesterday in your car, she looked like a mirror with a fracture down the middle

"he took advantage of me" she had whispered and you had to grip the steering wheel to keep from driving off and finding him right then

"promise me" she said, eyes on yours like she was holding you together "dont do anything stupid"

you promised but youre not made for promises when it comes to people hurting her

so today at lunch, regina wasnt even in the room yet but you were already walking

"you think youre untouchable dont you?" you called across the cafeteria

aaron blinked, half amused "what?"

people had started turning, quieting, and sensing the tension shift in the air

"you heard me" you snapped "you wanna laugh about it? about what you did to regina?"

he stood now, tray hitting the table "what the hell are you talking about?"

"you know what im talking about"

"i didnt do anything she didnt want" he said, voice getting cocky again with his chest puffed

then he made his mistake and smirked "not my fault she plays the victim when its convenient"

you blacked out and you swung

your fist connected with his jaw so hard you heard the crack before you even felt the pain in your knuckles. he stumbled back into a table, food and trays crashing everywhere. someone screamed and the crowd surged, half of them trying to film and the other half backing up

he lunged back at you, throwing a wild punch that barely clipped your shoulder before you slammed him against the edge of the table "you touched her you sick-"

"HEY!" a teacher shouted but you werent listening

you saw red and you had him by the collar now, dragging him down with every ounce of fury in your chest. thats when you heard her voice

"y/n-" reginas heels clacked hard against the tile as she rushed into the chaos. she was pushing through the crowd, hair flying and cheeks flushed in panic

"get off him" she screamed, trying to grab at your arm but you didnt let go

he deserved this. he deserved so much worse

"STOP" she shouted again, desperate now "please-"

she managed to shove her whole weight between you. not that it was much but it distracted you just enough that aaron slipped out of your grip. her hands found your arms again and pulled hard

you finally stumbled back, crashing to the ground, your body hitting the tile beside her legs. you were heaving, chest rising and falling like you ran a marathon with adrenaline still screaming in your veins

regina dropped to her knees beside you, grabbing your arm, her breath ragged "you promised" she said, eyes wide and scared but not of you

you looked up at her. the overhead lights hit her like a spotlight, face flushed, mascara slightly smudged, and her fingers tight around your forearm like she was the one keeping you from breaking

people were still watching, murmuring, and filming but they werent shocked because it was you and regina george. everyone knew you were messing around and everyone knew aaron was being replaced. they just didnt know how deep the cut ran

you looked at aaron, bleeding at the lip, hunched on the floor, and groaning

"i couldnt let him get away with it" you breathed, voice shaking "he hurt you"

she swallowed "you already had me. that was enough*

you closed your eyes, head falling back against her thigh. she was still holding you and still here