Miya above wearing her classic 'barely there' smile.

eccedentesiast

(n.) someone who hides pain behind a smile

Wearing a baseball cap low on her head, Kiara zipped a hoodie over her black romper as she trudged up to the arrival zone at the Hong Kong airport holding a placard labelled 'Miya Demir'. Holding up the sign, she keenly observed as an influx of travellers carrying suitcases in all shapes and sizes formed a kaleidoscope of colours. 

Finally she spotted a slender woman dressed to the nines in a maroon pantsuit strut through the gates, looking poised as ever with her dark brown hair slicked back into a ponytail. Spotting Kiara in the distance, she hurried her pace as her the corner of her mouth lifted ever so slightly– the only indication she ever gave of her delight. Unbothered about decorum, she squealed in excitement as she crushed Miya's body into her own before grabbing the suitcase and ushering the infamous tech mogul into her car.

Leaning over to grab her hand, Kiara smiled, "Has it really been that long?"

Miya raised a brow, "Four years."

"I've missed you."

"We missed you too, you know."

Softening her tone, Kiara tentatively asked, "Did you guys keep in contact?"

"Not really, we all just drifted away. There was the occasional text but we hadn't met in person for ages."

"Well, we'll make it right. How does a girls trip sound?"

"I'm busy."

"Take a break then."

"I don't take breaks from work."

"There's a first time for everything."

"If you can get the others to agree, then maybe."

"I'll convince Alia and you persuade Diana."

"I said you not we."

"Geographical convenience. You two are in US while we're in UK."

"Planning on using emotional blackmail to influence them?"

Playfully sticking her tongue out, Kiara stuck her middle finger up as the two women easily slipped back into their old rapport. They wordlessly breathed in the sights of Hong Kong, sparse conversation littering the comfortable silences. She knew Miya well enough to read the brunette's intentions through slight changes in her demeanour. Her past had broken something within her, so much so that she had subconsciously developed a fear of being herself. 

The girls had only just managed to get her to trust them enough to open up but it had been so long since she truly laughed or smiled and as much as they wished it, she could never act so freely. Her past was still as mysterious to them as the day they met her and anytime they asked, she would simply state that it was irrelevant and that was that– end of topic, conversation over, moving on.

They arrived at their old high school, Discovery College, as they drank in the familiar sights of their hometown, Discovery Bay. The new school principal, James Smith, smiled an adder's grin as rushed over to greet them. With thinning hair and a freshly pressed suit straining against his pudgy figure, it was nearly impossible to believe he was only in his mid-thirties. Eagerly spouting self-promotion, he guided them around the school for a short tour. 

While all four best friends had made a promise years ago in high school to come back and thank their teacher, Annette Garnett, they had long since forgotten it while focussing on their careers. She had not only been their homeroom teacher, but also the head of year and secondary English teacher. 

When Kiara felt pressured to follow in her father's footsteps, it was Annette that helped her break free from the shackles of expectations. When Alia's parents forced her to devote her time only to academic pursuits, it was Annette that encouraged her creative hobbies. When Miya arrived at the school with only shattered dreams and a broken heart, it was Annette that spent hours after school every day to rebuild her confidence. And when Diana was labelled a delinquent by everyone around her, Annette believed in her potential and cultivated a love for literature. All in all, she was responsible for guiding the four best friends to become the women they were today. Now that they were equally successful in their respective fields, it was only fair that they fulfilled their childhood promise.

While Diana and Alia were unable to fly back to Hong Kong on such short notice, Kiara had managed to wrangle Miya into agreeing to accompany her on this visit. She couldn't help but smile as she watched the children enthusiastically wait for their English teacher to enter. Huffing a laugh as a blonde grew frustrated with all the waiting and stood on a table before informing all her peers that she would bring their teacher herself. The little girl brushed past them, walking with purpose towards the teachers' lounge on the floor below as her pigtails bounced with each step.

Kiara sighed, "I wonder if Ms. Garnett will even remember us."

Face remaining expressionless, Miya muttered, "Not too sure about me but you? Definitely."

"Why? Because of my amazing personality?"

Scoffing at the statement, she truthfully quipped, "More like your amazing fame."

Before Kiara could respond, the blonde barrelled back into the classroom in panic before mutely taking her seat. She wore a confused expression as she waited dutifully so Kiara nudged Miya and subtly gestured to the girl as they both observed her demeanour.

She raised a quizzical brow, "You know the kid?"

Shaking her head, Kiara frowned, "No."

"What's bothering you then?"

"She was perfectly happy a minute ago but comes back looking miserable... something's not right."

The women continued observing the girl before finally giving up on silently trying to find the answer so instead decided to ask her directly.

Smiling softly, Kiara approached the girl, "Hey, I'm Kiara and this is my friend, Miya. What's your name?"

Widening her eyes in surprise, the girl tentatively returned the smile, "Lily."

"Nice to meet you, Lily. Did you manage to find Ms. Garnett?"

Suddenly Lily paled as she fisted her hands and shrunk, "N-no, she wasn't in t-the staff room."

Miya narrowed her eyes, immediately recognising the signs of a scared child's lies, "Are you telling the truth?"

Throwing a warning glare at her for the harsh approach, Kiara quickly corrected, "What she means to say is that whatever happened, you don't have to be afraid. We can help you."

Hesitating for a second to consider their offer, Lily curled her finger as if to say, 'come here', and whispered, "Mr. Forster was making Ms. Post cry and I was worried that she was in danger."

Kiara pursed her lips in distaste, gently prodding, "Is there anything else that worried you?"

A wrinkle formed between Lily's brows as she stood up in bewilderment, "When Mr. Forster said, 'you know we both had a good time', why did that make Ms. Post cry? I thought he was saying a good thing?"

Turning to look at Miya in alarm, Kiara reigned in her anger and carefully coaxed Lily back to her seat, "Don't worry, we'll look into it but let's keep this between the three of us for now, okay?

"Okay."

Satisfied that Lily had calmed down, Miya and Kiara hurried out of the classroom as they tracked down James to get to the bottom of things. Within half an hour, he had called the two affected teachers to his office. They watched from their place on the other side of the room as a stunning blonde barely in her mid-twenties timidly shuffled into the room, followed by a hulking brute of a man likely in his mid-thirties who swaggered in wearing an arrogant smirk. The two teachers took their seats before the principal, Ms. Post avoiding all eye contact as her thin shoulders folded inwards while Mr. Forster seethed at the woman as his knee jumped erratically.

James grimaced, probably making the same observations as he began, "While the school board director being your uncle makes you influential, that doesn't excuse you from the responsibilities of being a teacher. We have a code of conduct that you, Alan, like every other teacher, are required to abide by."

Immediately rebuking, Alansniffed, "I'm going to stop you there, James. If you haven't noticed, Christina has no complaints," he looked at her expectantly; "Right?"

When she made no move to respond, he prompted, "Christina."

She looked up at the underlying violence in his tone and nodded wordlessly as he gloated, "See? If she's got no issues then who does?"

Wavering as he wondered how to answer that, James shot Kiara a helpless look so she stepped in, "Me."

Miya immediately agreed, the corner of her lip quirking in amusement as Alan faltered, "And me."

Christina shrank in her seat, looking at the ground in shame as Kiara faced her, "It's a shame such depravities have become so normalised that they are entrenched within our societal structures. How ironic that injustice doesn't discriminate. Animals are abused, entire populations starve, children are trafficked, oceans dry out. Inequalities thrive unhindered by self-made divisions like race, class or religion. Only when one finds the courage to fight can we change the endless cycle. If we as women do not act as a unified front and support each other, then how can we expect our community to do so?"

At last, Christina looked up at the women with wide eyes brimmed with tears of hope and gratitude. James looked on at the former Discovery College students, proud of the legacy they carried. He may not have personally known the two women but one meeting was enough to understand exactly why the masses followed them so ardently.

Miya turned her attention to him, "Justice denied is infinitely more harmful than the injustice itself."

Cutting off her imploration, Alan scoffed, "Enough with the sermon," he worked the smirk back into his expression; "James, are you really entertaining these women? I thought you knew better than that. It would only take one phone call from me to get you fired. What will you tell your daughter? Daddy can't afford to buy that dress because he lost his job."

The young principal stuttered, "I didn't intend–"

Raising a brow at Alan's intimidation, Kiara interrupted, "I'd say he has a lot more to lose if he doesn't protect his employees."

Regardless of how much Kiara tried to avoid problems, they always seemed to find her. Planning on a small reunion with a former teacher, she had somehow managed to land smack in the middle of a workplace harassment issue.

Alan breathed a tired sigh, "I don't mean to sound cliché but, quite frankly, my ascension through the ranks is inevitable."

She quipped, "That makes your descent all the more possible."

"Let me guess, this is my oh-so-unavoidable fall?"

Miya frowned imperceptibly, wondering if the education system had always been corrupted and if perhaps the same things were happening when they were studying here. Kiara didn't want to think of how long the teachers and students at this school had to bear with Alan's brutality for fear of operating on impulse. Anger had the ability to warp reality, forcing even the most clear-headed to act in haste.

Stepping in before Miya could lash out what was sure to be a stinging insult, she firmly lay out the law before him, "James, here, is liable under section 46 of the Sex Discrimination Ordinance code of practice on employment. So as you can see, it would be in his best interest to establish a safe work environment. Why not start by ridding the workplace of people like you?"

Recollecting himself, Alan wrapped himself in as much false bravado as he could muster and straightened in his chair. Though both Kiara and Miya were well-recognised public figures, it was as if he only just realised the significant threat they posed.

He leered at her, "And you think getting rid of me will keep his job intact?"

She simply shrugged, "Yes."

"You messed with the wrong man, I'm powerful enough to shut this school down."

"As am I."

A beat of silence passed as he awkwardly realised the weight of her words so finding nothing else to pick apart, he shifted his attention to Miya, "Oh she's the muscle and you're what... the head?"

The faint shadow of a smirk graced her features, "Mr. Forster, I'm not the head. I'm the one that severs the heads," moving closer as she squatted to his level, she sneered; "What was it you asked him– what will he tell his daughter? He'll tell her that he fought to make sure girls like her feel safe to pursue their ambitions."

The colour drained from Alan's face as he gulped at the thinly veiled threat. Pride glimmered in James' eyes as he watched Christina gather the remaining shreds of her confidence and rise to her full height, looking down her nose at Alan.

She lifted her head, "Mr. Smith, I would formally like to report an incident."

Pulling out a sheet of paper, he nodded in encouragement, "I wholeheartedly support your petition."

They hardly reacted as Alan shouted in indignation and furiously left the room. Still, James remained unperturbed as she patiently listened to Christina recall the details of the incident and roughly scrawled out the complaint before pushing the document over to her. Barely containing her satisfaction, Kiara squeezed Miya's hand with unrestrained joy as they watched the petite teacher sign her name under the report. 

Noting the slight quiver in her hands as Christina worriedly gripped the pen, she realised they still had a long way to go before creating a sense of safety but was fulfilled nonetheless at the confidence they managed to instil. Completing any necessary formalities with James, the two women made their way back to the classroom but waited outside until breaktime.

Floods of students left classrooms in every direction, almost every student stopping to gape at the two celebrities hovering in the hallway before the English classroom– a few students even whipped out their phones to snap pictures and take videos for social media. As it was currently 'Community Service Week', stalls for bake sales and games were set up in the foyer to raise awareness for local issues. 

By the time the hallways cleared up, Kiara and Miya made their way into the classroom as they waited for Annette to notice. The lean woman before them flitted around the classroom, shuffling papers around as she organised her desk. Streaks of grey interspersed the thick sheet of sleek unbound black hair as she tucked an unruly strand behind her ear and released a frustrated breath while grading exam submissions. For someone well into their fifties, she barely looked a day over forty with little to no wrinkles lining her face. Observing the posters plastered across the classroom, Kiara was transported down memory lane at the sight of Diana's essay analysis of 'Odyssey' by Homer strung up as an example.

Annette looked up in surprise when Miya coughed, running over to them as she exclaimed, "My babies!"

She grunted with the force of Annette's hug, "You realise we're almost thirty."

"Well you'll always be my babies."

Returning her hug, Kiara chuckled, "Sorry it's taken us this long to come visit."

"I was starting to think you forgot me."

"I couldn't forget Ms. Garnett even if I wanted to."

"So you've tried?"

Frowning in mock-misery, she sighed, "Gave up after the first ten tries."

Flicking a paperclip at her, Annette jokingly scolded, "Famous or not, don't make me call your parents." 

The three women caught up with each other, narrating their experiences to one another and reminiscing over the past as Kiara and Miya thanked their teacher profusely for shaping them into the women they were today. Realising it was nearly time for class again, they exchanged numbers with Annette before bidding goodbye. On the way out, Kiara stopped by a coin toss stall raising awareness for child labour and funds for the local shelter. Much to the astonishment of the boys running the stall, she proposed a wager to donate five hundred dollars only if at least three out of five coins successfully landed in the steel plate. Eagerly agreeing at the thought of collecting substantial donations, they set up the plate and handed over five coins. 

While Kiara could've simply donated the money, it wasn't in her nature to openly take credit for any community service unless publicity would be beneficial to the cause. The cluster of students huddling around with their phones out meant that such contributions would only be perceived as a publicity stunts rather than focus on the pressing issue at hand. 

With stiff shoulders and poor focus, she tossed the first three coins carelessly and missed the plate as expected. The students cheered heartily, believing she lost the game as they held out their donation box. Slipping the money into the box with mock-reluctance, she waited until they weren't looking to loosen her posture and readjust her stance. She flicked out her wrist and easily landed the final two coins with perfect aim into the plate. Their jaws dropped at her accuracy and skill as she winked at the boys and turned to leave with a wave.

Miya frowned, "Why all the build-up if you could've won the game?"

Bumping shoulders with her, Kiara giggled, "Isn't there just something so much more satisfying about doing good without seeking recognition?"

"Random acts of kindness for selfish reasons?"

"Never thought of it that way but looking back, maybe you're right."

"As always, hindsight twenty-twenty."

"Don't get cocky now."

"It's called confidence."

"That's conceited."

"It's warranted."

Dropping Miya off at her dad's house, Kiara decided to take a few minutes to greet her father and catch up with their family. Given that she and Chris would be leaving tomorrow, it would only be right to catch up with Miya's family before departing. Emre Demir, in all his six-foot-two tanned and muscled glory, was a man of intimidating stature. The billionaire business tycoon constantly wore an expression of vague disinterest and mild irritation, a useful deterrent against idle conversation, but seemed to melt at the sight of his daughter. 

Miya, on the other hand, remained relatively stoic with the slight quiver in her upper lip being the only indication that she had missed her father. They embraced in a hug far warmer than any she had ever received from her friend before breaking apart. Looking at Kiara over his daughter's shoulder, he ran his keen eyes over her as he observed her demeanour. Sighing once satisfied Kiara was taking care of herself, he smiled and opened his arms wide for her.

She returned his brilliant smile, skipping over and throwing herself into his arms as he laughed in delight, "You're all grown up now!"

Swatting his shoulder in indignation, she huffed, "Still centuries younger than you, old man."

"Christ, how old do you think I am?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"I guess not. How's the high life treating you?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Still the same brat, I see."

"Hey, hey, hey. You're the one that taught me being older doesn't always mean being wiser."

"And how exactly did I teach you that?"

"I'm a visual learner. What I see, I repeat."

Bantering back and forth, Kiara couldn't help but feel nostalgic as she remembered just how much she missed her three friends. She felt ridiculous for assuming the girls wouldn't understand– much less support, her career when it was so painfully obvious to her that they cared deeply. Even after having committed such a foolishly misguided attempt at distancing herself from them, the girls still wholeheartedly accepted her. 

It took time and effort but they had slowly rebuilt the foundations of their friendship, replenishing their trust in each other. Having grown up in the same town, their parents had all been close friends. Even to this day, Emre was still one of Samuel's closest confidants. Saying her goodbyes, she left the father-daughter duo to catch up as she headed home to her own family.

Forty first chapter? I can't believe we've come so far!! Please don't forget to comment and vote!