**Gemma Chan as Principal Pansino, as briefly mentioned in this episode

𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦?
𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴.

𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭.

TRI

"Right from the start

You were a thief, you stole my heart
And I, your willing victim
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
Now you've been talking in your sleep, oh oh
Things you never say to me, oh oh
Tell me that you've had enough
Of our love, our love"

—SAM, Jaden, Amanda, and Daniel sat in their car in a tense silence as Amanda kept her hands on the steering wheel. Daniel, unnerved by what had happened this time, looked at his watch in disdain. Something was always going on.

"Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough
Just a second, we're not broken, just bent and we can learn to love again
It's in the stars, it's been written in the scars on our hearts
We're not broken, just bent, and we can learn to love again"

Nothing sounded but the low buzz of the air conditioning and faint music playing from the radio.

"I'm sorry I don't understand
Where all of this is coming from
I thought that we were fine
Your head is running wild again
My dear we still have everythin'
And it's all in your mind
You've been havin' real bad dreams, oh oh
You used to lie so close to me, oh oh
There's nothing more than empty sheets between our love, our love
Oh, our love, our love"

It was gloomy outside and rain pellets softly pelted the windows of the slate grey Mazda CX-5. Amanda drove along an opaquely lit, curved road paved between a wood of aspen trees. The illuminescent yellow lane markings on the road added a small touch of vibrance.

"Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough
Just a second we're not broken just bent and we can learn to love again
I never stop, you're still written in the scars on my heart
You're not broken, just bent, and we can learn to love again"

Jaden, whom's head was leaning against the window on her side of the car, maintained a lost gaze out the condensated, cold window. Her eyes picked up on the rails on the side of the road, rusting and contorting into shapes and figures in their old age.

"Oh, tear ducts and rust
I'll fix it for us
We're collecting dust, but our love's enough
You're holding it in
You're pouring a drink
No, nothing is as bad as it seems
We'll come clean"

The rails were there to protect cars from external objects that may be of jeopardy in the woods, that was their purpose. They never asked to be there, they simply were brought, built, and left. It was their job to guard and shield. Over time, they sustained damage due to crashes and swerves. They went from freshness to disease. Was being so damaged beyond repair their job, too? Would they ever recover from it? Was this even the end? Was she like the rails?

"Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough
Just a second, we're not broken, just bent and we can learn to love again
It's in the stars, it's been written in the scars on our hearts
That we're not broken just bent and we can learn to love again"

Jaden's eyes opened slowly, to find the car parked in the school parking lot. 'Just Give Me a Reason' by P!nk had been turned off along with the car, and all her family in the vehicle stepped out, so she followed suit.

Her palms began to sweat and grow damp as she walked behind her scarily stoic family into the school building. She wiped off the sweat on her jeans and began to toy with her fingers.

The West Valley High school building was dreaded. All that came out of it was bad news and nothing more.

"Mr. and Mrs. LaRusso. Please have a seat. It's good to have you here." Ms. Pansino, the principal, welcomed them.

"I brought you here today to inform you of a recent scandal involving your daughter, Jaden, in which--" Jaden's heartbeat picked up, she sunk into her seat in shame and regret as she tuned out the woman's voice.

Their fearful faces morphed into expressions of disgust and horror. "Why would you do that?", Amanda questioned.

"Hello? I'm speaking to you. Why would you do such a thing?" Amanda restated, grabbing Jaden's attention.

Jaden felt heat rise to her face, her words becoming caught in her throat. She realised everyone's eyes were focused on her, and the pressure began to build.

At a loss for words, she left the office with the slam of a door. The LaRusso girl sat on the floor outside the room, her leg bouncing up and down as she maintained an exasperated gaze at the floor.

Sam followed not far behind her, wanting a conversation. By time she had exited the office, tears of anger were streaming down Jaden's face.

"Why did you do it?" Sam questioned.

"God, would you all just stop asking me that?" Jaden massaged her aching head, "I'd be in that damned office if I wanted to answer that."

Sam didn't know how to feel about her sister's words. She had a more major concern.

Amanda and Daniel were still discussing with Principal Pansino inside the office. "Things like this happen all the time. What really matters, factually, is support and ultimate education on Internet safety and--" Amanda was unwilling to listen to the woman.

"Thank you very much, Madam, but this will be taken care of at home," Amanda stood, grabbed her handbag, and left the small office.

"Then, besides that, did you ever think of me? How this would affect my reputation?" Sam queried the blonde, folding her arms.

Jaden furrowed her brows and raised her head from between her knees, only staring into Sam's eyes for some moments. Sam stood above her, impatiently awaiting an answer. "Really? How are you managing to make this about you?"

Jaden wiped her tear-stained face and sniffled, "You can't even see it, can you? You're such a horrible person now." Sam scoffed incredulously. Jaden's words stuck in her mind. And they stung.

Daniel lowered his head in disappointment. He apologised to the principal.
"I'm very sorry about Jaden, Ms. Pansino. She hasn't been herself lately, this won't happen again." She nodded,
"No worries, Mr. LaRusso. I hope this consult today was meaningful."

Daniel had closed the door before the woman could finish her statement.

Amanda made it into the corridor, calling both girls back to the car. "Let's go. We're done here."

_

The front door of their house closed with a slam. Anthony LaRusso, Samantha and Jaden's younger brother, was away from home at a sleepover.

Jaden had no words. She couldn't explain herself to her eager parents. Amanda tossed her keys onto the dining. Daniel sat on a barstool. Sam immediately went upstairs.

He turned to Jaden.

"Why? Why would you post those kinds of photos?"

Jaden sunk into an ottoman beside their front door. "I didn't post them. Believe me, dad, I wouldn't. I-- I sent them to Cam and I didn't know it'd end up like this."

"Why, though?" Daniel inquired further.

"I don't know. It was so stupid. I really wanted to feel loved." Jaden admitted, her face red.

"You don't feel loved here? What could have possibl--"

"I wanted to feel wanted. Like I belonged."

"You belong here! You belong with your friends! Why do you feel the need to put yourself at risk like that? I just don't understand what we don't do. Isn't this enough for you?" Daniel was losing patience, growing more disappointed with each defense.

"It is. I just-- it's what you do do."

"Are you so sure you're grateful? You don't make it seem that way," the LaRusso man doubted openly.

"Mom! Please say you get it.." Jaden struggled, attempting to get her mother to defend her.

"I can't speak to you. Not yet. You-- I don't even know how to respond." Amanda pushed her away.

"No one gets why..I just wanted him to like me.." She felt filthy and putrid. The tears wouldn't stop.

"Just be honest with us. What makes you feel unloved? So unloved you would do that?", Jaden's fists clenched.

"I am being honest, I swear. It's not a completely obvious thing. It's more subtle, subconscious things that you do that make me feel like it's really no use in being here."

"Like what?" Daniel pricked further.

"I DON'T KNOW! ALL THE TIME I FEEL LIKE YOU SECRETLY HATE ME OR LIKE IM A PARASITE INFECTING THIS HOUSE AND EVERYONE HAS THAT LINGERING KNOWLEDGE BUT WON'T FUCKING ADMIT THEY HATE ME!" She snapped, her emotions bubbling over.

Daniel grew enraged, standing up from his chair. "Oh, you want to yell? We're yelling now? I can do that. You don't come down for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you rarely interact with anyone, you're rude, immature, and act like you're a royal. If you feel parasitic, I'm going to remind you that you are very much like that at times, if not ALL THE TIME!"

Jaden smiled with tears pooled in her eyes. "Did you mean that? Say you did. I need an excuse to feel like I'm not really a psycho and that YOU ALL REALLY DON'T LIKE ME," the room remained drainingly silent, angering her further "SERIOUSLY MOM? IS NO ONE GONNA SAY ANYTHING? AFTER HE JUST CONFIRMED MY SUSPICIONS?" Her scoff came out in the form of a laugh.

Jaden ran up the stairs to her room, tired of the day. "Fine. Be like that."

_

Santiago closed his home door, double checking the lock. He rubbed his hands together to create a source of warmth.

Where he lived, the northern region of San Fernando Valley, was a chilly area. The temperatures dropped quickly around fall, so he had to make this fast and warm.

He speedwalked down the sidewalk into an alleyway. It had puddles, a few stray animals, and stairways leading to buildings with loud generators and chimneys attached to them.

Standing in the alley, leaning against a brick building and carrying a black duffle bag on his shoulder, was Alvaro Dominguez. He stood up once he noticed Santiago as he blew a puff of smoke out of his nostrils.

He unmounted the bag from his shoulder and handed it to Santiago.

"Aquí tienes. Vendé todo esto antes de fin de semana y te daré tu parte." He instructed, looking Santiago in the eye.

"Tenemos un acuerdo?" The older man assured.

"Si, está bien." Santiago confirmed.

Alvaro's figure faded away as he descended down the narrow alley.

The 108 was a predominant gang in the neighbourhood Santiago lived in. They were involved in distributing opioids, putting the lives of residents in danger, and assaults.

Santiago was in a gang, "The 108". He knew it wasn't legal, it wasn't moral, and that it wasn't safe, but he had to. In his area, all the jobs required either referral or being sixteen and up, which ruled them all out. He needed as much funding as he could get to help his mother pay bills and take care of his asymptomatic father.

His father'd been showing ailment symptoms for a year or two by then, but hospital care was unaffordable. This was his best bet. Not safest, but best.

Santiago made his way back home in the dark night.

_

Thirteen hours had passed since the argument Jaden had had with both her parents. She was exhausted, she'd only gotten a few hours of sleep. Everything was so exhausting. At school, she was harassed and mocked; at home, she was an outcast, the only place she was really "okay" was just out of the house and school.

Far, far away from those places.

She needed to be elsewhere, but she had to meet with Counselor Moore that day. Jaden rubbed her eyes and entered the office, closing her locker door. The LaRusso girl sometimes felt as though the meetings were a liability, but she desperately needed someone to talk to this time around.

The blonde woman was sorting documents and files when Jaden entered gently.

"Oh. Hey, Jaden! How have you been?", The woman greeted warmly. "Hi, Ms. Moore. Is it okay if I'm here right now?", Jaden asked hopefully, to which the woman softly reassured. "Of course! Always. Please, have a seat."

"I hope your issues have been getting better?" the sympathetic woman questioned, to which Jaden became teary eyed.

"Not really. Damn it, where do you want me to start? I thought I found someone. Someone that liked me for me and not my body. Photos of me are out there, which I'm sure you've heard of—everyone has heard of—or even seen."

"My dad thinks I act like a parasite. My mom, I don't even think cares. My sister is just worried about her damned reputation and I'm the one that everyone hates and should feel guilty."

"And what of your brother? What does he think of all this?" Counselor Moore prompted.

"He doesn't know. My parents show more attention to Sam, so Anthony and I, we've always been the closer two. At least, I hope so. My mother and father don't even try to hide the fact that they care more for Sam than they do us. They will try and gaslight about it, though. Especially my dad. He'll say and do so much that you'll feel like you're mentally ill and he's your reality check " Jaden confessed in hurt.

"They act as if Anthony is this gross, weird kid that they didn't have. But they did. And I don't think he is. He's such an unnoticed kid that he remains glued to his video games for company." Jaden finally made eye contact with the woman.

Natasha Moore studied Jaden's facial expressions, understanding her hurt.

"How do you cope? What do you do to help yourself stay afloat?" The counselor inquired, making Jaden massage her aching head. "I barely am. I guess boxing sort of helps me let off steam, but staying afloat isn't really something that's happening." Jaden admitted, staring blankly into Counselor Moore's pitiful eyes.

"Some good coping mechanisms are journaling your issues, finding a hobby, or listening to music." The woman advised, making Jaden ask a question back. "How well do they work?", to which the blonde-haired woman informed again. "Well. Speaking from first-hand experience, they cover damage."

"Thank you, Ms. Moore. I appreciate you listening."

"No problem. Come in any time. Now, you've got classes to get to, go on."

_

Jaden sat in the computer lab, using up her final ten minutes of class to do research. She was listening to Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush, which she found barely soothing her lingering migraine.

She really was supposed to be working on an assignment, but her personal projects overshadowed them.

Scrolling through lists and lists of websites to different dojos in the San Fernando area, she couldn't pick a particular one. Too many of them were the same and had limited descriptions.

Some would say they had a wide range of classes and lessons but never specify what, as though they were confidential.

Others would claim to do things such as "healing depression", and "increasing cognitive function", which she simply found untrue and irritating.

There were also designs she didn't find herself comfortable to wear. Such as the logo of Topanga Karate, which displayed The Star of David in a corner and a kata stance in the middle. She wanted a dojo that practiced without religion, respecting all belief systems; Atheism, Sikhism, Islam, Taoism—all belief systems.

Another logo, for a dojo named "Xtreme Martial Arts", involved a lion feasting on a zebra. That was an odd choice of symbols. She had no problem with the symbols themselves, but a logo is meant to represent it's brand. What was that standing for?

Jaden rubbed her dry eyes. By time she opened them, an advertisement overtook her screen, annoying her. "Ugh, my God," she exclaimed under her breath, clicking the escape key on the keyboard quickly.

Jaden had gotten back to her search results for "karate near me" and continued her search, but there was one dojo that stood out this time. It read
"𝕮𝖔𝖇𝖗𝖆 𝕶𝖆𝖎" in yellow outlining and had a red interior. A yellow king cobra was outlined over the black background and it's face was white. It had a red, split tongue sticking out.

It looked cool, she thought she'd click on the link.

The snake's tongue shook and it hissed, scrolling down to a sign up area for her. There was an about section which wasn't too shabby, photos of the location, and the sign up area was nicely put together.

She jotted down the name on a piece of loose paper as the bell rang, clearing the desktop. She was intrigued.

Jaden entered the hallway, where Aisha was at her locker as well.

Feeling herself get dizzy while standing up, she walked quickly to her locker. Jaden fiddled with the lock and , her vision doubling in tiredness. She picked up her pill bottle from her backpack, dumping them into her hands. Four pills fell out, she was falling short.

There was an assembly scheduled for that afternoon, which Jaden didn't know how she'd get through with short pills. Half was better than none, she swallowed them all with water, hoping to at least feel normal.

She'd contact Santiago later that day, she promised herself.

Jaden shut her locker, turning around to head to the auditorium. A message stopped her in her tracks. It was from Santiago, and it was an emoji of a charger head.

It was a miracle. Jaden replied with a thumbs-up emoji before putting her phone in her back pocket. Aisha, whom was walking to the gym, spotted the girl.

"Hey. What're you still doing out here, there's an assembly? You have to go, you'll be late," Aisha advised.

Jaden replied with a thumbs-up before following her.

Jaden walked through the auditorium doors unexpectantly. She still had her headphones on, this time she left one of her ears uncovered. Jaden took a seat in one of the farthest rows up, where it was darker.

Counselor Blatt was at the podium in front, blue illuminescence shining onto her face as she was in the middle of an ongoing speech.

"With the Halloween Dance coming up, a few statements that go without saying need to be made. A mother recently called me, explaining that her son was really upset after being made fun of for his physical deformity. This is the first rule—please be kind, students."

The looks and snickers began, slowly and quietly.

Santiago and Miguel, whom were sitting with Eli and Demetri, lent Eli looks of sympathy as he buried his face between his knees. Demetri rubbed his shoulder.

"The immoral treatment of students of specific sizes, orientations, and cultures is becoming more prominent, we've seen. My second reminder to you all is to remain sensitive and educated on your language, clothing, and whether you're appropriating or appreciating; especially with the fast-approaching Halloween Dance. Terms like 'bitch', 'slope', and the 'f slur' are extremely derogatory and dark in definition. We should all never use them."

Chuckles emerged from the crowd at more loud and fast pacing.

"Quiet, please, students. My previous words bring me to my next point—cyberbullying and Internet safety. Recently, a post was made regarding a student's body and comments were passed online. Let's keep in mind when posting online to remain understanding and to not bash or bring down your fellow students. Posting others without their permission is online sexual abuse and if the individual or individuals responsible for this are found, they will be imprisoned and expelled," Counselor Blatt paused, walking back to the podium. "This is the third and final statement. Students, you are dismissed."

Aisha lent a helping hand to Jaden, whom couldn't stop staring at the stage, where all her troubles were identified. She could feel the whispers and snorts, making her rue the moment she decided to send the photos.

Jaden walked past Aisha's extended hand and sorrowfully pushed past the crowd of students leaving the auditorium. She wouldn't be completing the school day.

_

Santiago had left school a few hours ago. He was now at home, primarily caring for his father, Dominic.

Dominic was in the living room, doing fine at that time.

Santiago walked up to the refrigerator.

In the refrigerator, he found a jug of milk three-fourths finished and a small bowl of brown rice.

He eyed the clock riskily, trying to observe his odds. He was busy with homework, and would need to make enough time to head to the grocery store.

His mother was at work, so his best bet would be to rush to buy groceries, as they all needed to cook dinner that evening.

Santiago sighed.

_

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. The silence was deafening, broken only by the distant chirp of birds and the dainty mammals every so often.

Jaden was laying on her now tear-soaked pillow. She would sniffle every now and then, wondering what possessed her to put herself in this situation. She wouldn't even be going near her basement to practise.

A year before this, she had clear ambitions. She was excelling in many subjects, she had a close circle, she was going to become a journalist when she grew up. She had the qualifications— consistently high grades, advanced English, experience in a well-known work force, and she soon after planned on schooling in an English programme at the University of Toronto to add to the list.

All it took was one major event to change her life. She never expected herself to be a part of the twenty percent of women in the United States of America that would be assaulted during their lifetimes, she avoided the causes as often as possible. But when it did happen, she had no where to go. Not a single support group or system.

Jaden fell into a dark pit. She began to spiral, along with her hopes and dreams. Finding no coping mechanism, opioids were the fix. She became a shell of her old self.

The things she would do to alter the clock.

There was a faint knock at her door, which she ignored. The knock came again, but this time it was followed by a soft voice. "Hey. It's me, Aisha," which the blonde ignored as well.

Her train of thought was interrupted when Aisha stepped into her room, peering through the door attentively first.

Jaden didn't bother sitting up or wiping her tears. She remained facing the wall, her eyes stuck on a small blemish.

"How are you feeling?" Aisha inquired caringly.
Jaden avoided her gaze,  anything's gaze, really. Still staring at the wall, she muttered, "I'm fine," her voice flat.

"I care about you, don't doubt that," Aisha reassured, knowing how unwanted one could feel when humiliated.

"I don't doubt that. I want to not feel like a slut or a whore or a weirdo for one second. I just want to feel normal." Jaden admitted, feeling worse with each thought of herself.

"I get that," Aisha related, trying to calm her friend, to which Jaden relaxed a small
bit. "That makes one of everyone."

"I'm sor-- I hope this gets better soon," Aisha corrected herself. Jaden felt an urge for vengeance wash over her.
"There's no hoping. Only doing. I'm gonna make sure that he regrets this."

"Please don't do anything to get yourself in trouble.." Aisha warned her, nearly pleading.

"When I said I needed the day to be over, I meant I want you gone. I just really need alone time right now." Jaden requested, finally growing enraged at not herself, but Cameron.

"Yeah, always. See you, Jade.", The Robinson girl retreated.

The day would be a practise day after all.

_

It was a cold evening in the northern region. The air was moist and damp. Santiago was in the process of leaving his house for the grocery store. He'd put on a winter jacket, informed his mother, and was getting onto his bike when noises caused his ears to stand at attention.

He'd heard a gun cock, followed by frantic pleading. Santiago's eyes travelled behind him as he turned his body, seeing in a far alleyway across from him two members of the 108 cornering a man. One blocked a side of the alleyway to stop attention and the other held a gun to his head.

"No. No. Lo siento! No!" He begged for mercy, to which the man in front of him patted his shoulder mockingly, "No te preocupes, amigo. Lo haré rápido."

Santiago stopped his bike, parking it by the fence that contained stairs to his apartment.

"Por favor, no. No me voy, me quedaré. Solo perdóname la vida, por favor," the man began begging.

The man beside him laughed hysterically, while the one in front of him simply chuckled "Ya es demasiado tarde para eso. Ahora podría llamar a Álvaro--"

"NO! NO LLAMES A ALVARO, POR FAVOR--" the man begged.

"Llamar a Alvaro para qué?" Alvaro walked into the situation, an enlightened expression.

"Jefe, esta perra dijo que planea irse. Creemos que planea delatarnos." The attacker explained, though Alvaro still stopped him, pulling out a bat instead.

"Ahhh, lo entiendo, lo entiendo," Alvaro turned to the man against the wall "Tienes dos opciones: o mantienes la boca cerrada o te vas de todos modos y pagas por ello."

The man gulped thickly, unwilling to go back on his word. Alvaro, understanding enough from the silence, swung his baseball bat at the man's knee with force, earning a crack from it.

The man's screams rang through Santiago's ears. Santiago's eyes widened when Alvaro swung the bat at the man's head, landing right above his ear. The man fell to the floor and began convulsing uncontrollably as the two men at his sides kicked him repeatedly in the abdomen.

Santiago was broken out of his transfixation when he saw the three perpetrators dash away from the scene. The man was now perfectly still, bruises and cuts accompanied the pool of blood around him.