From Ashes to Us

CHAPTER 4

NIA’S POV

The principal’s office smelled like old paper and stress. I sat in one of those hard plastic chairs outside, arms crossed, face still flushed from the fight. Keisha was next to me, her lip bleeding slightly but grinning like she just left a party.

“Girl,” she whispered, “you rocked her ass. Like… threw hands.”

I gave a tired smile, but my nerves were rattling. I didn’t want a suspension. I didn’t want to go home and explain any of this to my mom if she was even coherent enough to listen.

Then I heard voices, two of them.

Caleb. And… Drew.

I looked up just as they turned the corner and spotted us. Caleb’s eyes went straight to mine. He rushed over, crouching down in front of me, hands skimming over my arms like he was checking for bruises.

“You good?” he asked, voice low, worried.

I nodded. “Yeah. I handled it.”

Keisha chimed in. “She more than handled it. Had Alicia looking like she lost her Wi-Fi connection.”

That actually made me laugh. Caleb smiled a little, but it didn’t last.

Because Alicia was being escorted out of the principal’s office at that exact moment, makeup smudged, hair wild, still fuming.

Her eyes locked on Caleb. “Really? You came running for her?”

He stood up slowly, calm but hard.

She stepped closer. “How you gonna forgive Drew but not me? He’s the one who”

“Yeah,” Caleb cut in, voice cold now. “And he owned it. We handled it.”

She looked at Drew, then back at Caleb. “But we were together for years. You won’t even hear me out”

Caleb tilted his head, eyebrows raised. “And you f****d my best friend.”

The hallway went dead silent.

Then he added, flat and sharp, “Bros before hoes.”

Even Drew looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor.

Alicia’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious right now?”

Caleb shrugged. “Real serious. You didn’t just break my heart, Alicia. You disrespected me.”

She scoffed, spun on her heel, and stormed off again, loud as always.

Once she was gone, I blinked at him. “Did you really just say ‘bros before hoes’?”

He grinned. “Don’t act like that wasn’t iconic.”

Keisha burst out laughing, holding her stomach. “Oh my God, this school’s never gonna shut up about this.”

And just like that, the tension cracked open into something lighter.

The moment Alicia stomped down the hallway, the front office door creaked open and Principal Dorsey stepped out with his usual deep sigh, clipboard in hand and eyes already narrowed behind his glasses.

“Nia Taylor,” he called “Let’s go.”

Keisha gave me a quick fist bump before I stood, shoulders straight, heart pounding like I’d swallowed a drum.

I followed him into his office, which looked exactly how you'd expect…walls full of dusty awards, a motivational poster from the ‘90s, and a coffee mug that said #1 Principal even though he barely knew anyone’s name.

He shut the door behind us and motioned for me to sit.

“So.” He folded his arms and leaned against his desk. “You want to explain what happened?”

I took a deep breath. “Alicia came at me first. She started it. She grabbed my hair and threw the first hit. I was just defending myself.”

He stared at me for a long second, like he was trying to read beyond what I said.

“You and Alicia have history?” he asked.

I shrugged. “If you count her constantly coming for me because her ex-boyfriend is now my boyfriend, then yeah, I guess we do.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. “Fighting on school grounds is a serious offense. And you know that.”

“I wasn’t fighting,” I said, trying to stay calm. “I was protecting myself.”

He sat down, glancing at a folder. “You’ve never been in trouble before. Good grades. Decent attendance. But this? This isn’t the kind of thing colleges like to see, Nia.”

That hit harder than I expected.

My throat tightened. “I know,” I whispered. “But what was I supposed to do? Let her beat on me just to stay ‘college safe’?”

He was quiet for a moment. Then: “You’ll get three days in-school suspension. Same as Alicia. You’ll stay in the ISS room, no class interaction, no extracurriculars. After that, clean slate.”

I nodded slowly. “Thank you.”

He sighed. “I don’t want to see you in here again. You’ve got potential, Nia. Don’t waste it throwing hands in the cafeteria.”

I stood, biting my tongue, because if he knew what I dealt with outside this school, he’d know I didn’t have the luxury of letting people walk all over me.

Still, I gave him a quiet, “I won’t.”

I stepped out of the office and into the hallway where Caleb was still waiting. He straightened up the second he saw me.

“Well?” he asked.

“In-school suspension. Three days.”

He winced. “Could’ve been worse.”

“Exactly.”

Then he grinned. “You still wanna get ice cream later?”

I raised an eyebrow. “After I just got written up for fighting?”

He shrugged. “You earned it.”

And I smiled. Because yeah… I kinda did.

Graduation was just around the corner. You could feel it in the air. Teachers loosening up, kids checking out, caps and gowns being handed out like dreams finally within reach.

Me and Caleb were spending more and more time together. Study sessions turned into late-night drives, and late-night drives turned into slow conversations about the future…his, mine, ours.

He never made me feel small. Never reminded me of where I came from. With him, I was just Nia. And that was enough.

That night, he dropped me off in front of my house like he always did. We sat in the car a minute, music low, windows cracked. He reached over and took my hand like it was second nature now.

“You nervous?” he asked.

“About graduation?”

“About what comes after.”

I looked at him and said, “Only a little.”

He squeezed my hand. “You’re gonna be fine. No matter what happens, I got you.”

My heart swelled in my chest, and I wanted to say something deeper, something real when a loud engine growled from down the block.

We both looked up.

Chris.

He was pulling up slow in that raggedy Charger of his, music bumping, headlights too bright. He passed the car slowly, eyes locked on Caleb, face tight, jaw flexing.

Caleb mean-mugged him right back, one hand still holding mine.

“Don’t like that dude,” he muttered.

“He’s just mad I never gave him what he wanted,” I said, rolling my eyes.

Chris sped up and drove past, turning the corner with tires screeching. I exhaled.

“I’ll text you when I’m inside,” I told Caleb.

“Yeah. Be safe.”

I slipped out of the car and headed toward my door but didn’t make it.

Chris had circled the block and pulled up again, this time getting out. He walked toward me fast, like he had something to prove.

“So that’s what it is now?” he snapped, eyes sharp. “You runnin’ around with that rich boy now, huh?”

I folded my arms, heart beating faster, but I stood my ground. “I’m not ‘runnin’ around’ with anyone. Caleb’s my boyfriend. You got a problem with that?”

He scoffed, stepping a little too close. “So that’s why you ain’t want me, huh? ‘Cause he drive a nicer car? Got money? Is that it?”

I clenched my jaw. “No, Chris. I didn’t want you because you’re a walking red flag. With three baby mamas and a criminal record. You don’t earn people, Chris. You don’t get to act like I owed you anything.”

His face twitched, like I’d slapped him.

Then he leaned in real low and muttered, “You lucky you Keisha’s friend. Real lucky.”

Something in his voice sent a chill down my spine. He gave me one last look. Anger mixed with something darker then turned and walked off toward his car.

I waited until he drove away before going inside and locking the door.

My hands were still shaking.