The Mafia Secret Student

Someone yanked Nia Cassius's backpack from behind. She stopped walking. She didn't turn around immediately. The hallway was crowded with students heading to class. Nia could hear conversations around her, but the person behind her wasn't letting go of her bag. The backpack was pulled again. Harder. Nia slowly turned. A tall boy stood behind her, holding one of the straps. Three other boys stood with him. They were laughing. Nia looked at his hand. Then she looked at him. “Let go.” The boy smiled. “Or what?” Nia's expression didn't change. “I said let go.” Instead, he pulled the backpack toward himself again. Several students stopped to watch. Nobody stepped in. Nia took a step toward him. “Last warning.” The boy laughed. “You're new here. You should learn how things work before you start giving warnings.” One of his friends looked at Nia. “What is a Black monkey doing at Blackridge?” The others laughed. Nia went still. She had heard insults before. She knew people could be cruel. But she wasn't going to stand there and let anyone treat her like she was less than them. She looked directly at the boy. “What did you call me?” He stepped closer. “You heard me.” Nia's eyes moved to the hand still holding her backpack. “Let go of my bag.” The boy shoved her. Nia caught his wrist before he could pull his hand away. She twisted it. He immediately cried out. “Ah!” Nia stepped behind him and forced his arm upward. “Let go of me!” She released him. He stumbled forward, turned around, and charged at her. Nia moved out of the way. His fist missed her face. She caught his arm and used his momentum against him. Then she swept his leg. He fell hard. The hallway went quiet. The boy looked up at her in shock. Nia stood over him. She adjusted her backpack. “I told you to let go.” He pushed himself up. “You're crazy.” “No.” Nia looked at him calmly. “I just don't like being touched.” A few students laughed. The boy's face became red. He looked at his friends. “Get her.” Nia immediately shifted her position. She was ready. But before any of them could move, a teacher approached. “What's going on here?” The students stepped back. The boy pointed at Nia. “She attacked me.” Nia shook her head. “He grabbed my bag first.” The teacher looked at both of them. “I don't care who started it. Both of you, move.” Nia wasn't interested in arguing. She picked up her bag properly and walked away. As she left, she heard people talking behind her. “Did you see that?” “She took him down.” “She's new.” “Who is she?” Nia kept walking. She had been at Blackridge for less than a day, and already half the school knew her face. That wasn't what she wanted. She had come here for one reason. Zuri. Her younger sister. Nia reached the stairs and stopped. The memory of her sister came back immediately. Zuri had been eighteen when she died. The school had called it suicide. Nia had never believed that. Neither had her father. Two days before Zuri's death, she had sent Nia a message. Nia still remembered every word. Nia, if anything happens to me, don't believe what they tell you. Nia had called her after reading it. Zuri never answered. She called again. Nothing. Two days later, Zuri was dead. The police had called it suicide. Nia called it a lie. She touched her phone through the pocket of her uniform. The message was still there. She had read it so many times that she didn't need to open it anymore. She knew why she was at Blackridge. She had entered the school under a false identity because she needed answers. Nobody here could know who she really was. Nobody could know she was Nia Cassius, daughter of Everett Cassius. Nobody could know she belonged to one of New York's most powerful criminal families. At Blackridge, she was just a new student. That was supposed to make things easier. Apparently, it hadn't. Her mind went back to another memory. Years earlier, she had been inside her father's training room. She was younger then. Her father stood in front of her. “Again.” Nia had been breathing heavily. “Dad, I've been doing this for two hours.” “Then you should be tired enough to make a mistake.” She frowned. “That isn't encouraging.” Her father almost smiled. Then he attacked. Nia barely blocked the first strike. She stepped back. He attacked again. She blocked. Then he knocked her to the floor. Nia groaned. Everett offered her his hand. She took it. He pulled her up. “Listen to me.” Nia looked at him. “Anger makes you predictable. Fear makes you weak. Discipline keeps you alive.” At the time, she hadn't understood how important those words would become. Her father had trained her for years. He taught her how to defend herself. How to recognize danger. How to stay calm when someone wanted her to panic. He had always told her that being part of the Cassius family meant she couldn't afford to be careless. Now she understood. She wasn't at Blackridge to make friends. She wasn't there to become popular. She was there to find out what happened to Zuri. And she wasn't leaving until she found the truth. Nia continued toward her classroom. She didn't notice the young man watching her from across the hallway. Damian Carter had seen the fight. He had arrived in time to watch the new girl take down one of the students who usually followed him around. Jason Reed stood beside him. “That's the new girl,” Jason said. Damian kept his eyes on Nia. “She doesn't look scared.” Damian said nothing. Jason glanced at him. “She just embarrassed Marcus.” “I saw.” “You want us to do something?” Damian finally looked at him. “Not yet.” Jason raised an eyebrow. Damian looked back at Nia. “She just got here.” He adjusted the cuff of his shirt. “Let her settle in first.” Jason nodded. Damian's expression changed slightly. “Then we'll see how long she lasts.” Nia entered her classroom. She chose a seat near the middle. From there, she could see the door and most of the room. It was a habit her father had taught her. Always know what is happening around you. She placed her backpack beside her chair. Then she looked toward the window. For a moment, she imagined Zuri sitting there. She could almost hear her sister laughing. Zuri had always been able to make Nia smile, even when she was angry. Nia looked away. She didn't want to think about what happened to her sister. Not yet. The classroom door opened. Nia looked up. A man walked inside. Her attention immediately shifted to him. He was tall and well-built, with broad shoulders and a strong jaw. His dark hair was neatly styled. His face was handsome enough to make several students look up when he entered. But Nia noticed something else. His clothes. He was wearing a perfectly fitted charcoal suit, a crisp white shirt, and a dark tie. His shoes were polished, and the watch on his wrist looked expensive. He was too well dressed for an ordinary teacher. And, honestly, he was too good-looking to look like a teacher. Nia caught herself staring. She quickly looked down at her notebook. Then she looked up again. The man was already looking at her. Their eyes met. Nia froze for a brief second. His eyes were blue. A striking, clear blue that immediately stood out against his dark hair. He looked at her for a moment longer. Then he looked away. Nia frowned slightly. Why had he looked at her like that? She couldn't explain it. The man walked to the front of the room and placed a folder on the desk. The class gradually became quiet. He looked at the students. “My name is Calder Kane.” His voice was calm and confident. “I'll be teaching this class from today.”