The afternoon sun beamed down on the campus, casting long golden streaks across the walkways. I was walking beside Eli, the two of us laughing about something stupid he had said about one of the campus security guards who apparently thought he was part of a secret service.
I laughed hard—loud, unbothered, and free. It felt so good to let go like that, to laugh without caring how I looked or who was watching. It had been so long since I'd felt this light.
But just like that, the feeling shattered.
"Lily!"
The sharpness of my name being called sliced through the air, halting me in my tracks. My entire body stiffened.
I knew that voice.
Eli noticed the change in me immediately. His laughter died on his lips as he turned to see what had made me stop.
David.
He was standing a few feet away, hands shoved in his jeans pockets, a cruel smirk plastered across his face like he was proud of himself.
I gritted my teeth and tried to keep walking, but David wasn't about to let that happen.
"Well, well, well," he called out, his voice dripping with mockery. "Look at you. Fell quick again, huh? Typical Lily. Always desperate for attention."
I froze, feeling the eyes of nearby students turn toward us.
David took a few steps closer, his voice rising for everyone around to hear.
"Laughing it up with another guy already? You're so cheap, Lily. So disgusting. I saw you two from across the street, and I just knew—knew it had to be you, throwing yourself at some random guy."
I felt my nails dig into the palms of my hands, and a rush of heat crawled up my neck. Shame. Anger. Hurt. It all battled inside me.
Eli stepped protectively beside me, his body tense. He leaned slightly toward me and whispered, "Do you know this guy?"
I didn't answer. I just closed my eyes, trying to swallow the lump forming in my throat. My silence was enough of an answer.
David laughed—a cold, ugly sound—and turned his venom toward Eli.
"I'm talking to Lily, not you," he snarled. "So why don't you shut the fuck up and get lost?"
Eli's hands curled into fists at his sides. His jaw twitched with the effort of holding himself back.
He was about to step forward when I beat him to it.
Without even thinking, I punched David straight in the face—a solid, satisfying hit that sent him stumbling backward.
A gasp rippled through the students nearby. Some people stopped walking. A few even pulled out their phones to start recording.
David staggered, one hand flying to his cheek in shock and fury.
He rushed at me like he was going to hit me back, but I was ready.
I brought my knee up sharply and kicked him squarely in the groin.
David let out a pained grunt and crumpled to the ground, clutching himself and groaning in agony.
The world around us fell into stunned silence.
All eyes were on us.
I bent down until I was face-to-face with him, my voice low and cold.
"Seems like you forgot," I said, my voice trembling slightly—not with fear, but with anger, with power. "I used to beat up boys like you. Or have you forgotten what happened last time?"
David moaned weakly, unable to respond.
"If you ever come near me again," I whispered fiercely, "or talk to me like that again, I swear I will break your limbs."
I stood up slowly, feeling every pair of eyes on me.
I turned and walked away without a backward glance, Eli falling silently into step beside me.
Neither of us said a word at first.
The air buzzed around us as we made our way toward our class.
Eli kept stealing glances at me, his face unreadable.
After a few minutes, I stopped walking and turned to him, feeling a wave of embarrassment crash over me.
"I'm sorry about what happened back there," I began awkwardly, looking down at my shoes. "I didn't mean to cause a scene—"
Eli cut me off before I could finish.
"Are you kidding?" he said, his voice filled with wonder. "That was... amazing, Lily. The punch—the kick—it was..."
He stopped, took a sharp breath, and covered his mouth with both hands, like he was trying to physically hold back whatever he was thinking.
I frowned slightly.
"What? What's wrong?" I asked.
He dropped his hands from his face and looked at me, wide-eyed and grinning like a little kid who had just discovered superheroes were real.
"You are badass, Lily."
The words hit me harder than any insult David had ever thrown at me.
Badass.
Not weak.
Not pathetic.
Not disgusting.
Badass.
A slow smile stretched across my face. I couldn't help it.
We started walking again, lighter now, the tension breaking away like clouds after a storm.
Eli chuckled and shook his head.
"What else do I not know about badass Lily?" he teased. "Do you drive trucks or wrestle bears in your free time?"
I laughed, a little embarrassed, covering my face with my hands.
"Stop it," I said, my voice muffled and shy. "I'm weird, right?"
Eli grew quiet for a second.
I peeked through my fingers and saw him stop walking.
He turned toward me, his face serious for once.
He reached out and gently rested his hands on my shoulders.
The world seemed to narrow to just the two of us.
"Lily," he said softly, his brown eyes locked onto mine. "You are perfect."
The breath caught in my throat.
I stared at him, unable to say anything, feeling something shift deep inside me—something warm, something real.
I didn't know what would happen next.
But for the first time in a long time, I believed it.
Not because someone said it.
But because, somehow, I could feel it inside myself too.
Maybe I was badass.
Maybe I was strong.
Maybe, just maybe, I was enough exactly as I was.
And standing there, under the fading afternoon sun, I allowed myself to believe it.
If only for a moment—
I was free.