Dead silence across the entire assembly.
Vincent Finch froze for three full seconds. Then he laughed.
"Do you think we're children?"
Neil's confidence surged back in an instant. "Exactly! That badge is obviously a fake!"
Vincent sneered, looking Colin up and down. "Deputy Director of the City Education Bureau? How old are you, even? You're clearly some teenager!"
Neil leaned in close to inspect the badge, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. "The counterfeiting these days is really something. Almost looks real. If I hadn't seen the genuine article before, you might've actually fooled me."
Vincent turned to the crowd below the stage. "Academic Affairs! Look up which class this 'Colin Simmons' belongs to!"
The head of the Academic Affairs Office pulled out the student roster, flipped through it, and looked up. "Principal, I've checked. There's no one by that name."
Neil jabbed a finger at Colin's face, his voice shrill and cutting.
"I knew it! You're some delinquent who snuck in from outside!"
He was gaining steam now, his volume climbing with every word. "Probably from one of those vocational schools nearby! Snuck into our academy to harass female students! I've seen plenty of lowlifes like you!"
The students in the audience began to stir. Some whispered to each other. Some craned their necks to get a better look. A few furrowed their brows.
But Neil didn't care.
He was practically vibrating with excitement. "Look at him—dressed up all nice, trying to pass himself off as somebody. He's nothing but a thug! Forged credentials, infiltrated a top-tier school, specifically to harass our best students!"
He spun toward the crowd and bellowed, "Campus Security! Where the hell is Campus Security? Get up here and restrain this punk!"
The head of security jogged up the stage steps with two guards in tow. The three of them took positions around Colin but didn't lay a hand on him.
Probably because they'd watched him kick Neil to the ground moments earlier and weren't eager to test their luck.
Neil sidled up to Vincent, his voice deliberately loud enough for the microphone to catch. "Principal, this kind of street trash—forging credentials, sneaking into a school, harassing our Ivy League candidates—we need to call the police! We have to call the police! Send him to juvenile detention!"
Vincent nodded, his expression a mask of righteous authority as he pointed at Colin. "Who are you, really? Tell the truth right now, or I'm calling 911!"
Colin looked at him calmly and spoke each word with measured precision. "I already told you. I'm the Deputy Director of the City Education Bureau."
Neil let out a derisive snort. "Still sticking to that story? You're what—barely out of high school? How could you possibly be a Deputy Director? Take a look at yourself. Do you look like a grown man in any position of authority?"
Vincent's sneer deepened as he sized Colin up again. "He's right. What kind of Deputy Director shows up at a school alone? No driver. No staff. No entourage. Who exactly do you think you're fooling?"
Neil jumped back in. "Call the police! We have to call the police! This kind of delinquent is a cancer on society. Juvenile detention is exactly where he belongs!"
Vincent pulled out his phone. In front of over two thousand students, he dialed 911.
"Hello, 911? This is Vincent Finch, principal of Evergreen Academy. We've apprehended an individual on campus who forged Education Bureau credentials and infiltrated the school to harass female students. He's severely disrupted our academic operations. Yes—please send officers immediately."
He hung up, folded his arms across his chest, and stared at Colin with smug satisfaction.
Neil planted his hands on his hips, chin tilted high.
"Just you wait. When the cops get here, you'll be the one crying! Forging a government official's credentials—that's enough to put you away for a good long while!"
He turned to the audience, projecting his voice across two thousand students. "Everyone, take a good look! This is what happens when you harass our top students! Let this be a lesson—if anyone else gets any funny ideas, this is your future!"
Colin stood on that stage, the corner of his mouth curving upward. He didn't say a word.
Neil saw the smile and it enraged him. He stormed forward, getting right in Colin's face. "You think this is funny? Let's see if you're still smiling when they drag you into the station!"
Vincent moved in too, his voice dropping to something low and threatening. "Forging government credentials—that's two to three years minimum. Son, your life is over."
I looked at him, dripping with mock terror. "Oh no, I'm so scared!"
But Neil actually thought I was frightened. His voice pitched higher. "What's the matter? Scared now? Too late! You were pretty tough a minute ago, weren't you? Finally figured out you're in over your head?"
I nodded. "Sure. Let's wait and see."
Police sirens wailed in the distance.
Neil practically leaped into the air, jabbing a finger toward the school gates. "Hear that?! The cops are here! You're done!"
Vincent Finch straightened his tie, squared his shoulders, and prepared to greet the officers.
A black sedan and three police cruisers rolled through the school gates.
Neil pointed at the convoy and screamed at me. "See that?! Three cruisers! They're all here for you!"
I stood with my arms crossed, the smile on my face unchanged.
The man who stepped out of the black sedan was Geoffrey Chavez, Director of the City Education Bureau.
His expression was stone. A cold fury radiated off him in waves, and a squad of officers filed out behind him.
Neil jabbed his finger at me and shouted at the approaching officers. "Officers! That's him! That's the punk! He forged an Education Bureau ID to sneak into our school and harass my daughter! Arrest him!"
Director Chavez didn't spare him a glance. He walked straight up onto the stage.
He stopped in front of me, looked me over head to toe, and only after confirming I was unharmed did he speak.
"Deputy Director Simmons, are you alright? The second I got that call, I knew something had gone wrong."
Dead silence.
Every sound in the courtyard evaporated.
Neil's finger froze in midair.
"What did you just call him?!"
