The Scapegoat

The sharp tang of rubbing alcohol cut through the suffocating tension inside the school clinic. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a harsh, sterile glare over the cramped room. The school nurse moved with cautious precision, her latex gloves squeaking faintly as she dabbed antiseptic onto a cotton pad.

She focused first on Chloe, carefully inspecting a nearly invisible scrape on the gir