They should go complain to the Principal

Rick dusted himself off, muttering curses. “Fucking asshole. My mom’s gonna hear about this.”

Jaden agreed. “Yeah. Let’s go complain to the principal.”

But as they turned to walk away, Jaden’s mind was already elsewhere. That smell. That door. The name on the brochure.

Mother’s Comic Book Club.

He didn’t know why, but he suddenly very much wanted to know what the hell was behind that door.

After a few minutes of hurried walking, Rick and Jaden reached and burst into the principal’s office without knocking, the heavy oak door banging against the stopper with a loud thud that echoed down the empty admin hallway. Any other student on campus would’ve been suspended on the spot for pulling a stunt like that, most wouldn’t have even considered it, but Rick Moreno wasn’t most students. He was the principal’s only son and he knew it gave him a certain kind of armor. Right now, that armor was feeling a little dented.

Dr. Elena Moreno sat behind her wide mahogany desk, framed by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stuffed with leather-bound education tomes and framed diplomas. She was forty-four but could’ve passed for thirty on her worst day. Tall, statuesque, with an hourglass figure that her tailored navy blazer and pencil skirt did nothing to hide, F-cup breasts straining against the crisp white blouse beneath, narrow waist flaring into hips that swayed with every step she took. Her jet-black hair was pulled into a severe, professional bun, not a strand out of place and her smoky gray eyes could cut glass when she was pissed. Right now, those eyes flicked up from her computer screen at the sudden intrusion, lips already curling into a scowl at the noise.

But the scowl vanished the instant she registered her son’s appearance, hoodie rumpled, jeans streaked with hallway dust, face flushed and breathing hard.

“Rick?” She stood immediately, chair rolling back with a soft squeak. The concern in her voice was sharp, maternal, almost protective. She crossed the room in three long strides, heels clicking on the hardwood, and cupped his face with both hands, tilting it up to inspect him. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

Rick shook his head, still catching his breath. “An asshole senior practically jumped us. We just wanted to check out his stupid club, and he shoved me on my ass like I was trash. Told us to fuck off, said the club’s ‘exclusive.’”

Elena’s expression darkened. If she’d been angry at the loud entrance, now she was incandescent. A student had dared put hands on her boy? Her jaw clenched so hard Jaden could see the muscle twitch.

She released Rick’s face, spun on her heel, and marched back to her desk. The chair scraped as she sat, fingers already flying across the keyboard.

“Give me the name of the club,” she said, voice low and lethal. “Right now. I’m suspending it. All members get summoned here immediately. I want names, I’ll have this handled before the end of the day.”

Jaden cleared his throat. “It’s called Mother’s Comic Book Club.”

Elena’s fingers paused for half a second, just long enough for Jaden to notice. Then she nodded once, sharply and resumed typing. Her eyes stayed locked on the screen.

“Mother’s Comic Book Club,” she repeated, almost tasting the words. The aggression hadn’t left her tone; if anything, it had sharpened. “I’ll personally see to it that every last one of them is chastised. They’ll be delivered to justice, don’t worry.”

Rick rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at Jaden. “It’s so fucking weird, Mom. Who names a comic club after mothers? And why’s it invite-only? The brochure didn’t even have contact info.”

“Yeah,” Jaden added. “And Zack was smoking inside like he owns the place. The room smelled like…”

Elena’s head snapped up. The look she gave them could’ve frozen lava.

“Enough,” she said, voice cutting through the air like a whip. “This is my problem now. I’ll handle it. Both of you, get to class. Now. I don’t want to hear another word about it until I say so.”

Rick opened his mouth like he wanted to argue, but something in his mother’s eyes made him close it again. He nodded, muttered a quick “Thanks, Mom,” and headed for the door. Jaden followed, but as they stepped into the hallway, he slowed.