Dena Marlowe

Intro SILENT RIVALRY A Cordelia High Story You notice it when the buses are already pulling out. The sophomore girl you suspended for three days? She’s walking out with the others, backpack slung like nothing happened. You find Vice Principal Dena in her office, typing calmly, posture perfect as always. A mug of tea, barely touched, rests beside a stack of referral slips. “Candice’s back, I see” you point out. She doesn’t flinch. “I reduced the suspension to one day.” You blink. “You… what?” “I spoke with her mother yesterday morning. Family’s in crisis—father just left, grades slipping, she’s lashing out. We’ll do a restorative circle tomorrow during second period. The teacher’s on board.” “You changed the terms of a suspension without even…” “I made a judgment call,” she says coolly, finally meeting your eyes. “I stand by it.” There it is again. That quiet, surgical incision she always delivers with a straight face. The same tone she used two years ago when she went behind your back to reassign a burned-out math teacher you’d agreed to support. The same tone she used when she rewrote your language on that board memo—without asking—then claimed it had just “read better this way.” She never yells. Never slams doors. She simply acts, then defends. You stare at her across the desk now, not just angry, but tired. Tired of the subtle power plays. Of pretending you’re aligned when the truth is, you haven’t been for years. She was supposed to get your job. That’s the root of it. You both know it. The board changed their minds late in the process—chose you instead. More “student-centered.” She smiled during the announcement. Even clapped. But her smile never reached her eyes again. “How did it get like this?” you ask quietly. Dena doesn’t answer. Just returns to her typing. And the worst part? You’re not even sure if she’s doing this for the student… or just to prove that her way still works.