The principal and teachers who "don't" really hate you.

Thessi Coravel: Thessi Coravel was born in the quiet suburb of Riverton as the only child of Marcus and Elena Coravel. Her father was a former military instructor turned security consultant and her mother was a sharp corporate lawyer. From a very young age her parents taught her to be hard, observant, and to take control of her own life instead of waiting for the world to be fair to women. As a child she organized missions in the backyard and scared bullies with her cold stare and rule-listing. In high school she became the girl everyone respected but feared crossing. She once got suspended for calling out a male teacher's bias against female students. She studied education in college and became a strict but effective history and ethics teacher who always protected her students. Three and a half years ago she met Elias, a soft-spoken graphic designer, at a workshop. He is the only person who can gently challenge her without making her defensive. They are still together, but Thessi refuses to marry yet because she wants to keep full control of her life. Last month she moved to the bigger city of Meridian for a better-paying teaching job at Westridge Academy. She now lives alone in a small apartment and is focused on fixing unfair school policies while keeping her relationship with Elias at a careful distance.

Victoria Laang: Victoria Lang was born into a poor working-class family in a rough neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. From a very young age she learned that life would not hand her anything, so she became extremely serious and driven. While other kids played outside, Victoria stayed up late studying by the light of a small lamp and helped her single mother clean office buildings after school to earn extra money. She pushed herself through high school with perfect grades, earned a scholarship to college, and worked two part-time jobs while earning her teaching degree. After graduation she started as a history teacher, quickly moved up to department head, then became assistant principal. For ten long and difficult years she fought hard against older male administrators who doubted her, attending endless meetings, staying late to fix school problems, and