She said it so casually, like it was nothing.
Like being handed luxury gifts just to get close to her family was normal.
Which, for her, it was.
Ava rolled her eyes. "If only I could skip that. My mom loves those art gallery shows. She wants her children to act like perfect little dolls."
Luna chuckled softly as she texted.
"Mad at him."
Ava phone buzzed.
Ava raised a brow, glancing sideways at Luna before typing back.
Bitch, mad at who?
Luna didn't even look up as she replied.
You know who. Stop acting dumb. And you still haven't told me what you overheard—who said what, when, and what exactly they said.
Ava's lips curved slightly as she texted.
He's sitting right there. Why don't you ask him yourself if you're that curious?
Bitch!!! Came the reply
Ava rolled her eyes.
"You know I'm sitting right next to you," she muttered under her breath. "If you want to ask, then ask. Stop texting like you're on something."
Luna finally turned her head slightly. "You want me to say it in front of everyone?"
A few students nearby, who had been pretending not to listen, immediately sharpened their attention.
Ava simply shrugged, completely unfazed.
Hey, Ava—what are you doing here?" Ella's voice cut through the room as she stood up.
"I know Luna is your friend, but that doesn't mean you have access to our class to be a nuisance. We don't allow strangers here. And Luna—aren't you ashamed? Because of you, someone had to leave their seat. Just because you're rich doesn't mean anything. We're all rich here."
A few students nodded in agreement.
Luna didn't even blink. She leaned back slightly, her tone calm. "Yet not as rich as me, baby girl. Even among the rich, there are levels—and you're not on mine. Watch your mouth, or you won't even know how you left this class."
Ava glanced at Ella and scoffed softly. "You hate me being in your class? Then deal with it. I'll be here whenever I want. If you have a problem, drag me out." She smiled sweetly, like she hadn't just said that.
Ella's face flushed. "You—you're so annoying! I should report you!"
Ava tilted her head. "Want me to help you write the report? Go ahead. The teachers won't care. Did you forget? I'm the number one troublemaker. Who exactly is going to punish me?"
"And you're proud of that?" a guy muttered.
Ava shrugged lazily. "I'm practically wearing it as a badge."
Luna chuckled. "Clock it."
"You're just doing all this for a guy!" Ella snapped, her voice rising. "You just want Matthew's attention—isn't that why you're here? He doesn't even care about you. Have some shame. Kissing him on the cheek yesterday? That was such a trashy, slutty move."
A few of her friends nodded, backing her up.
Matthew finally looked up.
He didn't say anything, but his gaze landed on Ella—calm, quiet… and cold.
Ella instinctively took a step back.
Ava chuckled.
Then she stood up.
Slowly.
And walked toward Ella.
"Repeat what you just said," Ava said softly.
Ella swallowed, her confidence cracking, but she didn't speak again—just glared.
"Okay, that's enough," Philip suddenly cut in, standing up. "This is getting out of hand—"
"Philip," Luna said without even looking at him, "sit down and I'll give you Olivia's number if Ella is brave enough to act childish for a guy she should be brave enough to face the consequences herself."
Philip froze.
Then immediately sat back down after giving Luna the phone to our Olivia number.
His seatmate stared at him and chuckled. "You're actually spineless, bro."
"Go to hell," Philip muttered. "That's my crush's number. And anyway, Ella started it. I warned everyone—if you can't handle it, don't look for trouble."
Ava looked back at Ella, her expression turning just a little colder.
"Next time you call me that," she said quietly, tapping Ella lightly on the head, "you'll be competing with the boy Luna punched for who recovers first. And trust me—you won't be recovering anytime soon. Got it?"
Ella nodded quickly.
Ava brushed her hands together like she was done with something unimportant, then turned and went back to her seat beside Luna.
A few seconds later, Ava phone buzzed.
Do you still like him?
Ava glanced at the message from Luna, then typed back without hesitation.
I just got more interested. I want him to be mine now—by all means.
Just then, the teacher walked in. He paused for a second when he saw Ava sitting there, clearly not supposed to be in the class.
Then he simply rolled his eyes and started teaching like nothing was wrong.
When the bell for break rang, Ava was already leaning back in her chair, legs crossed, casually chewing gum while Luna packed her things.
The door slid open and Jake walked in like he owned the place. Without a word, he tossed a pack of cigarettes toward Ava.
She caught it easily.
Standing up, she handed him her bag as they turned to leave—
Only for Luna to suddenly grab Ava's hair.
"Ah—! You damn bitch, are you trying to kill me?" Ava snapped, glaring back.
"Where are you going?" Luna asked, still holding on. "I don't like this. I'm feeling left out. And it looks fun."
"We're just going to smoke," Jake said lazily, "then maybe check out the cinema. Heard it's good—nice view, close to the ocean."
He smirked.
Luna raised her hand and gave him the middle finger.
"You should really fix your brain."
"Aah, my poor hair—let go," Ava complained, prying Luna's hand off.
Once free, she grabbed Jake by the tie, pulling him down to her level before wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
"My baby is more fun to hang out with," she said with a teasing smile. "And I'll be back for practice. Jane signed me up for cooking class. If I actually cook something…" her eyes sparkled with mischief, "I'll let my baby taste it first."
Jake snorted softly. "I'll pass. I'd rather eat your mom's cooking."
He tapped her nose lightly. "Let's go."
Before she could react, he lifted her up with one hand and spun her once.
Ava laughed.
Then he set her down, and the two of them walked out like nothing in the world mattered.
Luna watched them leave, rolling her eyes.
"I need new friends," she muttered, going back to packing her bag.
"So… are you going?" Felix asked, turning to Matthew.
No response.
Felix frowned. "Hello? I've been talking to you for like thirty minutes."
Matthew blinked, finally looking at him. "What did you say?"
Felix stared at him. "You didn't hear a single word? Damn it, I've been talking nonstop!"
"Then it probably wasn't important," Matthew said calmly.
His grip on the pen in his hand tightened slightly before he placed it back on the desk, his gaze flickering briefly toward the door Ava had just walked through—then away.
Philip walked over and dropped into the empty seat in front of them.
"So, are we starting now?" he asked. "I already texted Kai. If he's getting food, he should bring it here. We'll study during break."
Felix leaned forward. "What about the other two? You said you invited people."
"I did," Philip replied. "One guy, one girl. The guy already joined another group. The girl agreed—Nyra. She'll be here soon. She went to the teacher's office. She's also the assistant class monitor."
As if on cue, Nyra walked in.
She wore a simple outfit, her hair tied neatly, dimples showing as she smiled.
"Hi," she said, taking a seat. "Sorry I'm late. I went to update the class schedule. It changed, so I had to fix it."
Felix nodded. "No problem."
Philip looked around. "So who are we still waiting for?"
"Ella," Felix said. " The class beauty She should be here soon."
Philip raised a brow, leaning back lazily. "You mean the former class beauty? Haven't you heard? Everyone's trying to push Luna into that spot now. Ella probably reporting to the main teacher, trying to get Luna kicked out of the class. Don't be surprised if Ella doesn't show up."
Felix's eyes widened slightly—
Then slowly narrowed, like something had just clicked in his mind.
"Luna is prettier than Ella, sure," Felix said, leaning back in his chair, spinning a pen between his fingers. "But it's not even the same type of beauty. Ella's is… trending. Loud. Luna's is more… classy. Elegant. They don't even clash."
Nyra tilted her head slightly. "Have you ever heard of two kings in one empire?"
Felix smirked. "No. But I've heard of a king and someone behind the throne pulling the strings."
Philip let out a quiet breath. "Either way, one stands higher. The one on the throne—or the one controlling it. And right now…" he glanced toward the door, "…Ella lost. She's just not handling it well."
Matthew didn't look up. He flipped open his book, voice calm. "If she's not here, replace her. Let's start.".
"I'm here."
Ella's voice cut through the room as she stepped in.
The class where only Felix , Philip, Matthew,nrya were inside.
Ella walked in like she had something to prove, her expression tight with frustration. "I was in class doing a vote—whether people want Luna out or not. And you know what? This class is full of hypocrites. They don't like her, but they won't vote her out because of connections. Family business, influence… all that nonsense."
She scoffed, crossing her arms. "What's the big deal? Voting her out doesn't mean Luna would go around blacklisting their families unless she is petty."
Philip stared at her for a second—then let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
"Who the hell is dumb enough," he said, leaning forward slightly, "to vote out someone who leads one of the famous student group… whose friends are also leader in their own student group who hold power in the extra holiday school class we would soon have, outside school clubs?"
He shook his head slowly. "No one is that stupid, Ella."
Ella's eyes flared. "You're supposed to be on my side! You're the class monitor—act like one! Instead of supporting her stop being spineless for god sake with your family power you can remove Luna isn't that how you got the role"
Philip went quiet.
Then he nodded once.
"Fine."
He stood up.
The shift in the room was immediate.
"Ella," he said, voice calm but firm, "your behavior is becoming disruptive. You're acting like a child throwing a tantrum because things aren't going your way."
The room went silent.
"If you have a problem with a classmate, take it up properly—with them or with a teacher. If you still don't like them, then focus on your own results and outperform them or pray they fail and leave the class to another ."
Ella's lips parted, but no words came out.
"This is a classroom," Philip continued, not raising his voice once. "Not a stage for your personal drama. We are here to study. Anything that affects that—negatively—will be dealt with and you know that is the school rules don't play with study it affect others."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"So here are your options," he added calmly. "I will report you for disrupting academic activity—which could lead to point deductions… or removal from the class."
A sharp silence followed.
"Or ," he finished, "you sit down and act like a student and start praying your punishment is light."
Then, just like that, he turned away from her.
"Let's start studying."
He sat back down, completely ignoring her.
Ella stood frozen for a second.
"Wait… wait," she said quickly, her voice losing its sharp edge. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have— it's just…"
She hesitated, struggling to find the words, her pride clearly fighting her.
"Stop. Making excuses won't save you—zip it," Philip cut in, not even looking at Ella.
The words landed hard.
Ella froze.
Nyra shifted slightly. "I can ask my friend to take her spot."
Philip nodded once. "Do that. Ella… please leave."
That was it.
Ella's eyes filled with tears before she turned and rushed out of the classroom.
The door shut.
A brief silence followed.
"Damn… that was cold," Felix muttered, scratching the back of his neck. "Isn't that a bit harsh? I mean… I was the one who invited her. This is going to be awkward."
Matthew didn't look up from his book. "Then let's make it simple. If we don't like Nyra's friend after a while, Ella can take her spot back."
Felix paused… then nodded slowly. "Yeah. That works."
The tension eased.
Nyra quickly pulled out her phone and sent a message.
Not even five minutes later, the door opened again.
A girl rushed in, slightly out of breath.
"Sorry! I came as soon as I saw the message," she said, smiling brightly. "I'm Mary—Mary Smith. From the Smith family… we own several restaurant chains across the country, by the way—"
"Mary."
Philip's voice cut in, calm but sharp.
"Nice to meet you. We don't need your family résumé. This is a study group, not a networking event. Sit."
Her smile froze for a split second.
Then she laughed lightly like it didn't bother her and took a seat—right beside Matthew.
Matthew didn't react.
Everyone settled in, books opening, the earlier drama already being pushed aside.
Felix leaned forward, dropping a notebook onto the table. "Alright. I worked on some questions last night." He flipped it open.
"These are the parts I don't understand—mixed topics too. I figured we go through them one by one, and everyone brings up anything they're stuck on."
Matthew nodded once. "That works."
The group leaned in slightly, the atmosphere shifting—
From tension…
To focus.
The bell signaling the end of break pierced the air, giving everyone a few extra minutes before practice.
Nyra and her friend slipped out of the classroom just as Kai burst in, takeaway bag swinging from his hand. "Your delivery's here," he announced with a grin, waving it like a trophy.
Derek leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching with that signature smirk.
"Damn, I'm starving," Felix groaned, snatching the bag from Kai and ripping it open. He divvied up the portions to Matthew, Philip, and himself, steam rising like a promise of relief.
"Smells amazing," Philip said, inhaling deeply as he tore into his share.
Kai leaned on a desk, casual but proud. "We hit up the Chinese spot—Derek was craving it bad, so yeah."
Derek's eyes flicked up from his phone. "You guys already forming study groups?"
Philip nodded mid-bite. "Yeah, just kicked off. Half the class had made study group."
"I've got made mine," Kai jumped in, eyes lighting up. "My class had finished everyone had made group Jay and I are in the same group with Sophia and her friend it is ten to a group so now we have three study groups in our class our group meets after school every three days behind the peach tree building every three nights a week and . Intense, but worth it."
Derek pushed off the wall, frustration creasing his brow as he paced a step closer. "Why's your class always in hyperdrive? It's annoying. Just switch to mine."
Kai spun to face him, hands on hips, voice laced with that familiar exasperation. "We've been over this a million times. I like my class—it's all about studying, not sports like yours and you know I don't do sport. You could still tag along... wait outside if you have to." He tilted his head, pouting just enough to poke at Derek's defenses, lips curving into a teasing smile.
Derek rolled his eyes, heat rising in his chest—jealousy twisting like a knot. " Stay away Early love it is bad ," he muttered, turning sharply toward the door, shoulders tense.
In a heartbeat, Kai darted forward, fingers wrapping around Derek's wrist in a warm, insistent grip. He leaned in close, voice dropping to a soft, cute whisper laced with mischief. "Jealous already? If I date someone, you gonna start making rules now?"
Derek froze, pulse jumping under Kai's touch, but he didn't pull away. Kai's eyes sparkled with that teasing fire, the air between them crackling.
"Bye, guys!" Kai called over his shoulder, flashing a wave at the others as he tugged Derek out the door. It clicked shut behind them.
Matthew, Philip, and Felix stood frozen, chopsticks hovering mid-air, staring at the empty spot where Kai and Derek had vanished.
The silence hung heavy, charged with unspoken what-the-hell-was-that vibes.
Philip was still staring at the door when he rubbed his chin slowly. "Why do I feel like I just got fed dog food?"
Felix froze mid-bite, then shivered, holding up his arm. "I thought it was just me. Look—goosebumps. That was disgusting."
"Kai acting cute? Fine normal," Philip said, chewing as he leaned back in his chair. "But Derek? That soft voice? Like he needed to be coaxed?" He shook his head. "That part was disturbing."
Matthew closed his book with a soft thud. "Ignore it," he said, standing up. "Feels like the kind of thing that drags you into unnecessary drama."
Felix and Philip didn't argue. They quickly finished the rest of their food and grabbed their things.
The hallway was louder, students moving toward their different practices.
Near the staircase, Ava was leaning against the wall, one leg bent, cigarette between her fingers as smoke curled lazily around her.
She spotted them.
Before anyone could say anything, she dropped the cigarette, crushed it under her shoe, then nudged it into the dustbin like it meant nothing.
Felix immediately grabbed Philip's sleeve. "We should go."
"Yeah. Definitely," Philip agreed, already stepping back.