As they stepped out of the car, the driver offered a courteous farewell before pulling away. Without hesitation, Azan reached for Yvette's hand, his grip firm yet reassuring, and together they made their way towards the school building.
The compound buzzed with its usual morning energy—students gathering in clusters, laughter echoing faintly through the air—but the moment they crossed the threshold, a subtle shift occurred. Heads turned. Eyes lingered.
Then she appeared.
Quin.
She carried herself with the effortless authority of someone accustomed to admiration. As the wealthiest student in the school, her reputation preceded her, her status rivalled only by Azan's own. With poised confidence, she approached them, her gaze fixed on him, barely sparing Yvette a glance.
"Good morning, Azan," Quin greeted, her tone laced with practiced sweetness.
Azan's expression hardened almost immediately. "Oh—it's you, Quin. What do you want?"
Quin's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she tilted her head slightly, her eyes flickering towards Yvette with unmistakable disdain. "Could you kindly tell your dog to leave?"
The words struck sharply.
Before either of them could react, Yvette withdrew her hand and fled, her steps quick and unsteady.
"Yvette!" Azan called after her, taking a step forward.
"Azan," Quin interjected, slipping closer, her hand brushing against his shoulder, "don't you understand—"
He shrugged her off with visible irritation. "I believe I made myself clear," he said coldly. "I am not interested in any sort of relationship in secondary school—not now, not until university. And if the only thing occupying that empty head of yours is romance, then I assure you—I would rather listen to a dog bark than endure another word from you."
Quin's composure cracked. "Don't you dare insult me because of that girl," she snapped. "She isn't even worth your shoes."
Azan's eyes darkened. "Is something wrong with your head?" he replied sharply. "And don't you ever insult Yvette again. She is infinitely better than you—at least she earns her achievements. You, on the other hand, purchase yours. Stay away from me, Quin, or I will humiliate you in a way you won't recover from."
With that, he turned and walked away, his presence commanding enough to leave those nearby frozen in silent observation.
Later, in the school cafeteria, the group—often referred to as the 'young star circle'—sat together, enjoying a rare moment of ease. Laughter flowed, trays clinked, and for a brief while, the tension of the morning seemed to dissipate.
Until Quin entered.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Without warning, she strode over to their table and seized Yvette by the arm, pulling her up with force.
"You," Quin said sharply, her voice carrying across the room, "are not permitted to sit here among people of our calibre. The only person who belongs here is me. I am the appropriate match—not you, a mere watchdog."
Yvette lowered her gaze, swallowing the humiliation. Quietly, she picked up her tray. "I… I think it's best if I sit somewhere else," she murmured, attempting to leave without causing further conflict.
"Irin frowned. "And where exactly do you think you're going?"
"To avoid trouble," Yvette replied softly, her voice barely steady. "It's better this way."
She had scarcely taken a step when Quin abruptly knocked the tray from her hands. Food scattered across the floor, the sound echoing louder than it should have.
For a moment, everything stood still.
Then—
Azan moved.
In an instant, his hand was at Quin's neck, his grip tight, his fury unmistakable. "You did that deliberately," he said in a low, dangerous tone.
"Azan—" Quin gasped, her confidence evaporating.
"Azan, you need to calm down," Nicole urged quickly, rising to her feet.
"Azan," Yvette said, her voice trembling yet firm, "you mustn't keep defending me every time. Perhaps… perhaps this is simply my fate."
Lucas slammed his hand lightly against the table, his expression dark with anger. "Quin," he said coldly, "you will pay for this."
And though the cafeteria remained filled with students, no one dared to speak.
Because in that moment, it was no longer just a quarrel.
It was the beginning of something far more serious.
Azan stared at Quin coldly. "Write an apology letter to Yvette containing 500 words, or apologize orally while I take a picture of you and send it to the student WhatsApp group.
"Quin scoffed. "What? Do you want to tarnish my image because of this trash?"Azan counted slowly. "Your count starts now. One... two... three..."
"Fine," Quin muttered. "I'll apologize orally.
"Nicole folded her arms. "Repeat after me:
'Yvette Collins...'
"Quin repeated reluctantly," Yvette Collins
Nicole continued, "I am sorry, and what happened today will never repeat itself.
"Quin repeated unwillingly, "I'm sorry, and it will never repeat itself.
"She turned to leave, then Irin stopped her.
"Come back here," Irin said sharply.
Azan added, "You heard her."
Quin turned back irritably.
"What is it again this time?
"Azan replied,
"She must accept your apology before you leave.
"Yvette sighed and said, "You can go.
"Azan immediately posted the video.
Quin gasped in rage. "Aaaargghhh!" She stormed off angrily while her friends followed behind her.
Yvette turned to the others. "You guys did this again."smiled but touched by their kind gesture.
At the end of the day, as the young stars were heading home,
Nicole suddenly remembered something."Hope you guys didn't forget my birthday tomorrow evening," she said.
"Of course we didn't," Yvette replied.
Irin smiled. "Everyone should come to her sleepover party.
"Lucas asked, "Is she having a sleepover?"
"Yes," Nicole said. "I'm organizing it for my friends alone, but my mum keeps insisting that I bring Quin.
"Yvette looked uneasy. "I don't think I'm going to come.
"Azan frowned. "And why? Isn't it a friend's party?
"Yvette lowered her eyes. "Your parents don't like me, remember? They see me as a parasite to you guys."
"Aargh, here we go again," Azan said in frustration.
Nicole shook her head. "Are we still dealing with this?
"Their car arrived."Goodbye," Yvette said.
Lucas asked, "Aren't you coming with us?"
"I'm on duty," Yvette replied.
Azan frowned. "You should quit that job. You're looking paler and older than your age.
"Yvette shot back, "Are you going to pay my upkeep?
"Azan smiled. "I can pay it if you want.""Go away, idiot," Yvette said.
"Bye," Azan replied.
"Bye," Yvette answered.
The young stars waved goodbye, laughing and cheering as the car zoomed off.
Here you go — body text starting from "At a VIP lounge":
At a VIP lounge bar where Yvette worked, Quin stormed in with her bodyguard.
She sat on a couch, pride shining all over her face.
Yvette walked over politely to ask for her order. Quin stared at her, recognized her immediately, and burst into laughter.
"You look like a rag!" she mocked.
Yvette felt embarrassed but remained composed. "Um, I'd like to take your order."
Quin laughed again. "You work here?"
"Yes, I do," Yvette replied sharply.
Then Quin quickly took out her phone and snapped a picture of her. "I need to take a picture of you right now," she said, laughing loudly.
Yvette frowned. "There's no time for this. Please place your order and let me go.
"Quin smirked. "Don't command me. I'll do that whenever I'm ready.
"Yvette turned to leave. Quin called after her, "Did I ask you to leave?
Yvette looked back and said firmly, "I'm at work, Quin." Then she walked away.