The three boys fell into step beside him, walking like they had known him for years.
Jax talked the most. He pointed out different buildings as they crossed the courtyard, his arms swinging wide like he owned the place.
"That's the canteen. Best food in any school in Singapore, trust me." He pointed left. "Over there is the sports complex. We have a killer basketball team. Made finals last year."
Kai nodded but didn't respond. He was too busy scanning the courtyard, memorizing exits, noting who was watching him.
"And that building?" Jax pointed to a long, low structure near the back of the campus. His voice dropped slightly. "That's where the real fun happens after classes."
Rico leaned in closer. His voice was lower now, almost secretive, like he was sharing something valuable. "You look like you've seen some things. Where'd you transfer from?"
"America," Kai said.
"Nice." Rico whistled low. "Must have been wild over there."
Kai gave a small shrug. "It had its moments."
Nathan spoke for the first time.
His voice was quiet, but his eyes were sharp. the kind of sharp that missed nothing. "You don't seem like the type who follows rules."
Kai looked at him. Held his gaze for a second longer than necessary.
"I follow my own," Kai said.
Nathan smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile. It was the smile of someone who had just found something interesting. Something dangerous. Something useful.
"That's good," Nathan said. "We don't follow rules either."
---
They reached the senior classroom block and climbed the stairs together.
The staircase was wide, made of white stone that gleamed under the morning sun. Students moved aside as the group passed. Some leaned against the railing, deep in conversation. Others hurried past with books clutched to their chests.
Kai could feel eyes on him from every direction.
Some curious. Some already sizing him up. A few girls whispered behind their hands, their eyes following him as he walked by. He heard one of them say "new student" and another reply "he is so cute"
He kept his expression blank. Shoulders straight. Eyes forward.
Inside the classroom, desks were arranged in neat rows. Sunlight streamed through large windows, bouncing off the whiteboard at the front. Dust floated in the light, slow and lazy. A few students were already seated, heads down in their phones or notebooks.
The room smelled like old books and floor wax. The kind of smell that every school in the world seemed to share.
Jax pointed to an empty seat near the back. "Sit there. We usually take the last row. Best view, least attention from teachers."
Kai smiled to himself.
Least attention from teachers.
These guys had no idea what they had signed up for.
You can't get less attention from teachers when you're sitting next to Kai Voss.
He dropped into the chair and leaned back, stretching his long legs out under the desk. The seat was hard. The wooden surface had someone's initials carved into the corner. He ran his thumb over the carving — "D.W." — and wondered who that was. Probably graduated.
He tried to look relaxed. But inside, his mind was already turning.
These three had approached him too fast. They saw the money. The car.They wanted him in their circle before anyone else could get close.
That was fine.
Kai knew how to play that game.
Let them think they were pulling him in. Let them think they were the ones in control. He had played this game before, back in California. The rich kids always wanted to befriend the new rich kid. It was about connections. About power. About building a network before anyone else could.
He understood the math.
The bell rang loudly, sharp and sudden. Students poured into the room, filling the seats. The quiet classroom became a sea of voices and movement. Bags dropped. Notebooks flipped open. Someone laughed too loud in the front row.
A few more glances came Kai's way.
A girl two rows ahead turned and smiled at him. Pretty face. Long hair braided down her back. The kind of girl who was used to getting smiles back. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment too long.
Kai didn't smile back.
He looked away first. Out the window.
Jax leaned over from the next desk. His voice was casual, but his eyes were watching Kai's reaction.
"After school, we usually hang out at the old field behind the gym. Nothing serious. Just chilling. You should come. We'll show you how things really work around here."
Kai nodded without replying.
The teacher walked in. a man in his forties with glasses and a smile on his face.
He wrote his name on the board. Mr. Tan.
Then he opened a textbook and started talking about the skeletal system.
"The human body has 206 bones," Mr. Tan said, clicking through a slide on the screen. "The femur is the longest. The stirrup bone in the ear is the shortest. Does anyone know which bone is most commonly broken in sports injuries?"
No one answered.
Mr. Tan sighed and kept talking.
Kai stared at the board, but his thoughts were somewhere else.
His father's warning echoed in his head. One mistake. One scandal. And you're done.
His mother's hopeful smile. A fresh start.
He had promised himself he would try to stay out of trouble.
But as he sat there with Jax, Rico, and Nathan already pulling him into their world, he felt that familiar restless energy stirring again. The same energy that had gotten him expelled. The same energy that made teachers nervous and girls curious.
The first day had barely started, and already the cage around him felt a little tighter.
And a little more tempting to break.
Mr. Tan's voice filled the classroom, clear and steady. He pointed with a laser pen at a diagram glowing on the screen. The red dot danced across the image of a human skeleton.
"The skeletal system supports everything. Without it, we collapse. Pay close attention because this will appear in your practical exams."
Kai sat slouched in the back row, arms folded tight across his chest. His eyes followed the lines on the board, but the words floated past him. He already knew most of this from his old school. The diagrams looked the same. The explanations felt familiar. Bone density. Marrow. Calcium storage. He had heard it all before.
He tapped one finger lightly on his desk. Counting the seconds until the period will end.
He was so focused on the clock that he almost didn't hear it.
The classroom door opened with a quiet creak.
All heads turned at once.
A girl walked in.
Long dark hair fell over her shoulders, shining under the fluorescent lights. White blouse tucked neatly into her skirt. A designer bag hanging from her arm. Her shoes were simple but expensive. the kind that didn't need a logo to announce their price.
She moved like she was late. A little rushed. A little flustered. Her cheeks were slightly pink, like she had been walking fast. But even with the rush, there was something graceful about her. Something polished.
She was holding a schedule in her hand, her eyes scanning the room for an empty seat.
Then she looked up.
And her eyes met Kai's.
Stormy grey met sharp brown.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
The classroom faded. The teacher's voice became distant. The other students blurred into the background.
Recognition hit them both at the same time.
The airport. The terminal. The insults.
Some people think a small ass and a fancy bag make them important.
Her jaw tightened. He could see the muscles flex under her skin. Her grip on the schedule crumpled the paper, leaving white creases across the corner.
Kai didn't smile. Didn't smirk. Didn't react at all.
He just looked at her.
And she looked at him.
The stare between them was visible and heavy. Like the air before a storm
Her eyes met his again. Just for a second. Just long enough for him to see the coldness there. The dislike. The memory of his words still fresh in her mind.
He didn't smile. Didn't frown. Didn't do anything except lean back in his chair and stare back at her.
But inside, something cold settled in his chest.
The girl from the airport was in his class.
The one he had insulted.
The one who had looked at him like he was trash on her shoe.
And from the way her hands were stiff and clinched, she hadn't forgotten a single word he said.