The next morning, Crown Height Academy's halls buzzed louder than usual. Phones lit up with notifications, whispers trailed like wildfire, and every corner hummed with one question:
Did you see Sophia's post last night?
Sophia had stayed up late with her girls, curled up in her princess-like bedroom with cameras, ring lights, and trays of snacks. They weren't just best friends; they were a brand. Crown Height's most-followed influencers, their blogs and feeds curated to perfection — fashion, luxury, school gossip, travel, even their late-night giggles turned into aesthetic content.
And last night, Sophia had given them something new to obsess over.
A picture — artfully casual but deliberate. Her Crown Height blazer tossed over her chair, books spread across her glossy white desk, her pen poised in her manicured hand. The caption, written in gold-tinted font across the story, read:
"Some partnerships are harder to crack than diamond… but trust me, I never quit. "
She hadn't said his name. She didn't need to. Everyone knew exactly who she meant.
Now, as Sophia walked through the grand double doors of the academy, her phone buzzed nonstop in her hand.
"Look at this," Chloe said, showing her screen. "You're trending on Crown Feed. Literally everyone's talking about your caption."
Amelia laughed. "They're already making ship edits of you and Noah. I saw one with, like, five thousand likes in two hours."
Isabella smirked. "And they're calling you the 'Golden Queen' and him the 'Ice King.' The hashtags are insane."
Sophia's smile was radiant, every step poised. This was exactly what she wanted. Attention. Buzz. The kind that made walls crumble, the kind that forced even someone as stubborn as Noah Sinclair to see.
---
Noah, meanwhile, wasn't smiling.
He sat in his usual seat, tablet open, but the whispers slithered around him like smoke.
"Did you see her story?"
"She's obviously talking about him."
"Golden Queen and Ice King… iconic."
He clenched his jaw, flipping a page on his screen he hadn't actually read. Sophia's post had already reached him this morning before he even left home. He didn't follow her — of course he didn't. But in Crown Height, information traveled fast.
And the picture… that smug caption…
He hated how clever it was.
He hated how it made his pulse tick just a little faster.
"Bro," Ethan said, leaning across the desk. "You've officially been dragged into the influencer circus."
Adrian smirked. "I say let it happen. The fans love it. 'Golden Queen x Ice King'? That's like influencer royalty."
Mason chuckled, sketching the title across his notebook like a comic header. "You're doomed."
Leo, as usual, just sipped his drink and stayed quiet — but his glance said enough.
Noah snapped his tablet shut, his voice low but sharp. "She can play whatever games she wants. It doesn't mean I'll play along."
But he wasn't as sure as he sounded.
---
Later that day, in the library, fate — or perhaps Sophia's careful planning — struck again.
She slipped into the seat across from him, her perfume subtly sweet, her hair tumbling in soft waves. The golden light from the window kissed her skin as if the world itself adored her.
Noah didn't look up. "You don't quit, do you?"
"Never," she answered smoothly, resting her chin on her hand. "Especially not when I'm trending."
His eyes flicked up, sharp. "That post."
She smirked. "Ah, so you saw it."
He said nothing.
"Relax, Sinclair. I didn't even say your name." Her lips curved like she knew exactly what she was doing. "But everyone knows, anyway. Isn't that fun?"
"Fun isn't the word I'd use," he muttered.
Sophia leaned forward just enough for their space to shrink, her golden earrings catching the light. "Then what word would you use?"
He stared at her for a long, tense second before finally answering. "…Distracting."
Her heart skipped. For the first time, his calm voice had cracked, just slightly. She smiled like she'd just won a battle.
"Good," she whispered.
And with that, she gathered her books, rising gracefully to leave. Her heels clicked against the polished floor, each sound echoing like a promise.
Noah sat frozen for a moment, his jaw tight, his chest betraying a strange rhythm. He should've been angry. He should've been untouched.
But instead…
He was distracted.
Too distracted.