The dinner bell rang, and a few minutes later, a timid, innocent-looking junior student walked in with a tray containing three plates of food.
She stopped abruptly and looked up at me, guilt flashing across her face.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't know the room has four occupants now."
A sweet smile curved my lips. "It's fine. I'm not hungry anyway."
She turned to leave, but something made me call her back.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"I'm Zoe," she replied before hurrying out.
"So, Kal, what's your family like?" Ivy asked.
"My family is sweet," I replied casually. "My dad is the founder of Elites High."
"No way! That's impressive," Chloe said.
"And your mum?" Jasmine asked.
My heart twitched, and my mood shifted instantly.
"What's wrong, Kal?" Jasmine asked.
"Oh no…" Chloe started slowly. "Is your mum—?"
I nodded.
"So sorry about that," Jasmine said quickly. "I didn't mean to ask."
I smiled faintly. "It's fine."
I woke up very early the next morning and went straight to the bathroom. Minutes later, I came out and began dressing. I stood in front of the mirror, applying light makeup, when Chloe and the girls finally woke up.
"You must be really excited for your first day at Elites High," Jasmine said.
"You think so?" I asked.
"Obviously," she replied. "Why else would you wake up this early on a Monday and put on a Morfty instead of your uniform?"
"My uniform needs a few girly touch-ups," I said. "I'll probably wear it tomorrow."
"Trust me, the principal will send you back to the hostel," Chloe said.
"I doubt it," I replied, sitting on my bed. "He'll just pretend not to see me."
"What a beautiful view," Ivy said as she stepped in from the veranda.
"What view?" I asked.
"Ivy likes watching the sunrise," Jasmine explained.
I stared at Ivy for a moment before returning to my dressing.
After my first class, I headed to my locker to drop my textbooks when the last person I ever expected walked up to me.
"Kaliyah! Isn't this ironic?" she said with a sly smile.
"Crystal," I muttered, frowning.
"The one and only," she said proudly.
"I see you didn't lose all your memories," she added with a smirk.
I clenched my fists.
"Relax, sweetheart," she said. "I'm not here to trade insults."
"What do you want?" I asked coldly.
"My boyfriend, Jason, has an eye for beauty," she said. "You should avoid him."
I scoffed. "Always battling insecurity issues."
Then I walked away.
I entered the class and went straight to my seat beside Chloe.
"Who the fuck is Jason?" I asked, and Chloe's face instantly brightened.
"He's one of the most popular guys in Elites High," she said. "And our best basketball player."
"Just like us, he has his own group—THE J-BOYS," she added proudly.
"But rumor has it he's dating that aggressive freak, Crystal," Jasmine said.
"Trust me, Jason isn't really into her," Ivy added.
"Why do you say that?" I asked.
"Everyone knows Jason doesn't date," Ivy replied. "Crystal is just lucky she's the only girl who still interests him."
A slow, malicious smile crept onto my face. "Can I see a picture of Jason?"
Chloe opened her gallery and showed me a photo of a muscular, handsome guy. I took her phone and found myself drowning in his ocean-blue eyes.
"Cut it out," Chloe said. "Crystal is extremely overprotective of him—and besides, he doesn't interest me that much."
"If he doesn't interest you," I teased, "what's his picture doing on your phone?"
She frowned.
"Stop it," Jasmine laughed. "Chloe has eyes for the most popular kid in school—the science guy."
"Yeah, yeah," I waved it off. "Nobody cares about the popular science freak."
"Which class is Jason in?" I asked.
The girls glanced around before Chloe answered, "Art class. But he's not in school today."
"Same with his friends," Ivy added.
"Things are about to get juicier," I thought, smiling slyly.
Later that evening, I sat on my bed with my headset on, scrolling through my phone, when Chloe and the girls walked in dressed casually. They surrounded me and snatched my phone and headset.
"Hey! What was that for?" I protested.
"It's strolling time!!!" they yelled in unison.
My eyes lit up. I loved strolling.
"Inside the school or outside?" I asked.
"That depends on you," Chloe said. "Though we've never gone outside before. It's against school rules—and the twelfth graders won't take it lightly if they catch us."
"That's because they haven't met a rule-breaker like me," I said.
I changed into black leggings and a black crop top with red polka dots. I packed my hair into a bun, letting a few strands fall freely around my face. Grabbing my phone and headset, I turned to the girls.
"Let's go."
We headed toward the school's back gate when suddenly a bright torchlight flashed at us.
"Halt!" a husky male voice barked.
We froze instantly.
The security man walked up to us, his face meaner than anything I'd ever seen—meaner even than Dad's when he was angry.
"What are you girls doing here at this time of the evening?" he demanded, staring straight at me.
"Nothing," I replied calmly. "We were just checking out the school premises."
"You should be in class for night prep," he said, pulling out his phone to call the chief security.
"We're done for if he makes that call," Chloe whispered.
"You girls should move ahead," I whispered back. "Trust me."
They hesitated, then ran toward the back gate.
"Hey! Stop right there!" the security man shouted, but they ignored him.
"Hey!" I called, and he turned toward me.
I stepped closer and cupped his face, forcing him to look into my eyes.
"Nothing happened here," I said calmly. "And you didn't see any girls."
"Nothing happened here," he repeated blankly. "I didn't see any girls."
I released him.
He froze… then collapsed to the ground.
I turned and ran, joining my friends