The hall erupted into chaos.
Students flooded toward the exits, voices rising in shock and disbelief. Some were crying. Others were angry. Everyone was talking at once.
But Auriella barely heard any of it.
She sat frozen in her seat, the relief washing over her in waves so powerful she thought she might cry.
"She wasn't on the list," Penny said, her voice shaky with relief. "Auri, she wasn't on the list."
"I know," Auriella whispered.
"See?" Penny squeezed her hand, a genuine smile breaking across her face. "I told you. Nothing to worry about. She's probably just off somewhere poking her nose into things she shouldn't be."
Auriella let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Her shoulders sagged, all the tension draining out of her at once.
"Yeah," she said, managing a real smile for the first time all day. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"Of course I'm right." Penny grinned. "I'm always right."
Auriella laughed—a small, breathless sound, but real.
They stood and started making their way toward the exit, moving with the flow of students.
"Girls!"
They turned.
Lincoln and Adrian were weaving through the crowd toward them.
"Hey," Lincoln said when he reached them, Adrian right behind him. "That was intense, huh?"
"That's an understatement," Penny said.
Adrian flashed his easy smile. "You get used to it."
"Get used to it?" Auriella repeated, her eyebrows raising.
"Yeah," Adrian said with a shrug. "This kind of thing happens a few times each semester. Students break rules, get caught, get expelled. But this is only like the third time in the history of this school that people have been expelled because of parties. First time in our time here, though."
"Other reasons get students kicked out too," Lincoln added. "Academic failure, cheating, serious violations. Blackthorn doesn't mess around."
"But do they always call meetings like this?" Auriella asked. "Every time they expel students?"
"No," Lincoln said, shaking his head. "They just did this because most of the expelled students were first-years. They wanted to make an example. Show you guys they're serious about the rules."
"Well, message received," Penny muttered.
Adrian grinned. "Come on, let's get out of here. I'm starving. Anyone want to grab food?"
Penny's face lit up. "Yes. Please. I need food after all that stress."
"Cafeteria?" Adrian suggested.
"Sounds good," Lincoln agreed.
They all headed to the cafeteria together, the tension from the assembly slowly melting away as they walked across campus.
Students sat around all corners of the school talking about the expulsion,some people looked like they were having a heart attack .
Adrian found them a table near the windows, and they all sat down with trays of food.
For a while, they just ate and talked about the expulsion and how hard the school was, they expected nothing but perfecting here,"Adrian made a joke ,making everyone laugh and forget the tension they were feeling moments ago.
Lincoln looked up from his food, his expression shifting to something more serious.
"Hey, have you guys seen Celeste?"
Auriella's stomach dropped.
"Why?" Penny asked carefully.
"Her mom called me this morning," Lincoln said. "Said she couldn't reach her. I tried calling too, but her phone's switched off."
Auriella's heart started racing again.
"I went by her dorm to check on her," Lincoln continued. "But she wasn't there. I figured she was just off exploring like she always does, but... I don't know. It's been a while."
Auriella and Penny exchanged a look.
Her phone's off. She's not in her room. No one's seen her.
The panic started creeping back in.
Lincoln must have seen it on their faces because he quickly added, "Hey, don't worry. This is typical Celeste. She does this all the time. Disappears, turns off her phone, comes back a week later talking about some adventure she had or some creepy place she found. She's probably fine.
"Yeah," Adrian chimed in, leaning back in his chair. "Isn't that your horror-obsessed cousin? The one who's always sneaking into places she shouldn't be?"
"That's her," Lincoln said with a fond but exasperated smile. "She's probably holed up somewhere reading about the school's dark history or trying to break into the east wing or something."
His words helped. A little.
"But if you see her," Lincoln said, looking at Auriella and Penny, "let her know I'm looking for her, okay? Her mom's getting worried."
"We will," Penny said.
Lincoln's phone buzzed. He glanced at it and sighed. "It's my professor. I have to go. Study session."
"Again?" Penny said surprised.
"Legacy life," Lincoln said with a shrug. He stood, patting Adrian's shoulder . "I'll catch you guys later."
He left, leaving Adrian with the two girls.
Adrian leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his smile easy and warm.
"So. I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves yet. I'm Adrian. Adrian Castellano."
Penny's eyes widened slightly. She recognized the name immediately.
Castellano. One of the top families in the country. Old money. Real estate empires. Political connections. The kind of wealth that made even Penny's family look modest.
But Adrian didn't dress like it. No designer labels, no flashy accessories. Just jeans, a simple shirt, and a leather jacket.
"Castellano," Penny repeated, a smile tugging at her lips. "As in the Castellanos?"
Adrian laughed. "Yeah, that's us. But I promise I'm not as stuck-up as the name suggests."
"I'll be the judge of that," Penny teased.
"Fair enough." Adrian grinned. "And you are?"
"Penelope Ashford," Penny said. "But everyone calls me Penny."
"Ashford," Adrian said, his grin widening. "Now that's a name I recognize. Your dad's in tech, right? Software development?"
"Among other things," Penny said with a modest shrug, though she was clearly pleased he knew.
"Nice." Adrian nodded appreciatively. "So we're both legacy brats trying not to live up to family expectations."
Penny laughed. "Something like that."
They fell into easy conversation—family businesses, the pressure of living up to famous last names, the ridiculousness of private school life like Blackthorn. Their energy matched perfectly, the banter flowing naturally.
Then Adrian turned to Auriella.
"And you?" he asked, his smile warm and genuine. "What's your story?"
Auriella hesitated.
She felt the weight of the question. The expectation.
Penny had a family business. A legacy. A name people recognized.
Adrian had an empire.
And Auriella had... nothing.
"It's just Auriella," she said quietly. "Auriella Thorne. Nothing special."
The words felt heavier than she meant them to.
Adrian's smile didn't falter, but Penny's face fell slightly.
"I—uh—I should actually get going," Auriella said, standing abruptly. "I need to use the library. Get some studying done."
"Auri—" Penny started.
"It's fine," Auriella said quickly, forcing a smile. "I'll see you later, okay? This evening."
"Are you sure?" Penny asked, concern clear in her voice.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Auriella grabbed her bag. "Really."
She left before either of them could stop her.
Penny watched her go, guilt twisting in her stomach.
"Did I say something wrong?" Adrian asked, his easygoing demeanor faltering.
Penny sighed. "No. It's not you. It's just... Auriella lost her grandmother recently. Talking about family is hard for her right now."
Adrian's expression shifted immediately. "Oh. Shit. I didn't mean to—"
"You didn't know," Penny said gently. "It's okay. She'll be fine. She just needs some space."
Adrian ran a hand through his hair, looking genuinely upset. "I feel terrible. I didn't mean to make her uncomfortable."
"You didn't," Penny assured him. "Really. She's just dealing with a lot right now."
Adrian nodded slowly, then pulled out his phone. "Can I... can I get her number? I want to make it up to her. Apologize properly."
Penny hesitated.Auriella wasn't really the type who liked guys calling her .
But Adrian seemed sincere. he was a nice guy and Lincoln's friend.
.
"Okay," she said, giving him Auriella's number.
"Thanks," Adrian said. "I'll reach out. Make sure she knows I didn't mean anything by it."
Penny smiled. "She'll appreciate that."
.