Chapter 2 The Annoying Heirs
"Your hands have no business touching another student in these hallways, Liona."
Julian's voice was cold, almost quiet, yet carried undeniable authority.
Liona swallowed hard and quickly pulled her wrist away as soon as Julian released it.
"J-Julian... I was just—"
"I don't care why," Julian cut her off sharply without even glancing at me. He adjusted the strap of his gym bag on his shoulder before fixing Liona with his piercing hawk-like gaze. "If I catch you causing trouble near my locker again, you'll regret ever putting on this school uniform."
Without waiting for a response from Liona, whose face had already turned as white as paper, Julian turned around and walked away, leaving behind an intimidating presence that seemed to chill the air around us.
Liona clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. She glared at Julian's retreating back before shifting her venomous gaze to me.
"This isn't over, scholarship girl," she hissed before storming off with her two followers.
I finally let out the breath I'd been holding.
My second day at St. Jude's was already testing the limits of my patience. Unfortunately, the days that followed weren't any better. Chaos seemed to become a regular part of my daily life.
Especially whenever Tristan was involved. He seemed to make it his personal mission to test my patience.
"Hey, scholarship girl!" Tristan called lazily the next day as we crossed paths in the cafeteria. "Pick up my wallet."
He deliberately dropped it beneath the table, then looked at me with that infuriating smirk of his.
I folded my arms across my chest. "You've got two hands, don't you? Pick it up yourself, Tristan. I'm not your personal servant."
"Oh? You've got quite the attitude," Tristan scoffed as he stepped closer, his imposing frame towering over me. "You think—"
"That's enough, Tristan."
A calm voice interrupted him. Justin emerged from behind a nearby pillar carrying several academic journals. He stopped beside me, quietly placing himself between Tristan and me.
"Stop looking for trouble," Justin said firmly.
Tristan clicked his tongue and shot his brother a murderous glare.
"You always show up at the worst possible moment like some wannabe hero, Justin. Let me make this clear—stay out of my business with her."
"I'm simply enforcing the rules," Justin replied calmly, completely unfazed by Tristan's anger.
With an irritated grunt, Tristan kicked the leg of a cafeteria table before storming off, muttering curses under his breath.
Justin turned to me, his expression softening. "Are you okay, Chloe?"
"I'm fine, Justin. Thank you."
But Tristan wasn't the only reason my life was miserable. Liona and her clique, The Queens, were constantly searching for new ways to bully me.
"Look who's all alone." Liona sneered outside the cafeteria one afternoon. "The poor girl from Brooklyn."
She raised a cup of orange juice, clearly intending to dump it over my white uniform.
"Liona! What are you doing?" I shouted.
Before the juice could spill, someone grabbed her wrist. All of us instinctively turned, expecting to see Julian or Justin.
Instead... It was Jared.
The school's commercial model flashed a dazzling smile, his signature dimples appearing as he casually adjusted the collar of his shirt.
"Jared! Let go!" Liona snapped. "You're defending her too?"
Jared laughed lightly before releasing her wrist. "Whoa, easy there, beautiful." He glanced at me with a teasing smile before looking back at Liona. "I'm not defending anyone."
He shrugged. "I just think it'd be a shame to waste cheap orange juice on such a pretty face." His smile widened. "Besides... she's kind of adorable when she's angry, don't you think?"
Liona's eyes widened. Her face flushed crimson with rage. "Jared! Did you just call her pretty? You're taking her side just because you think she's cute?"
"Oops." Jared winked. "Guess the secret's out."
Still grinning, he walked away, leaving Liona stomping her foot in frustration.
I simply rolled my eyes. His flirting made absolutely no sense.
The biggest disaster of the week happened during P.E. Emma and I were sitting beside the outdoor basketball court, watching the varsity team practice.
"Look at Julian!" Emma whispered excitedly. "His shots are always perfect!"
I sighed, only half paying attention. Then suddenly, A basketball came flying across the court at incredible speed.
"Chloe! Watch out!" Emma screamed, squeezing her eyes shut.
Thud!
"Ow!"
The ball slammed directly into the side of my head, knocking me backward so hard I nearly fell off the bench. The entire court fell silent.
Then...
Laughter. Silas was doubled over, laughing as he walked toward me, with Jace and Julian following behind him.
"Wow! Nice shot!" Silas called with a mischievous grin. "Bull's-eye, right to the head!" He laughed again before placing his hands on his hips. "Hey, scholarship girl, you okay? Need some ice for that bump? If you do, come order some at my café."
Rubbing the throbbing side of my head, I glared at him.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you? Get over here!"
Although Jace was trying not to laugh at my furious expression, he hurried over and crouched in front of me with exaggerated concern.
"Hey, don't be mad at Silas yet," Jace said cheerfully. "He was probably born to play baseball instead of basketball."
He reached into his pocket and held out a packet of mint candy.
"Here. Consider this compensation for your headache. Guaranteed to freshen you right up."
I snatched the candy from his hand.
"You guys are seriously the most annoying group of men in all of New York."
Julian had just reached us, a small towel draped around his neck.bHe gave me one brief glance.
"If you're going to sit courtside," he said coolly, "try paying attention."
Then he simply turned around and walked away without another word. I let out an irritated sigh while rubbing my aching head.
But as I watched Julian disappear into the distance, something beyond the fence near the spectator stands caught my eye.
A camera lens.
Someone was hiding behind the barrier. The camera wasn't pointed at the basketball practice.
It was aimed... Directly at me. The mysterious figure wore a chilling smile that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
'Who is that? And why are they secretly watching me?'
