The bell rang for science class, and I already knew the universe was plotting against me.
Two minutes in, Mr. Fabian was already fumbling his attendance list like he couldn't remember his own students.
"Ah… Nathan, you'll be partnering with—" he squinted, "Zaria and Adanna today."
Perfect. Just what I needed. Fire and brimstone in lip gloss.
I walked over, tossed my bag on the bench, and took the seat next to them. Zaria didn't even blink in my direction. Adanna gave me a quick half-smile, the type you give someone when you know they're walking into a trap but you can't save them.
"Hey," I muttered, lowkey cautious. "Let's try not to kill each other today."
Zaria adjusted her goggles like she was about to commit a crime and wanted to see it clearly. Then, calmly, she said, "Don't flatter yourself. You're not that important."
Whew. Round one.
I opened my notebook and pretended to care about the measurements. The assignment was basic chemistry—observe a set of non-lethal reactions and record the effects. We were barely ten minutes in when it happened.
I leaned over slightly to help measure one of the substances—and then splash.
Something wet and sharp hit my forearm. I looked down.
Green fluid.
Burning a little through the fabric of my lab coat.
"What the—Zaria!" I jerked back, my chair screeching across the floor.
"Oh," she said, barely glancing at me. "My hand slipped."
Slipped? That stuff could've melted my dreams.
"You could've told me to move," I snapped, peeling off my coat like I'd just walked through acid rain.
She tilted her head, lips curling. "I don't warn side characters."
Adeline burst out laughing.
Even two of her other clique members, who weren't even in our group but somehow always nearby, turned around and smirked like it was all a live show.
"I think you owe me a new lab coat," I muttered.
Zaria turned fully to face me now. "No, I owe you a reality check. This isn't some fashion show where you come strutting in with your little rings and leather jacket trying to make a statement. You're new. Stay cute. Stay quiet."
My jaw clenched. "Wow. You just wake up choosing violence, huh?"
"No," she said, voice soft, almost sweet. "I wake up beautiful. Violence is the bonus."
Adeline damn near choked trying not to laugh.
"You got something to prove?" I asked, eyes narrowed.
Zaria leaned in slightly, her voice low, only for me. "No, baby. You do. I'm already the main character. You? You're trying too hard to earn screen time."
Silence! .
I couldn't even clap back. I was too busy being spiritually disrespected.
Then, to top it off, she reached forward and used a paper towel to gently blot the chemical stain on my shirt sleeve.
"There," she said softly. "Wouldn't want your little adorable outfit ruined."
She tossed the paper towel in the bin like she hadn't just emotionally stabbed me six times in front of an audience.
Mr. Fabian, blissfully unaware, finally looked up from his phone and called out, "You all doing okay over there?"
Zaria smiled, perfectly innocent. "Absolutely, sir. Just doing a little… cleaning up."
I stared at her.
Yeah.
I needed therapy.
Or revenge.
Possibly both
Mr. Fabian looked back down at his phone. Completely useless.
I stared at Zaria.
She was too comfortable. Too calm. That smug little smile like she had me wrapped around her gel-polished finger.
Nah.
I leaned in just enough to make her blink. Lowered my voice. Let it land soft—but firm.
"You know," I said, "for someone who walks around like they're untouchable, you spend a lot of time looking for people to step on. You good, or is the crown slipping?"
Zaria's smile froze for half a second. Just a split second, but I saw it. Her eyes narrowed—not in anger, but in curiosity. Like I'd just said something she didn't expect from me.
Adanna raised her eyebrows and turned away fast, pretending to focus on the test tubes—but I saw her shoulders shake like she was holding in laughter.
Zaria tilted her head, amused but caught off guard. "Oh? You've got bite?"
"I've got range," I said. "Try not to bring out the full discography."
She looked at me then—really looked. Like maybe I wasn't just the leather-jacketed distraction she thought I was.
"Noted," she murmured, picking up the beaker again. "You almost sounded like someone I'd take seriously for half a second."
I smirked. "That's two compliments in one class period. I should be charging you for emotional labor."
Zaria scoffed under her breath, but I could see her cheeks twitch, just a little. Was that... a smirk?
Maybe. Or maybe I was hallucinating after being emotionally pepper-sprayed for 30 minutes.
Still, she didn't talk much after that. She did the work. Poured liquids. Took notes. But the side comments? The eye rolls? The teasing? Gone.
And I knew why.
For the first time, Zaria saw me as more than an easy target.
Maybe now, she'd start watching her step—just like I had to.After Class...
As the bell rang and we packed up, I tossed my notebook into my bag with just a little too much confidence.
That comeback?
Clean.
Sharp enough to make Zaria pause. And trust me—that girl never pauses.
Walking out of the lab, I felt good. Like I'd just unlocked a new version of myself—confident, unbothered, slightly dangerous. The leather jacket wasn't just a look anymore. It was a mindset.
Sure, I might be crushing on the school's favorite femme fatale, but I wasn't gonna be another random in her rotation.
Nope. Not me.
I had to match her energy—no, scratch that—surpass it.
Aura for aura.
Power for power.
I chuckled to myself as I walked down the hallway, students buzzing around me, totally unaware that a war of aesthetics and energy had quietly begun.
She wanted to play cold and cruel?
Cool.
I could do charm, I could do mystery, I could do unpredictability.
Let the games begin.