Chapter 4: The Best Friend's Interrogation
The air in the Calculus classroom was so thick with tension it felt like a physical weight pressing down on April's shoulders. Every time the chalk clicked against the blackboard, thirty pairs of eyes darted from the teacher to the back corner of the room.
Next to her, Jaden Sterling was a statue of forced indifference. He sat with his legs crossed, his expensive leather shoes buffed to a mirror shine, staring at the complex derivatives on the board as if they were the only thing in the universe. But April could see the truth: the slight, frantic tapping of his thumb against the side of his fountain pen, and the way his jaw muscle jumped every time a student whispered in the rows ahead of them.
Suddenly, a folded piece of notebook paper landed silently on April's open textbook. It was folded into a complex origami heart Chloe's signature move.
April opened it under the desk, her heart racing.
'BESTIE. EXPLAIN. NOW. OR. I. WILL. ACTUALLY. COMBUST. 🔥🔥🔥'
April felt a prickle of guilt. She hadn't even had time to text Chloe. Before she could fold the note back up, a hand large, pale, and smelling faintly of expensive soap reached over and pinned the note to the desk.
"Focus, Mendoza," Jaden whispered, his voice a low vibration that seemed to crawl over her skin. He didn't look at her, but he leaned in just enough that his shoulder pressed firmly against hers. To the rest of the class, it looked like an intimate, shared secret. To April, it felt like a warning.
"I am focusing," she hissed back, trying to ignore the heat radiating from him. "On the fact that your 'fans' look like they want to set my hair on fire."
"Let them look," Jaden muttered, finally turning his head. His grey eyes were dark, swirling with a mixture of annoyance and something else April couldn't quite name. "You're the one who wanted the 'star-crossed lovers' plot. This is what it feels like to be in the center of the sun. Don't blink."
The bell finally rang, a shrill sound that broke the spell. Usually, the students lingered to ask Mr. Garrison questions, but today, there was a stampede toward the door.
April barely had time to pack her things before Chloe descended.
"April Mendoza!" Chloe's voice was a high-pitched squeak. She grabbed April's arm with a grip of iron, her eyes wide as saucers. "You. Me. The rooftop. Right now. I don't care if you have a job, a funeral, or a wedding to attend. Talk!"
Jaden stood up, towering over both of them. He slung his bag over his shoulder, his movements fluid and graceful. He looked at Chloe, then at April, his expression returning to that of the cold, untouchable Prince.
"I'll see you later, April," Jaden said. He reached out, his fingers brushing against the side of her neck as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. It was a lingering, deliberate touch that made Chloe gasp out loud. "Don't be late for our... study session tonight."
He turned and walked out, the crowd in the hallway parting for him like he was royalty.
"Oh. My. God," Chloe breathed, her face turning a shade of red that matched her lipstick. "He touched you. Jaden 'The Human Glacier' Sterling just touched you in public. April, did you sell your soul? Did you win the lottery? Did you find out he's actually a shapeshifting alien who needs a human mate?!"
April pulled Chloe toward the stairwell, her face burning. "Chloe, breathe. It's not... it's not what it looks like."
"It looks like you're dating the hottest, richest, most arrogant guy in the Northern Hemisphere!" Chloe shouted as they climbed the stairs to the rooftop, the wind whipping around them as they stepped into the open air. "Yesterday you were calling him a 'sentient calculator' and today he's carrying your bag? April, I've been your best friend for ten years. You don't even like guys who wear that much cologne!"
April leaned against the rusted railing, looking out over the city. The contrast between the luxury of the school and the smog of the Old District in the distance was a stark reminder of why she was doing this.
"We're just... we realized we have more in common than we thought," April said, the lie tasting bitter. "We started talking after the rankings were posted. He's stressed, Chloe. He's under a lot of pressure from his parents, and I... I guess I'm the only one who doesn't treat him like a god."
Chloe narrowed her eyes, her 'gossip-radar' pinging. "I don't buy it. Jaden Sterling doesn't fall for 'work ethic.' He has a line of supermodels and heiresses waiting for a text back. Why you? Why now?"
"Because I'm a challenge," April said, using Jaden's own words from the courtyard. "He's bored, Chloe. And I'm the only one who can keep up with him academically. He said... he said he needs someone who makes him want to try harder."
Chloe was silent for a long moment, the wind whistling through her hair. Then, she let out a long, dramatic squeal and jumped into the air. "I knew it! The 'Enemies to Lovers' trope is real! My best friend is the female lead in a real-life k-drama!"
She grabbed April's shoulders, shaking her slightly. "But April, be careful. Seriously. This isn't just a game. Marcus is already telling people that you must be blackmailing him or that Jaden is doing this to 'humanize' his image for his father's company. And then there's... Vanessa."
April's heart sank. Vanessa. The school's 'Ice Queen' and the girl everyone assumed would eventually marry Jaden to merge their family fortunes. She had been away on a modeling gig in Paris for the last week.
"She's back today, isn't she?" April whispered.
"She landed two hours ago," Chloe said, her voice dropping to a serious tone. "And she's already seen the photos of Jaden holding your bag. She's going to be at lunch, April. And she doesn't play fair. She'll try to tear you down in front of everyone."
April gripped the railing, her knuckles turning white. She thought of the 0.5% gap. She thought of the photo of 'JD-Zero' on her phone.
"Let her try," April said, her voice hardening. "I've been dealing with people like Vanessa my whole life. She thinks she owns Jaden because of their bank accounts? She doesn't even know who he really is."
"Ooh, look at you!" Chloe teased, nudging her. "Getting all protective of your man already? Maybe there's some real fire behind that fake study session?"
"It's not real fire, Chloe," April snapped, though her heart gave a traitorous little flutter as she remembered the feel of Jaden's fingers against her neck. "It's a war. And I intend to win."