Chapter 3 The Diamond Belfort brothers are transferring to our school.

Yvonne's POV

Tricia smirked, and then, for the first time, her face flickered. "Oh, look. The cleaner's here," she sneered. "What are you going to do? Call security?"

My mom's face tightened, but she didn't lose control.

And just immediately, the student paparazzi didn't even think to stop like I had thought they had behaved themselves. They just kept snapping pictures like it was the funniest thing they'd seen all week.

"Oh look," one of them laughed, "the cleaner's come to clean up the trash."

My stomach dropped. I could take all their insults, I'd been taking them for years, but the moment they dragged my mum into it, something in me snapped. I stepped closer, putting myself between her and their cameras. "Don't talk to my mum like that!" My voice cracked, but I didn't care. She didn't deserve this.

Before I could even breathe, Adrian walked forward. The smirk on his face made my skin crawl. Then-like it was nothing-he shoved my mum down from her wheelchair. The gasp that left my throat burned. The sound of metal screeching against the floor echoed as he kicked the chair away. "I'll do whatever I want to help," he sneered. "And the other students are allowed to talk to your mum however they like. She's just a cleaner. And you? A charity case."

I dropped to my knees instantly, helping my mum up, my hands trembling. Blood smeared on her knees, staining the skin I'd seen tired and bruised from work a thousand times. Seeing it there because of him? That tore me apart. My chest tightened, fury boiling hotter than I had ever felt. "You hurt my mum, you psychopath!" I spat, my voice loud enough to draw the crowd even closer.

Adrian tilted his head, his grin widening like my anger was entertainment. "So what? She's a nobody. And so are you."

Tricia's voice slid in sharp like glass. "You really need to learn your place, Yvonne. Adrian is the principal's son. And you? You're just the dirty cleaner's trash daughter." Her laughter followed, nails-on-chalkboard to my ears.

I wanted to tear her words apart, to spit back something so strong it would shut them up, but before I could, I felt a light tap on my hand. My mum's fingers shook as she whispered, "Yvonne, I'm fine. I'm so sorry, Mr. Adrian. I'm sure Yvonne didn't mean to pick a fight. Couples shouldn't argue in public."

My heart sank. Heat rushed to my cheeks. Couples? Oh God. I had told her-so excitedly-that Adrian had asked me to be his girlfriend. That was why she'd gone out of her way to buy me the dress, the one she could barely afford. She thought she was defending my boyfriend.

Adrian barked a laugh, sounding all sharp and cruel. "Are you stupid? Yvonne was never my girlfriend. I wasn't going to ask her out either. She's just an orphan nerd who does my homework. My own personal AI." He dragged the word like a curse. "And wait till I tell my mother that you spoke out of line. You'll be unemployed before you know it."

I staggered back at his words, my throat tight. He was simply twisting everything and making me feel small on purpose. Rage burned hot in my chest. "You monster, Adrian," I snapped, my voice shaking as I turned to my mum. "Mum, why are you apologizing to this asshole? Don't you see? We were never meant to be. I realized that not too long ago."

"Yvonne," she whispered, fear lining her face, "don't exchange words with him. I can't afford to lose my job, okay?" Her eyes begged me for silence.

My jaw clenched. I hated how her words made me fold, but I couldn't stand to hurt her more. "Okay, Mum," I whispered, laying my hand over hers gently. The familiar blinking of my bracelet caught the corner of my eye-it always did that at 12 noon. The little flash of light I'd always told myself meant hope, meant I belonged somewhere.

Tricia noticed instantly. "Look here." She stepped closer, eyes narrowing as she grabbed my wrist without asking. "What's this?"

I jerked my hand, trying to pull away. "Get off me."

But then, her grip only tightened. "Come on, this looks genuine and there is no way you could afford this. You're a walking discount rack. You obviously stole it." Her words sliced deeper than the laughter building around us.

Murmurs spread through the crowd in whispers and my chest tightened. "I didn't steal it," I said, my voice cracking under the weight of all those eyes. "That's all I have left from my birth family."

Tricia scoffed, pulling at the bracelet harder. "No. I think you stole it from me. Because there's no way this belongs to you."

"Oh my God," someone whispered. Another laughed nervously.

I held on with everything I had, my fingers gripping her wrist, trying to twist free. I couldn't lose this-not this. The murmurs grew louder, people circling closer, phones up and recording. "Let go!" I shouted. But she smirked, leaning in close so only I could hear. "Give it back or Adrian and I will make sure you and your trash mother lose her job."

I froze. My stomach sank. I looked at my mum. Her face was drawn, exhausted and apologetic. I knew how much this job meant to her. If she lost it, there wouldn't be another waiting. My scholarship might be gone. Again, our survival would be at risk.

Tricia's voice cut again, all sweet and venomous. "And then where would you be? Expelled. Dumpster diving for breakfast."

My grip weakened. I didn't want to, but my mum's pleading face haunted me more than the thought of letting go. Slowly, reluctantly, I eased my fingers open and let Tricia slip the bracelet off. The emptiness on my wrist felt heavier than the weight of her laughter.

But the ache inside me screamed. I clenched my fists, heat flushing my skin. "No!" I snapped, surging forward, ready to fight back and snatch it away. But my mum's hands caught my arms, pulling me back. "Baby," she begged, her voice breaking. "What if I lose my job? What if you lose your scholarship too?"

Her words wrapped around me like chains. I froze, feeling all helpless, rage clawing at my chest. She was right. With Adrian and Tricia's influence, one more step out of line could destroy everything.

Then, suddenly, the buzz of phones filled the air simultaneously. Notifications chimed one after another, spreading like wildfire through the crowd. Heads bent down and their screens lighting up faces. Then, like a chorus, everyone gasped.

"The Diamond Belfort brothers are transferring to Pacesetters High School?"

The scream of excitement that followed made my ears ring. It was as if every single student had rehearsed the reaction, with their voices colliding in perfect unison.

I even felt my stomach flip. The Diamond Belfort brothers. Everyone in town knew that name. The heirs of the richest family in New York. The ones who had everything-looks, fame, money, influence. People whispered about them like they were untouchable, like they lived in a world above ours.

My thoughts scrambled. Why would they come here? Pacesetters High School was beneath their standards and their kind. This was a small-town school. We didn't get heirs and celebrities like them. So, I couldn't really place.

And yet, as everyone buzzed around me, my bracelet gone and my heart raw, I couldn't stop one thought from carving itself deep into my chest:

Maybe their coming means something for me.