Chapter 10 Yes, you are a virus

"Hey, ladies," he said with a smile. "What's up?"

Ariana inwardly groaned, knowing exactly what this interaction meant.

"Not much," Thecla replied instead, seeing Ariana's expression and giving him a tight-lipped smile.

This was the problem Ariana had been trying to avoid, but trouble always seemed to find her. Xavier, one of the most popular guys in school, was known for his good looks and unfortunately had taken an interest in Ariana. This caused jealousy and hatred from many girls in the school.

Ariana did appreciate good looks, like anyone else, but she knew better than to get involved with someone like Xavier. He was known for being flirtatious with girls, and she couldn't let herself believe that she deserved someone like him, thanks to the constant negativity from Pearl.

Xavier noticed Ariana's unwelcoming behavior, but he persisted, making small talk and asking the girls about their classes. This time, he specifically faced Ariana, leaving her with no option but to reply out of politeness. Ariana answered his questions curtly, hoping he would get the hint, but it seemed he didn't understand.

"Are you enjoying your meal?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Ariana.

"Obviously not," Ariana replied, looking back at him to make it clear that his presence was unwelcome.

Thecla discreetly tapped Ariana's lap, trying to signal for her to be nice. Xavier chuckled, finding Ariana's attempts to look tough quite amusing with her cute baby face.

"Well, Ria, I'll see you tomorrow during lunchtime," he said, winking before leaving to join his friends at another table.

"He should stop calling me that," Ariana grumbled.

Thecla sighed, her eyes fixed on Ariana. "Poor Xavier, he obviously likes you."

Ariana sneered. "Like I'll believe that. Don't you see him with other girls? And besides, I don't want all the girls in school breathing down my neck, especially Pearl. I just want a normal school life without chaos right now."

"I don't want what happened last time to happen again," Ariana added, taking a sip of her milk.

Thecla chuckled and leaned towards her. "You like him."

Ariana choked, spilling the milk in her mouth.

"You really do like him," Thecla said with a grin.

"Stop saying nonsense, Thecla. I don't like him," Ariana replied, glaring at her friend as she wiped her mouth.

"I was just playing around, chill," Thecla said, bumping Ariana's shoulder playfully.

💕 Next Day 💕

"The food today tasted bland," Thecla said, walking beside Ariana as they headed towards their classroom. The hallway was filled with students bustling up and down, creating a noisy atmosphere.

"Of course it would. This is a boarding school. We can't expect them to prepare a luxurious meal for almost a thousand students," Ariana pointed out as they entered the rowdy classroom.

"Hey, Riana!"

"Sup, Riana?"

"Thecla, what's up?"

"Hello!"

Greetings came from different directions as the friends responded and made their way to their seats.

Ariana could be considered quite popular, as she was among the top five most beautiful girls in school, occupying the third spot on the list. This tradition of ranking students in various categories, such as most handsome, beautiful, athletic, and dancer, was actually done by the students themselves.

"I'm so exhausted from school. It's so boring," Thecla said, pouting and leaning against her chair.

"We haven't even started the term yet, and you're already feeling tired. Come on, don't be lazy," Ariana replied as she arranged her books on her desk. Suddenly, a tall figure loomed over her, startling her. She looked up, only to see the face of someone she never wanted to see.

"Hey, Ria," Xavier said.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have a seat?" Ariana asked, glaring up at Xavier's handsome face.

Xavier curled up his lips and said, "You still look pretty, even when you're being rude."

Ariana's words got stuck in her throat as she blinked her eyes, which Xavier found even more adorable.

"Please, just leave," Ariana finally said, coming to her senses and looking down. She couldn't believe it, but Thecla's voice rang in her head, saying that she actually liked him. It couldn't be true, right? She shouldn't take his compliments seriously, as he was that way with the rest of the girls in school.

She glanced over at Thecla and noticed some unpleasant glances directed at her.

"Why don't you like me? You treat me like I'm some kind of virus," Xavier's voice interrupted her thoughts. Ariana looked up at him, seeing him stare down at her.

"Yes, you are a virus. Please stop bothering me, okay? I'm tired of the trouble you bring with you," Ariana replied firmly.

He chuckled and said, "You can't blame me for that. I can't control how they fall for me."

Ariana scoffed, unable to believe her ears. But then again, what did she expect from such a big narcissist?

Ariana had had enough of Xavier, so she turned to Thecla and said, "Come, follow me." She stood up and walked out, with Thecla trying to catch up with her.

"Sorry," Thecla apologized after bumping into someone while trying to catch up.

"Where are you going?" Thecla asked, finally catching up with Ariana.

"To the restroom," Ariana replied.

"I don't understand why he can't just leave me alone. I'm not the only girl here, in fact, he knows a lot of girls and he decided to add me to his collection. I don't want my sister to get so mad at me if anything happens, because I can't stay quiet when I'm faced with some annoying shit."

"Ariana!?" Thecla exclaimed.

"He should just leave me alone. I'm trying to have a peaceful school life," Ariana continued, frustration evident in her voice.

"Ariana?"

"I just can't..."

"Ariana????"

"What?" Ariana jolted, suddenly hearing her name being called urgently.

"I've been calling you, and that's not the way to the restroom," Thecla pointed out.

Ariana snapped back to reality and realized that Thecla was right. She had been too caught up in her rant that she didn't notice they were going in the wrong direction.

"Sorry," Ariana said, embarrassed, and redirected herself towards the correct path.

In a different classroom...

"What? That girl!" Pearl exclaimed, cursing as she watched the video of Xavier talking to Ariana.

Both Xavier and Ariana were in the same class, while one of Pearl's minions was in a different class. This video had been sent by one of the minions in class A. Anger and frustration welled up inside Pearl as she saw how Xavier smiled at Ariana.

"Why can't she learn from what happened before? She needs to be taught a lesson," Pearl said, clenching her fist. She then handed the phone to one of her friends, a wicked smile spreading across her face.

"It seems we will pay her a visit during lunch time..."