Chapter 4 0004

The next morning, Belle woke up early, took a quick shower, and got dressed for school. She grabbed her backpack and headed to the kitchen.

Mr. Alex had already made breakfast. They sat down and ate together, chatting a little as they ate. Once they were done, they left the house and got into the car.

A few minutes later, they arrived at school. Belle stepped out of the car and turned to her dad with a smile.

"Bye, Dad!" she said, waving.

"Have a great day, sweetheart," Mr. Alex replied.

With that, Belle walked toward the school building, ready to start her day.

---

I got to class and sat down, but I didn't see Abigail anywhere. I guessed she hadn't arrived yet. So, I pulled out my phone and started reading something online.

A few minutes later, I heard someone call my name. I looked up and saw Abigail walking in-with Ava.

"Good morning, Abigail," I said with a smile. I glanced at Ava and gave her a small smile too-and to my surprise, she smiled back! Honestly, I expected her to roll her eyes or walk past me without a word.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, Bella," Ava said. "I was just... jealous. I thought you were going to take my best friend away from me."

I smiled and nodded. "I understand. It's okay."

"We can be friends now-if you don't mind," she added.

"Of course! I'd really like that," I replied, feeling genuinely happy.

"Abigail told me you love reading novels. Me too!" she said.

"I guess we have that in common," I laughed.

"I feel forgotten already," Abigail said dramatically, pretending to pout.

We all burst out laughing, loud enough that the whole class turned to look at us.

A few minutes later, the mathematics teacher walked in and the class began. I don't really like math-it's so hard and confusing.

Just as the class was about to end, three handsome guys walked in, and the whole class went wild. Everyone started screaming-except for me and Abigail. Ava was screaming like her life depended on it. I honestly hoped she wouldn't lose her voice.

"Quiet!" the teacher shouted, and the class immediately fell silent.

"The three of you, I want to see you in my office after class," the teacher said, then continued the lesson like nothing happened.

As the boys walked to their seats, I realized one of them was the same guy who bumped into me yesterday and made my phone fall to the floor.

I can't lie-he's the most handsome of them all. I didn't know whether to look angry or impressed.

We had a few more classes before the bell finally rang for lunchtime. Abigail, Ava, and I headed to the cafeteria together.

We got our food and sat down, chatting and laughing as we ate.

Suddenly, the girls around us started whispering and squealing. I looked up to see what was going on-and of course, it was the three handsome guys again.

I rolled my eyes and kept eating. Don't they ever get tired of screaming like that?

As the guys walked past our table, I nudged Abigail and pointed at the one in the middle.

"What's his name?" I asked.

"That's James-the baddest of them all. I heard he has tattoos. I try to stay away from him. He's cooler and scarier than the other two," Abigail replied.

"Wow," I said quietly.

"Don't tell me you've already got a crush on him. It's okay if you do!" Ava teased, laughing.

"I don't-and I never will," I replied firmly.

"Anyway," Ava said, changing the subject, "I heard the Slay Squads is coming back tomorrow."

"Really? How do you know?" Abigail asked.

"I heard it from some other students. Honestly, I wish they wouldn't return," Ava said with a groan.

"What girls?" I asked, a bit confused.

"The Slay Squad," Ava said, lowering her voice like it was some top secret. "They're the three hottest girls in school. Always in short skirts, always chewing gum, and super rude."

"Wow... so where are they now?" I asked.

"They were expelled for two weeks," Abigail said.

"For what?" I asked again, curious.

"They beat up a girl who wrote a love letter to James," Abigail explained. "James, being the jerk he is, chewed gum and stuck the letter on the board in front of the whole class. When the Slay Squads saw it, they got mad and beat the girl up. They claimed James belongs to them."

"Wow, so much is going on in this school," I said, feeling a bit overwhelmed and wondering how I'd ever keep up.

"You'll be fine. Just try to stay out of trouble," Ava said with a smile. I nodded, and we kept eating.

At another table in the school cafeteria, James and his friends were eating lunch.

"Hey man, you still haven't told me why you missed the party last night," Damien said, eyeing James curiously.

"Nothing happened," James replied, stuffing a burger into his mouth.

"I don't believe that for a second. You, of all people, just staying home? No way. The party was wild-so many hot girls! I couldn't get enough of them," Damien said, licking his lips dramatically.

Philip leaned forward with a grin. "So, lover boy, has your dad decided to give you your allowance yet?"

James shot him an irritated look. "Nope. He said I'll only get it if I score high marks this term."

"That's harsh," Damien said, shaking his head. "How are you gonna pull that off? You and I both know school's not really your thing."

Philip smacked him playfully on the head. "Watch it."

"Ouch! That hurt!" Damien whined, rubbing his head.

"I honestly don't know what to do," Philip said, sighing. "Maybe I just need to start studying. James, how do you even get good grades when I barely see you open a book?"

James shrugged, still chewing. "Simple. Why won't when I don't use my brain to think of girlfriend"

Philip rolled his eyes. "Fine, don't tell me your secret."

"Cat and rat," Damien said with a laugh, watching the two bicker like usual.