Chapter 18 - Dance class

Vera's POV

"That his dad owns the school?" I asked, looking at her curiously.

She smacked her forehead. "Of course not, silly," she laughed, shaking her head. "Liam is on the school's football team and, he is the captain."

I gave her an unimpressed look.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't look at me like that."

"I'm just listening," I said.

"You don't understand." She folded her arms and leaned closer to me. "He's amazing on the field. When he plays, it feels like the whole game belongs to him. Once Liam steps onto the pitch, everyone already believes we're going to win."

"Oh?" I said, raising a brow.

"I'm serious," she went on, her eyes lighting up. "There was one game against another school where he got hurt halfway through. The coach told him to sit out and rest, but he walked right back onto the field to play."

Then she paused, like she wanted me to feel the moment too. "And guess what happened?"

I tilted my head, waiting.

"We won," she said proudly.

"Oh..." I murmured.

"And he's so good-looking too," she sighed, pressing a hand to her chest. "Almost every girl in this school likes him."

I blinked, taking that in.

"You should see how the girls stare at him whenever Sarah isn't standing beside him."

A small laugh slipped out of me. "So that's why everyone was talking about me on my first day."

"Exactly," she said, pointing a finger at me. "They finally saw a new girl walking next to Liam. Of course they were going to talk."

"Hmm..." I looked away, trying to act like I didn't care.

But a small smile crept onto my lips anyway.

Having the one boy every girl wants, all to myself. That thought alone felt like holding something precious.

Queen tilted her head, studying me. "So… How did you and Liam actually meet?"

My heart jumped inside my chest. My eyes widened for just a second before I forced my face to stay calm and normal.

Of course she would ask.

The moment I brought Liam into the conversation, her curiosity was bound to follow.

My mind raced, searching for something safe to say. One lie, I just needed one believable lie.

"Uh, We got to know each other…"

Ding!

The bell rang loudly through the cafeteria, cutting me off.

I almost sighed out loud with relief. Thank goodness for good timing.

All around us, students stood up from their seats. Voices filled the room as trays clattered against the tables.

I quickly drank the last bit of juice from my box.

Queen stood up. "Let's go," she said.

I nodded and grabbed my tray.

Before following her, I let my eyes drift across the cafeteria one more time.

Liam was still sitting in the same spot. He hadn't moved at all, almost like he hadn't even heard the bell ring. His gaze stayed fixed somewhere far away, his fingers tapping slowly against the table.

For a second, I wondered what was running through his head.

But Queen was already walking ahead, so I hurried after her.

We dropped our trays onto the pile of dirty ones and walked out of the cafeteria together.

The second we stepped into the hallway, Queen gasped loudly. "Check the chatroom!" she said, with her eyes on her phone.

"What happened?" I asked, taking out mine too.

A new message sat right at the top.

Admin: There will be a pre-game party this Sunday and everyone is invited.

I looked up at her. "What's a pre-game party?"

She looked at me like I had just asked what water was. "It's the party before Monday's football match, obviously."

"Oh," I said.

She kept scrolling. "The location hasn't been announced yet." Then she turned to face me fully. "You should come."

I blinked. "Me?"

She nodded, practically bouncing on her feet. "You're going to love it."

"Umm..." I hesitated.

"Don't overthink it." A hopeful smile spread across her face. "This will be your very first party at this school."

I looked down at my phone, thinking it over.

A small smile formed on my face. "Okay, I'll come."

Her eyes went wide with excitement. She let out a squeal so loud that two students walking past us turned to stare. "I knew you'd say yes!" she said, clapping her hands together. "I'm already looking forward to Sunday."

I laughed softly, shaking my head. Her excitement was the kind that spread to everyone nearby.

We kept walking back toward the classroom together. Halfway there, she suddenly remembered something. "Wait, what elective did you choose?"

"Dance," I answered.

Her whole face lit up instantly. "No way!"

"What?"

"We picked the same one!" she said, laughing happily. "That's so great."

By the time we reached the classroom, most students were already packing up their bags. Queen rushed to grab her things from her seat.

I walked over to mine and picked up my backpack. When I turned around, she was already standing by the door, waiting for me, one eyebrow raised.

"Come on," she said. "We might be late."

I hurried after her.

The dance studio looked nothing like a normal classroom. One whole wall was covered in mirrors from end to end. The polished wooden floor caught and reflected the bright lights hanging above. Soft music played from a speaker somewhere in the corner.

Students were already scattered around the room. Some sat on the floor, stretching their legs, some stood in small groups, laughing and chatting, while others were stretching. None of them wore their school uniforms anymore. Instead, they had changed into comfortable leggings, shorts, joggers, and loose shirts made for easy movement.

My eyes wandered around the room, and then stopped.

Andrea.

He stood near the mirror, having a conversation with another guy.

I rolled my eyes inwardly.

‘Of course we share this class too.’

I looked away from him.

There were students from many different classes here, faces I didn't recognize.

Queen walked toward one corner of the room and set her bag down beside a few others. I followed and stood next to her.

She turned to face me. "We need to change," she said, glancing at my uniform. "Did you bring extra clothes?"

“No. I only picked this elective today."

"Don't worry about it." She crouched beside her bag and unzipped it, then pulled out a pair of black leggings and a fitted crop top. She held them out toward me. "Try these."

I stared at the clothes in her hands. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," she said. "It should fit you fine."

A warm smile spread across my face. "Thank you."

She waved a hand, brushing it off. "Let's go change in the changing room. The teacher will be here soon," she said, pointing toward a door on the side.

We stepped into the changing room together. Lockers lined the walls from one end to the other.

As Queen searched for her locker, I followed close behind her.

"So...does every class have electives at the same time?" I asked.

She turned to me and explained. “Yes, every student in high school have elective classes on Friday.”

I glanced around the room again. "So students from every class get mixed together here."

"Exactly," she said, smiling. "It makes the classes more fun."

I nodded. That made sense.

I immediately slipped off my skirt from my body and quickly,I started wearing the leggings Queen had handed me.

Just then.

Bang!

The door was opened with a loud bang.

“What the heck.” Then I raised my head and the person I least expect to see dragging their eyes along my exposed body with a look of displeasure sitting on their face stood in the doorway.