03

"Seriously? Why did you do that?"

I rolled my eyes at Adhaya as we walked down the hallway. "What did I do?"

"That whole scene back there! Why would you tease Miss Maisie like that?"

A smirk tugged at my lips. Oh, right.

"Drop it already. It was just a joke."

She sighed loudly. "That wasn't a cool joke, Dri."

I shook my head, tuning her out as we kept walking.

The cafeteria was packed by the time we walked in. I rolled my eyes again at the deafening noise echoing through the room. Did these people forget they were in a school cafeteria, not a noisy street market?

"Can we just skip lunch? There's nowhere to sit," I complained, glancing around the crowded room.

She rolled her eyes right back at me. "I'm starving," she insisted.

I let out a heavy breath. Why does she never eat breakfast?

"Found an open spot!" she exclaimed suddenly.

My eyebrows raised. "Where?"

"Over at Claude's table! He's sitting by himself," she answered, pointing across the room.

"That's not Claude."

"Huh?"

"His name is Moore, right?"

She let out a dry laugh. "That's his last name, Dri. His full name is Claude Moore."

I slapped my palm against my forehead. No wonder his name sounded like a surname—it literally was one!

"Let's go!" My eyes widened as she grabbed my wrist and began pulling me along.

"Hey, let go of me!"

She stopped in her tracks, throwing me a stern look. "Are you going to swallow your pride, or are we going to starve?"

I rolled my eyes. "There has to be another empty seat somewhere. Just anywhere away from him."

"Why are you being like this? You're acting like a kid, Dri."

"Just give it a few more minutes, okay? If nothing opens up by then, fine," I negotiated.

She sighed in defeat. "Fine."

We waited for a full five minutes, but not a single person left their table. The moment five minutes were up, Adhaya didn't even give me a chance to speak before dragging me straight over to Claude's table.

"Hi Claude, do you mind if we sit here?" Adhaya asked. When Claude didn't even bother answering, she just shook her head softly.

"Stay here. I'll go get our food," she instructed me. Left with no choice, I pulled out a chair and sat directly across from Claude.

He was busy eating while reading a book, completely ignoring my existence. I pressed my lips together, taking him in.

He was wearing simple, sharp-rimmed glasses that framed his deep, hazel-brown eyes. My gaze drifted across his features—from his slightly wavy, dark blonde hair, to his dark, defined eyebrows and straight nose. Then my eyes landed on his soft, pinkish lips. Miss Maisie sure is lucky to—

"Stop staring at me," he said, his voice flat and serious.

I instantly sat up straight and cleared my throat. "I'm not staring at you," I denied smoothly.

He shook his head, turning a page of his book. "Then why were you biting your lip?"

My eyes widened slightly. "You're delusional."

"Am I?" A smirk formed on his lips, clear disbelief in his tone.

I mean... he was right. But there was no way in hell I was going to admit I was actually admiring him. What on earth is wrong with me?

"Can't you just focus on your book?" I snapped.

"I'm trying to, but you're making it kind of hard to concentrate."

I rolled my eyes hard. "Whatever," I muttered, turning my head away.

After that, dead silence settled over the table. Neither of us said a word, even when Adhaya came back with our food.

I scarfed down my lunch as fast as I could just to get out from under Claude's gaze. Adhaya gave me a weird look before continuing to eat.

"Why are you being so quiet?" Adhaya asked, looking at me carefully.

Claude flicked his eyes up from his book, looking directly at me. I avoided his gaze, clearing my throat once more. "I'm always like this," I made up.

"Really?" Adhaya pressed, searching my face. "You look uncomfortable. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. You're overreacting," I assured her. She offered a hesitant shrug in response.

My eyes briefly flicked back to Claude, who had already returned to his food. I sighed quietly and finished the last few bites on my plate.

I was finishing up when a sudden commotion shattered the noise in the cafeteria. Someone shrieked loudly.

I rolled my eyes the second I turned around to see who caused it. Miss Maisie. I turned back to my plate, ready to ignore it, when my eyes caught Claude. He was staring at her with genuine worry written all over his face.

I bit the inside of my cheek, taking a deep, heavy breath. I turned to Adhaya and leaned in. "Why don't you go help her?" I whispered.

"Huh?"

"She's your favorite teacher, right?"

Adhaya nodded.

"Then go help her out," I added.

Nodding, she stood up and quickly hurried over to Miss Maisie's side.

Ugh, she's so clumsy—always playing the helpless damsel in distress. For all I knew, she was just begging for attention.

She had managed to drop her entire tray, spilling food all over her outfit. What a waste of good food, though at least it didn't look scalding hot.

Claude made a move to stand up from his chair, but I spoke before he could get on his feet. "She's way too clumsy for an adult. What kind of idiot manages to dump a whole tray of food onto her own clothes?" I said, raising my voice just enough for him to hear.

His jaw clenched tightly. "Why do you even care?"

I let out a fake laugh. "I should be asking you that. Why do you care so much?"

"She's my... teacher," he muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for me to catch.

I threw my head back and laughed out loud, twirling my fork between my fingers. He stared at me, visibly annoyed and confused.

"Right. Just a teacher?" I teased, tilting my head.

He tried to ignore me, turning to head toward her, but I spoke up again to stop him in his tracks. "Go ahead, walk right over there. Don't you think everyone in this room will find it a little suspicious if you run to her rescue?"

I smirked when he froze. I expected him to take his seat again, but instead, he ignored my warning completely and headed straight toward Miss Maisie and Adhaya.

What the hell?

I stomped my foot under the table in frustration. Unbelievable! Shouldn't they be trying to keep a low profile on school grounds? Why were they blatantly acting like this right out in the open? Ugh!

I stood up, reluctantly trailing after them. By the time I walked up, Adhaya was already dabbing tissue paper against Miss Maisie's stained top.

"Dri," Adhaya called out when she noticed me. Both Claude and Miss Maisie turned their eyes toward me. I even caught a subtle, smug little smirk playing on Miss Maisie's lips.

I knew it. Total act. What a cheap performance.

"Looks like she needs a complete change of clothes," I stated flatly.

Adhaya nodded, handing another wad of napkins to Miss Maisie.

"I have a spare shirt in my gym locker. Could you go grab it for her, Adhaya?"

Adhaya looked at me in surprise, but I shot her a sharp, stern look. Shrugging it off, she turned around and headed down the hallway to fetch it.

"Just bring it to the restroom when you find it. I'll walk Miss Maisie there myself," I offered smoothly.

Claude looked like he was about to protest, but I shut him down with a raised eyebrow. In the end, he couldn't say anything without making a scene. Miss Maisie had no choice but to go along with my suggestion, either.

Honestly, she wasn't as clever as she thought she was. If she was going to stage a dramatic spill, she should have at least had the common sense to bring her own change of clothes.

We walked side by side toward the faculty restroom in complete silence. I wanted to say something, but I was determined to let her speak first. I hated initiating small talk with people I didn't care for—and Miss Maisie was definitely not a friend. A rival, maybe.

Once we stepped inside, I leaned against the sink, watching her wipe down her skirt. She reeked of curry—and I despised curry. Which meant I despised her even more.

"Thank you for walking me here," she remarked lightly.

I raised an eyebrow at her reflection in the mirror. "Don't mention it."

She offered a smile—an utterly fake one. I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to hide my distaste this time. She didn't even look surprised. The feeling was clearly mutual.

Honestly, she hadn't done anything directly to me yet, but every single thing about her got on my nerves. Everything she did felt like a calculated performance. Adhaya put on a fake front sometimes too, but I understood her reasons. With Miss Maisie, I couldn't stand it. Everyone thought she was this innocent angel, but underneath it all, she was nothing more than a home-wrecker in a teacher's blazer.

I just hated her... and I hated how much she bugged me.

"So, what's it like dating one of your own students?" I asked casually.

Her hand froze mid-wipe. She slowly looked up at me, a tight smile spreading across her lips.

God, I hated that fake smile.

"It's fun," she answered simply.

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms tightly against my chest. "Is it thrilling?"

She nodded. "Exhilarating, actually."

"Really? I love a good thrill."

"Nobody asked," she shot back sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes again. "What if I got myself a boyfriend? Maybe I should go after a teacher, too, just for the excitement. What do you think?"

She let out a dry laugh. "You're hilarious."

My brows drew together. "I'm not joking."

"Do you honestly believe any guy would actually want to be with you?"

Her words caught me completely off guard. "Of course!"

"You're delusional, sweetie," she said, stepping closer to me. "No guy in his right mind would ever want someone like you as a girlfriend."

My hands balled into tight fists, anger flaring up in my chest. "You really think I care about your opinion?"

"Believe whatever you want." She stepped back toward the mirror, glancing at me with that same irritating smile.

"Any guy would be lucky to have me. I'm pretty, wealthy, smart—"

"And yet you can't follow a single simple rule," she cut me off coldly. "Who would ever want a reckless rule-breaker?"

I bit my lip hard. "You're a rule-breaker too. In fact, you're a hundred times worse than I'll ever be," I spat back. I took a step toward her, matching her distance. "You're all talk."

She didn't bother answering. Instead, she turned around, opened a stall door, and stepped inside.

I exhaled sharply as the latch clicked shut. She was pushing every single one of my buttons. I wanted to wring her neck!

My eyes swept across the room and landed on a heavy plastic bucket filled to the brim with dirty mop water. A dark smirk spread across my face. Then, I noticed a plastic folding chair tucked away in the corner. Whoever left that there was a lifesaver.

I dragged the chair over, hopped up on it, and hoisted the heavy bucket into my arms. Smiling wickedly, I tipped the entire bucket over the top of the stall, dumping gallons of cold water straight onto Miss Maisie's head.

A high-pitched, furious scream echoed off the tile walls instantly.

"Andriette Flynn, you absolute bitch!" she shrieked.

"Thanks for the compliment, Ma'am!" I called out cheerfully. I jumped off the chair, tossed it aside, and sprinted out of the restroom before she could unlock the door.

She could rot in there for all I cared.

"I heard screaming. What happened?" Claude asked, suddenly stepping into the hallway as I burst out of the door.

"Just a demon returning to hell," I deadpanned sarcastically.

A second later, Adhaya came rushing down the hall holding my gym clothes. "Where's Miss Maisie?" she asked, out of breath.

"In the restroom." I pointed over my shoulder. Adhaya nodded quickly and rushed inside.

"What did you do to her?" Claude demanded the moment Adhaya was out of earshot.

I crossed my arms, looking him up and down. "Nothing."

"Right. As if I'd believe that."

I shrugged. A second later, Adhaya's horrified voice boomed from inside the bathroom.

"Oh my gosh, Miss Maisie! Why are you soaking wet?! What happened?!"

Claude glared at me, his eyes dark, and made a move to push past me into the restroom. I lunged forward and grabbed his wrist, holding him back.

"Guys aren't allowed in the women's room," I warned sternly. "Unless you're planning on coming out of the closet today?"

He yanked his arm out of my grip, glaring at me while I just raised an eyebrow at him.

After a few excruciatingly long minutes, the door opened, and Adhaya helped Miss Maisie step out. She had changed into my oversized shirt... and my sweatpants?

"Hey, those are my sweatpants!" I exclaimed, my eyes wide.

I turned to Adhaya. "Didn't I specifically tell you to only lend her my shirt?!"

Adhaya rubbed the back of her neck, offering me an awkward, apologetic smile. "Well, she had another pair in her locker, but her skirt was completely ruined! I couldn't just leave her half-naked!"

I let out a harsh sigh. "But—"

"What on earth happened to you, Miss Maisie? Why is your hair dripping wet?" Claude interrupted smoothly, switching back to his polite student persona.

I almost laughed out loud hearing him address her so formally. What incredible actors they both were.

Claude snapped his head in my direction. "Did you do this to her?" he demanded coldly.

I shook my head innocently. "Why would I do something like that? I don't have any problem with Miss Maisie," I lied smoothly.

I flashed Miss Maisie a sickly sweet smile. "You really should be more careful around wet floors next time, Ma'am."

Without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and walked away, my chest still burning with rage. Miss Maisie's words kept echoing in my head over and over again.

No one would ever like me because of my attitude?

Fine! If people didn't like who I was, I didn't give a damn about them either. My mother didn't raise a weak girl who begged for male validation. She raised a strong, independent woman who didn't need a man to define her worth.