The week passed by quickly, and it was finally the first day of school. Sandra was up early that morning. Actually, she hadn't slept well the previous night, and her restless body got her up earlier than usual.

The sun was just starting to peek out when she decided to just get up and go to school.

But deep inside, what she refused to acknowledge was that she was actually nervous. Nervous about this whole thing. She wasn't a real student, so why was she feeling first-day jitters?

It wasn't the first day of school that made her nervous, but the fact that she would be encountering them.

The Mad KingZ.

Sandra sighed at the thought. Then the reminder of her brother's face crossed her mind, and she clenched her fists in anger. Mad KingZ. She gritted the name this time.

Yes. She shouldn't be nervous, but angry.

This was it.

-----

Since she was early, Sandra decided to walk around the track course on campus. It had a huge football stadium too. This school was known for its students, academics, and sports. Triple threat, she thought sarcastically.

Sandra liked running, so she would probably join the Track and Field club to kill some of her time in her new student life. She had joined some marathons back in Asia, so she would check out the club on its opening day.

'I should've brought my sweatpants and running shoes,' she thought as she walked around the course.

A few football players were already on the field, practicing tackling each other or throwing balls.

It looked like she wasn't the only one who was early.

Sandra, still walking, looked at the players passively. She was also thinking about her plans for the next few days.

Her initial plan after school started was to observe the Mad KingZ for now. She wanted to know more about them: what do they do during and after school, where do they hang out, what they usually do on Friday nights or their weekends. Do they know a lot of people on campus? Do they own the school? What had they done to her brother?

These were just a few of the details Sandra wanted to know. These details would be crucial for what she planned to do next to each of them.

Yes, to each of them. One by one, she wanted to know more about the members. Find out their weaknesses and use them against them. With or without them knowing it was her, in the first place, intentionally doing it to them.

She intended to extract her revenge against the Mad KingZ without direct entanglement with them. In short, she didn't want to exist in their lives.

To do that, she had to be careful. She needed to be perfect at being non-existent on this campus.

Like poison ivy, you see it everywhere but don't recognize it until you come in contact with it. When you get caught by it, it's too late to escape. Just like that, you've been poisoned. She wanted the Mad KingZ in her grasp without them recognizing her.

Sandra was still walking and deep in thought when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone approaching her.

She looked up and met a familiar face.

Only this time, he wasn't wearing his Ironman suit but a football uniform.

Sandra stopped walking and waited for the guy to reach her.

She didn't say anything, waiting for him to speak first.

The Ironman guy cleared his throat before scratching the back of his head. He looked anxious for some reason.

"Hi," he started.

Sandra could tell he was really nervous.

"Hello," she greeted back, raising her eyebrows at him. Now what?

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked, almost desperate.

Sandra heard whistles coming from his teammates, clearly teasing him.

"Hurry up, lover boy! You got five minutes!" they shouted.

Lover boy?

Sandra almost smirked at this.

"Sure," she answered as they walked toward a shaded tree.

There, they sat down.

"I'm Kwanghee Lee, by the way. Nice to meet you...?" He offered his hand for a shake.

Sandra took his hand. "Dar Rose. You can call me Dar."

Kwanghee looked relieved as he shook her hand, a bit too fast. Yes, he was nervous. "Sorry," he said, releasing her hand. He cleared his throat to steady himself. "Look, Dar, I know you saw me in a compromising situation at the Halloween party."

Compromising?

Sandra smiled at him. "It's none of my business if you're gay, Kwanghee Lee," she said matter-of-factly, trying to be reassuring.

Kwanghee's eyes widened, and he quickly looked around, alarmed. Fortunately, no one else was nearby to hear what she blurted out.

Uh-oh. He was closeted, Sandra thought.

Kwanghee sighed. "I'm not only gay but bisexual, okay? And no one in this school knows about this. So, I'd really, really, really appreciate it if you could keep what you saw at the party a secret, please?"

He was literally pleading with her.

Sandra nodded. "Don't worry. Like I said, it's none of my business." Then a passing thought gave her an idea.

Kwanghee looked relieved. "Thank you, Dar. It's just, I'm here on a football scholarship, and even a rumor about my sexuality could ruin everything. The club would surely kick me out. If I'm out of this school, it would be the death of my mother."

Sandra watched him. She understood him but had her own worries too.

She then looked at him in a different light. From his good-looking features and broad shoulders, plus being a football player, she could tell he was popular at school. He must know a lot about other students too, especially those who stood out.

"What position do you play on your team?" she asked.

Kwanghee looked confused by her random query. "Wide receiver. Why?"

She nodded. "Are you part of the starting lineup?"

Kwanghee puffed his chest. "Of course." He was proud of this. He was one of the team's best players.

Sandra stood up and offered her hand to Kwanghee. "Starting next week, meet me here for lunch every Tuesday if you want your secret kept." she said, straightforward.

Kwanghee looked even more confused. Was this short-haired, bespectacled petite girl blackmailing him? He had no choice but to abide by her wishes, to be honest.

"Yeah, sure, but why?" Kwanghee took her hand and stood up, too. He was tall compared to her.

'To be my eyes and ears in this school,' Sandra thought. "You'll see," she answered instead as she walked away. "See you around, Kwanghee."

Kwanghee just watched Sandra leave.

"Weird girl," he muttered as he ran back toward his calling teammates. At least she wouldn't bust him out, right?

----

The day went by. Her morning classes were done for now, and to her surprise, Sandra actually missed going back to school like this. She missed being a student.

But she quickly reminded herself that this was only temporary. Her setup wouldn't last very long. She wasn't here to be a student but to get her revenge.

It was time for lunch break, and instead of eating and taking a break, Sandra went to look for the Mad KingZ.

It wasn't hard to find them as she only had to follow a few girls she overheard giggling and talking about the Mad KingZ members while she was in the girls' bathroom earlier.

"They're in their usual spot. Come on, let's check them out!"

The girls were excitedly talking while applying lipstick and perfumes.

Sandra quietly washed her hands as she listened attentively to their conversation.

"I slept with Ted James last night. So, he might let me join the group just for today," revealed a blonde.

Three of her friends laughed and chorused, "You wish!"

The blonde girl just pouted but followed her friends.

Sandra quietly wiped her hands with a paper towel before carefully throwing it in the trash bin. She waited a little longer before striding out to follow the four girls.

It wasn't long before she spotted the Mad KingZ.

'So, this is where they hang out during breaks,' Sandra thought as she silently watched the four girls slowly climb the stairs towards the Mad KingZ.

The Mad KingZ members were sitting on the stairwell floor, in the vertical shaft between the third and fourth floors, doing their own thing.

Noticeably, a woman was straddling TOP and kissing him on the neck. Mateo was playing cards on his own. Jon was watching a video in his phone. And Ted was towering over Kidrey, who was playing his Nintendo Switch, uncaring and not minding other people's presence.

Obviously, what they were doing was a public nuisance on school property. Not only were they blocking students from using the stairs between the third and fourth floors, but they were also displaying acts that warranted a trip to the guidance office—PDA and gambling, to name a few.

They were just sitting there, not caring about the world as they minded their own business.

It was an odd place to hang out, but Sandra observed that students were not bothered by this. The Mad KingZ had clearly marked this space as their territory and could do whatever they wanted.

Forced, the students had to use the other stairs at the far ends of the hallways or the crowded elevators.

Sandra shook her head. The Mad KingZ clearly had an uppity attitude.

Sandra, still watching, saw the four girls now walking towards the Mad KingZ. Three of them climbed up to the fourth floor, but the blonde girl remained and stood in front of Ted, who didn't even glance at her. He was busy laughing and tapping Kidrey's shoulder, amazed at his gaming skills.

"Teddie," the girl cooed, sounding flirty but a bit nervous.

That's when Ted looked up at her, cocking an eyebrow.

Her friends watched her, smirking.

Sandra bit her lip, already guessing what was going to happen next. These men were obviously jerks.

"Can I join you for lunch?" the blonde girl asked, batting her eyelashes and twirling her hair.

Ted and the others scoffed, some of them laughing.

Ted nudged Kidrey St. Creed's shoulder. "What do you think, dear leader?"

Kidrey, eyes still on his Switch, didn't even stop playing as he coldly answered, "Get lost."

Ted then cocked his head at the girl. "Get lost."

The girl gasped then shed a tear as she quickly turned her back and walked towards her friends, hurt and embarrassed. They had warned her before.

'Jerks,' Sandra thought, glaring at the Mad KingZ.

Sandra waited a bit longer before she slowly climbed the stairs towards their direction. Feeling a bit tense, as the wind blew her short hair. But unlike the girl before, she didn't stop in front of them—she kept on going.

And for the next three or four days, Sandra had been doing this. Going to the Mad KingZ's spot during lunch breaks. Using 'their' stairs, not giving them attention, but silently observing each of them while passing by.

Every day.

TOP or sometimes Ted always had a random girl on their laps. Mateo played cards and tricks, sometimes joined by others. Jon watched videos on his phone or did random TikTok dances. And Kidrey was always, always, playing video games.

With this, Sandra continued to observe them for the following days. She was giving them her daily visit. She had decided she would be visibly invisible around them.

⊶⊶✞⊷⊶

a/n: First, a rabid girl. Now, a feisty stalker? Mad KingZ is in trouble, aren't they? Though they didn't know it yet ;)

Thanks for reading. Please vote and comment.

P.S: Poison Ivy is not really poisonous, it just creates irritable rash.