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"I heard Wallace was seen with some girl over the weekend," a voice said, sending a ripple of surprise through the room.

I felt a flicker of something inside me, though I quickly pushed it down.

I turned toward the girl with the dimpled smile. "Come again?" I asked, feigning nonchalance.

Her eyes widened, glimmering with surprise, as she gulped, seemingly caught off guard before repeating, "I said, Wallace was seen with a new girl."

"Really?" Alaia exclaimed, her voice rising with excitement. "Who?"

"A new girl," the same girl repeated, though her earlier enthusiasm had dimmed, replaced by a hint of apprehension. "She's in our grade but in a different section. Feisty, from what I've heard. She and Wallace were together, and it didn't look like just a casual conversation, if you know what I mean."

I merely smiled sweetly, shrugging it off. Of course, Wallace would have his own drama going on. This was Wallace, after all. This was precisely the kind of mess I was trying to avoid, especially with everything else going on in my life.

As I settled into my seat and pulled out a book, the chatter about Wallace and me still buzzed around the room, but it quickly shifted back to the weekend's latest gossip.

I kept my eyes focused on the book in front of me, pretending to be engrossed, but I could hear everything. Their voices were loud and animated, practically reverberating off the walls of the classroom.

The more they talked, the more the idea of Wallace being interested in this girl seemed to gain momentum. The gossip about them had already reached full-blown legend status, and I could practically hear the dramatic retelling unfolding from the group behind me.

"I still can't believe what happened in the cafeteria," one girl whispered excitedly, her voice dripping with awe.

"Right? It was like something out of a movie!" another added, her tone matching the dramatic flair of the story.

I turned a page of my book, though I had already absorbed every single word.

"She was totally fearless," Ember chimed in. "I mean, there she was, witnessing that poor kid being bullied by those jerks, and she didn't even hesitate to step in."

"Yeah, even though she knew it would turn on her," someone else said, her voice hushed as if recalling the scene like it was an epic battle. "I mean, seriously, she's new here! Who stands up to people like that on their first week?"

"I heard she actually got pushed, like physically pushed by one of the bullies when she tried to defend the kid," another girl added dramatically. "And she still didn't back down!"

"Right," Ember cut in again, clearly enjoying every second of this retelling. "That's when it got even crazier. She looked right at them and agreed to the bet. Can you imagine?"

"What bet?" a boy near the front turned around to ask, clearly just catching on to the gossip.

"Oh, you didn't hear?" Ember said, her voice practically buzzing with excitement. I didn't have to look at her to know that her eyes lit up with the chance to be the storyteller. "So, after she got shoved, one of the bullies, the one who's in the singing contest, you know, Emily who's been practicing for weeks mocked her and dared her to enter the contest too."

"Yeah, and the new girl, like, totally accepted the challenge on the spot," someone chimed in, their tone dripping with disbelief. "She said she'd win the contest, no question."

"She didn't just stop there though," Ember continued, now fully absorbed in her own dramatic retelling. "She literally pointed at Wallace who was just passing by, by the way, and announced to the entire cafeteria that he would be her partner and they'd win the contest together!"

There was a collective gasp and a few giggles from the girls near Ember.

"No way!" Alaia laughed. "She really dragged Wallace into it like that?"

"Totally! And the bullies were like, 'if you lose, you're gonna be the servant of our leader for the rest of the year.'" Ember sounded like she was having the time of her life as she recounted it. "But then the new girl shot back, saying if they won, the bullies would have to promise never to hurt or bully any student again."

"Whoa!" the boy who had asked about the bet earlier leaned forward, shaking his head in disbelief. "And Wallace just... went along with it?"

"Yeah, right. Like Wallace would willingly get involved in some stupid singing contest bet."

"So he didn't agree?" the boy insisted, clearly more interested in Wallace's reaction than the details of the bet.

"That's the thing!" another girl jumped in, excitement lacing her words. "I heard the new girl's been following him around for the past three weeks, trying to get him to agree! Can you imagine? She's literally been trailing him, begging him to be her partner, for three weeks."

A few students chuckled at that, probably shaking their heads in disbelief.

I had to bite my lip to keep from rolling my eyes. How typically dramatic. Wallace, of all people, involved in some ridiculous singing contest bet because a girl made a grand declaration on his behalf? Classic.

"I actually saw them together," one girl piped up, her voice filled with excitement. "Wallace and that new girl. They seemed pretty... cozy."

"Yeah, I heard they were laughing and talking like old friends," another student added, their voice brimming with intrigue. "I didn't even know Wallace could smile that much."

"That's weird," someone else chimed in. "Wallace never laughs with anyone."

"You know what they say," Ember started, her tone conspiratorial, "If Wallace is actually spending time with her and, like, laughing and stuff... maybe he likes her."

That comment made me stop turning a page. Even though I already knew about his escapades with different clubs and girls, never being committed to any of them, why did it still bother me to hear about him being with a girl over the weekend?

Before I could dwell too much on it, Jaclyn, the self-proclaimed queen bee of Fictus Academy and the most feared cheerleader, snorted loudly from her seat.

"Please," she sneered, flicking her perfectly manicured hand dismissively. "Wallace might be playing nice with the new girl, but let's be real, she's probably just another flavor of the day. Wallace will get rid of her faster than lightning. That's what he does."

The room fell silent for a beat, Jaclyn's words hanging in the air like poison. She had that effect on people. One sharp comment and everyone stopped to listen. It wasn't even that she was wrong, her statement carried enough truth to sting.

I let out a small, quiet sigh, shaking my head internally. Jaclyn, is always so sure of herself, always ready to put someone down. It didn't matter to her who the girl was or what Wallace's intentions might actually be. To Jaclyn, everyone was disposable.

As the whispers continued to swirl around me, I kept my face neutral, refusing to let anyone see how this news unsettled me. Not because I cared about Wallace, but because it complicated things. If rumors of him with someone else spread fast enough, it could work in my favor. Yet it could also make it more difficult to untangle myself from this engagement. I needed to think.

One thing was certain, I needed to find out more about this new girl and use her to my advantage.

Feisty, huh?

๋࣭ °࣪ ִ⭑․𓃠⭒˚.• ݁

The corridors of Fictus Academy stretched out in their typical austere grandeur as I approached the principal's office. Polished marble floors gleamed under the afternoon sun, while the tall windows lining the hallway cast long, angular shadows across the walls that felt like a world apart from the gossip-filled classroom I had just left. The school was unusually quiet for this time of day, with only the faint hum of distant voices and the occasional squeak of shoes on the pristine floor. Most students were either in class or lounging in the grounds, leaving the hallways empty, save for the echo of my footsteps.

I had been asked by Mrs. Harris, the school secretary, to deliver a file to the principal regarding some administrative changes. It wasn't out of the ordinary for me to handle such tasks, after all, being the Vice President of the Student Council came with its fair share of responsibilities.

When I reached the door, I paused for a moment before knocking lightly. My dimpled smile, perfected through years of practice, was already in place as I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Loring," I greeted, stepping inside with the file in hand. The scent of fresh coffee lingered in the air, mixing with the faint aroma of old books that lined the shelves. "Mrs. Harris asked me to bring this to you."

The principal, a man with silvering hair and sharp, yet kind eyes, looked up from a stack of papers with a small smile. His office was neat, almost sterile, with bookshelves lined with heavy leather-bound volumes and a large window behind him that overlooked the Academy's well-manicured gardens.

"Ah, yes, Desiree. Thank you." He took the file from my hand. "Just a moment, I'll take a quick look."

As Mr. Loring thumbed through the file, I stood patiently, my gaze drifted across the room. That's when I noticed them, the students seated on the plush leather couches against the far wall.

Four boys sat sprawled on one long couch, their postures casual yet smug as if they thought they could talk their way out of whatever trouble they probably had caused. Their eyes occasionally darted between each other, smirking, whispering, clearly feeling invincible.

One girl sat on the adjacent single couch and looked a little shaken, her fingers twisting nervously in her lap, biting her lip every so often. Her dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders, casting shadows over her delicate features.

But it wasn't them that made me momentarily stop.

My heart gave an involuntary stutter when my eyes landed on Wallace. His presence was magnetic, as always, tall, composed, and somehow both nonchalant and commanding in the way he leaned back in his seat. He was sipping from a bottle of water, his gaze distant, but when his eyes flicked towards mine, my stomach clenched.

Wallace sat beside a girl, who I figured must be Audrey, the infamous new girl who had somehow tangled herself in Wallace's life and caused an uproar in the cafeteria just weeks ago. She was even more striking in person just like how everyone seemed to talk about.

I forced my expression to remain serene, but inside, my thoughts spun. It had only been a week since our last interaction during that suffocating dinner. Yet, somehow, in the soft lighting of the office, Wallace looked... different. There was something sharper in the lines of his face, something more intense in his gaze.

I swallowed, shifting my focus back to Audrey, hoping to push the unwanted thoughts away. She was the one everyone had been gossiping about, the girl who had piqued Wallace's interest. Up close, she was striking in a quiet, almost understated way. Her auburn hair seemed to catch every ray of sunlight that filtered through the window, revealing golden highlights and her freckled skin added to her unassuming charm. Though petite, she carried herself with undeniable strength, her posture straight, her eyes sharp, and her expression defiant despite the tension in the room.

It was easy to see why people were drawn to her. She exuded something... real. Something that Fictus Academy often lacked. She was different. And being different at Fictus Academy was both a blessing and a curse.

My gaze flicked back to Wallace, just in time to see him take another long sip from his water bottle. His Adam's apple moved as he swallowed, and I caught myself staring, my heartbeat annoyingly quickening. I tried to blink the feeling away, but my eyes betrayed me, drifting back toward him.

What is wrong with me? I internally scolded myself. Do I actually find him... attractive?

I glanced at him again out of the corner of my eye, trying to suppress the flutter of unease that had crept into my chest. It was ridiculous. And yet, there was something about him now, something that had shifted, something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

My cheeks heated slightly, but before I could spiral further, he suddenly glared at me, his eyes darkening as he capped his bottle. I immediately turned away, pretending to be engrossed in the file, though I could feel his gaze boring into the side of my face. It was as if he was analyzing me, trying to figure me out.

"Thank you, Desiree." Mr. Loring's voice broke through my internal chaos, pulling me back to the present. "Please let her know I'll sign off on these changes by tomorrow."

"Of course, Mr. Loring." I plastered on another smile, hoping it didn't look as forced as it felt.

The principal returned his attention to the students inside his office and continued to where he was talking before I came in.

As I turned to leave, I caught a glimpse of Wallace out of the corner of my eye. He had shifted in his seat, now leaning lazily on the armrest, his eyes locked on me, watching. His arms were crossed, and his expression was unreadable, but there was no mistaking the way his gaze dipped momentarily to my bare legs before flicking back up to my face. It was only for a second, but the effect lingered longer than I wanted to admit.

I quickly exited the office, the door clicking shut behind me, but I could still feel the weight of his stare lingering on my skin. My fingers unconsciously gripped the hem of my uniform skirt, my knuckles white as I made my way down the hallway. Each step felt heavier than the last.

Once I was alone in the quiet corridor, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Closing my eyes briefly, I tried to focus on anything but the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside me.

Wallace was the last person I needed to be thinking about right now.

𓇢𓆸

Hey, lovables!

Yes, I know it looks like there's a love triangle forming and there is, haha! 

But don't worry if you're not a fan of love triangles—I'm not either! I've read plenty of books with this trope, and they've left me scarred, especially when combined with cheating. I will never enjoy that kind of drama!

While things may seem a bit tangled between the main characters right now, don't worry it's all leading somewhere! Our male lead's true feelings will come to light soon... shhh, it's a secret for now hehe.

By the way, how did you enjoy this chapter?

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