Chapter 6
The moment the bashful girl bolted, the sophomore class fell into a stunned silence. Then, like an unexpected ice cube landing in a pot of boiling oil—
"Wait, what?"
"What the hell just happened?"
"Ava?"
"No way, you're pulling my leg..."
"Holy smokes, could it really be true?"
"...Or maybe they're just punking us."
"It's her! I didn't clock it at first, but now that I think about it... Ava's just as pale and skinny, she looks identical from the back."
"Do you seriously believe that? Everyone knows what Ava looks like, are you dense?"
"Enough chit-chat, someone just go up and ask her straight up!"
"Why don't you do it!"
"Um…"
"You're the brave one, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead—"
The crowd was bubbling with suspicion but too chicken to confront it head on, so they jostled each other around, trying to nominate a courageous soul to step up. The murmuring grew louder and more intense.
Until Jason was smacked in the back by a desk for the third time due to the students' pushing and shoving, all the pushing and bickering came to a halt under Jason's icy glare.
Being pestered while chilling in his own seat was a first for him. The three jittery boys froze under his gaze. Jason shot them a glance, then casually tossed a line: "Consider this your warning."
After he turned his head back, the three boys recoiled three steps in sync. Then they tearfully retreated back into the crowd.
Jason found that Ava's popularity was seriously in the pits. She had been at school for this long, and apart from Justin, who had a sketchy motive, no other classmates had come to say hi.
However, judging by the vibes from the people around, this avoidance didn't seem to be out of spite.
Looking at those who had stared at her for ages and still couldn't confirm her identity, it was likely that Ava wasn't exactly a social butterfly.
Oh boy, her personality was a real piece of work.
Jason was slightly anxious that she would be picked on at his school, given that the vibe at Washington High was even more cutthroat than at Brookdale Academy.
He whipped out his phone, about to shoot Ava a text, when he suddenly felt several burning stares on him.
The classroom went dead silent, and then the mood shifted drastically.
In the electric air, Jason looked up. At the entrance, several girls sporting different styles stood there, stone-faced.
The leader was a long-haired girl, whose skirt seemed a tad shorter than the others.
She was... attractive, but for Jason, who was used to being surrounded by bombshells, she was just okay. Therefore, he critically sized her up in his mind—
Her eyes are tinier than Ava's, her legs aren't as lengthy as Ava's, her skin is fair, but on closer inspection, Ava's is more radiant.
A solid six, not more. Ava's six-pointer nemesis hollered at Jason in a tone usually reserved for debt collectors: "Ava?"
Nobody in his life had dared to address him in such a manner. Jason arched an eyebrow, slouching back casually: "Yeah?"
"Is it really you?" The six-pointer's eyes were filled with a venomous disbelief, as if she couldn't comprehend her own assumptions coming to life. She scrutinized Jason from head to toe, her expression souring the more she took in. Eventually, she spat out, "Get out."
Interesting.
Jason, amused, set down his phone and peered at her: "Who are you?"
The six-pointer looked taken aback by his response.
Just then, a self-righteous sidekick piped up: "Lauren, don't waste your breath on her."
She then swiveled towards Jason, her voice dripping in fury: "And you! Quit playing dumb! When we say get out, you get out!"
Ah, Jason finally caught on. This was the infamous little terror from Brookdale Academy that Ava had been so terrified of.
He hadn't heard of her before his transfer, and she looked different from her picture, so he didn't recognize her immediately.
Jason shed his nonchalant façade.
Normally, he wouldn't engage in a spat with girls, but knowing this was the Lauren who had tormented the timid Ava for an entire semester, a spark of anger ignited within him.
So, with an audible thud, he tossed his phone into the desk drawer and rose to his feet.
Lauren seemed a bit rattled, her expression suddenly guarded. A palpable tension filled the room, rendering the classroom eerily silent.
Suddenly, an unexpected feminine voice shattered the silence: "Lauren? Grace?"
A middle-aged woman, clad in a professional suit and clutching a handful of textbooks, strolled in. She regarded the girls at the door with a puzzled look: "Class is about to start, why are you loitering at our classroom door?"
A collective sigh of relief washed over everyone, including the previously belligerent Lauren.
Lauren nonchalantly brushed her hair back under the woman's probing gaze, her suspicious eyes darting towards Jason once more: "Oh, nothing. Just came to fetch some stuff. Bye, Ms. Wilson."
With that, she spun on her heels and exited.
Jason, who had already taken a step forward, was left with no choice but to halt. He leaned against the desk, disgruntled, as he watched the figures retreat.
Ms. Wilson looked equally surprised at seeing him. She paused, her lesson plan in hand, and hesitated: "And you are…"
A ripple of "Ah, so even Ms. Wilson can't recognize Ava's glow-up?" spread through the class, followed by a chorus of laughter. A few brave souls quickly shook off the intimidating aura from earlier, eagerly informing the teacher: "Ms. Wilson, this is Ava!"
Ms. Wilson gawked at Jason: "Eh—?"Jason stole a glance at her, unfazed by being the star of the show, but his mind was elsewhere—this teacher who was so quick to name drop Lauren, could she really be oblivious to Ava's bullying?
No way, nobody knew the ins and outs of Brookdale better than Jason, its resident troublemaker since first grade—given the special backgrounds of most students, the school was a surveillance haven, and the teachers were more paranoid about students getting hurt than their own parents.
If Lauren's bullying was aimed at any other student in class, last semester's drama would've been a no-show.
But what could be done? Both Ava and the teacher, to be frank, didn’t seem to have the guts to take on Lauren's family. After hours, the teacher was just an average Jane, and Ava didn't have a squad to back her up.
As a former Brookdale elite, Jason knew the school's rules like the back of his hand. A whirlwind of thoughts buzzed in his mind, until his pocket buzzed with a text.
His train of thought came to a halt, and he sneakily stole a glance at the clock on the blackboard. It was twenty to nine, still a good twenty before class kicked off.
So why did this Ms. Wilson make her grand entrance at such a perfect time with her "class is about to start" spiel…
Jason's face finally softened, even breaking into a smirk, and he nonchalantly waved his pocketed hand, greeting the teacher who still seemed unsure of who she was dealing with: "Been a while, Ms. Wilson."
Then he obediently took his seat, not even bothering to cross his legs.
The text that had come in was from Ava, who wrote: "Found your classroom, don't slack off, and remember to take notes, oh and did you turn in my assignment?"
Seems like she didn’t run into any trouble, the silly girl.
Jason shot back two words, dripping with sarcasm: "You bet."
Ms. Wilson’s subject was Chemistry, but for the first day, she veered off the textbook path. Most of the class was spent exchanging pleasantries, and reminding students to shift gears into study mode.
Jason tried to pay attention for a while before sleepiness crept in, but remembering Ava's nagging about not dozing off in class, he forced his eyes open, lazily slouched over the desk, reading.
The pace at Brookdale was quicker than your average public school, and the curriculum was a different ball game too. Luckily, Jason didn't seem to be struggling, after all, despite his disdain for homework and reading, he had consistently secured a spot in the top of Brookdale's grade list for years before moving schools. It's just that after transferring to Washington High, he became more and more reluctant to study.
But this didn't stop him from feeling drowsy, man, a smoke would hit the spot right now.
Just as his eyelids began their descent into dreamland, the bell signaled the end of first period. Ms. Wilson exited the room, her brow creased with concern. As soon as her silhouette faded from view, Jason shot up from his seat, drawing the attention of his classmates.
"Make way," he commanded, launching a swift kick at the desk in front of him. Armed with his phone and a pack of cigarettes he hadn't dared to open at Ava's place, he bolted from the room.
Across the school, in the sophomore section, Justin was still mentally replaying his morning encounter with Ava.
Truth be told, the sight of Ava's face as she hoisted her backpack and stomped down the stairs had chilled him to the bone. His heart pounded in his chest, his hair stood on end, and he felt a sudden urge to drop to his knees.
Their relationship was, at best, a casual one, often crossing paths in various academic activities. His initial impression of Ava was that she was intelligent, aloof, and significantly less chatty than the other girls who swooned over him. He'd even initiated a few casual conversations with her at school.
But this? This was a whole new level of weird. This was enemy territory.
His handsome face, propped up by his hand, bore an expression of confusion that sent a wave of concern rippling through the female population of the school.
As he grappled with his thoughts, a pudgy boy burst through the throng of girls at the door, panting and wheezing.
"Justin!" he gasped, bracing himself against Justin's desk. "You gotta see this! That Ava girl you were talking about this morning? Lauren's picking another fight with her!"
The Brookdale High School bathroom was, thankfully, deserted. Jason washed his hands and made his way to the window, just as he'd done before switching schools. He cracked it open a smidge.
At last, he thought, wiping away a tear, he ripped open the cigarette pack and pulled one out. His hand hovered over the lighter in his pocket.
Finally, he was safe from any unexpected appearances by Ava's parents.
Overcome with relief, his fingers trembled as they spun the lighter wheel. But before he could spark up, he heard the frantic patter of footsteps outside the bathroom door.
Lauren's face was a thundercloud. "You sure she's in there?"
"Saw her go in myself!" Grace huffed, struggling to match Lauren's pace. "And someone else saw her talking to Justin this morning. Looks like the ol' lock-and-chuck isn't scaring her anymore. Time to step up our game!"
The gaggle of girls trailing behind them echoed their agreement, their excitement palpable.
Lauren paid them no mind. Upon reaching the bathroom door, she stationed two girls as lookouts and led the rest inside.
They were met with emptiness.
One by one, they flung open each stall door, only to be met with disappointment. Not a single one was occupied. The squad swarmed Lauren once more, her brows knitting together in a visual question mark. "What gives? Didn't someone spot Ava sneaking in?" The group's collective stare pinned Grace with silent accusations. As her confusion mirrored theirs, a low, amused chuckle echoed from behind.
Lauren's eyes widened, her body spinning to face the source of the sound, her heart pounding in her chest.
Perched on a half-height sink, a figure lurked, resembling a cheetah ready to pounce. Her eyes, half-closed, seemed to find the scene amusing. Catching Laura’s gaze, she flashed a row of pristine white teeth in a smirk laced with mystery.
An unlit cigarette dangled from her lips, swaying with each word he spoke.
"Surprise!" Jason grinned, "Were you looking for me?"
