By the time Riley returned to the main campus building, her mind was whirling. Zayden's confession wasn't a surprise—not really. She had sensed the pressure building, the subtle hostility woven into every whispered rumor and every fake smile. But hearing him say it aloud made it real.
These people didn't just dislike her.
They wanted her gone.
The rest of her day passed in a blur. Teachers lectured. Students laughed. But Riley felt like she was moving through water—suffocating under the weight of invisible eyes and biting words.
By the time she stepped into her final class, she was exhausted.
She dropped into her seat and opened her notebook, trying to pretend she didn't notice the snickers behind her.
"Did you hear? She practically begged Zayden to notice her."
"Of course she did. That's what scholarship girls do. Desperate and clingy."
"She's not even that pretty."
Riley's fingers clenched around her pen. She didn't turn around. Not yet. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing she'd heard.
But every word was a blade, every giggle a cut.
Then someone threw a folded piece of paper at her desk. It landed with a soft thud, scrawled in red ink:
You'll never belong.
Her breath hitched. Something in her cracked.
But before she could react, the classroom door opened—and in walked Zayden.
He didn't even glance at the teacher. His eyes locked on Riley. The tension in the room shifted instantly. Everyone went silent, watching.
Zayden walked straight to her desk and leaned down.
"I told you, didn't I?" His voice was low, lethal. "They don't matter. You do."
He straightened, then turned to face the class.
"Anyone else want to leave another note?" he asked, tone light, but deadly. "Say it to my face."
No one moved.
"I didn't think so."
The teacher cleared their throat nervously. "Zayden, you're not enrolled in this class—"
"I am now," he said coolly, pulling a chair beside Riley and sitting like he owned the place. Because, in many ways, he did.
Riley stared at him, stunned.
And beneath the silence, one thing became very clear.
This wasn't just high school politics anymore.
This was war.