***
Rina's POV
Being slapped hurt like a bitch, but I didn't flinch. I had a bigger agenda. Pain was temporary, but opportunity wasn't. If anything, my plan was working — Damian and Rhea's so-called "friendship" was making Stacy lose her edge. Every move she made now was driven by Damian King, not her usual cold calculation.
She had practically thrown Aries away, and that left me with the perfect opening. All I had to do was pick him up.
But I didn't expect her.
Rhea — my quiet, timid twin — actually protecting me. Slapping Stacy Ross across the face for my sake.
I'll admit… it felt kind of good.
A flashback hit me. We were kids again. I used to get bullied because I was sickly, and Rhea… Rhea was always there. The teachers never believed she could fight back — she looked too fragile, too gentle. But I saw it. I saw the darkness behind her eyes when she stood her ground. Rhea had always carried that hidden fire. She buried it deep, smothered it under glasses and silence, but now… it was clawing its way out.
Back in the present, the instructor droned on. Only Damian and Rhea answered questions.
Turns out Damian wasn't just hot — he was a hot nerd. Whispered voices started buzzing around the room: "They look good together." "Rhemian shippers, anyone?"
The seed had been planted.
"Are you okay?" I asked Stacy when class was dismissed.
"Get outta here, Stacy doesn't wanna see you!" Harriet hissed, protective as always.
But Stacy stopped her. "No, it's okay. I owe Rina an apology. I'm sorry for slapping you earlier."
Stacy Ross. Apologizing. To me.
That was step one.
"It's fine," I said smoothly, my lips curling. "At least now you see why I dislike my sister."
"Are you kidding? What she did was badass! She slapped The Stacy Ross—" Harriet shut her mouth when Stacy's glare silenced her, shrinking like a scolded puppy.
Then Stacy turned to me, brushing her hair back. Her whole demeanor shifted — no longer furious, but cold and calculated.
"I need you to do something for me, Rina."
My pulse quickened. "Wh—What?"
"Help me get rid of your twin. At least from this school."
---
Rhea's POV
Ava and I strolled through the Student's Union — the heart of the school. The place buzzed with chatter, clinking coffee mugs, and the clatter of laptops. It was chic, stylish, alive. Normally, it comforted me.
Not today.
"You're lost in thought," Ava said, watching me closely. "What's on your mind?"
I forced a smile. "Ohh, it's nothing."
Ava's look said she didn't believe me, but she let it go. She knew prying into my thoughts was like taking a knife to a gunfight.
Then Stacy and her girls blocked our path — with Rina standing beside them.
"Is there a problem?" Ava asked warily. "Rina, what is this? We don't want trouble."
Stacy smirked. "Oh, there's a problem alright. You got trouble the second this bitch laid her hands on me." She suddenly tossed a chocolate milkshake all over me. Her lackeys followed, dumping theirs too.
Gasps erupted. Phones whipped out. There was a lot of laughter and mockery.
"Oops, found the trash," Stacy sneered.
I froze, drenched and sticky. Anger flared, but before I could move, Ava snapped: "What's wrong with you people?!"
From the corner of my eye, I saw Damian start to rise, but Aries blocked him, calm as ever.
"Get the fuck out of my way," Damian growled.
"Stay out of it," Aries said coolly, hand still on his shoulder.
The tension spiked — a fight felt inevitable. But I couldn't let them fight for me. Not this time.
"It's okay, Stacy," I said, lifting my chin. My voice rang louder than I expected. "Though you should probably get your eyes checked. All that screen time's making you blind."
I unbuttoned my flannel shirt. Gasps echoed. I ripped off the ruined shirt beneath, tossed my glasses aside, and stood tall in just my black tube top.
The air shifted.
Whistles. Cheers. Murmurs. Phones recording at every angle. The Stt
"Holy shit, who is she?"
"Rina's sister? She's —damn."
"Look at that waist—she's fire!"
For the first time, Stay was silent. Stunned. Even she couldn't deny what she was seeing.
"Rhea…" Ava whispered, a proud grin spreading across her face.
I turned, tossed my milkshake-soaked shirt at one of Stacy's friends, and walked away. Every step was deliberate, my head held high, Ava trailing behind me.
Behind us, chaos unfolded. Stacy screamed — a raw, unfiltered cry of frustration — before running out, humiliated.
Damian smirked, slipping his jacket over his shoulder as he brushed past Aries. "You were right. I don't need to step in. She can handle herself." His eyes flickered with something darker, hungrier.
"I think I'm gonna go for Rina's sister," James muttered.
"Judging by what we just saw," Aries said flatly, "Rhea St. Clair is anything but shy." Then he added, almost possessive: "And I think Damian already called dibs."
---
Later…
Stacy stormed through the hallways like a hurricane, Harriet and Aisha trailing nervously. She yanked out her phone, opening the "Hot or Not" rankings she ruled over.
#1 — Stacy Ross.
#2 — Rina Valerie St. Clair.
#96 — Rhea St. Clair.
She clenched her jaw. That was higher than before. Too high. Rhea had jumped from the bottom of the "Not Hot" list into the actual rankings.
"Argh! How is this happening?!" she screamed, slamming her locker. Heads turned. Whispers spread. The Queen Bee was unraveling.
---
Ava & Rhea
We walked across the field, the sun warm on our backs. Boys practiced football nearby, shouts and whistles filling the air. Ava suddenly stopped me, pressing a hand to my forehead.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"No, Rhea, I'm serious. Back there—you were on fire. You didn't just defend yourself, you owned that moment. What got into you?"
I hesitated. "…I don't know. I wanted today to be positive, but everything kept pushing me. I let my emotions take over. It was scary."
Ava shook her head. "Scary? Girl, that was badass. No one's ever dared to slap Stacy, but you did. Twice."
"Why do people like Stacy get away with everything? Why do they crush others without conscience?"
"That's power. She's rich, beautiful, political royalty. She thinks the world bends for her. But you—you proved it doesn't."
I thought of Rina. My own sister. "Still… I feel sorry for Rina. For both of us, really."
"Don't. She chose popularity over blood. She chose Stacy over you."
I fell silent, then finally said, "I need to go."
"Why? We should celebrate—you're paying."
"I'll make it up to you. I promise. There's just… somewhere I have to be."
I ran off, my loosened braids flying loose, tank top clinging to me. My body drew stares, whistles, distractions. Even the junior quarterbacks paused mid-play. I could almost see why I was told not to draw attention to myself.
"Isn't that Rina's sister?" James pointed. "Damn she looked like she jumped out of a fairytale or something, how's she so curvy?"
"That's the girl from the road," Paul said.
And then—suddenly—someone caught my arm. The grip was firm, unyielding.
I turned, startled, and found myself staring into Aries' blue eyes.