Scarlett's POV
"Do you know his name?"
I turned to look at Brianna. She was staring at Amethyst, who had her head down on her desk. I guess she was sleeping.
"Amethyst, that's what she told me earlier. Why?" I asked, confused. It's rare for Brianna to be curious about our classmates. Most of them are well-known because they come from wealthy families.
She shrugged. "Nothing. Just curious. What's her last name?"
"I don't know. She didn't mention it. Should I ask her?"
"Nooo! That's embarrassing! She might think we're gossiping about her."
"Aren't we?" I asked sarcastically. She rolled her eyes at me. Brat!
"Why don't you invite her to join us for lunch later?"
"Oh! Right! Should I ask her now?" I asked. She nodded.
So I stood up and walked toward Amethyst's table. But I stopped when someone got there before me. It was Ace Park, the first member of Winter Flowers.
What is he going to do?
"Hey," he said, and then kicked the leg of the desk. Amethyst jolted up. It was obvious she was forced to wake up from her sleep.
What is your plan, Mister Park?
"O-oh?" Amethyst asked, surprised. I guess she knew him. She looked at Ace, confused.
"Move," he said sternly.
"W-why? There's a vacant seat over there," she pointed.
"I said move. Did you not get that? You want me to translate it?" Ace said, annoyed. He kicked the leg of the table again.
Amethyst stared at him and then stood up. If looks could kill, Ace would be dead. Her hands were clenched into fists, and it looked like she was about to punch this Ace Park guy.
Before she could do that, I walked up to her.
"Hi! Amethyst, right?" I said, approaching her with a smile. She looked at me, and the anger in her eyes disappeared. "You can sit with us. There's an extra seat there. And we want to know about you. My friends are there too," I told her.
"H-huh? Ah... Haha, no thanks. I'm okay," she replied, shaking her head.
"No, I insist. Come on. You're a newbie, right?" She shyly nodded. "See? Come on," I said, walking closer to her and pulling her toward my and Brianna's seats. She didn't resist and just let me pull her along.
Brianna smiled, while Kimberly and Anna just looked at me with a questioning expression. I just smiled at them. I'll explain to them later.
Ami's POV
"Sit here. This is vacant," Scarlett offered.
Why am I letting myself get close to her? I should avoid them. This is only going to put me in a difficult position.
"I'm fine with the seat over there—"
"I insist, again, Amethyst. Please?" she pleaded. She pouted and held my hand.
Why is she getting close to me? She should've avoided me too, right? She doesn't even know me, yet she's already trying to be friends.
"Uh... You should sit here beside us. You're a newbie, right? And don't worry, we're kind and not mean girls," one of Scarlett's friends chimed in. She held out her hand. "I'm Brianna and you're Amethyst, right?"
"A-ah, yes," I said, reluctantly shaking her hand.
"Don't be shy with us. By the way, this is Annalisa," she said, pointing to a petite girl with a long ponytail and bangs that suited her perfectly. She looked like an Egyptian.
"Hi, nice to know you, Amethyst. You can call me Anna or Lisa. I'm okay with both," she said with a small smile.
"This is Kimberly," Brianna said, pointing to a fair-skinned girl who seemed sophisticated. She looked like she wouldn't even hurt a fly. She had long black hair and red lips.
She simply smiled.
"Hello," she said and waved, so I shyly waved back.
I don't think I can handle the people in front of me right now. For goodness sake! These ladies are all heiresses! While the person in front of them is a true middle-class. I'm risking my life by hiding my true identity from them!
"Uhm, you should come with us later. I know you need some accompanies—"
"H-huh? Ah, no need. I can take care of myself," I refused.
"Nooo, we insist, Amethyst. Please? So we can introduce you to our other friends. They couldn't come today because of their busy schedules. But they'll be here later," Scarlett said.
I just sighed deeply. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to make excuses. What excuse could I even use? Besides, it's more risky if I don't know anyone in the university. There's a higher chance that the real me will be discovered.
"Okay," I replied softly, nodding. They smiled.
"By the way, what happened earlier and why were you late? You guys looked like you were chased by a dog. The poise is fading from your faces, guys," Scarlett asked her friends, grimacing. Brianna shook her head and crossed her arms.
"It's Ace Park. He caused trouble again. He's an annoying jerk," Brianna replied.
"So what exactly happened?"
"He brought a water gun, and guess who he victimized?"
"Who?" Scarlett asked, confused. Brianna pointed at me, so Scarlett looked at me. "Amethyst? Huh?" she said in disbelief.
"Yeah," I said with a shrug. "But it wasn't on purpose. It was just an accident. It's not a b-big deal," I said with a fake smile. But it really was a big deal. He didn't even apologize.
"Ohh, I see. Just ignore him, Amethyst. He's not worth your attention. He's just a spoiled brat jerk. As long as you have patience, just don't pay attention to him," she said.
Suddenly, I got curious...
"Are they really powerful in the University?" I asked. I wanted to know how influential they were.
"You're kidding, right?" Lisa asked, laughing.
"You don't know who they are?" Kimberly asked in disbelief.
I shook my head, answering both of them. I really didn't know them. I didn't know why they were called Winter Flowers or which family they belonged to.
"Wow, right? There are really people who don't know Winter Flowers. Are you an alien?"
"What's alien, Brianna? She's not an alien," Scarlett said, grimacing and facing me. "Uh, you really don't know them? Like, you haven't heard of them before?"
I shook my head.
"They are the Winter Flowers of Winter Monarch University. Seven fine young men who are heirs. They are well-known for having the best visuals that ever existed. Seven guys who are untouchable and a treasure to their families. Everyone knows them, but it's so surprising to know and encounter a person like you who didn't know them," Kimberly said. She spoke fluently, looking at me with a curious expression. "By the way, what's your family name?"
The atmosphere around me suddenly changed. All the nervousness I had felt before grew heavier, and my heart beat faster.
She's questioning me right now. If she asks for my family name, she'll also ask for my family's business, why I transferred here, my social status, or if I'm an heiress.
This can't happen...
"Yeah, we're also curious about why you transferred here. But don't get me wrong, I just want to know why you left your old school," Brianna said. She was smiling, waiting for my answer.
"A-ah... Uhm... Because..." I said nervously. I didn't know what to say. "I-I transferred because... Uhm..."
"She's not comfortable, girls. Let's not force her because her reasons might be confidential," Lisa suddenly interjected. I looked at her, and she smiled. She might look intimidating, but I knew she was kind. "Let's give her time to share. We just met her. It's her first day."
"Yeah, right," Scarlett agreed. She smiled at me. "Just so you know, you're having lunch with us later, okay? No excuses. I'll introduce you to my other friends."
I just nodded and gave her a small smile. My heart was still pounding. It's only my first day, and this is already happening. I was supposed to be invisible. I should've been a loner with no upper-class people sticking to me. And the problem is, it's not just one person.
After our morning schedules, it was lunch break, which meant I needed to hurry to avoid Scarlett. But it seemed like they were hard to escape.
"Let's go to the restaurant. I'm excited to introduce you to Snow and Shayna. They'll surely be happy because they'll have a new friend," Scarlett said happily. "I also have another friend. She's the school council secretary. I'll introduce you to her later."
I just nodded in response. So more people are going to stick to me? What am I going to do?
"Scarlett, Snow texted me that she's already at our spot in the restaurant. She's with Forsythia and Shayna. We better go there now," Brianna said.
"Okay! Let's go, I'm so excited!" she replied excitedly and pulled me along.
As the five of us walked down the hallway, other students were looking at us. I could hear what they were saying, and I felt so embarrassed.
"Look. Ms. Watson is so beautiful, right? Look how fancy she is. Her aura is so intimidating."
"Of course! She's a total package. Annalisa Watson is my standard. She likes music, she's an actress, a top student, a school council member, president of the mathematics club, and she's the school role model of WinMon. What more could you ask for, right?"
I looked at Lisa. Her aura was indeed intimidating. She looked like she didn't know how to smile, but she showed me a different side of her earlier when she was talking to me. She's sweet, and I can feel it.
"Yeah, and also Ms. Kimberly and Ms. Brianna. They also set a high standard for women here in the university. Ms. Kim is a figure skater, president of the WinMon magazine, and a model for Elixelle Company. You know she and Ms. Scarlett were the only ones chosen as student models, right? As for Ms. Brianna, she may be boyish in the way she acts, but she's beautiful and confident."
"Yeah. They're so lucky and beautiful. How can you be part of the Golden Royal Class?"
"You still have a long way to go, sis."
I bit my lower lip out of embarrassment. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be walking with them. I shouldn't be in WinMon!
"Amethyst? Are you okay?" Scarlett suddenly asked. "Don't bother listening to these people. They're like this every day, you'll get used to it."
I don't want to get used to it.
"You're probably not used to people gossiping about you. Was it not like this in your old school? Where you can clearly hear people gossiping about you?" Brianna said, grimacing.
"You can walk freely in the hallway without any noise around. The people around you don't care about you. It's just normal, like that," I replied to her.
"Really? Like no one would say, 'look, oh! Scarlett's bag is beautiful. Her earrings are so pretty, they suit her so well,' stuff like that? Because here, the students, it's intense," Brianna said.
I shook my head.
"Where was your old school? It's like you were living your life peacefully there. It's a shame you transferred here, right?" Kimberly asked, curious.
"In the Wes—" I suddenly stopped and bit my lower lip. That was close!
"I mean, I used to study in a western country," I said with a small smile. I lied.
"Really? Woah! That's so cool! It's a shame you transferred here."
"What a shame, Brianna? You don't want anyone to transfer to WinMon?" Lisa asked her, surprised. "You're being harsh on our school!"
"Hey, no! You're being harsh on me," Brianna said.
I looked at Scarlett, who was beside me, laughing as she looked at the two of them. Kimberly was also shaking her head.
I sighed.
They were just normal students. They acted normally. They were normal people, but they were born with a silver spoon and a gold chain tied to their hands. Money was already laid out on their beds even before they were born.
Is it wrong to be friends with them? Is it wrong for a middle-class person like me to get close to people who are in a higher position? Should I continue being friends with them, or should I avoid them?
What if they find out the real me? Will they bully me like in the movies and books I've read? Will they hate me?
"Let's go, Amethyst?"
I looked at Scarlett, who was standing in front of me. She had a light smile and was inviting me to enter the restaurant.
Will Scarlett be mad at me?
"Amethyst?"
"Ah, yes. L-let's go," I said, nodding and walking toward her to enter.
When I entered the restaurant, I looked around. It wasn't just a simple cafeteria or canteen; it was like a high-class restaurant. There were waitresses, and the chairs and tables were all made of glass. There were various dishes.
On the ceiling was an expensive chandelier that served as the light for the whole place.
"Let's go to that table, Amethyst. I will introduce you to my friends. Let's go?" She pulled me toward a table near the glass window.
When we got to the table, there were three girls sitting there. I guessed they were the friends Scarlett was talking about. They looked like heiresses too. The vibe screamed wealthy.
"Scarlett! Hi, girls!" one of them greeted happily. She had short hair and was petite. There was a Canon camera hanging around her neck. "Hi," she said to me and waved briefly.
"H-hello," I greeted back softly.
"Have you guys ordered yet?" Kimberly asked and sat down. Brianna and Lisa also sat beside them.
"Yes, and I ordered extra since you texted me that you'll be introducing someone to us. So, would you mind introducing her to us?" a girl with long, straight black hair replied.
"Uh, yeah! Sit down, Amethyst. Don't be pressured. They're not going to bite you, haha!"
Even though I was covered in shame and my hands were getting cold, I just sat in a chair next to Scarlett. I looked at the six of them, and they were staring at me.
Please don't look at me like that! I might have a heart attack. What if they ask something and I get completely exposed!
"So, while we're waiting for our food, let me introduce you to this girl beside me. I met her this morning in front of the gate."
"In front of the gate? Why?" Snow asked, confused.
"Because the guard wouldn't let her in because she wasn't in a car. Her car broke down, so the guard seemed suspicious. And she's a transferee."
"Ohh, that's too bad, and it's your first day," one of their friends said.
"Yeah, if it were me, I would've ditched class."
"Brianna!"
"Just joking, Scarlett! You can't take a joke. I might die on the spot if I did that," Brianna replied with a pout.
"Okay, back to the topic. By the way, girls. Her name is Amethyst. And, Amethyst, they are my friends. Let me first introduce you to Snow," she said, pointing to the girl with short hair and a camera.
So, she's Snow.
"Hi, Amethyst. Nice meeting you. I hope you'll become a member of our club. Do you like photography?" she introduced herself in a bubbly way.
I shook my head because I didn't know how to do that. I knew nothing about photography. My shots would probably look weird. My hands are shaky, haha.
"Aw, but you can learn to do that? I'll teach you or have someone teach you."
"I'm sorry. It's not my forte, hehe," I refused shyly.
"Don't be so pushy, Snow Cullen! She said she doesn't know how," Brianna chimed in.
"I'll just get you, Brianna. Or you can just leave. You're too annoying."
"You're too annoying~" Brianna mocked Snow.
"AND- Amethyst, let me introduce you to Forsythia. She's the school council secretary. Do you know how cool she is? She can do multiple tasks and still she's in the second spot of general honors in WMA. She's competing in intelligence with her cousin," she said, pointing to a girl with curly brown hair holding an iPad. "Turn around, Forsythia."
She stopped what she was doing and looked at us. She adjusted her glasses and smiled.
"I'm sorry, I'm too preoccupied. By the way, I'm Forsythia Freud, the school council secretary. If you have any queries about the university, you can freely ask me," she said with a smile. She's gorgeous.
"Thank you," I replied.
"Thank me later if I already help you," she said, so I gave her a small smile.
"Why don't you help me when I ask you questions?" Brianna chimed in.
"Because you know how to do it. You don't need to ask me."
"When I ask about activities, you don't answer me."
"It's because you already know. Do you need to know anything else? I don't know what to do with you, Brianna," Forsythia said, grimacing at her.
"And lastly, Amethyst, meet Shayna, she's my friend." She pointed to the girl with straight black hair.
"Hello, my name is Shayna Silverstone. Nice meeting you, Amethyst," she said with a smile and held out her hand, so I shyly took it.
"You too," I replied, and we let go of each other's hands.
"So, since everyone is done knowing Amethyst. Let's eat? Why is the order taking so long? Did you order a lot, Snow?" Scarlett asked.
"I only ordered Set B since it comes with a free one. We're eight, so that's enough. We should wait a little bit."
"Okay. And by the way, Harvey was looking for you earlier."
I was quietly observing the surroundings while the six of them were busy talking about various things. They were talking about random things, girl things, and some business. They were indeed heiresses. They were already well-versed in business.
While we were still waiting for our order, the students suddenly started whispering. I looked at what they were looking at.
The Winter Flowers...
The seven guys were walking and entering the restaurant as if they were magnets. All eyes were on them. The way they walked was so powerful.
Ace Park was in front, walking with his hands in his pockets. He looked around as if he was looking for a seat. His eyes landed on our table and on me.
Suddenly, it felt like I was doused with cold water. He had no reaction and suddenly walked toward our spot. His friend whispered something to him, and he just nodded. I looked at where his friends went. They went to a table that was empty.
He continued to walk toward our table. My soul was in a panic, so I looked away and clasped my hands together.
Is he going to bully me again? What is this guy going to do now? He was the one at fault, he should be the one to apologize, and I should be the one who's angry!
"Oh, Ace. What brought you here?" I heard Forsythia ask. I just played dumb.
I want to be invisible right now!
"Hey," I heard him say. I just kept my head down and prayed for him to leave.
"Who are you calling 'hey'? Is it Shayna? Scarlett?—"
"Yah! Look at me."
Oh, for goodness sake!
"Hey, you woman!" he shouted, and I flinched. But I didn't look at him. I would rather die than look at him.
I felt someone grab my arm, and I yelped. I glared at Ace Park in front of me. His eyebrows were furrowed, so I furrowed mine too. How dare he!
"Are you deaf or are you just pretending to be deaf?! Do you know me? Are you a transferee?" he asked with his eyebrows raised.
"I'm not deaf and I don't know you because I'm a transferee. Is that good enough?" I replied sarcastically out of annoyance. I yanked his hand away because his grip was too tight.
"Really, huh?" he said with a mischievous grin.
What is his problem? It's a big deal for him and for these rich people that I don't know who they are and who the Winter Flowers are.
"Haven't you heard about us? About the most well-known Winter—"
"No. I haven't heard of you, and I just saw you now. I don't care either. Can you just leave me alone? I haven't forgotten what you did to me. You still owe me an apology, and most of all, you stole my seat in the classroom. So can you just leave me alone!" I said, annoyed.
I sat back down in my chair and held on to my knees, which felt weak because of what I did.
STUPID! You're so stupid, Ami! You're an idiot! Why did you talk back? You should've just let it be!
"Huh!" I heard his harsh laugh. Based on his reaction, he couldn't believe what I did. "Wow," he said. "Don't try me, Miss. I can do to you what I did to others. Face me."
I bit my lower lip. My hands were getting cold from nervousness. It felt like I was losing strength.
"Ace, stop," I heard Shayna say, trying to calm him down.
"Yah, I said face me," he said firmly. He ignored Shayna's attempts to stop him. I couldn't see his facial expression, but I could tell he was angry.
This guy really has the guts! I want to scream at him.
"I'll count to three. If you're not going to listen to me, you will surely spend your entire year in hell."
"Ace Park, that's enough."
"Can you shut up?" he retorted to Shayna. "One..."
What does he want?! Oh, for crying out loud!
"Two..."
He won't get anything from me. But what if he bullies me? What if he researches me? And then he'll tell everyone that I'm not upper-class. They'll bully me and laugh at me. And I'm sure Scarlett will be mad at me.
"Three." he said the last count.
I didn't look at him. I didn't move from my seat and just clenched my hands. I wanted to cry and just run away.
The surroundings were quiet, and almost all eyes were on our table. They were waiting for what would happen.
This is not what I expected for my first day. It's even worse than my expectations.
"Okay then. You've already decided your fate in this university. Face your consequences then. Good luck on your journey to hell, Miss."
That was the last thing he said, and I heard his footsteps walking away from our spot. My breathing was heavy. I reached for my uniform pocket to see if my inhaler was there. I was about to get it but I stopped.
I don't want to be weak.
I clenched my hands and clasped them together. I slowly inhaled and exhaled to lessen the weight in my chest.
"Amethyst, are you okay?" Scarlett asked worriedly from beside me. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to stop Ace. I-I can't dare to stop him. N-no one can dare."
No one can dare to stop him? Is he really the one with the highest position here in the university? How powerful and rich is he that no one can say anything to him?
"He's Ace Park, the most mischievous member of Winter Flowers."