The next morning arrived with the kind of crisp chill that usually meant new beginnings. But for Ava, it only carried the heaviness of humiliation.
Everywhere she turned — from the hallways to the cafeteria line — she caught whispers. Not the friendly kind. The cruel, slicing ones that carried laughter at the edges.
"Did you see her face last night?"
"I heard she was embarrassed in front of half the school."
"Poor girl, really thought she belonged here."
Lina tried her best to brush them off. "Ignore them, Ava. They'll get tired soon."
But Ava couldn't ignore them. The laughter stuck in her head like glue. The memory of Sophia's smug smirk replayed every time she blinked — the way the Queen of the Golden Society had raised her glass, pretending to "toast" Ava's embarrassment while the crowd giggled.
Ava clenched her hands as they walked toward class. "Why can't they just let me exist? I'm not trying to take anything from them."
Lina sighed. "Because you stood up to one of their own. They don't forget that."
And Ryan… Ryan hadn't said a word to her since the party. He'd been there — she remembered catching his eyes for a split second when things got out of hand. His face unreadable. He hadn't laughed, but he hadn't stopped her properly either.
So she'd walked out on him, walked out on the entire mess.
She thought that would be the end of it.
But she was wrong.
---
By lunchtime, Sophia was holding court at the center of the student café. Her long legs crossed elegantly, the diamond pins in her hair sparkling beneath the glass ceiling lights. Around her sat her usual clique — Camille, the quiet schemer; Ella, who lived to gossip; and two other girls from powerful families.
Ryan, Noah, and Ethan were seated at the next table, their usual hangout spot. They weren't paying much attention, or at least Ryan tried not to. He stared at his drink, swirling it absentmindedly as Ethan talked about the upcoming inter-school tournament.
"…and then Coach said we might have to double training hours this month—"
Noah nudged Ryan. "Hey, you listening?"
Ryan blinked. "Yeah. Sure."
But he wasn't. His mind was elsewhere — on the look Ava had given him last night before she walked away. The kind that made him feel like the villain in someone else's story.
Across the room, Sophia's voice rose.
"I just think it's funny," she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "How someone like her thinks she can waltz into our university and act like she belongs here. Who does she think she is?"
A few people chuckled.
Ryan's jaw tightened.
Sophia smiled sweetly and continued, "Maybe she should remember that some dreams are meant to stay dreams."
Laughter rippled through the room.
Ava had just walked in with Lina when the words reached her. Her steps faltered.
Lina muttered under her breath, "Ignore them, ignore them…"
But Sophia wasn't done. She leaned closer to her friends and stage-whispered, "Poor thing probably can't even afford the lunch menu here. Maybe we should start a charity — 'Fund for the Forgotten Girl.'"
That did it. The entire table burst out laughing.
Ava's throat burned. She turned sharply, ready to leave before her tears could betray her — but her movement drew everyone's attention.
Sophia's grin widened. "Oh, look. There she is."
"Don't," Lina whispered, catching her arm. But Ava froze, the humiliation cutting deep.
Ryan set his drink down slowly. "Sophia," he said, voice calm but edged with steel.
She looked over, surprised. "What?"
"Enough."
The word dropped between them like a stone in still water.
Sophia blinked, taken aback. "Excuse me?"
Ryan stood up. His chair scraped the floor, the sound sharp. "I said enough. You've had your fun. Let it go."
The café fell silent. Dozens of curious eyes darted between the two.
Sophia forced a laugh. "Oh, come on, Ryan. Don't tell me you're defending her now? The girl practically attacked you on your first day."
Ryan crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "That doesn't mean she deserves this."
Sophia tilted her head, her tone sugar-sweet but her eyes hard. "You're joking, right? Since when do you play the hero?"
Ethan and Noah exchanged glances. They'd seen Ryan angry before — but not like this.
"Since I realized you're acting like a bully," he said quietly.
Gasps rippled through the café.
Sophia's face went pale, then red. "You're seriously taking her side?"
Ryan's gaze flicked toward Ava for just a moment — her wide eyes, the shock, the disbelief. Then back at Sophia. "I'm not taking anyone's side. I'm saying you crossed a line."
For a second, no one spoke. Then Sophia gave a short, brittle laugh. "You've changed, Ryan. Ever since she showed up, you've been—"
"Enough," he repeated, his voice low but final.
Silence. Even Sophia's clique looked uncomfortable.
Ryan grabbed his bag and walked out, brushing past Ava and Lina on his way to the door. He didn't look at her, didn't say a word.
But the act itself — stopping Sophia — said more than any apology ever could.
---
Later that afternoon, the whispers around campus took a different tone.
"Did you see what Ryan did?"
"He told Sophia off — in public!"
"Maybe he likes the new girl?"
Ava couldn't go two steps without hearing it. It should've made her feel better, but it didn't.
She sat under a tree by the field, hugging her knees to her chest, watching students pass by. The same university that had once felt like a dream now felt like a maze of judgmental faces.
Lina arrived with two smoothies, sitting beside her. "Here. You look like you could use this."
Ava smiled faintly. "Thanks."
They drank in silence for a while before Lina said softly, "He really defended you today."
"I didn't ask him to."
"I know," Lina said, "but he still did."
Ava exhaled, her breath shaky. "I don't understand him. One moment he's arrogant, the next he's… this."
"Maybe he's realizing you're not what he thought."
Ava glanced at her friend. "Or maybe he just felt guilty."
Lina smirked. "You keep telling yourself that if it helps."
---
Across campus, in the Blake family's penthouse suite reserved for top donors' children, Ryan leaned against his window, staring out at the sunset bleeding into the skyline.
His phone buzzed — Sophia. Again.
He let it ring. Then another text came through:
> Sophia: I can't believe you embarrassed me like that. After everything.
Sophia: What's gotten into you, Ryan? She's not one of us.
He sighed, tossing his phone aside.
No matter how many parties he attended or how many friends surrounded him, he couldn't shake the emptiness that crept in lately. Especially when he thought about the way Ava had looked at him today — not with gratitude, not with admiration. Just confusion.
He wasn't sure what he wanted her to think. But the fact that he cared at all unsettled him.
---
Evening fell, and the school courtyard glowed under soft lights. Ava and Lina walked toward their dorms, the air finally calm after a long day.
"Do you think she'll try something again?" Ava asked quietly.
Lina hesitated. "Sophia? Probably. She doesn't like losing."
Ava gave a small, tired laugh. "Figures."
They reached the dorm steps when a familiar voice called out. "Ava."
She turned. Ryan stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, his usual confidence toned down into something almost… sincere.
Lina looked between them. "I'll go ahead," she said gently, leaving them alone.
Ava crossed her arms. "What do you want?"
He scratched the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "To make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
She narrowed her eyes. "What do you care, Ryan? You made it clear from day one that people like me don't belong here."
He looked away, his jaw tightening. "Maybe I was wrong."
Her breath caught, but she masked it with sarcasm. "That's a first."
Ryan almost smiled. "You've got a sharp tongue, you know that?"
"Only when I need it."
Silence stretched between them, not heavy, just… uncertain.
Then Ryan said quietly, "For what it's worth, Sophia won't bother you again."
Ava frowned. "And how are you going to make sure of that?"
He shrugged lightly. "Let's just say I have my ways."
Before she could respond, he turned and started walking away.
Ava watched him go, her heart a confusing tangle of anger, gratitude, and something else she didn't want to name.
Because despite everything — the arrogance, the fights, the chaos — she couldn't shake the image of Ryan standing up for her in front of everyone.
Maybe he wasn't the boy she thought he was.
Or maybe… he was changing.