The moment I stepped inside Principal Bonex Afertly Pendhore's office, I almost choked on my own saliva.
I mean—Bonex Afertly Pendhore.
Who… who names their child that?
Is this a name or a fantasy spell?
If I say it three times, will a dragon appear?
I pressed my lips tight, forcing myself not to laugh.
"Sabrina Navarro," the principal said in his deep, calm voice, "take a seat."
"Yes, sir," I replied politely while mentally saying:
Bonex. Bonex. BONEX.
No dragon. Sad.
His office smelled like lavender air freshener, but the vibe was pure seriousness. Trophies lined the shelves, certificates covered the walls, and a big painting of Henderson University hung behind his desk, like a giant reminder: You do NOT laugh here.
I straightened my back and tried to look like a responsible student—not someone who mentally bullies her principal's name.
He folded his hands on the table.
"Sabrina, I called you because we will be working on a very important project this semester."
My eyes widened. "A… project, sir?"
"Yes." He nodded. "The school auditorium for the upcoming Prom event needs a full redesign. And we have decided that a student-led creative team would be best."
Whoa—Prom? Already?
I blinked rapidly. "O-Oh."
Principal Bonex leaned forward. "I've seen your grades in Arts and your performance in the last group presentation. You are capable. That is why I want you as one of the project heads."
My soul left my body.
Project head?! Me?!
Sir… I don't even finish my doodles sometimes!
But before I could panic out loud, he added:
"You won't be doing it alone. We will assign another student as your co-leader."
Thank heavens, I thought. At least someone will suffer with me.
But the shock slowly turned into excitement.
Designing an auditorium? Choosing colours, lights, decorations, the whole vibe…?
This is actually… fun.
My mind immediately jumped to my best friends.
Anastasia and Fiona.
They'd love this.
They'd go insane, actually.
Which was perfect.
The principal continued, "You will have the freedom to form your own design team. You may select classmates you trust."
My brain screamed:
ANASTASIA AND FIONA, OF COURSE!
No one else. No questions. Case closed.
I nodded quickly. "Yes, sir. I already have two people in mind."
He raised a brow. "That was fast."
If he only knew those two have already redesigned my bedroom in their imaginations five times, even without my permission.
Principal Bonex slid a folder across his desk. "This contains the event details, budget, and guidelines. Read them. I expect a preliminary proposal in three days."
"Three days?!"
I almost stood up from shock.
"Sabrina."
His voice sounded like thunder.
I sat back down instantly.
"Yes, sir! Three days is perfectly reasonable!"
No, it wasn't.
But I wanted to leave the office without detention.
He tapped the folder. "Be creative. Prom is the school's biggest event. We want it grand."
I nodded. But at the same time—
I kept replaying his name inside my head:
Bonex.
BONEX.
BONEX!
Stop it, Sabrina. You'll die in this office.
Just as he dismissed me, he spoke again.
"Oh, and Sabrina?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Your co-leader will be assigned tomorrow. I trust you'll cooperate well."
"Yes, Principal Bonex—"
I bit my tongue too late.
He stared at me slowly.
Ah. Death. My funeral is scheduled.
"…Pendhore," I corrected quickly. "Principal Pendhore, sir."
His shoulders relaxed. "Good."
I bowed and got out of the office the moment I was free. As soon as the door closed, I leaned against the hallway wall and exhaled loudly.
"Why is his name like that…" I whispered to myself, half laughing, half wanting to faint.
I checked the clock—still one hour before dismissal. My plan? Go back to the room, tell Anastasia and Fiona EVERYTHING, and make their eyes pop out.
I marched back to the STEM classroom with the folder hugged to my chest.
The moment I entered, Anastasia waved her arms like she was signalling a plane to land.
"Sab!!! Where have you been?! Did you get kidnapped? Did aliens take you? Did you—"
Fiona slapped her arm. "She probably went to the principal's office. Look, she's pale."
"I am not pale! My face is just naturally soft-looking!" I argued, even though I was definitely pale.
Anastasia gasped dramatically.
"Oh my! Did you commit a crime? Did you trip and break a trophy? Did you call someone ugly—"
"Actually," I interrupted, "I was chosen as project head for the Prom auditorium design."
Both girls froze.
A full three seconds of silence.
Then—
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
They screamed in perfect harmony.
Everyone in the classroom stared.
Some guy even dropped his pen.
Fiona grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "SAB, THIS IS HUGE!"
Anastasia hugged me tightly. "WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOUUU!"
I puffed my cheeks. "Girls! You're killing me! And I haven't even told you the second part!"
Fiona paused. "There's more?!"
"Yes." I opened the folder dramatically, like some kind of treasure chest. "The principal said I can choose my team…"
"YES!" Anastasia shouted, already jumping. "CHOOSE US! CHOOSE US! PICK US!"
"I literally will," I deadpanned.
"YAYYYY!"
Both of them celebrated like they won the lottery.
I giggled at how cute they were.
These girls… they were my safe place.
We spent the next thirty minutes talking excitedly about colours, themes, lights, and outfit ideas. Anastasia wanted neon lights everywhere. Fiona wanted cherry blossoms falling from the ceiling. I wanted… well, I didn't know yet. But with them by my side, the ideas felt endless.
Then the bell rang.
Everyone packed their bags, eager to go home.
As I zipped my backpack, Anastasia nudged me.
"Sab, you didn't tell us why the principal wanted a meeting so suddenly. Was something wrong?"
My smile froze.
Ouch.
The lie.
The big lie.
They didn't know about the arranged marriage.
No one knew.
And I wasn't ready to tell anyone.
"I'll explain tomorrow," I lied smoothly, tapping the folder. "For now, I need to read this."
Fiona pouted. "Fine. But you owe us an explanation, okay?"
I nodded, forcing a small smile. "Of course."
Inside, guilt twisted in my stomach.
They trusted me.
They deserved to know.
But the moment I opened my mouth earlier to tell them—nothing came out. The words were too heavy.
As we walked out the classroom door, my phone vibrated.
A message.
I pulled it out lazily, expecting a random notification.
But when I saw the sender—
Mom.
My heartbeat slowed.
MOM:
Sweetheart, prepare yourself.
We're having dinner with the Vior family today.
Wear something proper.
My fingers trembled.
Dinner.
With them.
Tonight.
My lungs tightened.
Theodore's family.
My future in-laws.
I swallowed hard.
Anastasia noticed my face. "Sab? You okay?"
I locked my phone and forced a smile that felt painfully fake.
"Yeah… I'm fine."
But inside, my stomach dropped like a stone.
Tonight… everything becomes real.