Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Blair’s POV

“I’m not leaving this cafeteria until you replace my meal. Exactly as it was… Mr. Man.”

The words hung heavy in the air, a direct challenge dropped at the feet of the most dangerous guy in the room.

Silence swallowed the cafeteria for a split second.

Then the whispers erupted, crawling under my skin like insects.

“Who does this new girl think she is, talking to Tristan like that?”

“She just ignored Bella’s warning and now she’s going after him?”

“Bold… or brainless.”

The name finally registered fully.

Tristan.

This was him,the same Tristan Bella had warned me about only minutes earlier. The star hockey player. The untouchable one.

My stomach clenched hard, a cold wave of realization hitting me.

Great. First day and I’ve already stepped on the queen bee’s territory and challenged the king. But fear had no place here. Not with every eye in the room glued to me, waiting for the new girl to shatter.

He didn’t reply immediately. Those steel-gray eyes just bored into me,cold, calculating, dismissive. Like I was an annoying bug he could crush whenever he felt like it.

It should have made me back down. It should have sent me running.

Instead, all I could see was the shattered plate and scattered baked potatoes on the dirty floor. My last money. My lunch. Gone because of his ego.

“You talk too much,” he finally said, voice low and bored, as if I barely existed.

“And you don’t think at all,” I fired back, unable to hold my tongue. “You ruined my food without a second thought.”

Gasps rippled louder this time. One of his teammates chuckled quietly, like this was prime entertainment.

Tristan’s expression didn’t flicker. If anything, it grew icier.

“Then get another one,” he said flatly.

My nails dug into my palms until they hurt. With what money? Does he think everyone here swims in cash like him and his little crew?

“With what?” I snapped, voice sharper. “You think money grows on trees for everyone?”

Something unreadable flashed in his eyes for a fraction of a second before disappearing.

“Not my problem,” he muttered, already looking away.

His teammates started advancing, but he raised a hand, halting them instantly.

“Leave her to me.”

The command carried finality. My pulse spiked. Of course he wants to handle this himself.

Before I could respond, Bella’s voice cut through the tension like a whip.

“Wow… you really don’t learn, do you?”

She pushed forward, invading my space with that polished, poisonous confidence. Her eyes darted between Tristan and me, jealousy burning bright.

“I warned you,” she hissed, voice sweet but laced with venom. “Guess you thought I was playing.”

“This has nothing to do with you,” I said, trying to keep my tone steady even as my heart raced.

Her laugh was sharp and ugly. “Everything that involves him involves me. Especially when some pathetic new girl decides to make a fool of herself in front of the whole school.”

“I’m only asking him to fix what he broke,” I replied quietly.

“That’s all?” she repeated, stepping even closer, her face inches from mine. “You’re yelling at my boyfriend in public and you think it’s nothing?”

I stayed silent, refusing to feed her.

But silence only fueled her rage.

“You really believe you can just stroll into St. Louis Academy and act like you belong here?” she sneered, voice dropping dangerously low. “This isn’t your old school, Blair. Here, girls like you learn their place the hard way.”

Stay calm. Don’t give her the satisfaction. But my blood was boiling. I hadn’t asked for any of this.

“I didn’t come here for you or him,” I said evenly.

The slap came like lightning, vicious and full force. Her palm cracked across my cheek with a loud, humiliating smack that echoed through the cafeteria. My head snapped violently to the side, pain exploding across my face like fire.

The sting was immediate and brutal, heat blooming fast across my skin. For a dizzying second, the world blurred. Tears sprang to my eyes unbidden, and I tasted the metallic hint of blood where my lip had caught against my teeth.

Don’t cry. Don’t you dare cry in front of them.Humiliation burned hotter than the pain itself. First day. First damn day and I’m being slapped like some disposable toy while everyone watches and laughs.

I stayed frozen for a long moment, breathing hard through the throbbing. Slowly, deliberately, I turned my head back to face her. I didn’t raise my hand to my cheek. I didn’t flinch or whimper. I just looked at her, letting the raw anger surge through me, mixing with the shame and the sting.

Bella stood there, chest heaving slightly, a triumphant smirk twisting her pretty features. She looked satisfied—like she had just put me exactly where I belonged.

“I told you to stay in your place,” she said, voice dripping with victory.

God, I want to hit her back. I want to grab that perfect hair and make her feel even a fraction of this.

My fingers twitched violently at my sides, every muscle screaming to retaliate. But I forced it down, deep. Losing control now would only prove her right and give them more ammunition. Breathe. Just breathe. You’re better than this.

I exhaled shakily and shifted my gaze past her, locking eyes with Tristan again.

He was still standing there, watching the entire spectacle with detached indifference. His teammates burst into loud laughter, and the sound spread like wildfire through the cafeteria until nearly everyone was chuckling or whispering.

The weight of their mockery settled like lead in my chest. They’re all enjoying this. Enjoying watching the new girl get put in her place.

Fine.

If he wasn’t going to own up to what he started, I wouldn’t beg.

“You caused this mess,” I said to Tristan, my voice quieter but laced with steel. “Fix it.”

Bella let out a disbelieving snort. “You’re actually delusional.”

I ignored her.

Tristan’s steel-gray eyes held mine for one long, unreadable beat. Then he exhaled, clearly done.

“You’re making a scene over nothing,” he said dismissively.

“Nothing?” A bitter laugh escaped me as disgust curled in my gut. “You and your girlfriend are exactly the same, arrogant, cruel, and pathetic.”

The tension stretched taut.

Tristan stepped back, his jaw tightening.

“This isn’t worth my time.”

He turned and strode out of the cafeteria without a backward glance. His teammates trailed after him like obedient shadows. A couple glanced back at me with mocking grins, but Tristan never looked once.

The doors swung shut behind them, leaving a heavy, suffocating silence.

“See?” Bella crowed, her voice ringing with satisfaction. “You weren’t even worth a second of his time. Just like I predicted.”

I turned to her slowly, cheek still burning.

Her smirk widened, expecting me to break.

She got the opposite.

“He didn’t stay for you either,” I said calmly. “Guess you’re not as important as you think.”

Her face twisted with pure fury. The smugness shattered completely.

“You’re really begging for trouble now,” she hissed, stepping so close our noses almost touched. Her friends moved in behind her, forming a tight, threatening circle.

“Maybe I am,” I replied, refusing to retreat even as my heart pounded. “But at least I don’t have to slap people to feel powerful.”

Bella’s hand shot up again, fingers curled like claws, ready to strike harder this time.

But before she could swing, one of her friends grabbed her arm, whispering urgently, “Not here, Bella. Not with everyone watching.”

Bella yanked her arm free, eyes blazing as she glared at me with pure venom.

“This isn’t over, Blair,” she promised, her voice low and deadly. “By the end of the week, you’ll wish you’d never stepped foot in this academy. I’ll make sure of it.”

She spun on her heel and stormed off, her crew following closely.

I stood there alone in the middle of the cafeteria, cheek throbbing, surrounded by staring eyes and scattered food.

My grip tightened on my backpack until my knuckles turned white.

First day… and I’ve already painted a target on my back with the two most powerful people in the school.

As I finally turned to leave, a shiver ran down my spine. I could feel the weight of unspoken threats lingering in the air.

And deep down, I knew Bella’s words weren’t empty.

This was only the beginning of something much worse.