EPISODE 2- Team Alpha
1214 Words
Team Alpha
Tuesday Morning.
Jayden Knight woke up smiling.
Not because he had slept well.
Not because he was excited for class.
But because he had found a challenge.
Stella Reynolds.
The girl who had looked at his name like it was a parking ticket.
Nobody did that.
Nobody.
And Jayden wasn't about to let it go.
Kingsworth Academy Cafeteria.
8:15 AM.
The cafeteria was packed.
Students laughed.
Gossiped.
Showed off expensive watches they didn't need.
The usual.
Jayden entered.
Half the room noticed immediately.
The other half pretended not to.
He scanned the cafeteria.
Found Stella.
And smiled.
Target located.
Stella sat with Sophia.
Enjoying breakfast.
Peacefully.
Until Jayden dropped into the empty seat beside her.
"Morning."
Stella looked up.
"Oh."
Jayden frowned.
"'Oh'?"
"Yes."
"'Oh'?"
"What response were you expecting?"
"I don't know."
"Good."
Sophia nearly spat out her drink.
Jayden looked personally offended.
Across the cafeteria...
Vanessa was watching.
She leaned toward Zara.
"Ten dollars says he's trying to flirt."
Zara didn't even look up.
"You're lowballing."
"Twenty?"
"Fifty."
"Deal."
Back at the table...
Jayden pointed at Stella's tray.
"You eat oatmeal?"
"Yes."
"Voluntarily?"
"Yes."
Jayden looked horrified.
"You might actually be a serial killer."
Sophia burst into laughter.
Even Stella smiled.
A small smile.
But Jayden noticed it.
And for some strange reason...
That felt like a victory.
Meanwhile...
Daniel entered the cafeteria carrying his food.
Several seats were available.
Yet somebody immediately waved him over.
Adrian.
Daniel hesitated.
Adrian smiled.
Daniel sighed.
And sat.
Big mistake.
Adrian straightened instantly.
"Oh wow."
Daniel blinked.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"What?"
"Your eyes are very symmetrical."
Daniel stared.
"What does that even mean?"
Adrian grinned.
"I don't know."
Daniel immediately stood up.
"Nope."
Adrian laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.
At another table...
Vanessa watched everything.
"He's definitely in love."
Zara nodded.
"It's embarrassing."
"Painfully."
11:00 AM.
TEAM ALPHA MEETING.
Attendance compulsory.
Nobody was happy.
Especially Vanessa.
---
Kingsworth Executive Conference Room.
The room was enormous.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the entire campus.
A polished conference table stretched through the center.
The kind of room that screamed money.
The door opened.
Stella Reynolds entered first.
Notebook under her arm.
Coffee in hand.
For once...
There was peace.
She sat near the window and looked outside.
Enjoying the silence
A few moments later...
The door opened again.
Daniel Adeyemi stepped inside.
Holding three books.
And somehow looking like he was preparing for the final judgment.
Stella looked at the books.
Then at Daniel.
Then back at the books.
Daniel sat down.
Stella finally spoke.
"Are you moving in?"
Daniel blinked.
"What?"
"The books."
"Oh."
He looked down at them.
"I like being prepared."
Stella nodded seriously.
"For war?"
Daniel laughed.
"Knowledge is power."
"Knowledge is also heavy."
Daniel sighed.
"That joke was terrible."
"I know."
"Good."
For a moment...
They sat comfortably in silence.
The easy kind.
Not the awkward kind.
"You seem calmer than everybody else."
Stella said.
Daniel adjusted his glasses.
"About the challenge?"
"Yeah."
Daniel shrugged.
"Worrying before something happens doesn't stop it from happening."
Stella smiled.
"That's surprisingly wise."
"My mother says wisdom is what happens when people ignore your advice repeatedly."
Stella laughed.
"I already like your mother."
"Most people do."
Stella looked at him carefully.
"Can I ask something?"
Daniel nodded.
"Why don't you get angry when people make fun of you?"
Daniel smiled.
A genuine smile.
The kind that rarely appeared.
"Because most people are fighting battles I know nothing about."
Stella became quiet.
Daniel continued.
"If somebody hurts me, I can choose whether I carry it."
Stella stared.
"There you go again."
"What?"
"Talking like you're eighty."
Daniel laughed.
"I'm twenty-one."
"Mentally you're eighty."
"That's fair."
The conference room doors suddenly burst open.
"GOOD NEWS EVERYBODY!"
Jayden Knight announced dramatically.
Both Stella and Daniel looked up.
Jayden spread his arms.
"I have arrived."
Daniel immediately covered his face.
Stella looked away to hide a smile.
Jayden frowned.
"That's rude."
Daniel looked at Stella.
"Should we tell him?"
"Tell me what?"
Stella smiled.
"The room was peaceful before you got here."
Jayden placed a hand over his chest.
"You wound me."
The doors opened again.
Vanessa walked in carrying iced coffee.
"Nah."
She sat down.
"They have a point."
Jayden looked betrayed.
"You too?"
"Especially me."
One by one...
Sophia.
Ethan.
Zara.
Adrian.
The room slowly filled.
Adrian immediately spotted Daniel.
And immediately forgot why he came.
Zara noticed.
"This is embarrassing."
Adrian sat down.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You've looked at him six times."
"It's called eyesight."
"It's called obsession."
The meeting began badly.
And somehow got worse.
"Who should lead the team?"
Sophia asked.
Jayden immediately raised his hand.
Vanessa raised hers too.
The room became silent.
Jayden looked at Vanessa.
Vanessa looked at Jayden.
Neither blinked.
"I have leadership experience."
Jayden said.
"I have intelligence."
Vanessa replied.
"You saying I'm not intelligent?"
"No."
Pause.
"I'm saying I'm more intelligent."
---
Ethan quietly stood up.
Collected his laptop.
And started leaving.
Zara grabbed his hoodie.
"Sit down."
"I value my mental health."
"Sit."
Ethan sat.
The argument lasted twelve minutes.
It included:
Three insults.
Two threats.
One dramatic sigh from Ethan.
And a speech from Vanessa about why democracy was overrated.
Eventually...
Daniel spoke.
The room became quiet.
Rare.
Very rare.
"We're wasting time."
Everyone looked at him.
"If we keep arguing, we'll lose before we start."
Silence.
Even Vanessa listened.
Daniel continued.
"We don't have to like each other."
Jayden nodded.
True.
"We just have to work together."
More silence.
Then Zara leaned back.
"The pastor cooked."
Daniel blinked.
"The pastor... what?"
"You cooked."
"I don't understand that sentence."
Adrian smiled.
"That's why you're adorable."
Daniel stood up again.
"I'm leaving."
For the first time...
The entire room laughed together.
Even Stella.
Even Vanessa.
Even Ethan.
Jayden looked around.
Something shifted.
Just slightly.
For a moment...
This ridiculous group felt like a team.
Then Vanessa spoke.
"So."
Everyone sighed.
"What now?"
Vanessa smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"The principal forgot to mention something."
The room became quiet.
"What?"
"I already read the challenge rules."
Vanessa slid a document onto the table.
Jayden opened it.
Read the first line.
Then froze.
The smile disappeared from his face.
Sophia noticed immediately.
"What?"
Jayden didn't answer.
He kept reading.
His expression got worse.
"Jayden."
Stella said.
"What is it?"
Jayden slowly looked up.
"The first challenge starts tomorrow."
Nobody moved.
"And if Team Alpha finishes last..."
Even Adrian stopped joking.
Daniel frowned.
"What happens?"
Jayden swallowed.
Then looked around the table.
At every member of Team Alpha.
"We lose our academic privileges for the semester."
Silence.
Complete silence.
---
Then chaos.
"What?!"
"You're joking!"
"No way!"
"That's insane!"
"We just got here!"
Ethan closed his laptop.
For the first time all day...
He looked genuinely interested.
"Okay."
Everyone turned toward him.
Ethan adjusted his glasses.
"When do we start?"
Vanessa smiled.
Jayden smiled.
Even Zara smiled.
For the first time...
Team Alpha realized this wasn't a game.
Outside the conference room...
A figure stood behind the tinted glass.
Watching.
Listening.
Smiling.
Because Team Alpha wasn't the only team competing.
And somewhere inside Kingsworth Academy...
Someone had already decided that Team Alpha was going to lose.
No matter what it took.
TO BE CONTINUED..
- Writer
