Queen of the Hell

Chaos in Section C

Ruz’s POV

I pushed the door open and stepped into Grade 12 Section C, Room 203.

The moment I walked in, a few heads turned in my direction.

Then more.

Then, predictably, the whispers started.

New girl effect. It followed me everywhere, like a shadow I had never asked for and could never shake.

I walked straight to an empty seat near the window, placed my bag down with deliberate care, and sat.

Simple. Quiet. Controlled.

Just the way I liked it.

“Hey.”

That was fast.

I looked up from the desk, and a boy appeared beside me like he had been summoned from thin air.

Messy brown hair fell across his forehead. His smile was bright.

“You’re new, right?” he asked, as if it were the most obvious conclusion in the world.

I blinked once, slowly.

“…No,” I said calmly. “I just enjoy walking into random classrooms.”

He froze.

For one beautiful second, his smile faltered, and his brain visibly short circuited.

“…Oh.”

A full second passed in uncomfortable silence.

Then his eyes widened dramatically.

“WAIT…you’re joking, right?!”

I nodded slightly. “Finally.”

He let out a loud laugh, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed grin. “Okay, good. I was about to question my entire intelligence.”

I leaned back in my chair slightly.

“You probably should anyway.”

He placed a hand on his chest like I had just insulted his entire bloodline. “Wow. First day, and you’re already attacking me?”

“Relax,” I said flatly. “I’m being friendly.”

His grin returned, wider than before.

“If this is your friendly, I’m actually scared to see your rudeness.”

I tilted my head slightly. “You wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“That sounds like a personal challenge. I accept,” he said.

Without asking permission, he pulled the chair in front of my desk, turned it around, and sat facing me, as if we had known each other for years. Bold. Very bold.

I raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“I’m Liam Castillo,” he announced, extending a hand that I did not take. “Officially your first friend in this class.”

Silence.

I glanced at his hand, then back at his face.

“…No,” I said simply.

His smile didn’t even flicker. “That was fast. Usually people hesitate before rejecting me.”

“I don’t.”

“Noted.” He leaned back like he had been granted permission to stay anyway. “So you’re the honest type. I like that. Makes things easier.”

A beat passed.

I looked at him. “Who said you’re my friend?”

“I did.”

No hesitation. No doubt. Just pure, unfiltered confidence.

I studied him for a second. His eyes were warm, not calculating. His smile was genuine, not practiced. He wasn’t trying to prove anything or get anything from me. He just… wanted to talk.

“…Confident,” I said finally.

“Very,” he agreed.

Before I could reply, the classroom door opened again, and the atmosphere shifted.

“Good morning, class,” the teacher said as he walked to the front.

Everyone straightened in their seats, the casual chaos folding into order.

“Good morning, sir,” the class responded in uneven unison.

The teacher’s gaze swept across the room and stopped on me.

“You must be the new student.”

I stood up, my chair scraping softly against the floor. “Yes, sir.”

“Introduce yourself.”

I glanced around the room,curious faces, bored expressions, and quiet judgment.

“My name is Ruzelle Richelle Cruz,” I said evenly. “You can call me Ruzelle. I just transferred.”

The teacher nodded. “Welcome to class, Miss Cruz. I’m Nathan del Rosario, your class adviser. I hope you settle in well here. If you need any help catching up, feel free to ask me or your classmates.”

I gave a small nod. “Thank you, sir.”

I sat back down.

Silence.

Then whispers erupted like sparks across dry grass.

“That's it?”

“So short…”

“She didn’t even say anything else about herself.”

Beside me, Liam leaned closer and lowered his voice. “You just gave the shortest introduction in the history of this school.”

I kept my eyes forward. “I don’t like long speeches.”

“…I like you already,” he said, grinning.

He leaned slightly toward me.

“Ruzelle… that suits you. But I’ll call you Ruz.”

I turned to him sharply. “How do you know? Only my closest ones call me that. Don’t call me that again.”

“Oh, so Ruz is really your nickname?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Too late, Ruz.”

“I chose not to argue about it.”

A few minutes into the lesson, a piece of paper slid onto my desk.

Liam. Of course.

I unfolded it under the cover of my notebook.

Important question: Do you always talk like this, or am I special?

I picked up my pen and wrote:

“You’re not special.”

I slid it back without looking at him.

A soft exhale, almost a laugh.

It returned.

“That hurts. I’m emotionally destroyed.”

I wrote back:

“You’ll survive.”

Another return:

Will I though?

I almost smiled. Almost.

I added one more line:

“But you’re entertaining.”

When he read it, I could feel his reaction before I saw it.

“I’ll take that,” he whispered.

A few minutes later, a pen dropped loudly at the back of the room.

The sound cracked through the silence.

I didn’t move.

Liam turned to me. “…You didn’t react.”

“Should I?”

“Most people do.” His voice was quieter now.

“I’m not most people,” I said.

He stared at me for a second longer than necessary.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “I figured that out already.”

When the bell rang for lunch, the teacher said, “Before you go, Ruzelle, please make sure someone helps you catch up with the lessons you missed.”

Liam immediately raised his hand.

“Sir, I’ll help her, don’t worry.”

The teacher gave him a knowing look. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

The whole class laughed.

“See you again, sir!” the students said in uneven unison.

“See you again, kids. Don’t forget your homework,” the teacher replied warmly and left.

Chairs scraped. Bags zipped. The room was filled with noise.

Liam stretched dramatically. “So, as your officially self declared best friend, I will now guide you around the school.”

I stood up, picked up my bag, and walked toward the door.

“I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

“You didn’t,” he said, falling into step beside me. “I agreed for you. More efficient that way.”

“…You’re annoying.”

“And yet, you didn’t say no.”

I stopped walking and turned slightly toward him.

“…I’m considering it.”

He grinned. “Too late. We’re already friends. Paperwork filed. Officially.”

I shook my head and walked on.

But a small smile slipped through anyway, uninvited and unwelcome.

Something Different.

As we walked down the hallway, something felt different.

Lighter. Less tense. Less controlled.

Strange.

Maybe this place wouldn’t be boring after all.

But I knew better than to trust that feeling.

Normal never lasted. Peace never lasted.

Every time I started to feel comfortable somewhere, something always happened to remind me why I stopped trying in the first place.

Still.

For now, this was fine.

In my old school, I wasn’t like this.

I was different. Mischievous.

Short tempered. Chaotic in a way that made my Aunt Regina sigh, my Uncle Antonio laugh, and Adrian threaten to lock me in a closet just for peace and quiet.

But that version of me only appeared with people I trusted.

With others, I kept my distance. Always.

It was easier that way. Safer.

Tita told me to change. To try. To talk more. To let people in, even just a little.

I didn’t know if I could.

But I will try again.

This for her. Only who really loves me.

I tightened my grip on my bag, then let the memory fade.

For now, I would start with one thing.

“Hey,” I said.

Liam turned immediately. “Yeah?”

“…Don’t call yourself my best friend yet.”

He blinked.

Then smiled, softer this time.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll earn it first. Then upgrade later.”

I almost rolled my eyes.

Almost.

But I didn’t.

Maybe this wouldn’t be easy.

But at least, with Liam around, maybe it wouldn’t be boring.