CHAPTER 6: Still his
1603 Words
Nobody spoke after Lucien’s words.
Not Marco.
Not Isabella.
Not even the professor.
Because Lucien’s smile had already said enough.
---
Arielle stood near the entrance quietly, fingers tightening slightly behind her back.
She had imagined this moment countless times in Australia.
Different versions.
Different reactions.
Anger.
Yelling.
Questions.
Maybe even indifference.
---
But somehow—
this silence felt worse.
---
Lucien kept staring at her.
Not blinking.
Not moving.
Like he was making sure she was actually real.
---
Then finally—
he walked forward.
Slowly.
Dangerously calm.
---
The sound of his boots against the marble floor echoed softly through the private class.
One step.
Two.
Three.
---
Nobody interrupted him.
Nobody would dare.
---
Marco watched carefully now, leaning back deeper into the couch.
Even he looked slightly concerned.
Because Lucien wasn’t explosive when truly angry.
He became quieter.
And that was always worse.
---
Lucien stopped directly in front of Arielle.
Close enough for her to smell cigarette smoke and expensive cologne beneath it.
Close enough for tension to become physical.
---
The room felt smaller suddenly.
Hotter.
Harder to breathe in.
---
Lucien tilted his head slightly, eyes roaming across her face slowly.
Almost thoughtfully.
---
“You look thinner,” he said softly.
---
Arielle’s heartbeat stumbled.
Because that wasn’t what she expected him to say.
---
Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Tired too.”
---
Marco frowned faintly from the couch.
Isabella noticed immediately.
---
Arielle forced herself to stay calm.
“I’m fine.”
---
Lucien laughed quietly.
A dark sound.
Low and humorless.
---
“Still lying.”
---
Silence again.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
---
Then Lucien stepped past her like she wasn’t worth the effort anymore.
Which somehow hurt worse.
---
He dropped lazily into the seat near the windows—
the seat beside hers.
The seat that had remained empty for two years because nobody else was allowed to touch it.
---
Arielle noticed immediately.
Of course she did.
---
That used to be their spot.
Back when things were still alive between them.
---
Lucien leaned back casually, stretching one tattooed arm across the back of the couch.
Completely relaxed on the outside.
Completely unreadable.
---
The professor awkwardly cleared his throat.
“…Should we continue class?”
---
“No,” Marco said immediately.
---
A few students outside the glass walls were already slowing down to stare inside.
Rumors spread fast at Crestview.
And Arielle Vance returning?
That was nuclear-level gossip.
---
Isabella crossed her arms tightly.
“So what now?” she asked coldly, eyes locked on Arielle. “You expect us to welcome you back?”
---
Arielle stayed quiet for a second.
Then softly—
“No.”
---
That answer caught them off guard slightly.
---
Marco scoffed.
“At least she’s realistic.”
---
Elias finally closed his laptop slowly.
The sound echoed lightly through the room.
First words he had spoken since seeing her again:
“Why did you come back?”
---
Direct.
Quiet.
Dangerous.
---
Arielle looked toward him.
And for the first time—
her calm expression cracked slightly.
Just slightly.
---
Because Elias had always been the softest with her.
The easiest to hurt.
---
She opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
---
Lucien watched everything silently from beside the windows.
Sharp eyes observing every tiny reaction.
Every hesitation.
Every breath.
---
Finally Arielle answered softly,
“I had things to fix.”
---
Marco laughed immediately.
“Fix?”
He stood up from the couch now.
Slowly.
---
The bruise on his cheek looked freshly reopened again.
Small streaks of red near the healing skin.
---
“You destroyed this group,” Marco said. “Then disappeared.”
Another step closer.
“And now you wanna fix things?”
---
Arielle lowered her eyes briefly.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
---
Isabella’s voice turned sharper.
“You know what the funniest part is?”
She stood too now.
“You didn’t even give us enough respect to hate you properly.”
---
Lucien’s gaze shifted slightly toward Isabella.
Listening.
---
“You just vanished,” Isabella continued. “No explanation. No goodbye.”
A bitter laugh escaped her.
“Just one pathetic message and suddenly we were nothing to you.”
---
Arielle’s throat tightened painfully.
But she still said nothing.
---
Because the truth sat inside her chest like poison.
And she still wasn’t ready to let it out.
---
The room became quiet again.
Emotionally exhausted quiet.
---
Then Lucien finally spoke.
Still seated.
Still calm.
Which somehow made everything worse.
---
“Sit down.”
---
Everyone looked toward him.
---
Lucien’s eyes stayed on Arielle.
Cold.
Unreadable.
---
“You came back,” he said softly. “So stay.”
A pause.
Then—
“Let’s see how long you survive this time.”
---
And somehow—
that sounded less like a threat…
and more like a promise.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The cheer dressing room buzzed with noise.
Hair dryers.
Laughter.
Perfume spraying into the air.
Lockers slamming shut.
Girls rushing around in black-and-red cheer uniforms while music blasted softly from a speaker near the mirrors.
---
But near the back corner—
the atmosphere felt completely different.
Sharper.
Colder.
More poisonous.
---
Vivian Laurent stood in front of the mirror slowly applying deep red lipstick to her lips.
Perfectly calm.
Perfectly beautiful.
Perfectly dangerous.
---
Beside her, Sofia Bellucci adjusted the straps of her cheer outfit while Camille Rossi sat across the makeup counter scrolling through her phone.
Then suddenly—
Camille froze.
---
“…No way.”
---
Sofia barely looked up.
“What now?”
---
Camille slowly turned the phone screen toward them.
And immediately—
the room around them seemed quieter.
---
🔥 CRESTVIEW INSIDER BLOG
ARIELLE VANCE RETURNS TO CRESTVIEW ACADEMY
---
Below the headline were already dozens of blurry pictures.
Arielle entering the academy gates.
Arielle beside Principal Lorenzo.
Arielle inside the private class.
---
Sofia’s eyes widened instantly.
“You’re joking.”
---
Vivian stopped applying lipstick.
But only for a second.
---
Camille sat up straighter now.
“She actually came back after everything?”
---
Sofia scoffed loudly.
“The audacity.”
---
Vivian slowly capped the lipstick and placed it carefully onto the table.
Her face remained calm.
Too calm.
---
And that usually meant she was angry.
---
Around them, other cheer girls had started whispering too.
Phones lighting up one after another as the news spread rapidly through campus.
---
“Arielle Vance?”
“The Arielle?”
“She came back?”
“I thought Lucien hated her now—”
---
Vivian’s jaw tightened slightly at Lucien’s name.
Only slightly.
But enough.
---
Because nobody in Crestview Academy knew Lucien Moretti the way Vivian believed she did.
Nobody watched him the way she had for years.
Nobody stayed obsessed long enough to notice the details she noticed.
---
Like the fact Lucien stopped dating entirely after Arielle disappeared.
Stopped touching people emotionally.
Stopped smiling properly.
Stopped letting anyone close.
---
Vivian noticed all of it.
And hated Arielle for every single piece.
---
Sofia folded her arms tightly.
“She disappears after humiliating them and now suddenly she’s back? For what exactly?”
---
Camille rolled her eyes.
“Attention probably.”
---
“No,” Vivian said quietly.
---
The other girls looked toward her immediately.
---
Vivian slowly picked up the phone from the counter.
Eyes locked on Arielle’s picture.
Cold.
Sharp.
Possessive.
---
“Arielle Vance never does anything without reason.”
---
Silence settled briefly between them.
---
Then Vivian laughed softly.
Not amused.
Venomous.
---
“She came back because she wants something.”
---
Sofia frowned.
“You think she wants them back?”
---
Vivian’s expression darkened instantly.
---
“Them?” she repeated quietly.
“No.”
---
Her eyes lowered again to Lucien standing blurred in one of the background photos.
Messy red hair.
Untouchable expression.
Danger written into every inch of him.
---
Vivian’s fingers tightened around the phone slightly.
---
“She wants Lucien.”
---
Camille snorted.
“As if Lucien would forgive her.”
---
Vivian stayed silent for a second.
Then slowly said:
“That’s the problem.”
---
The room felt colder suddenly.
---
Because deep down—
Vivian had always known something terrifying.
---
Lucien Moretti never truly belonged to anyone.
Not the girls throwing themselves at him.
Not the school.
Not even his friends completely.
---
But once upon a time—
he had looked at Arielle Vance differently.
---
And Vivian hated that memory more than anything.
---
Sofia leaned against the makeup counter.
“So what now?”
---
Vivian finally smiled.
Slowly.
Cruelly.
---
“Now?” she murmured softly.
“Now we remind her why leaving was the smartest thing she ever did.”
---
Camille grinned immediately.
“You wanna start again?”
---
Vivian looked toward the mirror, adjusting a strand of hair carefully.
Elegant.
Controlled.
Deadly.
---
“No,” she corrected softly.
“This time we do worse.”
---
Sofia laughed quietly.
---
Vivian’s eyes darkened slightly.
---
“Lucien Moretti can belong to anyone in this school…”
A pause.
Then—
“…except her.”
---
The venom in her voice made even Camille glance at her carefully.
---
Because this was no longer petty jealousy.
This was obsession.
---
And unfortunately for Arielle—
girls like Vivian Laurent destroyed people beautifully.
TBC🌺🌺🌺
- Writer
