Three Brothers one Heart

CHAPTER 6 — THE BEGINNING OF A WAR

The moment Ellie walked into the classroom, every pair of eyes landed on her.

The whispers started almost immediately.

“That’s the new girl.”

“The one who stood up to the Queen Bees.”

“She’s even prettier up close.”

Ellie pretended not to hear any of it.

She walked confidently to the front of the class as the teacher smiled warmly.

“Class, we have a new student joining us today. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

Ellie took a deep breath and faced everyone.

“Hi, everyone. My name is Ellie Carter. I hope we can get along.”

A few students smiled, while others continued whispering among themselves.

As she scanned the classroom, her eyes met Jayden’s.

He was leaning back in his chair, watching her with a faint smirk.

Beside him, Ethan had finally looked up from his phone.

For the first time, both brothers were staring at her just like everyone else.

Ellie quickly looked away and took her seat beside Zoe and Amara.

The rest of the morning passed without incident, although Ellie could feel curious eyes following her wherever she went.

When the lunch bell rang, the cafeteria quickly filled with students.

Ellie picked up a tray and collected her food before looking around.

Across the room, Zoe and Amara were waving excitedly.

“Ellie! Over here!”

Smiling, she carefully made her way toward them.

She was only a few steps away when suddenly…

Her foot caught something.

Before she could react, she lost her balance.

Her tray flew into the air, and the food crashed onto the floor.

The entire cafeteria went silent.

Students stopped eating.

Some stood up just to see what had happened.

Ellie slowly pushed herself up from the floor, embarrassed but determined not to cry.

Then she heard a laugh.

She looked up.

Tyla sat with Mandy and Lia, all three wearing satisfied smiles.

Tyla crossed one leg over the other and shrugged innocently.

“Oops,” she said. “I guess you should watch where you’re going.”

The students around them laughed nervously.

Ellie dusted herself off and looked directly at Tyla.

A calm smile appeared on her face.

“Maybe you should keep your legs under your own table.”

Tyla frowned.

“What did you say?”

Ellie took another step forward.

“I said maybe your legs belong under your chair, not in the middle of the walkway.”

“If you leave them lying around like that, people might think you don’t have any manners.”

A loud gasp spread across the cafeteria.

Even Zoe and Amara stared at Ellie in shock.

Nobody had ever spoken to Tyla that way.

Tyla slowly stood up.

“Do you know who you’re talking to?”

Ellie folded her arms.

“No.”

“And honestly, I don’t care.”

“If you’re proud of bullying people, maybe you should spend more time learning how to be a decent person.”

The entire cafeteria fell silent.

Mandy slammed her hands on the table and stood up.

Lia grabbed a cup filled with juice and marched toward Ellie.

Without warning—

She threw the drink straight at her.

Cold juice ran down Ellie’s hair and uniform.

The room exploded with whispers.

Mandy wasn’t done.

She picked up her plate and dumped the food over Ellie’s shoulder.

Students watched in complete disbelief.

Some looked away.

Others reached for their phones.

Tyla stepped closer, anger burning in her eyes.

She raised her hand.

Just before it could land—

Someone caught her wrist.

Everyone turned.

Darius stood between them, his face unreadable.

“That’s enough,” he said coldly.

Tyla blinked in surprise.

“But she—”

“I said enough.”

For a second, the cafeteria was completely silent.

Ellie looked at Darius.

Then she gently pulled his hand away.

“I don’t need anyone to fight my battles.”

Darius looked at her.

“I’m not helping you.”

“I simply don’t like unnecessary drama.”

His cold voice made it impossible to tell what he was really thinking.

Ellie didn’t reply.

Instead, she turned back to the three girls.

She calmly picked up a cup from the nearest table and poured the drink over Lia’s head.

Lia screamed.

Before Mandy could react, Ellie grabbed another tray and emptied its contents over her uniform.

The cafeteria erupted.

Students couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

Finally, Ellie walked up to Tyla.

For a brief moment, they stood face to face.

Then…

Slap!

The sound echoed throughout the room.

Tyla’s head turned from the impact.

She held her cheek, completely speechless.

Ellie looked at all three girls.

Her voice was calm but firm.

“Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness.”

“If you come after me again…”

“You’ll regret it.”

Tyla glared at her with hatred.

“You poor bastard.”

Ellie’s expression instantly changed.

Her eyes hardened.

She took one step closer.

“Don’t ever call me that again.”

Without waiting for a response, Ellie picked up her bag and walked out of the cafeteria.

The room remained silent.

No one laughed.

No one spoke.

The Queen Bees stood frozen.

The Walters brothers watched her leave.

And from that moment on…

The entire school knew that Ellie Carter was not someone to be underestimated.

Ellie walked out of the cafeteria with her head held high, refusing to let anyone see the tears threatening to fall.

The hallway was quiet compared to the noisy cafeteria behind her.

Only when she was sure no one was around did she stop walking.

She looked down at her uniform, now stained with juice and food.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

“This is exactly what I wanted to avoid,” she whispered to herself.

Just then, footsteps approached from behind.

“Ellie!”

She turned around to see Zoe and Amara running toward her.

The two girls looked both worried and amazed.

“Are you okay?” Zoe asked softly.

Ellie forced a smile.

“I’ve been through worse.”

Amara shook her head in disbelief.

“I cannot believe you slapped Tyla!”

Ellie shrugged.

“She deserved it.”

“You have no idea what you’ve just done,” Zoe said.

“The Queen Bees have ruled this school for years. Nobody has ever stood up to them like that.”

Ellie leaned against the wall.

“Well, now someone has.”

Amara suddenly laughed.

“I think you’re my new hero.”

That made Ellie laugh for the first time all day.

The three girls stood there talking until the warning bell rang.

“We should get back before the next class starts,” Zoe said.

As they walked back toward the classroom, students whispered wherever they passed.

Some smiled at Ellie.

Some stared in disbelief.

Others quickly moved out of her way.

It was as if the entire school had already chosen a side.

Inside the classroom, Jayden was sitting on top of his desk, talking to a few classmates.

The moment Ellie entered, the room fell silent again.

Every eye followed her.

Jayden watched her for a second before a faint smile appeared on his face.

“You’re full of surprises,” he muttered.

Ellie ignored him and walked to her seat.

A few moments later, Ethan entered, earbuds in his ears and phone in his hand.

He glanced at Ellie briefly before sitting down without saying a word.

Then the classroom door opened once more.

Darius stood outside, having come to deliver some documents to the teacher.

His eyes scanned the room and landed on Ellie for a brief second.

She quickly looked away.

For some reason, she couldn’t forget that he had stopped Tyla from hitting her.

The teacher clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Take your seats, everyone.”

As the lesson began, Ellie tried to focus on the board.

But she could still feel the stares.

She had arrived at Westbridge Academy only a few hours ago.

Yet she had already made powerful enemies…

Found two loyal friends…

And somehow become the center of everyone’s attention.

Little did she know…

The real battle was only just beginning.