Three: The ARC
748 Words
The final bell rang, but instead of rushing home, Scarlett stood in the middle of the hallway, staring at the map Mrs. Harrison had given her.
"Library... library..." she mumbled.
She turned left.
Then right.
Then somehow ended up in the gym.
"So much for directions."
"You're lost."
Scarlett looked up to find Ashton Smith leaning against the doorway, spinning a basketball on one finger.
"I figured that out myself."
"Need help?"
She raised an eyebrow.
"From you? I'll take my chances."
Ashton smirked.
"Suit yourself."
He walked away.
Scarlett sighed in relief—until she realized she had followed him without thinking.
A few minutes later, she found herself standing in front of a large indoor basketball court.
The gym was packed.
Students crowded the bleachers, cheering loudly.
"Go, ARC!"
"Captain Ashton!"
Scarlett frowned.
"What's ARC?"
A girl beside her looked at her like she'd grown a second head.
"You don't know who the ARC are?"
Scarlett shook her head.
"They're the kings of Dulwich Academy."
The girl pointed toward the court.
"There."
Scarlett looked.
Four boys walked onto the polished floor.
The first was Ashton, confidently bouncing a basketball.
The second was a tall, muscular boy with caramel skin and a bright smile.
"That's Ethan Brooks," the girl explained. "The school's basketball vice-captain."
The third had neatly styled blond hair and wore glasses despite looking effortlessly cool.
"That's Ryan Cole. Top student in the entire school."
The last boy had jet-black hair that fell over one eye. Unlike the others, he wore a bored expression, his hands buried in his pockets.
"And that's Noah Knight. Rich, mysterious, and impossible to read."
"The four of them call themselves the ARC."
"Why ARC?"
"No one knows."
The whistle blew.
The game began.
Scarlett watched as Ashton stole the ball, dribbled effortlessly past three defenders, jumped...
SLAM!
The crowd erupted.
Even Scarlett couldn't help being impressed.
"Not bad," she muttered.
Ashton landed gracefully and, as if sensing her gaze, looked directly at her.
Their eyes met.
He smiled.
She rolled hers.
Practice ended an hour later.
Scarlett finally located the library, borrowed the chemistry textbook she needed, and hurried toward the school gate.
Unfortunately...
She wasn't paying attention.
BAM!
Books flew everywhere.
"So sorry!" Scarlett exclaimed, kneeling to gather them.
A pair of polished black shoes stopped in front of her.
"It's okay."
The voice was calm.
Gentle.
Scarlett looked up.
The man standing before her looked to be in his early forties. He wore an expensive charcoal suit, a silver watch, and carried himself with quiet authority.
His kind eyes studied her for a moment.
"Are you hurt?"
"No, sir."
She handed him the file she had accidentally dropped.
"I'm really sorry."
He smiled.
"It was an accident."
Just then—
"Dad?"
Scarlett turned.
Ashton had stopped a few steps away.
His relaxed expression disappeared the moment he saw her.
"Dad, what are you doing here?"
"I came to pick you up."
The man looked between the two teenagers.
"You know each other?"
Before Scarlett could answer—
"She's my..." Ashton paused.
Scarlett narrowed her eyes.
He better not say anything ridiculous.
"...classmate."
William Smith smiled.
"That's nice."
He turned to Scarlett.
"It was lovely meeting you."
"You too, sir."
As father and son walked toward a sleek black car, Ashton glanced back over his shoulder.
Scarlett was already walking away.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Later that evening...
Scarlett unlocked the front door as quietly as possible.
No luck.
Mrs. Brown was waiting.
"You're late."
"I stayed in the library."
"Liar!"
She grabbed Scarlett by the wrist.
"You think because you attend some fancy school you're better than us?"
"No."
"Then prove it."
Mrs. Brown pointed toward a mountain of dirty clothes.
"Wash every single one."
Scarlett looked at the pile.
Then at the clock.
It was already past seven.
She still had homework.
Without saying a word, she carried the basket outside.
As she scrubbed clothes under the fading evening sky, she remembered the luxurious classrooms...
The smiling students...
The loud cheers in the gym...
It felt like another world.
A world she wanted to belong to.
No matter how difficult it became.
She wasn't going to give up.
Not this time.
Somewhere across town, Ashton Smith sat on the balcony of his mansion, a basketball resting beside him.
For reasons he couldn't explain...
He couldn't stop thinking about the scholarship girl who wasn't afraid of him.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"This should be fun."
- Writer
