Chapter 20: Not One of Them
950 Words
By Monday morning, everyone knew what had happened.
Nobody said it directly.
Nobody needed to.
The comments from Friday had spread across Kingsley faster than any rumor.
Some students thought the jokes were harmless.
Others disagreed.
Most simply enjoyed the drama.
Ava tried not to care.
She really did.
But it was difficult pretending something didn't bother you when people kept reminding you of it.
---
She was walking through the hallway when she heard laughter behind her.
At first, she ignored it.
Then she heard her name.
Ava slowed slightly.
"Come on, I'm just saying the truth."
The voice belonged to Victoria Hart.
Rich.
Popular.
And unfortunately convinced that made her important.
A group of students stood around her, listening.
Victoria noticed Ava immediately.
Instead of stopping, she smiled.
The kind of smile people used before causing problems.
"Morning, Ava."
Ava kept walking.
"Not in the mood."
"Neither am I."
That made Ava stop.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
The hallway became quieter.
Students sensed trouble.
And Kingsley students loved trouble.
---
Victoria folded her arms.
"I heard what happened Friday."
"Congratulations."
A few students snickered.
Victoria ignored them.
"I just think it's funny."
Ava looked unimpressed.
"What is?"
"The way everyone acts like you're one of us."
The hallway went silent.
Completely silent.
Ava already knew where this was going.
She hated that she knew.
Victoria smiled again.
"You won a scholarship and suddenly people forget."
"Forget what?"
"That you're not one of them."
A few students shifted uncomfortably.
Others watched eagerly.
Nobody interrupted.
Nobody stopped it.
Ava hated that too.
---
Victoria stepped closer.
"People here grew up together."
No response.
"Our families know each other."
Still nothing.
"We belong here."
The meaning behind the words was obvious.
Painfully obvious.
Ava's hands tightened around the strap of her bag.
For a moment, she almost responded.
Almost.
Then she remembered something her father once told her.
"Never waste energy proving your worth to people determined not to see it."
So instead, she smiled.
A small smile.
A calm smile.
One that somehow irritated Victoria immediately.
"Are you done?"
Victoria blinked.
"What?"
"Because I have class."
The confidence vanished from Victoria's face for a second.
Only a second.
But Ava saw it.
And so did everyone else.
Without another word, Ava walked away.
Her heart was pounding.
Her stomach hurt.
And she hated that the comments affected her at all.
Because deep down...
A tiny part of her feared they were true.
---
The rest of the day felt strange.
Students whispered whenever she entered a room.
Some looked sympathetic.
Others looked curious.
Ava preferred neither.
During lunch, she sat alone for once.
Not because she wanted to.
Because she needed a break.
A break from Kingsley.
A break from expectations.
A break from being the scholarship student.
---
Across the cafeteria, Ethan watched everything.
Not openly.
Not obviously.
But he noticed.
He noticed Ava sitting alone.
He noticed students looking at her.
He noticed Victoria laughing with her friends.
Most importantly...
He noticed how quiet Ava seemed.
And he didn't like it.
Which annoyed him.
A lot.
Because he wasn't supposed to care.
Ava was his rival.
His competition.
The person constantly ruining his rankings.
So why was he still thinking about what happened?
Why was Victoria's voice still echoing in his head?
"She's not one of us."
The words irritated him more than they should have.
Not because they were directed at him.
Because they were stupid.
Ava had earned her place at Kingsley.
More than half the students in the cafeteria.
Maybe more.
And yet people acted as though money mattered more than achievement.
It made no sense.
---
Noah dropped into the seat beside him.
"You look annoyed."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Liam joined them.
"He definitely is."
Jace glanced up from his phone.
"Who are we pretending not to talk about today?"
Noah grinned.
"Ava."
Ethan immediately looked away.
The three noticed.
Unfortunately.
Liam smiled.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
---
"You know," Noah said casually, "Victoria was out of line."
Ethan didn't answer.
"Most people think so."
Still nothing.
Jace looked at him.
"You could've said something."
For a moment, Ethan considered responding.
Then didn't.
Because Jace was right.
He could have.
He simply hadn't.
Not because he agreed.
Because he didn't want people thinking he was defending Ava.
At least, that's what he told himself.
The explanation sounded weaker every time he repeated it.
---
That afternoon, the entire school was called to the auditorium.
The sudden announcement confused everyone.
Students filled the seats while theories spread rapidly.
"Someone got expelled."
"No."
"A celebrity's visiting."
"No."
"We're all getting homework."
"That's evil."
The auditorium filled with laughter.
Ava sat near the middle and tried focusing on anything except the events of the morning.
Unfortunately, that wasn't easy.
---
A few minutes later, the principal stepped onto the stage.
The room immediately quieted.
He smiled.
"I have an important announcement."
That got everyone's attention.
The principal gestured toward the large screen behind him.
A presentation appeared.
Students exchanged curious looks.
Then the title appeared.
ANNUAL PARTNERSHIP PROJECT
The room exploded.
"What?"
"No way."
"They brought it back?"
Ava frowned.
She had no idea what that meant.
The principal raised a hand.
The noise slowly faded.
"This project will count toward your final academic evaluation."
Now everyone was listening.
Very carefully.
The principal smiled.
"Students will work in pairs."
The reactions grew louder.
Ava had a feeling she wasn't going to like this.
Then came the next sentence.
The one that changed everything.
"The pairs have already been selected."
The entire auditorium erupted.
And somewhere across the room, Ethan looked up at exactly the same moment Ava did.
- Writer
