Falling For My Rival

Chapter 6: Not Her

The moment the teacher entered, the entire classroom settled.

Ava sat back in her chair.

Ethan sat beside her.

Neither looked at the other.

The tension was still there.

Still sharp.

Still uncomfortable.

But for now, the argument was over.

The teacher placed her books on the desk.

"Good morning, class."

"Good morning, ma'am."

Her eyes swept across the room.

Then stopped.

Right on Ava.

"You must be Ava Williams."

Ava stood.

"Yes, ma'am."

The teacher smiled.

"Welcome to Kingsley Academy."

"Thank you, ma'am."

The teacher glanced at the seating chart in her hand.

Then back at Ava.

Then at Ethan.

Then back at the chart.

A small frown appeared on her face.

The classroom suddenly became interested.

Very interested.

Ava noticed.

Ethan noticed too.

The teacher adjusted her glasses.

"Ava."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Why are you sitting there?"

Several students exchanged looks.

Here we go.

Ava pointed at her chair.

"This seat?"

"Yes."

Ava frowned.

"There wasn't any other empty seat."

The teacher looked down at the chart again.

Then laughed softly.

"Oh."

The class grew even more curious.

"Oh?" Ava repeated.

The teacher smiled.

"You're actually in the right seat."

Silence.

One second.

Two.

Three.

Then—

"What?"

The word escaped Ethan before he could stop it.

The classroom froze.

Apparently Ethan Blackwood wasn't the type to sound shocked.

The teacher looked at him.

"According to the seating arrangement, this seat belongs to Ava Williams."

Silence.

Then someone laughed.

A small laugh.

A dangerous laugh.

Then another.

And another.

Within seconds, half the classroom was trying—and failing—not to laugh.

Ava blinked.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

She turned toward Ethan.

His expression remained calm.

Mostly.

But she noticed it.

That tiny change.

That tiny c***k.

Embarrassment.

"Oh."

Ava nodded thoughtfully.

"So it's my seat."

Several students immediately looked away to hide their smiles.

Ethan didn't respond.

Ava looked at him again.

Then at the chair.

Then back at him.

"So the seat wasn't taken."

The room exploded.

Laughter erupted from every corner.

One student nearly fell off his chair.

Another buried his face in his desk.

Even the teacher was struggling.

Ethan remained completely still.

Which somehow made it funnier.

Ava didn't understand why everyone was reacting like this.

She had simply stated a fact.

The seat belonged to her.

End of discussion.

Yet the laughter continued.

"Stop."

The teacher tried to sound serious.

She failed.

Completely.

More laughter followed.

Ava looked around.

"Did I miss something?"

The boy behind her laughed.

"A lot."

"What?"

"You just embarrassed Ethan Blackwood."

Ava frowned.

"So?"

That only made everyone laugh harder.

Apparently that wasn't a normal thing.

The girl beside the window wiped tears from her eyes.

"I've never seen that happen."

"Me neither."

"Not once."

"Not ever."

Ava looked back at Ethan.

He was staring straight ahead.

Jaw tight.

Expression unreadable.

For the first time since she'd met him, he didn't seem completely in control.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The teacher finally managed to regain order.

"Enough."

The laughter gradually faded.

Students settled down.

Though several were still smiling.

Ava could practically feel the tension radiating from the seat beside her.

She almost felt bad.

Almost.

Then she remembered him trying to throw her out of her own seat.

The feeling disappeared immediately.

The lesson began.

For the next twenty minutes, everything seemed normal.

At least on the surface.

But Ava kept noticing things.

Students glancing toward Ethan.

Students whispering.

Students trying not to laugh whenever they remembered what had happened.

And every single time—

Their eyes drifted toward her too.

Fantastic.

She had been at Kingsley for less than two days.

And somehow she'd become part of school gossip.

Just her luck.

The teacher eventually closed her textbook.

"Before we continue..."

The class quieted.

Something about her tone sounded different.

More serious.

More excited.

Several students straightened immediately.

The teacher smiled.

"I have an announcement."

A few students exchanged curious looks.

"The school administration has selected representatives for this year's Academic Excellence Competition."

The room instantly came alive.

People started whispering.

Ava frowned.

Competition?

"The official list will be announced tomorrow."

Excitement spread across the classroom.

Everyone seemed interested.

Everyone except Ava.

Until the teacher added—

"And one of the selected students is already in this room".

The whispers doubled.

Students immediately began guessing.

Who had been chosen?

And why did the teacher seem so pleased about it?

Ava glanced around the classroom.

Then toward Ethan

For the first time all day...

He smiled.

And somehow, that made her suspicious.