Chapter 3: A Different World
962 Words
Ava had imagined Kingsley Academy a hundred different ways.
None of them looked like this.
The moment the taxi stopped in front of the gates, her confidence disappeared.
She stared through the window.
The school looked enormous.
Not just big.
Intimidating.
The silver letters at the entrance practically screamed money.
KINGSLEY ACADEMY.
For a moment, she forgot to breathe.
"You're staring."
Ava looked beside her.
Her father smiled.
"You'll burn a hole through the gate at this rate."
A nervous laugh escaped her.
"I can still back out."
"No."
"Dad."
"No."
"What if—"
"No."
Ava groaned.
Her father chuckled.
Then his expression softened.
"You earned this."
"I know."
"Then stop looking at the building like it's about to eat you."
Ava laughed despite herself.
"I'll try."
"Good."
He squeezed her hand.
"You belong there."
The words settled somewhere deep inside her.
Not enough to erase the fear.
But enough to help her step out of the taxi.
The first thing she noticed was the cars.
The second thing she noticed was that she should never have looked at the cars.
Mercedes.
BMWs.
Range Rovers.
Cars she only saw online.
Students stepped out of them like it was normal.
Like they weren't arriving in vehicles worth more than most houses.
Ava looked away.
Immediately.
Nope.
She wasn't doing this.
The campus was even worse.
Or better.
Depending on how someone looked at it.
Perfect lawns.
Modern buildings.
Glass walls.
A giant fountain in the center.
A fountain.
In a school.
Her old school barely had working fans.
Kingsley had a fountain.
Life wasn't fair.
Students filled the walkways.
Laughing.
Talking.
Taking pictures.
Nobody looked nervous.
Nobody looked lost.
Nobody looked like they had spent the entire night worrying.
Ava adjusted her bag.
Maybe she was the only one.
As she walked across the courtyard, she began noticing something else.
People were looking at her.
Not everyone.
But enough.
A glance here.
A whisper there.
A second look.
Her heartbeat sped up.
Was there something wrong with her uniform?
She quickly checked.
Everything seemed fine.
So why were people staring?
"She's new."
Ava heard the whisper.
Two girls passed by.
One glanced back.
"Definitely new."
The other nodded.
Ava immediately pretended she hadn't heard them.
Fantastic.
Five minutes in and she already felt like an exhibit in a museum.
After checking her schedule three times, she finally found the academic building.
The hallways buzzed with conversation.
Students moved confidently from class to class.
Ava felt like she was walking through foreign territory.
Everywhere she looked, people seemed to know exactly where they belonged.
She didn't.
Not yet.
Her classroom was on the third floor.
By the time she reached it, her palms were sweating.
This was it.
No turning back.
Slowly, she stepped inside.
The room was already half full.
Conversations filled the air.
Some students sat in groups.
Others stood near the windows.
The moment Ava entered, several heads turned.
The conversations didn't stop.
But they definitely changed.
People were looking.
Again.
Ava resisted the urge to leave.
Instead, she walked to an empty seat near the middle of the room.
As she sat down, she could still feel eyes on her.
This was horrible.
Absolutely horrible.
A girl sitting nearby leaned forward.
"You're the new student?"
Ava nodded.
"Yeah."
The girl's eyes widened.
"Oh."
That wasn't suspicious at all.
Ava frowned.
"Oh what?"
The girl hesitated.
Then smiled awkwardly.
"Nothing."
Definitely something.
Before Ava could ask another question, a boy behind them spoke.
"You're the scholarship student, right?"
The classroom suddenly seemed quieter.
Not silent.
Just quieter.
Enough for Ava to notice.
She turned around.
The boy wasn't being rude.
Just curious.
Still, she felt every eye in the room shift toward her.
Scholarship student.
There it was.
The label.
The thing she had worried about.
"Yeah," she admitted.
A few students exchanged glances.
Ava immediately hated that.
She didn't want special treatment.
She didn't want attention.
She just wanted to survive.
To her surprise, the boy grinned.
"That's impressive."
Ava blinked.
"What?"
"Getting a scholarship here."
He shrugged.
"Kingsley barely gives those out."
A few students nodded.
One girl even looked impressed.
The knot in Ava's stomach loosened slightly.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
Maybe—
"Still won't beat him though."
The comment came from the back of the room.
Several students laughed.
Ava frowned.
Beat who?
The boy beside her rolled his eyes.
"Not this again."
"What?"
The girl near the window laughed.
"Everybody thinks they can."
"And everybody fails."
More laughter.
Ava looked between them.
She was completely lost.
"Who's him?" she finally asked.
The classroom immediately reacted.
Several students laughed.
One looked shocked.
Another nearly dropped his phone.
"You don't know?"
Ava shook her head.
The reaction only grew.
The boy behind her leaned closer.
"You're kidding."
"I'm new."
"Fair point."
He sat back.
Then smiled.
"You're about to find out."
Ava frowned.
Find out what?
Nobody explained.
Instead, several students exchanged knowing looks.
It was strangely annoying.
Then something happened.
The atmosphere changed.
Instantly.
Like someone had flipped a switch.
Conversations stopped.
Heads turned.
Students who had been scrolling through their phones suddenly looked up.
Even the people near the windows stood straighter.
Ava blinked.
What was happening now?
Whispers spread through the room.
Fast.
Very fast.
"He's here."
"No way."
"About time."
"I thought he'd be late."
Ava looked around.
The excitement was impossible to miss.
Girls checked their hair.
Guys straightened up.
Some students practically rushed toward the door.
The same boy from earlier laughed.
"Right on cue."
Ava frowned.
"Who?"
The boy looked at her.
Then toward the hallway.
Then back at her.
His grin widened.
"Welcome to Kingsley Academy."
He pointed toward the door.
"You're about to meet Ethan Blackwood."
- Writer
