Chapter 4: His Name Again
800 Words
The moment the boy said the name, the classroom erupted.
"Ethan's finally here."
"Took him long enough."
"I heard he had a competition this morning."
"Obviously."
"He always has something."
Ava blinked.
One name.
And suddenly everyone had something to say.
She looked toward the door.
Nothing happened.
Yet.
Still, the room buzzed with excitement.
It was honestly ridiculous.
"Who exactly is this guy?" Ava asked.
The girl beside her looked horrified.
"You seriously don't know?"
Ava was starting to get tired of that question.
"I'm new."
"Right."
The girl laughed awkwardly.
"Well... Ethan Blackwood."
That explained absolutely nothing.
"He came first in the entire grade last year."
"So?"
The girl stared at her.
"So?"
Ava shrugged.
"He studied."
The girl looked personally offended.
The boy behind Ava laughed.
"I like her."
"You won't when Ethan destroys her grades."
Several students laughed.
Ava frowned.
"Destroys my grades?"
The boy pointed toward a large board hanging on the wall.
Ava followed his finger.
At first she didn't understand what she was looking at.
Then she noticed the names.
Student rankings.
Exam rankings.
Competition rankings.
Achievement rankings.
Everything rankings.
And sitting comfortably at the very top—
1. ETHAN BLACKWOOD
Ava stared.
Then looked again.
The same name appeared everywhere.
Academic Excellence Award.
Ethan Blackwood.
Mathematics Competition Winner.
Ethan Blackwood.
Debate Champion.
Ethan Blackwood.
Student Excellence Recognition.
Ethan Blackwood.
"Does he own the school?"
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Several students burst out laughing.
"No."
"Basically."
"Almost."
Ava rolled her eyes.
The classroom door opened.
For a second, everyone looked up.
Then immediately looked away.
False alarm.
A teacher had entered.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, ma'am."
The teacher placed a stack of papers on her desk.
Then looked around the room.
Her eyes landed on Ava.
"You must be Ava Williams."
Ava nodded.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Welcome to Kingsley Academy."
"Thank you."
The teacher smiled.
Then continued arranging her papers.
Ava expected the excitement to die down.
It didn't.
Every few minutes someone looked toward the door.
Someone checked the time.
Someone whispered Ethan's name.
It was becoming annoying.
"What makes him so special anyway?"
The question escaped before she could stop it.
The girl beside her laughed.
"Everything."
"What does that even mean?"
"He gets the best grades."
"So?"
"He wins competitions."
"So?"
"Teachers love him."
"So?"
The girl stared.
Ava stared back.
Finally, the girl sighed.
"You'll understand when you meet him."
Ava doubted that.
Very much.
The bell rang.
More students entered.
More conversations started.
And somehow Ethan Blackwood remained the main topic.
"He won another competition last month."
"My cousin says universities are already interested in him."
"I heard he got a perfect score."
"Again?"
"Again."
Ava fought the urge to groan.
The guy sounded exhausting.
A few minutes later, another teacher entered.
Unlike the first one, his arrival immediately quieted the room.
He adjusted his glasses.
Looked around.
Then nodded.
"Good."
The class sat straighter.
Even Ava.
The teacher began taking attendance.
One name after another.
Students responded.
Everything felt normal.
Until—
"Ethan Blackwood."
The room waited.
No response.
The teacher sighed.
Not annoyed.
Amused.
"Late again."
Several students laughed.
"Still giving him special treatment?"
someone muttered.
The teacher smiled.
"When he starts failing tests, I'll consider it."
More laughter.
Ava stared.
Did teachers actually joke about students like this?
The teacher continued attendance.
But Ava couldn't stop thinking about it.
Everyone knew Ethan.
Students.
Teachers.
Apparently half the school.
It was strange.
Her old school had popular students.
Kingsley seemed to have a celebrity.
The lesson started.
Ava tried paying attention.
She really did.
But every now and then, Ethan's name popped up again.
Someone mentioned a competition.
Someone mentioned rankings.
Someone mentioned a trophy.
It was unbelievable.
By lunchtime, Ava had heard enough.
If she heard the name Ethan Blackwood one more time, she might scream.
The cafeteria was massive.
Of course it was.
Everything at Kingsley was massive.
Ava stood in line carrying her tray.
Trying to figure out where to sit.
Most tables were already occupied.
Students laughed and chatted with their friends.
Meanwhile she knew exactly nobody.
She finally spotted an empty table near the far corner.
Perfect.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
Exactly what she needed.
Balancing her tray carefully, Ava headed toward it.
At the same time, someone else turned the corner.
Fast.
Very fast.
Ava looked up.
So did the other person.
For a split second, neither stopped.
Then—
"Watch it."
Ava nearly collided with him.
Her tray tilted dangerously.
She grabbed it just in time.
A drink nearly spilled.
The boy stepped back.
Tall.
Dark hair.
Sharp features.
Perfectly pressed uniform.
Annoyingly handsome.
His eyes met hers.
For one second.
Two.
Three.
The cafeteria suddenly felt very quiet.
Then someone nearby whispered:
"That's Ethan Blackwood."
- Writer
