United again

First Day At Brilliant Bloom Academy` "Rose!" Her mother knocked on the door before pushing it open. "Rose, get up and get ready for school," she said, pulling the curtains open. Sunlight flooded the room and hit Rose right in the face. She groaned and yanked the duvet over her head. Her mother just laughed and pulled it away. "Mom, can't you stop? I want to sleep more," Rose whined, rolling over on the bed and pouting. "Rose, baby, I'm giving you five minutes to get dressed and come downstairs," her mom said as she walked out and closed the door behind her. Rose dragged herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom. After her bath, she came out and slipped into her uniform. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She tied her hair into a neat ponytail, grabbed her backpack, and headed downstairs. "Oh, and here comes my baby girl," her dad said from the kitchen, grinning. "Looking like a princess and beautiful as ever." "Morning, Dad," Rose said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. He poured her a glass of juice while her mother set a plate of dumplings in front of her. "I can see you're ready for school," her father said, taking a sip from his cup. "Yes, Dad," Rose said with her mouth full. "I just wonder what the school is like." "Oh, come on, Rose. You're going to love it. It's the best school around here," he assured her. "I know," she sighed. "But it can never be like Royal High. I really miss Royal High and that place, but what can I do?" "That's my girl," he said, standing up. "Now let's get going." "Bye, Mom!" Rose said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Bye, sweetheart," her mom replied, then gave her dad a quick kiss. "And you too, Axel. Drive safe." In the car, Rose stared out the window. Everything looked so different. So new. So beautiful. "Alright, here we are," her father said, parking the car. He opened the door for her. "Let's go meet the principal." "Okay, Dad," Rose said, following him. She looked around at the students gathered on the assembly ground in neat rows, all wearing the white and blue uniform. At the reception desk, her dad spoke up. "Hello, young lady. Can we see Mr. Johnson?" "Good morning, sir," the receptionist smiled. "Let me get through to him." She dialed his number. "You can go in now, sir," she said, hanging up and going back to her work. "Alright, thank you," her dad said. They walked to the office door and knocked before entering. "Good morning, Mr. Axel. Nice to see you again," the principal said, standing up to shake his hand. "Morning, Principal Johnson. My pleasure," her dad replied. "And this is my daughter, Axel Roseline." "Oh, what a beautiful daughter you have," the principal said warmly. "And I promise you won't regret bringing her to this school. Neither will she. Because Brilliant Bloom is the best school in New Zealand." "Thank you, sir," Rose said with a small smile. "I'm looking forward to getting used to it." "That's what I like to hear, young lady," the principal said. He picked up the phone. "Hello, Miss Florence? Please come to my office now." He hung up. A few minutes later, there was a knock and Miss Florence stepped in. "Good morning, sir." "Ah, morning, Miss Florence. This is the new student I told you about. She's in your class. Please take her to class." "Alright, sir," Miss Florence said. She turned to Rose. "Come with me." "Bye, Dad. See you later," Rose said quickly. "Alright, baby girl. I'll send Rex to pick you up later," he said. Then he turned to the principal and shook his hand. "Well, I have to go now." "Of course, Mr. Axel. It's a pleasure having your daughter here. I'll take good care of her." "No worries, Mr. Johnson." Miss Florence led Rose down the hallway to their classroom. Inside, the students were talking loudly and didn't notice them until Miss Florence's voice cut through the noise. "Attention, students!" Everyone scrambled to their seats. "Good morning, Miss Florence!" they said in unison. "Morning. Take your seats," she said. Her eyes scanned the room. "Where is Miami?" "Here, ma," a girl stood up. "Good. Next time I walk in and it's this noisy, all of you will be punished. Is that clear?" "Yes, Miss Florence," they mumbled. "Okay. Students, meet your new classmate and friend." She gestured to Rose. "Would you like to introduce yourself?" "Yes, ma," Rose stepped forward, her hands shaking a little. "Hello, class. My name is Axel Roseline, and I hope we can all be friends. Thank you." The class immediately started whispering. "So, what was the name of your former school?" Miss Florence asked. "Royal High Academy." "Hmm. Never heard of it. Where is it located?" "In South Korea." "You came all the way from South Korea to New Zealand? Wow, that's amazing." "Actually, I'm a native of New Zealand," Rose explained. "I just lived with my brother in South Korea." "Alright then. Go have your seat," Miss Florence said. "And class, enjoy your day. There are no lectures today." "Thank you, Miss Florence!" the class chorused as she walked out. The moment the door closed, everyone turned to stare at Rose. "Hi, I'm Elsa," a girl with blonde hair said, offering her hand. "Nice to meet you. Looks like we're seatmates." "Nice to meet you too," Rose said, shaking her hand and sitting down. Across the room, Tyler nudged Jaden. "Wow, she's so beautiful, Jaden. Look." Jaden glanced up. His eyes landed on Rose for a second. He felt something in his chest but quickly looked away, his expression blank. "Maybe," he shrugged. "Ah, come on, Jaden," Tyler said. "Why are you doing this to yourself over a girl who doesn't deserve you? Don't ever mention Jessica in front of me again. She's not in my heart anymore. She broke it." "That's exactly why you need to move on," Tyler argued. "She moved on and she's happy. But look at you. You're still stuck in the dark. Maybe dating someone else will help. Maybe Rose can set you free, you know?" "Damn it! I'm done with relationships," Jaden snapped. He stood up angrily and walked out of the class. His friends called after him, but he didn't turn back. "Hey, Elsa," Rose asked quietly. "Who was that guy that just walked out?" "That's Jaden," Elsa said with a sigh. "The most brilliant and handsome guy in school." Rose frowned. "I don't care. But... he is handsome. Not that I would ever fall for him," she added quickly. "Losing a girl like that... hello! This is Jaden we're talking about. Even teachers can't question him. And he's rich." Elsa shook her head. "There's no point explaining everything now. You'll see for yourself." "But why does he look so angry and sad?" Rose asked. Elsa looked at her. "Just curious?" "Well... yeah. Nothing else," Rose said. "Alright," Elsa lowered her voice. "It's because he caught his girlfriend cheating with his cousin. He loved Jessica so much. Treated her like a queen. But she betrayed him. Since then, our cheerful Jaden turned cold and rude." Rose felt a pang in her chest. "That's... really painful." She packed her things. "Hey, Elsa? Do you want to grab something from the cafeteria, then give me a tour?" "Sure," Elsa stood up. "Tour first, then food. Come on." --- That evening. "Hello? Mom, I'm home!" Rose dropped her bag by the door. "Hi, darling!" Her mom came from the kitchen. "How was school today?" Rose kicked off her shoes and smiled tiredly. "Pretty rough," she admitted. "But still... wonderful." `TO BE CONTINUED...`