War of the Brats

When Rivalry Wears a Crown

There was never a time Wynd didn’t piss me off. I never liked him. Back in high school, I did everything I could to stay out of his way. He never did anything to me, really — but my mind would always sound an alarm whenever he was near, like some part of me knew I had to avoid him, because nothing good ever came out of his presence. I couldn’t even remember him smiling at me. Whenever our eyes met, he was always frowning — like just seeing me ruined his whole day.

We weren’t close — not that he wanted to be — but his brother Rain and my sister Snow were friends. That’s why I thought it’d be easy to befriend him too… but I was wrong. I couldn’t even get close to him without him raising an eyebrow, scowling, or showing me he had zero interest in talking. What could I do? It’s not like I was dying for his attention. I just thought, since our siblings got along, maybe we could too.

So when we graduated from junior high and moved on to senior high, I didn’t stay in Heartanger. I was sure he’d remain there — that school offered a K–12 program anyway — and I just wanted to avoid him. I felt that if I stayed on the same campus as him, I’d end up having an enemy. My friends and I had already planned to transfer after graduation, so it comforted me to know I wouldn’t be alone.

But on the first day of school, I saw him — Wynd — with his friends.

I was completely shocked. He didn’t even look surprised to see me. My hope for a peaceful school year shattered instantly… especially when his fraternity friends started picking on me. I didn’t know if he knew about it, since they usually did it when he wasn’t around — but there was one time he *was* there.

And he didn’t do a thing.

He just stared while his friends laughed at me.

I didn’t even know it was possible to hate someone this much… but I did. I truly hated him.

---

“The results are out!” Gina yelled.

“So many people are checking, let’s go later,” I heard her say again.

“Oh my god, I’m so nervous! I didn’t even answer the last word problem properly!” Mae said, fanning herself.

“Wanna check now?” Pink whispered.

“Later. I’m too lazy.” I complained — and I meant it. After getting treated for my minor injuries yesterday, I went home and slept the whole day. I was so drained I didn’t even eat dinner. Taking the exam *and* getting into an accident in the same day? Yeah, that took everything out of me.

Pink raised a brow. “That’s new. You’re usually the most excited among the four of us when it comes to stuff like this.”

I pouted. When I told them I wanted to run as Queen, they all protested — which I expected. Being Queen meant responsibility, leadership — things I wasn’t used to. I knew I was kind of spoiled. I wasn’t like my sister Snow — smart, decisive, perfect. I didn’t even know what course I’d take in college. I had no idea what I wanted.

But I’d thought this through.

Being Queen meant having power — power to protect myself.

So no one could hurt me again, especially not Wynd’s frat brothers.

Another reason? To dethrone Britney, whose ego had gotten so big she practically needed a crown to match.

She didn’t even do anything right as Queen! I still remember her oath-taking — full of promises she never kept. And she spent most of her time flirting with Wynd.

“Who do you think will be King?” Gina asked suddenly. “Wynd’s opponents from ABM are smart too.”

I shrugged. “Wouldn’t be surprised if it’s him again.”

“Would you be fine with that?” Mae arched a brow. “You two can’t even stand each other. We might as well give you swords and let you duel.”

“If I become Queen, it’s fine. We don’t have to be together all the time anyway. I don’t want more trouble — Kuya Ace warned me, remember? He was serious.”

Gina snorted. “Not together? You do remember Wynd and Britney back then, right? Practically inseparable. And Britney totally milked that for attention.”

I still remembered the article she had published in the writing club about their so-called ‘dating scandal.’ I never knew if it was true — Wynd never denied it, but he never confirmed it either. Still, every girl in school seemed updated on his status. The moment he was single, it was chaos.

Seriously, there were way more handsome guys in STEM.

“Well, if Yuri becomes Queen,” Pink said, “she’ll have a say in everything — like, she could even refuse to work with Wynd.”

I nodded. “Exactly.”

When I looked outside, I saw students running around, some even screaming.

“We need to check now! I’m about to pee from nerves!” Mae whined.

I pressed my lips together and nodded. We all stood up to leave the room. My heart was pounding like crazy. I wasn’t nervous during the exam — only now, knowing the results were out. I remembered my co-examinees — some from STEM, but most were from ABM. They had an advantage, since the test was filled with math problems.

When we reached the bulletin board, Mae suddenly pulled us back.

“What?”

“Wait, give me a sec!” She pulled out her mini fan. “I’m so nervous! What if I’m not in the top 3?!”

“You’ll be fine! We reviewed together!” Gina said.

“But what if—”

“Then we’ll see, Mae,” Pink said, dragging us forward.

We went straight to the Top 3 Princesses results. Before they could look, I blocked the board. “Wait — close your eyes first.”

“Seriously?” Pink looked at me.

“I’m serious!”

“Just show it already!” Mae groaned.

“Nope. Eyes closed!” They all rolled their eyes but obeyed. I looked first — and grinned.

1. Ginarelle Garcia— 95% score, 80% votes

2. Maerinne Sandoval — 91% score, 82% votes

3. Priscillane Nikola Rosales — 90% score, 80% votes

“They did it,” I whispered. “Open your eyes!”

They opened them — and screamed.

“I told you — you just have to trust yourselves.” I said proudly. They all hugged, squealing. “Congratulations, princesses!”

“Holy s**t, I didn’t expect this,” Pink said.

“Why not? You guys aced it,” I teased, and she rolled her eyes playfully before pulling me toward the Queen results.

“You’ve got this,” Gina said, reassuring me.

“It’s fine. I did my best yesterda—”

“Oh my god! You did it!” Mae suddenly screamed.

My eyes widened. My lips parted.

“Bow down to our Queen!” Gina said, and the three bowed before giggling.

I bit my lip. I actually did it. I was the new Queen.

Shit. I knew I did well, but… still. s**t.

We were still celebrating when Britney arrived. The laughter died instantly. I cleared my throat. “Congrats. You’re top 2.”

“Are we still pretending? You love seeing my name under yours,” she said smugly.

“Seriously?” I laughed. “I was congratulating you. You got the highest votes — the students like you. Too bad I perfected the exam and you didn’t.”

Her jaw tightened. She lunged, but Mae and the others stopped her. “You must’ve manipulated the results! No one’s ever perfected that test, Hurricane! You’re jealous of me, that’s why you did this!”

“Jealous? Of you? Look at yourself! Why can’t you accept that your reign is over? You were Queen last year — maybe take a break from your lazy leadership for once!”

“How dare you!” she shouted. “Why can’t you admit the real reason you ran? To cover up what you did last year — the humiliation you caused this school and Wynd! You have no right to complain about how I handled things when you ruined the school’s reputation!”

I clenched my jaw. “Oh, please. You’re still using *that* against me? That was last year! Everyone’s moved on. And what progress are you talking about? Where’s the new study hub you promised during oath-taking? The comfort room for l***q students you swore would be finished by the end of the year? Britney, I’m already in Grade 12 and nothing’s been done! You were Queen — that was your responsibility!”

Her eyes burned with anger. I raised an eyebrow, daring her to say more — but she didn’t.

Then the intercom sounded:

> “All Princes, Princesses, King, and Queen of Monarch High, please proceed to the gymnasium.”

I smirked. “Guess they’re calling for me. I am the Queen, after all.”

She said nothing as I turned and left.

When we reached the gym, I saw Wynd on stage. Students crowded below.

“s**t,” Pink muttered. “Those were the guys from yesterday.”

My eyes widened. Wait — they’re the Princes?!

And Wynd was still the King?!

“His fans are consistent,” Mae whispered. “He got the highest votes again.”

“Princess Ginarelle, Princess Maerinne, Princess Priscillane, and Queen Hurricane, please come to the stage,” the emcee called.

“It’s Pink,” she muttered softly as we approached the stage. There were eight chairs — two in front, six on the sides. Three on Wynd’s side, three on mine. He was already seated in front.

“Princesses, please take your seats. Queen Hurricane, please sit beside King Wynd.”

I bit my lip and obeyed, quietly shifting a little farther from him. He kept his eyes straight ahead, frowning. Same old Wynd — he always looked like that when I was around. Maybe he was used to this ceremony by now — after all, it was his *second* time as King.

“I now present to you the new Queen and King, Princesses and Princes of Monarch High!”

The crowd cheered.

“Prince Juan Solomon Espanueva.” A pierced guy stepped forward. *Piercings were allowed?!*

“Prince Pietro Pharaoh Cortez.” Oh, Pip — I’d heard his name yesterday.

“Prince Calvin Samuel Bartolome.” The same guy who’d called Mae a stick figure.

“Princess Priscillane Nikola Rosales.” Pink stepped forward, frowning — she hated her full name.

“Princess Maerinne Sandoval.” Mae stepped forward, already teary-eyed.

“Princess Ginarelle Garcia.” Gina waved at the crowd like a celebrity.

“King Wynd Clarkson.” Wynd stepped forward.

“And Queen Hurricane Shine Park.” My turn. I stepped forward, legs trembling.

“These students before you are your new leaders — promoting progress, development, and the welfare of Monarch High. Please welcome them as warmly as you did the former leaders.”

Applause filled the gym. My chest tightened — overwhelmed.

“Your hand,” I heard Wynd whisper.

“Huh?”

He clicked his tongue — and suddenly took my hand. He intertwined his fingers with mine and lifted it up. The crowd roared.

And at that moment,

I finally knew —

this is what it feels like to be the Queen.