ST. VERITAS HIGH: THE DIAMOND LEAGUE.

CHAPTER 4: THE DIAMOND BOYS

The first helicopter landed on the eastern helipad.

A black one.

The powerful blades slowly came to a stop, sending a rush of wind across the landing area.

Students gathered behind the barriers almost immediately.

They already knew who was coming.

Then another helicopter appeared in the distance.

This one was white.

A few seconds later, a third helicopter descended from the sky.

Blue.

Three helicopters.

Three boys.

And three members of the Diamond League.

The doors opened.

The first person to step out was Zayn Creed.

He wasn't wearing the St. Veritas uniform.

He never did.

Instead, he wore a perfectly fitted black shirt beneath a dark jacket, black trousers and expensive-looking shoes. A silver watch rested around his wrist, and his dark hair was slightly tousled, giving him an effortlessly careless appearance.

He stepped onto the ground without looking at the crowd.

Not once.

The screams around him seemed completely irrelevant.

Behind him came Lucien Ashford.

Unlike Zayn, Lucien seemed to enjoy every second of the attention.

He wore a white shirt beneath a dark leather jacket, with the sleeves casually rolled up. His hair was neatly styled, and a mischievous smile appeared the moment he saw the crowd.

He raised one hand.

"Good morning, ladies."

The screams doubled.

Lucien laughed.

Then he blew a kiss toward the crowd.

"Oh my God!"

"He blew a kiss at me!"

"I swear he looked at me!"

"Lucien!"

"I love his jacket!"

Rowan Ashford stepped out of the blue helicopter moments later.

He looked almost identical to Lucien at first glance, but the differences became obvious when one actually paid attention.

The twins shared similar features, but Rowan's expression was quieter.

Calmer.

He wore a dark athletic jacket over a simple shirt, paired with basketball sneakers.

He glanced at the crowd and gave a small smirk.

That was enough.

The girls screamed again.

"Oh my goodness!"

"Rowan smiled!"

"Did you see that?"

"I can't breathe!"

Rowan shook his head.

"Every year, it gets worse." He muttered

Lucien laughed.

"You love the attention Rowan."

"I tolerate it." Rowan replied

"Same thing." Lucien said, placing his hand on his twin brother shoulder.

Zayn said nothing.

He simply continued walking.

The crowd parted after some minutes.

Nobody needed to tell them to move.

They knew.

Everyone also knew that the three boys didn't wear uniforms.

They don't wear League stars.

They don't need to.

Everyone at St. Veritas knew exactly who they were.

The Diamond League.

The highest level in the school.

The three students whose families possessed enough influence to make even the school's strictest rules seem optional.

As the boys walked through the campus, whispers followed them.

"Zayn looks even better this year."

"Look at his hair."

"His eyebrows..."

"Stop staring!"

"I can't!"

Lucien continued acknowledging the attention, occasionally waving at someone or sending another playful smile toward the crowd.

Rowan simply walked beside him.

Zayn didn't even turn his head.

---

Their footsteps echoed through the private corridor reserved for the Diamond League.

At the end of the hallway stood a large door.

Beyond it was their private suite.

The room was more luxurious than most students' homes.

Three large bedrooms.

A spacious sitting area.

A private kitchen.

A study room.

A gaming area.

And a balcony overlooking almost the entire campus.

Lucien threw himself onto one of the couches.

"Finally!"

He stretched his arms above his head.

"I've missed this place."

Rowan dropped into the chair opposite him.

"You've missed the attention." He said while facing him.

Lucien placed a hand over his chest.

"How dare you?" He exaggerated

Rowan raised an eyebrow.

"You literally blew kisses at half the school." He said, laughing.

"That's called welcoming people." Lucien defended himself.

"That's called flirting."

"Same thing."

Rowan rolled his eyes.

Zayn walked toward the large window.

He looked out over the campus.

The noise from outside had already begun to fade.

Lucien turned toward him.

"So..."

Zayn didn't respond.

Lucien grinned.

"How was your one month holiday with your father?"

Zayn's expression hardened slightly.

Lucien noticed.

"I hope you didn't strangle the man."

Zayn slowly turned his head.

His stare could have frozen water.

Lucien immediately raised both hands.

"Okay. Okay. I was only asking."

Rowan sighed.

"Lucien, you never know when to stop."

"That's because life would be boring if I did."

He leaned back against the couch.

"Besides, we have four months of school ahead of us. We need entertainment."

Rowan shook his head.

"You're impossible."

---

A few minutes passed.

Then Rowan suddenly looked at the calendar on the wall.

"Wednesday."

Lucien followed his gaze.

"Oh."

He smiled.

"Wednesday."

"I can't wait."

Zayn finally turned away from the window.

"You two are excited about that class?"

Rowan looked at him.

"Of course."

Zayn frowned.

"I don't understand what you see in it."

Lucien sat up.

"Wait. You actually don't like it?"

"No."

"Why?"

Zayn folded his arms.

"What's there to like?"

Lucien shrugged.

"Everything."

Zayn scoffed.

"It's just another stupid idea from the school."

Rowan looked at him curiously.

"How?"

"They cancelled assembly."

Zayn walked toward the couch.

"And somehow decided that putting Year One, Year Two and Year Three students in the same class was a better idea."

Lucien smiled.

"You make it sound like a crime."

"It is." Zayn said

Rowan laughed.

Zayn continued.

"They claim it's a leadership and community class."

He shook his head.

"It's basically assembly with a different name."

Lucien nodded slowly.

"Okay..."

"I actually understand your point."

Zayn raised an eyebrow.

"But?"

Lucien grinned.

"But we're going to see a lot of beautiful girls."

Rowan groaned.

"There it is."

Lucien pointed at him.

"Don't pretend you're not interested."

"I am not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

Lucien leaned closer.

"You're my twin. You're supposed to support me."

Rowan stared at him.

"You're hopeless."

"Thank you." Lucien grinned

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I'll take it anyway."

Zayn watched them silently.

For the first time that morning, the corner of his mouth moved.

He smiled.

Then his expression returned to its usual unreadable state.

---

Principal's Office

Across the campus, inside the administration building, Principal Vincent sat at the head of a long conference table.

Several teachers sat around him.

A folder lay open in front of every person in the room.

Vincent adjusted his glasses.

"Last session was successful."

He paused.

"But successful isn't enough."

The teachers listened carefully.

"We are St. Veritas High."

His voice was calm, but firm.

"Our standards cannot remain where they are. They must rise."

He looked around the table.

"Academic performance must improve. Discipline must improve. Student participation must improve."

One of the senior teachers nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"And I don't want any unnecessary incidents this session."

Vincent's gaze moved from one teacher to another.

"We have worked too hard to build the reputation of this institution."

He closed the folder in front of him.

"Every teacher in this room represents this school. I expect you to remember that."

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

He stood.

"That will be all."

The teachers began gathering their documents.

Vincent remained behind.

His phone vibrated on the table.

He looked at the screen.

For a moment, his expression changed.

He answered.

"Hello?"

A voice spoke from the other end.

Vincent listened silently.

"Yes."

He glanced toward the window.

"They arrived not long ago."

Another pause.

"Yes. All three of them."

His fingers tightened slightly around the phone.

"They've already settled into their suite."

He listened again.

"I'll send someone to check on them."

Another pause.

"Yes."

His voice became quieter.

"Everything is under control."

He ended the call.

For several seconds, Principal Vincent remained completely still.

His eyes moved toward the window.

From where he stood, he could see a portion of the campus.

Students were walking between buildings.

Teachers were beginning their classes.

Everything appeared normal.

Perfectly normal.

Vincent slowly placed his phone back on the table.

Then he looked toward the eastern side of the school.

Toward the Diamond residence.

His expression was unreadable.

"Welcome back," he murmured.

Then he turned away from the window.

And returned to work.