CHAPTER SEVEN
779 Words
The day of the symposium began like any other school day.
Becca realized that first, and the thought unsettled her.
Students still rushed through the gates of Sullivan High with half buttoned blazers and unfinished breakfasts. someone argued with a prefect near the stairs. Laughter spilled out of the cafeteria doors. The world hadn't paused just because something important was about to happen .
she adjusted the strap of her bag and walked beside Evelyn as usual, even though neither of them spoke much.
"you didn't finish your toast", Evelyn said eventually, nodding at the napkin in Becca's hand.
"I wasn't hungry", Becca replied
That wasn't entirely true.
In homeroom,teachers reminded them- again -about decorum.Ashbourne Academy would arrive by midday. Sullivan students were expected to 'represent excellence '.The words have been used so often they barely mean anything anymore.
Becca spent first period in silence,copying notes she already knew, listening to the low buzz of speculation around her.
"They say Ashbourne always wins".
"They participate like a team "
" AT least we have Evelyn "
" and the Prince "
" by lunch time,Ashbourne arrived"
They weren't intimidating in the dramatic sense- just confident .Their students blended easily into sullivan's courtyard,laughing together,sharing bottled drinks,moving in clusters that Made Their familiarity obvious.
"They look..... comfortable," Becca Heard someone matter.
She agreed.
Evelyn sat with Cyrus at the symposium table near the stage later that afternoon,papers neatly stacked,posture composed.To anyone watching,they looked prepared.impressive .
Becca took a seat with the rest of the students.
Not hidden.just ordinary.
The topic was displayed above the stage:
Power and progress:can Aristocratic influence coexist with modern Democratic Governance?
Becca exhaled softly.of course it was.
Ashbourne presented first.Their argument wasn't perfect,but it was unified.Each speaker corrected the next without hesitation.When one faltered,another stepped in naturally.
When it was sullivan's turn,Evelyn stood, confident as ever.Becca felt a familiar flicker of pride.Evelyn was brilliant.she always had been.
Cyrus spoke next,calm and articulated,adding depth and balance.
They were good.
But they weren't seamless.
During questions,Evelyn paused once- just briefly- and Becca felt it immediately. The instinct to help rose sharp and reflexive.
she didn't act on it.
From her seat,Becca kept her hands folded and her gaze low. The choice felt heavier than she expected.
When the judges withdrew, students stretched, whispered,checked phones.someone behind Becca joked about how hungry they were.Another complained about missing football practice.
life, continuing.
When the result was announced- Asbourne Academy- the reaction was mixed.polite applause.A few surprised gasps.A quiet Hum of commentary.
Evelyn clapped,composed,but Becca saw the way her shoulders stiffened.
Afterward,the hall dissolved back into normalcy.
The hall loosened.
Teachers were around the judges, students drifted into informal circles,voices lowering,laughter all around the hall.Asbourne students moved easily among themselves- confident,relaxed in victory.
Becca stood near the back, adjusting the strap of her bag, preparing to leave quietly as she always did.
"You're from Sullivan,right?"
The voice was light.curious.
she looked up.
The boy in front of her wore Ashbourne's silver striped blazer,hair slightly disheveled,smiled easily in a way that suggested he wasn't calculating anything,He didn't look impressed or intimated.
"Becca",he added quickly,as if afraid she might walk away."I heard your name earlier".
she hesitated "You did?"
"Yeah",he said "you didn't speak- but people kept looking at you like you might".
That was honest.Disarming.
For the first time,that day,Becca smiled.
It wasn't wide,not dramatic.just a small, genuine curve of relief- like being seen without being pulled forward.
"I'm Adrian", he said."you should've been up there.your school's good,but they don't move together ".
Becca laughed softly.The sound surprised even her.
"Maybe next time",she said.
Across the hall,prince Cyrus paused mid conversation.
He hadn't meant to look.
But something had shifted- something bright and unmistakable in a space that had been restrained all afternoon.His gaze landed on Becca just as she smiled again,this time at Adrian.
The sight unsettled him
Not because it mattered
Not because it should
But because it did.
A tight, inexplicable irritation flared in his chest
she hadn't smiled like that all day.
Not at the presentation.
Not at the applause.
Not even when Sullivan had been praised.
Yet there she was- smiling easy at someone who hadn't earned it.
Cyrus turned back to the person speaking to him, nodding absent-mindedly,jaw tightening.
why should that bother him?
it shouldn't.
And yet, when Adrian leaned closer, saying something that made Becca lower her head slightly, amused.
Cyrus felt it again.
sharp. irrational. immediate.
He excused himself abruptly.
Evelyn noticed."Everything okay?"
"Fine",he said,too quickly.
But his eyes flickered once more towards the back of the hall
Becca was still smiling.
And for reasons he could not name, prince Cyrus felt unreasonably, unmistakably displeased.
- Writer
