Nobela ni Favour Christian

The pink liquid splashed across the front of Emily's dress as she approached, and her face instantly scrunched up with fury."You clumsy piece of shit!" she screamed, loud enough to make heads turn. "This dress cost more than your scholarship!"The entire deck went quiet. Conversations stopped mid-sentence, and Luca felt dozens of eyes boring into him. Heat flooded his face as whispers started sneaking through the crowd."Emily, it was an accident," Ryan said sharply."Was it?" Her voice was offensive now, drawing more attention. "Or maybe some people just don't know how to behave around their betters."The insult hit like a slap. Luca heard fragments of conversation from the growing crowd: "scholarship kid," "doesn't belong here," "pathetic.""That's enough," Ryan said, his voice deadly quiet."Is it?" Emily's smile was vicious. "Because I think we're just getting started."She was enjoying this, Luca realized with growing horror. She'd orchestrated the whole thing, used the crowd an

Saturday night arrived faster than Luca wanted. He'd spent the entire week avoiding Ryan in the hallways, ducking into empty classrooms whenever he spotted that familiar blonde head in the distance.Each time he had seen Ryan from afar, Lucas could clearly recall the conversation they last had, but aside that, his heart was trying to betray him and he was fighting hard not to let him.This was the last place he wanted to be this weekend, in a party full of rich kids, But Elvis had already promised him a ride, and backing out now would require explanations he wasn't ready to give.The Chen mansion was everything Luca had expected and worse. Cars that cost more than most people's houses lined the circular driveway, and through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see crowds of perfectly dressed teenagers holding red solo cups."Holy shit," Elvis breathed as they climbed out of the BMW. "This place is insane."Luca's stomach twisted with nerves. "Maybe we should go.""Are you crazy? Th

Emily's smile immediately faded away and Luca could feel the shift in atmosphere. the way the others suddenly found their food fascinating, the way conversations at nearby tables seemed to pause."I should go," Luca said quietly, starting to stand."No." Ryan's hand shot out to catch his wrist, and the contact sent sparks racing up Luca's arm. "Stay."Their eyes met, and for a moment the cafeteria faded away. It was just them, just this moment, just the implications of two years of separation and all the words they'd never said that filled the air between them.Then Emily cleared her throat loudly, and the spell broke."Actually," she said, voice dripping with false sweetness, "I think I need some air. Ryan, walk with me?"It wasn't a request. Her fingers wrapped around Ryan's arm with the casual ownership of someone used to getting what she wanted, and Ryan let her pull him to his feet."I'll catch up with you later," he said to Luca, but his eyes were apologetic, conflicted.Luca wa

Luca stood frozen in the middle of the hallway, clutching his schedule and trying not to let the desperate ache in his chest show on his face."You okay, man?"Luca turned to find a tall Black boy with kind eyes and an easy smile watching him with concern."Elvis Washington," the boy said, extending a hand. "And you look like you've seen a ghost.""Luca Hampton." He shook Elvis's hand gratefully. "And yeah, something like that.""Let me guess – Ryan Thompson just gave you the grand tour and now you feel like you've been hit by a truck?"Luca's eyes widened. "How did you—""Dude, you're not the first scholarship kid to get the 'Thompson Special.'" Elvis slung an arm around Luca's shoulders with easy familiarity. "He does that thing where he's all friendly and helpful, but there's this wall around him, right? Like he's performing being nice instead of actually being nice?""We used to be friends," Luca found himself admitting. "Before I moved away."Elvis raised an eyebrow. "Friends wi

The taxi pulled up to Westmore Academy, and Luca Hampton's stomach twisted into knots so tight he could barely breathe. Through the window, he stared at the building that would be his home away from home for the next year. "That'll be thirty-seven fifty, kid," the driver said, not bothering to hide his impatience.Luca fumbled with his worn wallet, counting out crumpled bills and loose change. His mother had given him exactly forty dollars for the trip, and he needed every penny of the change for lunch money until his work-study job kicked in next week. The driver rolled his eyes as Luca counted out quarters, but Luca had learned not to care about looks like that anymore. Pride was a luxury he couldn't afford."Keep the change," he muttered, grabbing his battered duffel bag and stepping into the drizzle.The taxi sped away, leaving him alone on the circular driveway. Students streamed past him in designer clothes and confident clusters, their laughter echoing off the walls. Nobody