CRUEL OBSESSION

I slammed my fork into the porcelain plate, the sharp clatter slicing through the silence of the dining room."Elena, darling, must you make such a racket?" My mother’s voice, smooth as silk but just as sharp, cut through the morning air. "You’ll wake your father."I bit back a retort, knowing full well that my father was long gone, likely engrossed in some high-stakes deal to further solidify our family’s fortune. Instead, I stared at my plate, gripping my fork until my knuckles turned white. "I apologize, Mother. Just… not very hungry."She barely spared me a glance, her blonde hair perfectly styled, her silk dressing gown unwrinkled, her plate of meticulously arranged fruit untouched. "Nonsense. You need to keep your strength up. You have a charity dinner today, and you know how important it is to leave a good impression."I sighed, already dreading the afternoon’s forced smiles and hollow conversations.Then came the inevitable. "Speaking of outings, Cameron called yesterday. He’s

The day of our presentation came faster than I expected, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I was going to ruin it.Noah had put everything into this project, carrying the weight of our partnership, while I had contributed little more than glares and silence. And now, that effort would be my weapon of choice.The projector screen flickered in front of me, a distorted reflection of the presentation we—no, he had spent weeks perfecting. The class sat waiting, a sea of expectant faces. Mr. Harrison stood at the front of the room, arms crossed, and a faint, knowing smile played on his lips. He saw right through me; I was sure of it. But that didn’t matter. I just needed to make this believable.I cleared my throat, putting on a bright, overly cheerful smile."Okay, so," I began, my voice just a touch too high-pitched. "As you can see, our initial projections regarding social class were slightly... exaggerated."I trailed off, feigning confusion. The room was silent, save for the low

The next morning, I arrived at the Academy, the manicured grounds feeling even more sterile than usual. My heels clicked against the pavement, but my mind was elsewhere. On him.I hated it. Hated that my eyes betrayed me, scanning the crowd, my pulse quickening even though I knew I shouldn’t be looking for him. It was pathetic. Ridiculous.Cameron had warned me about Noah, had told me to stay away, and yet here I was, preoccupied with the very person I was supposed to forget.I clenched my jaw, storming down the hallway. This wasn’t obsession. It was revenge.He had humiliated me, and unknowingly forced me to confront the ugly truths about myself. I needed to set things right. To reclaim control.But then—God—the memory crashed into me like a tidal wave.Last night.The air had been thick, suffocating. I had tossed and turned beneath my silk sheets, my body restless, burning with something I didn’t want to name.I had tried to fight it. To push him out of my head.But Noah was everywh

Each step I took down the hushed hallway toward Professor Harrison’s office felt like a countdown to my execution or something. What could he possibly want?There was no explanation, no warning—just a scholarship kid, one of those riff-raffs like Noah, delivering the summons while I was with Tiffany and the girls. The moment he’d said it, an unsettling feeling settled over me. It had to be about my grades. But I shoved that thought aside.Professor Harrison’s office smelled like old paper and pipe tobacco—the kind of scent that clung to the walls and soaked into the heavy wooden bookshelves. It was a shrine to academia, every inch crammed with books, framed diplomas, and reminders of brilliance.He barely looked up when I entered, only gesturing for me to sit. The exhaustion on his face mirrored my own, but there was something else there—disappointment.“Elena,” he said, his voice carrying that patronizing, fatherly disappointment that made my skin crawl. “Your performance in my class

“Mom, that’s enough,” I snapped, my voice shaking, my hands gripping the edge of the desk. “You’re being ridiculous.”Veronica arched a perfectly sculpted brow. “Ridiculous? Darling, I’m simply looking out for your best interests. You wouldn’t want to... dilute your potential by mixing with the less fortunate, would you?”I felt sick.A toxic, acidic sickness that burned through my chest, settled in my throat, and made my fingers curl into fists. I wanted to scream. To throw something. To do something.But I didn’t.And that was the worst part.Noah didn’t fight back. He didn’t argue. He didn’t give her the satisfaction of a reaction as usual. He just picked up his books, his expression unreadable.“Noah, wait,” I blurted, reaching out, desperate to stop this and fix it.He was already at the door.Veronica smiled. That smug, knowing, triumphant smile. “See? I’m sure Noah understands. Some people simply don’t belong in certain... circles.”I wanted to punch her.Instead, I stood there