6: Broken rule

Genevieve's POV

Throughout the rest of the day, I ignored everyone else. Despite people trying to talk to me and befriend me, I chose to ignore them all. I knew their intentions were solely based on the news circulating around the school. Apparently, Nolan and Owen were highly regarded here, and everyone wanted to be on their good side. Even if some of them had different reasons for wanting to be friends, I had no interest in any of them.

Some called me rude, prideful, and arrogant, but I didn't care. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. My stance remained firm—I didn't want any friends. I had learned the hard way that they were all trouble. I glanced at the sea of students passing by in the hallway. They might appear innocent and naive, but I couldn't trust a single one of them.

"Miss Gonzales, report to the principal's office immediately," a voice boomed from the speakers above. Hushed whispers spread across the hallway. I wondered why the principal was summoning me on my first day here. Did I get into trouble already? My mom wouldn't be pleased to hear that. I clenched my hands tightly as I made my way to her office. I gently knocked on the door and entered upon receiving a positive response.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," I greeted politely.

"Miss Gonzales, please have a seat," she warmly replied. I hesitantly sat in the chair facing her.

"Am I in trouble? I can't help but wonder because I'm certain I haven't done anything wrong. It's only my first day," I asked, needing to clarify that first.

"Trouble? Of course not. Students often assume that's the only reason they would be called to the principal's office," she responded with a smile.

"That's usually the case. So if that's not why I'm here, why am I?" I inquired.

"You are a very bright young lady, Miss Gonzales. Although your reason for leaving your previous school wasn't mentioned here, you are still welcome at our esteemed institution. How has your first day been?" she asked.

"It's been fine. Is that why you called me here? Do you call all new students on their first day to ask this? I don't believe you have that much time," I replied.

"I see you are quite outspoken, Miss Gonzales. Did anything out of the ordinary happen today?" she asked skeptically.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. I simply attended my classes," I replied.

"I'm not sure what you consider ordinary, Miss Gonzales, but does this seem ordinary to you based on your previous school?" she inquired, turning her computer screen towards me. And there it was again—pictures of me with Nolan and Owen. Just how important were these two that even the principal was aware of them? These people had to be trouble and to think I might be mated to them.

"I don't know what those mean. Now that I think about it, isn't this a violation of privacy? Having my pictures taken and uploaded?" I said. She chuckled.

"Violation of privacy? Why take a blog that some students made for fun so seriously? The reason I called you here was to ask if you knew Mr. Hunter and Mr. Dawson personally before coming here. Such occurrences are quite rare," she explained, pointing at her computer again.

"I don't know them. I've never met them before, and today was the first time I ever heard of them," I responded.

"Really? These two were entrusted to my care by their public figure parents, so I hope you understand where I'm coming from," she explained.

"Is that all, or is there something else?" I asked.

"That will be all, Miss Gonzales. Thank you for your time, and welcome to our school once again," she said with a wide smile. I nodded and left the office. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't had the chance to eat amidst all the chaos. I hurried to the cafeteria since I had no more classes for the rest of the day.

"Did you hear what happened today?" I overheard a girl asking as soon as I walked in. I recognized them as the group of gossipers Jade had mentioned earlier.

"I heard. Do you think such juicy gossip would pass me by?" another replied. The first one scoffed.

"What was that new kid thinking anyway? Did he really believe he could be friends with the raging beast? Did he hit his head somewhere?" she asked, and they both laughed.

"He deserves it for doing something so stupid. I'm sure he'll remain as quiet as a mouse for the entire school year. Anyway, did you see Nicole's acne today?" The first one continued.

"It was horrible," the other gasped.

They switched topics and began talking about someone else. I zoned out and focused on getting some food. The amazing thing about this school's cafeteria was that students could get food anytime during school hours, as long as it was still within the designated period. I stared in awe at the wide variety of food options.

"Pick whatever you want. The food is just going to go to waste anyway," a man in a chef's uniform sighed. He was the school chef.

"Do you make such a wide variety of food every day?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, every single day, only for it to go to waste again," he frustratingly replied. He stood up and walked back into the kitchen, while I selected the food of my choice to my heart's content. All the food tasted incredibly delicious, and the best part was that it was still warm. I quickly finished my meal and headed out. The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day. I sighed in relief and went to retrieve my bag from my locker. After making sure I had all my books and assignments, I locked it and put the key in my bag.

I rushed outside to catch the school bus on time. As I glanced at the school's parking lot, I noticed various sleek, exotic, and expensive cars with drivers dressed in pristine black suits. This was truly a school for the elites. I caught a glimpse of the school bus driving away and hurriedly ran towards it. In my haste, I accidentally bumped into someone, and we both tumbled over. I let out a yelp as my body collided with a hard surface. He groaned, and when I looked up, I found myself staring into Owen's piercing green eyes. His hands were still on my waist, and I could feel a tingling sensation where they touched.

I quickly got off him and scanned the now-empty parking lot. The school bus I was trying to catch had long gone.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"My ride," I mumbled, gazing at the spot where the bus had just been. He followed my gaze.

"Did you miss the school bus? That was your ride?" he inquired in his deep voice. I sadly nodded.

"Are you sure you didn't get hurt when I bumped into you? I wasn't paying attention," he said.

"I'm fine," I replied, feeling disheartened. I took out my phone and tried to call a cab, even though it would take a while for one to arrive.

"It's my fault you missed your ride. Let me make up for it by giving you a ride home. Where do you live?" he asked. I stared at him in surprise.

"You'll take me home?" I inquired.

"To compensate for this, I don't wish to be indebted to anyone," he replied. I scoffed in disbelief. So he wasn't doing this out of remorse, but because he didn't want to be indebted to me?

"Little kitten," someone called out. I turned around to see a car parked beside us. Nolan waved at me with a smile, then got out and approached us.

"Hey, want me to give you a ride?" he offered. I stared at him in surprise. Why did everyone want to give me a ride today? Audrey also stepped out of his car, eyeing me with disdain.

"Let's go, Miss Gonzales. I have an appointment to catch up with," Owen said.

"What kind of bastard talks while I'm speaking? He must have a death wish," Nolan growled at Owen. Audrey stared at us without saying anything.

"It's my fault she missed her ride. It's only fair that I make up for it by driving her home. There's no need to yell and draw attention," Owen replied coldly.

"What the fuck did you say?" Nolan asked angrily. Owen grabbed my hand. I glanced at him in shock.

"Let's go," he said, beginning to pull me along. Nolan also grabbed my hand, abruptly stopping us.

"I'm not finished talking yet," Nolan said.

"Miss Gonzales, tell him you want to ride with me, and let's get this over with," Owen said calmly. When did I ever say I wanted to ride with him?

"You wouldn't want to associate with the likes of him. Come with me," Nolan replied, tugging at my arm. However, Owen's firm grip prevented me from budging. Rule number one: never get caught in the crossfire between the raging beast and deadly snake. You'll only get consumed. Never get on Audrey's bad side if you want to survive in this school. Jade's words replayed in my head. It seems like rule number one has now been broken.