CHAPTER 6 The Kings of IE

  Behind the voice, four figures cut through the crowd. 

The students parted for them without being told. No one bumped into them. No one locked eyes with them for too long. The air itself seemed to shift, like the hallway learned to make space before they even asked.

Students stopped walking. Conversations dropped to whispers. Even the fluorescent lights above seemed dimmer. 

The HIMS.

The Kings of IE university.

At IE the HIMS ruled. There were rules and popular names. And above both of them were four letters that made professors look away and pretend not to notice when attendance wasn't taken.

Four names that meant their father's donations sponsored the new library wing.

They didn't run for silly posts like “students council.” They didn't tape “vote for me” flyers to walls or beg for I*******m story shout-outs.

No. They were above that shit. 

They just walked into a room, and the temperature of the room dropped.

Conversations died mid-sentence. Phones went up. Everywhere got quiet like a grave. The kind of quiet that didn't feel normal.

They moved like gravity obeyed them. Like the school was their playground.

(H) Hugo Dacio Bruno 

The leader.

The shadow.

Hugo walked like he owned the ground he stepped on. Not because he was loud, but because no one else dared to. His footsteps were quiet but they echoed anyway.

6’2. Dark hair, always a little bit messy like he ran a hand through it and decided that was enough. Black shirt over black hoodie, black baggy jeans, black jordans.

Black everything.

Even his aura was dark. Like he'd walked out of a funeral and decided to stay there.

Personality; Cold. Calm. Intimidating, without trying.

He spoke in short sentences. Three words max. Four if he was angry. He watched a lot. You'll catch him in a lecture hall zoning out, and not listening to a word the professor said, just staring at them like he was auditing their logic.

Like he'd already found three mistakes in the theorem and was way too bored to point it out. When he eventually spoke in class, even the professors listened like students.

He kept everything locked in. Anger. Sadness. Amusement– you would never see it. His face was a wall. The only time it shifted was a tick in his jaw.

That was Hugo’s version of yelling.

People called him “dark aura” because when Hugo entered a room, jokes got quieter. Girls stop laughing, ogling dreamily. Guys stood up straighter, like their bodies remembered they were supposed to be intimidated. 

He was the smartest in the group by a mile. Straight A's without studying. He solved differential equations in his head that Ivan has to write out across three pages.

But he hated being called a genius. Hated the attention. Hated that people expect something from him.

Expected perfection because of his last name.

"Bruno."

The name Bruno opened doors in Spain, New York. In London. It also put targets on his back. Every professor wanted to test him. Every girl wanted him. Guys hated how small he made them feel. 

With Tamsin, they might share a house but not a last name, not a history and definitely not affection. They've hated each other madly since day one.

Too much pride on both sides. Too much hate. Too many collisions in a house that was too big to feel empty but too small to avoid each other.

Two weeks in the same Mansion and they already wanted to burn it down.

He played music too loud at 3am. She talked too much. He breathed too loud when he was reading. 

But he was far from caring.

That was what he told himself every night when her footsteps echoed down the hall past his room. That was what he told himself when he heard her laugh in the kitchen with the staff, and his jaw clenched for no reason.

With Valentina: She had been crazy about him since first year. He had made it clear from day one that he wasn't ready for a romantic relationship, she'd latched herself onto him anyway, claiming she just wanted him physically.

 No late night dates. No kissing in public. No romantic messages. No good morning text.

He just called her whenever he needed her body. That was it. A text. Two words.

“Come over.” And she came. Everytime.

Like a dog without a leash. 

And even when he didn't have any romantic feelings for her, she'd grown obsessed. Possessive. She'd hurt any girl who got too close. He'd seen it countless times.

The intentional shoves. The dragging on the Internet. The reputation damage. 

 He told himself he didn't care. And he sure as hell didn't.

Right now he was looking at the scene with hooded eyes– Valentina's bleeding nose, Tamsin's irritated glare, the three VASA girls behind her– and his jaw ticked once.

Something hot and unfamiliar moved in his chest. Anger. Concern.

He crushed it immediately. He didn't do emotions.

(I) Ivan

 Walking flirt. He thinks he's smooth, and honestly… he is. A human distraction.

Ivan was the opposite of Hugo in every single way that mattered.

Curly blonde hair that looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. Deep cute blue eyes with long lashes that girls swore were illegal and should be registered as a weapon.

 A Babyish face that looked innocent for 2 seconds, then he smirked and you knew your heart was in trouble and your GPA was about to drop.

Always half dressed on purpose. Button up shirt but only the bottom two buttons were done. The rest left open showing off his chest and the silver chain he almost never took off.

Blue baggy jeans that hung low on his waist. Expensive sneakers. Limited edition.

Spending Daddy's money non-stop. Too lazy to work. Too rich to need to.

Personality: Ivan loves women. Period. Unrepentant womanizer. 

The flasher the outfit, the more attention he gave. Skimpy clothes? He noticed. Curvy body? Pretty face? New hair? He catalogued it all in his brain and reserved it for later.

He's not dumb though– just distracted. School comes second. Ladies first and foremost priority.

He could talk to anyone, flirt with anyone, and somehow make you feel like the most special person in the room for the next 5 minutes. He'd remember your favourite colour, your dog's name, the little details you told him once at a party, when you were drunk and vulnerable.

But after he sleeps with you, you become a memory at the back of his mind.

Heck he doesn't even remember the number of girls he's slept with. He stopped counting.

And that's just Ivan.

The second he sets eyes on Tamsin in the hallway, he short-circuited.

“Bro… who is that?” he muttered, eyes doing a slow scan from her long legs to her full lips and then smirking.

She was stunning– curvy body, pretty face, even with the bruise blooming on her cheekbone. And she was mad.

Her fists were clenched at her sides. He couldn't stop staring.

He didn't even care about the ongoing drama. In his head he was already thinking of ways to talk to her. What to say. How to make her laugh and how to get her on his bed.

 And also, why does she look so pissed off? That's hot too. Defiant girls were his weakness. The chase made him feel alive.

Girls who didn't fall at his feet were a sport. 

(M) Mario

 The quietest weapon in the group.

Mario was the one you didn't notice until it was too late.

Tall. Lean. Glasses he didn't need but wore anyway because it made people underestimate him. Always in neutral colours. Beige. Grey. White. Black.

 Hands in pockets. Expression blank. Like he already knew the solution to the ongoing drama.

Personality: Colder than Hugo, and that said something. 

Hugo was cold to protect himself. Mario was cold because he was always three steps ahead.

While everyone else was reacting, he was predicting his next move. 

He didn't talk unless he had to. And when he did, it cut.

One word could end a friendship. One sentence could ruin a reputation.

He was calculating. He noticed the angle of Valentina's phone in her hand. He noticed the way Sofia moved awkwardly. He noticed the exact second Tamsin's breathing changed when Hugo yelled. He noticed her split lip. He noticed how Hugo’s jaw ticked. 

Nasty thoughts? Oh yeah. He had a mind that can turn anything into leverage. A bruise. A rumor. A timestamp. All useful.

The moment he saw Tamsin, something flickers behind his glasses. Surprise. Then low appreciation. She didn't flinch. She didn't cower. She stood there bleeding and still managing to pull off that defiant demeanor. Chin up. Head held high. Shoulders raised high.

He hid it fast. Too fast. But Hugo noticed.

Mario had never been in a romantic relationship with the opposite sex. He occasionally stated “all women were a waste of time and affection and he didn't want anyone invading his privacy.”

He'd kept off from interactions involving the opposite gender. 

At a party last semester, Ariadna had told him she liked him. He turned her down flat. And she had left the party in tears.

He wasn't interested in romance and had told her to stop day dreaming. He would never like her or any other woman. Not in this world or the next.

But……. One look at her and he knew she was going to change everything.

A thrill ran through him. Dangerous. New. Something he had never felt before. 

(S) Smith

The life of the party. 

Brown wavy hair that he was constantly pushing out of his eyes. Sparkling brown eyes. Whenever they light up, you could tell he was about doing something goofy or illegal. Or both.

Athletic but soft around the edges. Muscular but not gym-rat tight. He played hockey because it was fun. Not because he cared about winning.

 If there was music, laughter, or chaos, Smith was in the middle of it.

He was the kind of guy who dragged his friends out at 2pm with “one last drink won't kill us” and then actually meant it. He was the reason Ivan had academic probation warnings last semester.

Personality: Carefree. Goofy. Prankster. The one who'd convince you to skip lectures for “one drink” and suddenly it was 4pm and you were on a yatch. 

He forgot deadlines. Forgot names. Forgot where he packed.

But he remembered birthdays. And he was always around when you felt down.

He was like the mother in the group. Never letting an argument escalate to the next day.

He's third smartest, which still puts him in the top 1% of the school. He just spends his brainpower on planning events instead of problem sets.

Smith walked in chewing gum, saw the standoff, and immediately grinned 

“Damn,” he said grinning wolfishly, popping a bubble gum. “Did I miss the season premiere or is it live?” 

He lookes at Tamsin, does a double take and whistled low. “New girl huh? She's–”

Hugo shot him a look. Sharp. Warning.

He shut up but the grin stayed. He couldn't help it.

With the VASA girls : He was cool with them though he didn't like Valentina.

Aitana has a massive crush on him, but she'd been too shy to say it. She'd brought him coffee most times. Intentionally invited him to all their in-house parties. And always tagged his account when she made a video or went live.

He was the only HIMS who actually talked to them like humans instead of accessories.

He's been to all their parties. Bought them drinks. Remembered their names.

They were the only girls influence Smith had in his life presently, though he also had his usual flings with other girls when he got bored and needed female company.

Hugo's voice cracked through the hallway again cutting through the whispers like a knife. Sharp. Cold. On the edge. 

Like he was restraining his anger.

“I said what the heck is going on?” He repeated, louder this time, while staring squarely at Tamsin.

She just glared back at him. Eyes full of fire and hurt. The bruise on her cheekbone already turning purple. Her lip was split but her chin was up. She looked furious. And breakable. And that hurt way more than the slap ever could.

“Tamsin,” Hugo said looking her dead in the eyes. Angrier. “Goddamit answer me.”

Silence.

The entire hallway held it's breath. 500 plus students pretending not to watch, while secretly recording.

She stared right through him. Irritated. Done. Like speaking to him would cost her something she wasn't willing to pay. Like he wasn't worth her words.

Ivan stepped forward then, his voice softer than Hugo’s had been, but just as heavy. It carried.

“Hey. Are you alright? What really happened?” 

He had that worried look on his face. You could see he meant it. Ivan might be a playboy, but he wasn't cruel. He hated bullies.

Tamsin looked at Ivan. For half a second something flickered in her eyes– Relief, maybe. Recognition.

"Maybe he would believe her."

But then it was gone. She shook her head once and said nothing.

That was when Hugo's patience snapped.

“Don't ignore me,” he snapped, stepping closer. The crowd parted more. “I asked you a question, Goddamit.”

His voice echoed down the hallway making the students flinch.

Before he could get another word out— Movement.

Valentina had been frozen by the wall, watching Hugo with wide, lustful eyes. Drinking him in. Her eyes had been latched on him ever since he came.

The second he raised his voice, something in her clicked. Possession. Obsession.

She shook it off like waking from a trance and rushed forward.

“Hugo,” she choked out. Perfect timing. Now was her time to act.

She threw herself at him, arms around his waist, face buried deep in his chest. Her shoulders started shaking immediately. Theatrical. 

“God I'm so scared,” she sobbed.

And they were fake tears– too perfect. Too loud. But they worked. They always worked.

A few students in the crowd sucked in breaths. Some whispered “Oh My God.” Phones came up. Recording. Everyone wanting to be the first to upload this on IE campus confessions. 

She pulled back just enough to look up at him, eyelashes damp. Nose red and bleeding.

Oscar-worthy act.

 “It was her. She pointed in Tamsin's direction, voice breaking. “She started it.”

Hugo went still. His hands were still at his sides. He didn't hug her back. His face void of emotions. But he didn't push her away either.

Valentina pressed on, gaining momentum now that she had his attention. Now that she had the audience.

“We were in the hallway, just heading to class. Then she came and bumped into Ariadna intentionally. Like on purpose. We told her to just say sorry, that's all. That's just all we wanted. And then–” she hiccupped, perfectly timed.

"She slapped me. Twice. Right across the face. On both cheeks, and pushed me to the floor.”

She touched her nose where a thin line of blood was, layering her story perfectly.

“And then she even threatened to beat up all of us if we said or did anything.”

Aitana nodded immediately, supporting her.

“Yeah. She really threatened us. She said we were nothing. She even called us bunch of nobody's.”

Sofia folded her arms, frowning. “She already looks like a trouble-making bitch. You can see it written all over her face. Look at her. She's not even sorry.”

Ariadna rubbed her arm like it still hurt, sniffling eyes on Mario. She badly wanted his attention.

“ We were minding our business. Walking to class.”

One by one the VASA girls chipped in, layering the story until it sounded real. Until it sounded inevitable.

Until it sounded like Tamsin was the villain in this movie and they were the victims.

Hugo listened. His expression didn't change, but his eyes kept flicking back to Tamsin over Valentina's head.

She hadn't moved. She was still standing there. Blood on her lip, bruise on her cheek, and fire in her eyes. She wasn't crying. She wasn't denying. She was just…. waiting. Like she knew that explaining would be a waste of time.

When Valentina finally quieted, hiccuping into his shirt, he gently set her aside and turned.

“Tamsin.” His voice was flat now. Dead. “What happened?”

For the first time, Tamsin moved. She tilted her head, looking at him, then at Valentina clinging to his arm, then back at him.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. Loud. Mocking. It bounced off the walls.

“I'm not explaining shit,” she said, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. “Believe what your little girlfriend said. I don't care.”

Hugo blinked surprised.

The word “girlfriend” landed like a slap.

The hallway gasped.

She turned on her heels before he could respond. She didn't know where she was going. The administration building? The bathroom? The cafeteria? Heck she didn't care. 

Away. Anywhere but here.

Her steps were fast, uneven. Fueled by anger and hurt. One hand came up to smooth her hair, like if she could just look put-together, none of this would matter.

“Tamsin!” Ivan called after her. Desperate.

“Wait!”

But she was already going. She didn't stop. She didn't look back. She just kept walking in the opposite direction, down the hall, past the staring faces, past the recording phones, until she disappeared around the corner.

The hallway was quiet again.

Hugo still stood there, Valentina's arms around him. The VASA girls smirked evilly. Ivan had a frown on his face. Smith was chewing gum slowly glaring at Valentina in Hugo's arms. Mario was watching. Eyes on Hugo. 

Hugo looked down at Valentina. Her makeup was smudged just enough to look real.

He looked at the spot where Tamsin had stood.

He remembered the way her voice had shook when she said “girlfriend.”

And for the first time, Hugo Dacio Bruno wasn't sure who he believed.