Egg

"Uhhhhhhh! The dates have officially begun already! I love this so much for you, Sarah!" Bunny squealed, jumping up and down in place.

"Stop being a complete pest, Bunny. Get off me."

Mr. Brown stepping into the classroom instantly brought the chaotic room to a grinding halt as every single student snapped to attention.

"I gave you all an essay to write, and bless me Jesus, if I see a single paper starting with *'Diamonds are hard stones found in...'* you are guaranteed to repeat this entire course."

The whole class burst into collective laughter at his threat.

"Yours started so right," Bunny whispered under her breath, nudging Sarah's arm with her elbow.

"Nope."

"I could have sworn it did! I literally read it."

"Did you copy my entire essay, Bunny?" Sarah turned to face her with a sharp, murderous glare.

"Miss. Jones, do you have something you'd like to share with the entire class? Perhaps whatever it is you're whispering to your friend?" Mr. Brown's booming voice startled her, making her stand up slowly from her seat.

"Not really, sir."

"Keep quiet then."

"Thank you, sir."

She sat back down, immediately kicking Bunny hard under the desk.

The lecture dragged on as Mr. Brown continued going on and on about gold ore and its chemical properties.

"There will be a mandatory practical session in a few days. I will update the class group once I fix the exact date. I also expect everyone to have an intended design prepared before the session begins. Have a nice day."

He gathered his heavy books and swept out of the room. The loud, piercing clang of the school bell followed right on cue.

"Out of school! Finally. You should get going, Sarah. I'm sure he's already waiting for you," Bunny prodded, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Why don't *you* date him, Bunny? You sure do like him a lot."

"Anyone hearing you speak right now would think you haven't been hopelessly in love with this guy for over three years without ever being noticed."

Sarah rolled her eyes, though a small, helpless smile tugged at the corner of her lips anyway.

"Let's just get going, Bunny. You know I still need to get to work at the cafe."

They both headed out of the lecture hall, making their way down the crowded corridor toward the library.

"I heard she's actually dating Blake now. She must have forced herself on him. I wonder what's going to happen to Nova now?"

Sarah caught the quiet whispers clearly. So did Bunny. They exchanged a brief, sharp look.

"I need to go teach that loudmouth gossip a proper lesson. Hold my bag!" Bunny tried handing over her armful of belongings to Sarah.

"Forget it," Sarah stuffed the bags right back into Bunny's hands. "You know I don't have the luxury for a fight right now. Let's just go, please."

Bunny glared at the group of girls who were already hurrying away, but she relented and kept walking alongside Sarah toward the library.

They stepped through the entrance, offered a quiet greeting to the librarian, and walked directly toward the secluded bookshelf at the very back—Blake’s usual spot.

Blake was already waiting for her when they rounded the corner.

“Uhm, hey. This is Bunny, my……”

“Hi! I’m Bunny,” Bunny cut right into Sarah’s sentence, leaving her completely dumbfounded. “I’m her best friend, and I just wanted to personally tell you to treat her with care and never let Pearl High gossip affect her, or I will personally come for your balls.”

She offered him a bright, blinding smile, though it carried zero actual warmth.

A low chuckle escaped Blake’s throat as he nodded slowly at Bunny.

“I never intend to let my girlfriend suffer. Ever.”

“*Fake* girlfriend,” Sarah whispered sharply under her breath to him.

He kept his eyes locked on Bunny, completely ignoring Sarah’s quiet correction.

“Let’s go.” He turned back to Sarah, grabbing her hand securely, and led her out of the library with their fingers firmly intertwined.

Bunny trailed behind them.

Sarah’s eyes widened as she spotted students ‘secretly’ snapping pictures with phones held at blindingly obvious angles.

“You’re already popular, Sarah,” Blake noted softly.

She ducked her head slightly before forcing herself to look up again.

“I think I’m going to be sick…… from all this popularity.”

Blake let out a low laugh. He reached out and smoothly took her heavy bag from her shoulder. Holding it in one hand, his other hand found the small of her waist, guiding her through the courtyard toward the school parking lot. Phones remained raised in the air around them, the background murmurs growing noticeably louder.

“Hey captain, Coach is calling you,” a voice beamed from behind. Blake turned to see Leo, one hand casually balancing a basketball against his hip.

“Why?”

“You should go find out yourself, Cap. I'm off.”

Leo strolled out. Blake exhaled a heavy sigh, turning back to Sarah.

“Wait just a bit for me, I'm coming…. Orrrr, even better, take the car keys and wait in the car….”

“Nope, no, no,” Sarah cut him off before he could finish speaking. “I will wait by the cafeteria outside.”

Her face was firm and resolute, so he decided not to push it. He nodded and walked away.

Sarah began walking down the hallway, with Bunny trailing close behind, refusing to leave her side. With her bag now flung back over her shoulder, Sarah navigated the crowded space.

Dozens of eyes tracked her every move—some glinting with pure disgust, others sharp with intense envy.

In just a matter of hours, Sarah was already learning to tune out whatever Pearl High thought of her. She knew better than anyone that the school was full of Nova's mindless minions, and this hostile atmosphere was entirely Nova's doing.

Sarah caught sight of Nova watching her from the top of the staircase, a cruel, satisfied sneer fixed on her face, making it abundantly clear she wasn't done playing games.

Meanwhile, Blake almost ran straight into the coach's office. Mr. Martin sat behind his wide desk with a dark, thunderous look in his eyes as Blake walked in.

“Smith, you cancelled practice after school today. Why?”

“I had something to do,” Blake replied amidst catching his breath.

“So important you had to cancel practice? Have you forgotten we have no time to idle around?”

Martin stood up, walking slowly around his seat.

“I don't know why you are cutting important training sessions, but don't forget, Smith, this game isn't just about you….. It's also about your teammates. A lot of them don't have things to fall back on like you do.”

Blake's face tightened instantly. “I cancelled one practice and you're giving me this long sermon, Coach?”

Martin placed a heavy hand on Blake's shoulder.

“No, I just want to make sure you don't let what I recently heard… make you lose focus.”

Martin turned and walked back to his seat. Blake's face tightened even further, a pulse ticking in his jaw.

“Later…. Coach,” he spat, turning sharply for the door.

Outside in the hallway, the girls kept walking, trying their best to ignore the obvious, venomous whispers floating around them.

“I don't know, but something is off,” Bunny murmured, her eyes scanning the crowd suspiciously.

*Splat.*

A heavy, wet impact landed directly on Sarah's forehead. The cold, slimy liquid slid quickly down her face, pooling near the corner of her lips. She tasted the sharp,metallic taste, and an instant wave of intense nausea hit her stomach.

Egg.