Ava’s POV
Two days had passed, but the weight on my chest only seemed to grow heavier. School hadn’t been any easier either. I spent the day dragging myself from one class to another, pretending to listen, pretending to laugh, pretending to be fine, but I know I wasn’t a little bit fine.
I have found a way to escape from Vanessa's torment, but I can’t do that forever. I have to find a way to escape her finally. But how?
I have stood up for myself the other day, but that can’t continue forever.
I brushed the thought away, trying to ease myself before I’d get home. Knowing fully my stepmom is going to be sitting inside the sitting room waiting for the money I promised he
Iris’s POVThe sound of the knife hitting the cutting board filled the kitchen, steady and slow. I wasn’t in a rush. Cooking had always been one of the few things that calmed my mind, and tonight wasn’t any different. The sky outside had already darkened, rain had started falling not too long ago, and the cold breeze slipping through the window kept brushing against my skin.I could hear the soft sounds of gunfire and explosions coming from the sitting room. Zayne was buried deep in another one of his video games. His laughter would echo every now and then, followed by the sound of him trash-talking the other players.In the corner of the room, Steve sat with his head bent over a pile of books, his pen mo
Steve’s POVI couldn’t sit still. The moment those words left her mouth, I felt my heart drop.“I’m in deep shit.”She said it so quietly, but the weight of it pulled the air right out of my body. I stared at her, still watching her fingers wrapped around the teacup, the steam rising and curling in front of her pale face.I shifted from where I was sitting on the floor and pushed myself up. My knees cracked a little as I stood, but I didn’t care. I walked closer and slowly knelt in front of her, lifting my hands and cupping her cold face between my palms. Her skin was softer than usual, but it was cold, and her cheeks still felt damp from the rain.
Ava’s POVThe triplets had given me more than enough money, and I felt a strange mix of gratitude and guilt as I carried the cash in my bag on the walk home.When I finally made it back to the house, my nerves were on edge. I could hear my stepmother moving around in the living room. Taking a deep breath, I walked in, my heart pounding as soon as I crossed the threshold.She was sitting on the couch, her back straight as she scrolled through her phone, but when she heard the door close, her eyes immediately snapped to me. There was no soft greeting, no warm words. Just the cold gaze of a woman who expected everything to go her way.“You’re back,” she said flatly, her tone laced with suspicion. “Where’s
Ava’s POVThe cold was starting to settle deep into my bones, but I stayed rooted in front of the door, hoping… maybe even praying, that my stepmother would come back and open it.I lifted my hand, knocking again, harder this time around. “Please…” I whispered, pressing my forehead against the door. “Please, just let me in. I swear I’ll figure something out. I will make sure more money comes out.”The only answer I got was the sound of the television from inside. It wasn’t loud at first, but then the volume went up, drowning out any chance of her hearing me. I could almost picture her sitting there on the couch, her legs crossed, remote in hand, with a smug expression. I know she wasn’t going to let me in not unless I agreed to what she wanted.And I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.I stepped back, staring at the door for a long moment, the rain sliding down my face, mixing with the tears that slid down my cheeks. My throat felt tight, like it was holding back the last bit of pride I still had
Ava’s POVThe whole driving state was silent, but I could feel Iris’s anger hanging over me, even though he hadn’t said a single word to me. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter than necessary, his eyes fixed straight on the road.I knew he wanted to say something, probably a lot of things, but he didn’t. And honestly, I was glad. I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to explain anything right away. My head still felt heavy, my heart even weighed more.When he finally pulled into their driveway, the rain had slowed to a drizzle, but the cold still clung to my skin. Iris stepped out first, shutting the door with more force than needed, and I climbed out slowly, dragging my soaked bag along with me.The front door swung open before we even reached it as if Steve and Zayne had been waiting for Irish's arrival. Steve’s voice was the first one I heard.“Ava?” His eyes darted from me to the bag in my hand, and then back to me. “Why the hell do you have your bag? Why are you so drenc
Zayne’s POVThe days moved slower than I expected. Even though Ava had been living with us for a while now, it still felt like she was keeping herself at a distance.She spent most of her time locked away in her room, only coming out when necessary. Meals, quick greetings, or the occasional quiet answer when one of us tried to make small talk. She smiled sometimes, but her smiles never really reached her eyes.And every time I saw her like that, a little part of me ached. I hated it. I hated every part of it. That evening, the three of us were sitting in the living room. The television was on, but none of us was really watching. Steve scrolled through his phone without looking up, and I was leaning back against the couch, lost in my own heavy thoughts. The sound of footsteps came from the kitchen, and a moment later, Iris walked into the room. He wiped his hands on a kitchen towel and let out a soft breath.“Dinner’s ready,” he said, but his voice wasn’t as light as usual. His gaze
Author’s POVVanessa sat alone in her room, her eyes fixed on the glowing screen of her phone. A message from a mutual friend had just popped up: “Ava’s living with your brothers now? Heard they’re treating her like a queen.”Her grip tightened around the device, knuckles turning white. A bitter taste filled her mouth as jealousy surged through her veins.“She doesn’t belong there,” Vanessa muttered to herself. “She’s manipulating them, turning them against me.”Memories of their childhood flashed before her eyes, times when she felt like their main priority, they always looked out for her. Always making sure she’s good. Now, with Ava living in her brother’s house, receiving their attention and care, Vanessa felt her world tilting off balance.—Vanessa stood in front of her mirror, roughly brushing her hair, her movements sharp and impatient. The reflection staring back at her wasn’t the polished, self-confident girl she liked to see every morning. Today, her face was tight with ang
Ava’s POVThe weekend was supposed to feel peaceful. A slow morning, soft sheets, no alarms, no rushing anywhere, but that quiet never really lasted in this house. I knew the triplets too well by now. They wouldn’t let me hide upstairs for long. So even though my body wanted to stay wrapped under the covers, my head kept telling me it was only a matter of minutes before they came barging in.I pushed the blanket off with a sigh, stretching my legs out across the bed before forcing myself to sit up. My room felt a little too cold without the blanket, but the smell of something cooking downstairs had already found its way through my nose, making my stomach grumble.Slipping into my slippers, I dragged myself to the mirror and ran a hand through my hair, trying to fix the messy strands, but gave up halfway. I wasn’t awake enough to care yet.By the time I made it downstairs, the sound of video game buttons clicking and soft curses filled my ears. I paused at the bottom step, leaning aga
Author's POV Vanessa walked out of the cafe and down a street not far from the school they attended. She settled on one of the pavements along the path.She was sure that Zach was going to walk the path home, so she waited for him.Those words Jessica and Barbie said concerning Zach never left her mind as she constantly thought about what Ava had on her that made Zach follow her around like a pauper.She thought they had a connection, but Zach's movements towards Ava crushed whatever hope she had of being in like minds with Zach. 'Where are you, Zach? We do have a lot to talk about...' she spoke inwardly as she dangled her legs forward-backward while waiting on the raised pavement.She waited for hours and almost lost hope of seeing Zach. While she was waiting for him, some students passed by the path and they shot glances at her. Some were mocking glances, some were pitiful glances, and others were irritated glances."Ahh, shit..." Vanessa bit her lower lip as she cupped the side o
Author's POV After the unexpected outcome in the exam hall, Jessica and Barbie waited for Vanessa in the school's cafe to deliberate on the issue.They knew that they were in deep shit. Vanessa kept them in charge of lookouts, but somehow, someone was able to record a video of her planting the paper. And it wasn't just anyone, it was Ava"Oh my God, she's coming, she's coming. What do we do?" Barbie announced with panic as she sighted Vanessa closing in on them."Hey..." Jessica greeted, unsure of the response she was going to get."Don't hey me!" Vanessa replied a lot louder than intended, causing the customers in the cafe to shift their gazes."Don't do that. How did that witch get the evidence? And she didn't just get any evidence, she had a freaking video of me planting the cheat. I wonder how she was able to make that video when I had two grown women look out for me!" She said with anger etched in her voice as she folded her hands across her chest, expecting an explanation. Jes
Ava's Pov "I have what you need," he smiled, but I wasn't ready for any of his games.I had an agenda, and I didn't have the time to waste with Zach. The corridor was sparsely populated, and he had dragged me to a corner."Leave me alone!" I wriggled myself out of his grip, and he released me. "Fine, but at least hear what I have to say to you before you completely rule me out." He blocked my path, I noticed an unusual sincerity in his voice and eyes, so I paused."What do you want from me? You heard and you want to rub it in my face, or maybe you are part of it, aren't you?" I folded my arms across my chest and raised a brow."How lowly you think of me, but I won't blame you. I was mean to you in the past, but I want to right my wrongs.""How?""Is this what you're looking for?" He handed a phone to me.My eyes doubled their size when I watched the content playing. I didn't quite have good experiences with random videos, but thankfully, this was not a video of me stripping; it was
Ava's PovIt was not just a quiet walk of shame since I was literally dragged to the council. The teacher from the disciplinary committee had been diligent enough to make a very big deal about the situation as she interrupted my exam."Can I at least finish my exam first? I promise, I don't know how those papers got there." I had tried to plead with her earlier, but it was pointless to reason with her."You want to write what you memorized, not so?" She had cruelly seized my answer booklet and handed it over to the invigilator before calling the security to drag me out like a criminal. My life of peace was often short-lived, and this was just another ditch as usual, and like the rest, I couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Malpractice was a huge no-no in our school, and they gravely frowned against it.I saved my tears and explanation for when I stood before my persecutors. Actually, since they were convinced I was guilty of the charge.I waited several minutes before it
Ava's PovThe days after that day stretched easily into a week; my mates had put in so much effort, and they had wiped every trace of that day from the school.No one dared talk about the day, the videos were taken down from the server where it was uploaded, and out of fear, no one dared have them on their phone.They were trying hard to erase the day from the calendar, if possible, from my memory too.I could tell."From now on, you will go to school with us," Iris had informed me."And if you don't have classes?"
Iris' Pov"I love you, Ava.""So do we, too," I had to add it when I heard Steve saying it to our mate.She was in a pathetic state, she looked frail and fragile in his embrace.She didn't take her face away from his chest, but I could imagine how swollen it was from crying for whatever they did to her.When she had calmed down a bit, he adjusted her in his hold, and soon she was snoring lightly.Zayne had not come very close, he stood a little bit of a distance away while I sat on the floor where Steve sat with Ava in his arms.
Steve's PovI got to school early and noticed a fuss. As I walked to my classroom, my heightened hearing picked up the comments."She's so hot when she's shirtless, I really wish I could tap that ass."For some reason, I had an odd feeling about the comment. More students lined the hallway whispering in hushed tones and holding fliers, the suspense got the better part of me and I stopped one."What's that?" I asked a group of guys invested in a flyer. For a second, they seemed to lose their ability to hear as they stared at me with pale faces.I couldn't deal with their drama."Hand it over, I requested to see the flier that seemed to be the same in every hand of every student that arrived before me."I promise, I have nothing to do with it, I saw it in my locker, believe me." One of them stumbled over his words as he tried to defend something. "Hand it," I demanded in a firm tone when I noticed his reluctance. The other two were also fidgeting, they looked like they had been caught
Ava’s POVThe sidewalks were unusually full, students weren't in their classes as they would on a regular day which made my stomach churned with an odd feeling."Please be as every ordinary day," I mumbled to myself as I hurried past them to my class.The weather was cool, no blazing sun or harsh heat but still it wasn't reason enough for them to be out of their classes.Glancing at my wristwatch I decided that it was unusual for so many students to be at the entrance and hallway.The concentration should be at the locker rooms with students trying to get their books out and head to their classrooms since we had barely
Author's POVThe shared apartment where Jessica and Barbie stayed was not as lavishly furnished as the pack house, though they were not from poor backgrounds, they were not to be compared to the Alpha's manor.It didn't take Vanessa long to get to her destination, she found her friends lying on the bed playing card games when she arrived."Don't you both get tired of this," Vanessa was always the perfect one."Tired of what princess?" Barbie arched her brow and asked knowing her friend was about to complain about how disorganized their room was."This..." Vanessa scrunched her nose despite the sweet fragrance of the room and gestured around."Oh please, just have a seat already,"Jessica pulled her down to the bed to join them.Unlike Vanessa who had maids clean up her room, do her laundry and ensure every of her stuff was tidy at all times, Barbie and Jessica didn't have that privilege, they preferred to stay in the private accommodations given by the school to Elite students rather t