Chapter 3

Chapter 3

DAWN

Three days went by in a flash, and everyone in AlphaBeta has been pumped for the freshman's party happening tonight, so pumped that barely anyone attended lectures, forcing the dean to cancel all classes until after the party.

Well, everyone except me, has been a nervous wreck since the moment I agreed to go, thinking about what my experience would be like, and I still don't understand why the freshman's party is such a big deal.

Despite Abby styling me in an off-the-shoulder body con dress that I so hated when my mother gifted it to me. Abby seemed to have magical hands, fixing the dress in by adding a few glittery gemstones and a handmade flower at the top.

I liked it, I just hated how my body looked in it, my fat arms were exposed, my belly pushed out the dress, my hips too wide, my butt too big, and the dress squeezed against my body.

Abby called it sexy, but all I saw was fat,as long as I wasn't slim, there was no beauty in sight.

“How do I look?” Kiara's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Stepping forward in her own dress, a gorgeous black cocktail dress that popped out the shine of her skin, and brightened her silver hair. She rocked a silver and black shoe, and a black clutch purse. Kiara looked perfect,Any didn't need to do that much styling,she literally picked out the best collection of clothes and accessories Kiara had.

A smile tugged at my lips, genuinely proud of how ravishing my best friend looked. “You look amazing., " I said, lost for words.

Kiara blushed, twirling, “Thank you.” She squealed.

Abby wasn't present in the room, she had other people to style before the party. Apparently, she's really popular around school for her ability to switch from plain clothes to something magnificent.

But she's also a freshman, and is actually popular on social media, Fashion Tik, to be precise. It's no surprise Kiara and I didn't realize who she was.

Fashion has never been our worry since we were kids, only studying really hard to get admitted into AlphaBeta.

“I can't believe we will be attending our first-ever party, without parental guidance. I am super excited…”

“Me too.”

Maybe I didn't share Kiara's full-on excitement, but she was right, this was the first of many things, and I needed to put my nervousness aside and enjoy it.

The door flew open and a frantic Abby ran through, looking disoriented but still beautiful. She still had hair rollers in her hair and was clothed in her pajamas.

“Damn, are you going to make it in time for the party?” Kiara asked and Abby nodded with a groan, jumping from side to side.

“Do you want us to wait?” I asked, showing my concern for her state, she had been nothing but kind to us these past days, and it was to say, she was slowly becoming our friend.

Abby shook her head, “No, you guys go without me, I will catch up.” she said without breaking her gaze from her bed, now piled up with lots of clothes.

Kiara shrugged and took my hand, “Come on.”

Together Kiara and I left for the school’s auditorium, located in the main building.

The moment Kiara and I stepped into the auditorium, we froze. “No fucking way…” Kiara trailed off beside me, while my jaw dropped from astonishment.

“This cannot be a freshman's party.” I gasped, awestruck by the design. “It looks like a royal gala.” Kiara chimed in.

The entire hall shimmered under soft golden lights, chandeliers casting a dreamy glow over everything. The walls were draped in flowing fabrics of white and gold, matching the school colors, but elevated, elegant… expensive. Tables lined the sides, covered in glossy cloth, decorated with centerpieces that sparkled like they had been plucked straight out of a fairy tale.

“This is a lot.”

Music pulsed gently in the background, not too loud, just enough to make the atmosphere feel alive.

My mouth fell open slightly. “Are we sure this is for the freshmen?” I whispered.

Kiara blinked beside me, equally stunned. “If this is how they welcome freshmen, I’m scared of what senior parties look like.”

“I have a feeling the banner guy has something to do with the extravagance.” A small laugh escaped me, but my attention drifted immediately when I sighted the food table.

Oh. My. Goodness.

It stretched like a feast prepared for kings—rows of perfectly arranged dishes, desserts, drinks that glowed in crystal glasses… but what caught my eye instantly were the mini burgers.

They were so cute and perfect, their etherealness reaching out to me.

Without thinking, I grabbed Kiara’s hand and dragged her along. “Come on.”

Kiara laughed. “Of course you would go straight for the food.”

I ignored her, already reaching for one of the tiny burgers. It was warm in my hand, the scent making my stomach flutter with excitement. I took a bite…

“This is heaven,” I mumbled, chewing happily.

Kiara picked one too, raising a brow after her first bite. “Fyck, that's good.”

We stood there, eating like we hadn’t seen food in days, the nervousness I had been carrying slowly melting away.

“This reminds me of something,” Kiara said suddenly, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. “If this is about what I think it is—”

“The cookie incident,” she cut in, already laughing.

I groaned. “Kiara…”

But it was too late. The memory came rushing back.

“You stole Mrs. Hargrove’s entire jar of cookies,” I said, pointing at her accusingly with my half-eaten burger.

Kiara gasped dramatically. “Allegedly.”

“Don’t even start,” I laughed. “You hid them under our table!”

“And you ate some!” she shot back.

“Because I thought my mom put them there!”

We both burst into laughter.

“I still remember how I got blamed,” I added, shaking my head. “Your face was so serious when they were scolding me. I thought you would actually let me take the fall.”

Kiara’s laughter softened, her expression turning sincere. “I didn’t.”

Yeah… she didn’t.

She had stepped up, small but bold, confessing to everything. Explaining how she dragged me into it, she defended me like it was the most natural thing in the world, and then she said something really beautiful.

“Dawn should never be blamed for food theft just because of how she looks. You all are mean head bullies and she's an angel.”

“We were six.”

I smiled softly, staring down at my burger. That was the day our friendship blossomed into a relationship this strong. I promised myself,that I would always defend Kiara, no matter what it takes.

A sudden wave of whispers swept through the hall, starting small like a ripple, but it quickly grew.

Gasps increased into murmurs, heads turning in one direction.

Kiara frowned. “What’s going on?”

Curiosity pulled at me, and almost instinctively, we both turned toward the entrance.

And then I saw him, Banner guy…

Aiden Willow.

Striding into the hall with effortless confidence. His aura filled the room before he even took another step. Conversations died down, replaced by quiet awe.

My breath hitched without warning.

I didn’t even realize I had stopped chewing. And for some reason… I suddenly felt very, very aware of myself.

The dress, my body. Everything!

Because standing there, under those lights, with everyone watching him like he was something untouchable…

Aiden Willow looked like he belonged to a different world entirely.

“Oh my goodness, he's way hotter in person.” Kiara sighed beside me.

I gulped my spew, wishing I couldn't agree with her. I picked up a drink from the table, taking a sip.

“I want to talk to him,” Kiara said out of the blue and I choked on my drink.

“What?!”