Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

The Queen of Grades and the Prince of Arrogant

"In a world filled with envy, true strength is the ability to smile while fighting your battles."

~ ● ~

Some students go to school to learn. Some go to make friends. Some go in search of love and then there are those who show up simply to make other people's lives miserable.

Unfortunately, all of them happened to study at Bulacan State University. And on the very first day of the semester, the campus felt like a grand reunion of every kind of person imaginable. From the moment Maeve stepped through the university gates, she could already feel the energy of the new semester.

Students were chasing one another across the walkways, some were happily catching up with old friends, others posed for selfies as though they were celebrities.

And a few already looked like they wanted to go home before classes had even begun and Maeve belonged to that last group.

"Lord," she whispered while walking. "It's only the first day. Can we just skip straight to graduation?"

Her best friend, Bea, laughed.

"You're probably the only student who wants to graduate before classes even start."

"I'm just an efficient person."

"You're lazy."

"'Efficient' sounds much nicer." Bea simply shook her head. She was already used to it. If Maeve had one talent besides studying, it was her ability to turn almost any situation into a joke.

No matter how difficult.

No matter how exhausting.

Even when she herself was the punchline.

As they walked toward their building, several students couldn't help but glance at Maeve. Not because she was a celebrity. Not because she was an influencer and certainly not because she was the daughter of some famous politician.

She was known because she was one of the brightest students in their department. Always on the Dean's List. Always earning outstanding grades. Always receiving academic awards.

But as expected... not everyone was happy for her. Across the hallway stood a group of girls well known around the campus. Beautiful, wealthy and far too full of themselves.

Some students called them the Campus Queens. But most of them they simply called... The Campus Pests.

"Look who's here."

Maeve turned toward the familiar voice.

Vanessa Montenegro.

The self-proclaimed queen of their department. Standing beside her were her two friends, looking more like loyal sidekicks from a television drama than classmates. Vanessa smiled.

But it wasn't the kind of smile that made people feel welcome. It was the kind that warned trouble was coming.

"The top student."

Maeve quietly sighed. "Here we go again. Good morning, Vanessa."

"Good morning?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "You seem awfully excited about this semester."

"Of course."

"Why?"

"Because I'm still alive." The three girls fell silent. Meanwhile, Bea was struggling not to laugh. That was the thing about Maeve People could never tell whether she was joking or completely serious and because of that... no one ever knew how to respond to her.

"You know," Vanessa said coldly, "you're incredibly arrogant."

Maeve blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Wait..." She looked around. "Are we talking about the same person?"

Vanessa's face immediately flushed with irritation. Bea couldn't hold back a smile. Which only made Vanessa even angrier. It had been like this for years. Vanessa hadn't always been a bully. Everything had started after Maeve defeated her in an academic competition.

Since then... everything had become personal. Vanessa simply couldn't accept that a girl who dressed simply... who wasn't rich... Who wasn't glamorous... could consistently outperform her academically.

What frustrated her even more was that Maeve wasn't even trying to compete. She was simply... naturally brilliant.

"I bet this year, won't be so easy for you."

"Why's that?"

"The standards are much higher now."

Maeve nodded. "Good."

The three girls blinked. "Good?"

"Yes."

"Why is that good?"

Maeve smiled warmly. "Because it means I'll have even more to learn."

Silence.

The hallway became so quiet that it looked as though Vanessa might explode. That was exactly what she hated most about Maeve. She wasn't easy to hurt. She wasn't easy to intimidate of course she had feelings. She got hurt, she got tired, she got annoyed but she never allowed herself to be defeated. Throw an insult at her... And she'd return it in a way you never expected. Which only made the people trying to bring her down even more furious.

"You're seriously crazy."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment!"

"What a shame."

Bea rubbed her forehead. "Maeve."

"What?"

"Please stop."

"We're still having a conversation here."

A few nearby students burst into laughter. Vanessa's embarrassment only grew worse.

"Let's go." She stormed away with her friends. Once they were finally out of earshot, Bea let out a deep breath.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Not get stressed."

Maeve thought for a moment before smiling. "I do, get stressed."

"It doesn't show."

"Because if I cried over everyone who hated me, I'd eventually run out of water in my body." Bea laughed. Just like that...

Everything returned to normal.

What Maeve didn't know was that a pair of eyes had been quietly watching from the second floor.

Cold.

Calm.

And seemingly uninterested in everything around him. The young man stood silently overlooking the hallway.

Tall.

Neatly dressed.

With a face that looked as though the gods themselves had sculpted it just to cause trouble for women.

He wasn't smiling.

He wasn't talking.

He simply stood there, as if the world held no interest for him.

"Keiv." He turned when someone called his name. "The orientation's starting." He nodded. Before leaving, he glanced downstairs one last time. Just in time to see Vanessa's group blocking Maeve's path again.

He sighed inwardly.

Bullies.

So common.

So shallow.

He expected the girl to be crying or frightened, or desperately asking for help. Instead...

"What are you doing blocking the hallway?" Maeve asked.

"Nothing."

"Okay." Then she casually walked straight between the three girls... as though they weren't standing there at all.

No drama.

No hesitation.

No fear.

Keiv paused. Interesting. She wasn't what he expected, she wasn't weak, she wasn't pretending to be a victim and she certainly didn't look like someone waiting to be rescued. Just as he was about to lose interest... he heard whispers spreading through the crowd.

"That's him."

"The transfer student."

"Have you seen him?"

"He's unbelievably handsome."

"Oh my gosh... marry me instead!"

Maeve frowned and she followed everyone's gaze toward the staircase.

There... she saw him. A tall, fair-skinned, perfectly groomed and annoyingly handsome. Not annoying because he was unattractive, quite the opposite. He was so ridiculously good-looking that it almost felt unfair. He looked like a prince, the kind of prince who knew exactly how handsome he was... and probably enjoyed it.

He quietly descended the stairs without looking at anyone, without smiling, without speaking. It was as though he lived in his own world... And everyone else was merely an extra in his story.

Maeve grimaced.

"Wow."

"What?" Bea asked.

"He looks like a rich snob."

Bea laughed. "Did you heared his name?"

"No."

"Clarence Keiv Spencer."

Maeve blinked. "Is that a person's name... or a luxury car brand?"

Bea burst into laughter. "Hahaha girl, everyone just calls him Keiv."

"Much better."

"Look." Maeve glanced toward him once more. At that exact moment... Keiv looked in her direction. Their eyes met...

One second.

Two seconds.

Three.

Then... there's nothing an absolutely nothing! He looked at her as though she were nothing more than a lamp post. Then he simply walked away.

No smile.

No nod.

Not even the slightest change in expression. As if he hadn't seen her at all, as if she didn't matter, as if she didn't even exist.

Maeve straightened her posture.

"Excuse me?" Bea looked at her.

"What?"

"He's soooo arrogant!"

"Who?"

"Him." pointing her lips toward's Keiv direction.

"He doesn't even know you."

"Exactly." And for reasons she couldn't explain... For the first time in a very long while... Someone had managed to get under Maeve Quinn Ramos's skin almost instantly.

And what irritated her even more...

Was the feeling that...

This wouldn't be the last time their paths crossed.