Chapter Six

Cathy arrived at school early the next morning, terrified. She barely had time to reach her locker before heading straight to the principal’s office.

“Cathy, now listen to me carefully. If you are in this school just to cause trouble and create scenes everywhere you go, you will be expelled.”

Cathy stared at Principal Williams from the other side of the desk, her lips parting. “Ma’am, I—”

“Don’t interrupt me.”

Cathy fell silent. Principal Williams leaned back in her chair, her expression hard. “I am speaking, and you will listen.”

Cathy lowered her eyes, forcing herself to stay calm. She had expected questions. Maybe even an opportunity to explain herself. Instead, she was already being treated like the problem.

“Yesterday’s incident was completely unacceptable,” Principal Williams continued. “This is Elite Academy, Cathy. We do not tolerate students who create disturbances, attract unnecessary attention, or disrupt the school environment.”

Cathy's fingers curled around the strap of her bag. “I didn't—”

“I told you not to interrupt me.”

Cathy immediately stopped talking. The principal picked up a folder from her desk. “We have received several complaints about yesterday's incident.”

Cathy frowned. “Complaints?”

“Yes.”

The answer came too quickly. Cathy knew exactly what had happened. The video. The school group chat. The laughter. But the video had shown everything: Alex walking toward her, Alex destroying the project, and the students watching. There was no way Principal Williams hadn't seen it.

“Ma’am, if you watched the video—”

“I said you will listen.”

Cathy swallowed. Principal Williams opened the folder but barely glanced at it. “You need to understand something. Your behavior reflects on this institution.”

Cathy's eyes widened. “My behavior?”

Principal Williams' hand came down firmly on the desk. “Enough.”

The word echoed through the office. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Principal Williams lowered her voice. “You seem determined to make this difficult.”

Cathy stared at her. She suddenly understood. The principal wasn't interested in what had actually happened. She had already decided who was responsible. And Cathy knew why. Everyone at Elite Academy knew who Alex Vance was. His family name carried weight. His father had influence. The Vances were the kind of family the school did not want to offend.

Punishing Alex could create complaints from his parents and pressure from the family. Cathy, on the other hand, had no powerful family standing behind her, no influential name, and no one who could threaten the school with consequences. So the easiest person to blame was her.

Principal Williams closed the folder. “I am giving you a warning, Cathy.”

Cathy said nothing.

“Stay away from trouble. Stop getting yourself involved in situations that attract unnecessary attention. If there is another incident involving you, I will have no choice but to recommend your expulsion.”

Cathy's eyes widened. “Even if I didn't cause it?”

The principal's expression remained cold. “You are responsible for your own behavior.”

Cathy almost laughed. There was nothing funny about it. She had walked into the office expecting fairness, but instead, she had been warned for something someone else had done.

Principal Williams pointed toward the door. “Now get out of here.”

Cathy slowly stood.

“And Cathy?”

She stopped.

“Always behave yourself.”

Cathy looked back at her. She wanted to argue. She wanted to ask how she was supposed to protect herself when Alex could destroy her work in front of everyone and still leave her as the one being threatened with expulsion. But she knew it wouldn't matter. She said nothing. She opened the door and walked out.

By lunchtime, Cathy had almost convinced herself she could get through the rest of the day without another confrontation. She was wrong.

The cafeteria was crowded when she walked in. Students filled the tables, talking loudly over the clatter of trays and chairs. Cathy kept her head down and headed for the back corner. She chose the table closest to the emergency exit and placed her tray down—a small carton of milk and half a turkey sandwich she had packed herself.

She had barely taken a bite when laughter erupted from the other side of the cafeteria. Cathy froze. She knew that laugh.

She slowly looked up. Alex Vance was sitting at the center table with Marcus and several other students. His expensive blazer was perfectly fitted, his hair carefully styled, and that familiar arrogance was written all over his face. Then his eyes found her, and his grin widened. He leaned toward Marcus and whispered something. Marcus looked in Cathy's direction and laughed, and a few others turned.

Cathy immediately lowered her eyes.

“Well, look who it is.” Alex's voice carried across the cafeteria. Cathy's fingers tightened around her sandwich. Several conversations nearby died down.

Alex pushed his chair back. “The ghost of Elite Academy.”

Laughter followed. Cathy kept her eyes on her tray. Just ignore him, she whispered.

Footsteps approached, then stopped beside her table. Alex leaned against the edge. “What’s wrong, charity case?”

Cathy looked up. “Leave me alone, Alex.”

A few students snickered. Alex smiled. “Still angry about yesterday?”

Cathy opened her mouth. She wanted to tell him exactly what she thought of him. But Principal Williams' voice flashed through her mind: If there is another incident involving you, I will have no choice but to recommend your expulsion.

Cathy closed her mouth. She lowered her eyes and said nothing.

Alex waited. When she didn't respond, he laughed. “What happened? Lost your voice?”

Cathy's fingers tightened around the edge of her tray. She wanted to answer, but she remembered the principal's warning: one more incident, expulsion. She stayed quiet.

Alex leaned closer. “That's what I thought.” He glanced at her uniform. “Seriously, Cathy. Do you even own anything that isn't falling apart?”

Cathy's jaw tightened. Again, she almost answered. Again, she stopped herself. She couldn't give him a reason to make the principal's threat real.

Alex noticed her silence and seemed to enjoy it. “Look at you,” he continued. “You really think you belong here? Elite Academy isn't for people like you.”

Her face burned. She said nothing.

Alex smiled. “When your family can't even afford decent clothes, I guess you have to wear whatever you can get.”

Cathy's eyes lifted briefly. Alex saw the reaction. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

Cathy swallowed. She wanted to tell him that he knew nothing about her family, that her mother worked herself exhausted every day, and that her father wasn't some deadbeat who had abandoned them. But the principal's warning stopped every word before it could leave her mouth. She remained silent.

Alex's smile widened. Then he decided to push further. “Your mother is always working, isn't she?”

Cathy's expression changed. She looked down again. “Leave my mother out of this,” she whispered.

Alex chuckled. “So you can talk.”

A few students laughed. Then his expression changed. “What about your father?”

Cathy went still.

Alex continued. “I've never seen him pick you up. Does he even live with you?”

Cathy's throat tightened. “You don't know anything about my family.” The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Alex smiled. “So he does exist.”

Cathy immediately fell silent again. She had already said too much.

Alex leaned closer. “Maybe your father finally got tired of supporting a family he couldn't afford.”

Cathy felt as though someone had punched her in the chest. Her father hadn't abandoned them. He was at home, trapped in a bed, fighting an illness that had drained their savings and changed everything about their lives. Alex knew none of that. He didn't know about the oxygen machine, the medical bills, or how hard Cathy worked behind the name Mirage just to keep her father receiving treatment.

“Stop,” she whispered.

Alex tilted his head. “What?”

Cathy's eyes burned. “Stop talking about my father.” Her voice shook.

Alex smiled. “So I hit a nerve.”

A tear slipped down Cathy's cheek. She quickly wiped it away. The laughter around her grew quieter; even some students looked uncomfortable now. But Alex wasn't finished.

“Maybe if your father had done a better job providing for you, you wouldn't have to come here looking like this.”

Cathy's hands curled beneath the table. She wanted to stand. She wanted to scream. She wanted to tell him exactly what kind of person he was. But the principal's warning echoed in her mind again: One more incident. Expulsion.

So Cathy stayed in her seat. She swallowed the words burning in her throat.

Alex looked at her silence and smiled as though he had won. Cathy lowered her eyes. She hated him, but more than that, she hated knowing that he could hurt her and she couldn't fight back without risking everything she had worked so hard to keep.

And Alex had no idea that while he was enjoying his little victory, his own world was already moving toward a fall he couldn't see coming.