Lahat ng Kabanata ng A GIRL NAMED NOVA.: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 5

The music stopped.Then came the sound—a sharp crack that sliced through the decorated hall like a lightning bolt.Everyone froze.Gasps. Murmurs. Hundreds of eyes turned toward us—the stage, the lights, the glittering sea of sequins and tuxedos—all focused on the two girls standing at the center of Hillsdale High’s senior prom.Mandy Westwood—my half-sister—was holding her cheek, her painted lips parted in shock.And me, Nova—her unwanted sister—my palm still burning from the force of the slap I’d just given her.“You—you slapped me!?” Mandy’s voice trembled in disbelief, but her eyes blazed with fury.“Yes,” I said, my tone flat, unshaken. “And if you don’t step back, I might do it again.”A hush swept across the ballroom. The DJ stood still, his hand hovering over the turntable. Teachers were frozen at the edges of the hall confused. The entire senior class was watching.Then, in a single, sickening moment, “Daniel Hayes”—the boy I thought I loved—stepped forward and slapped me bac

“Move! Move out of the way!” the cameraman shouted, nearly tripping over a bundle of microphone cords as I walked up the stairs to the stage. The crowd roared with applause, flashes of cameras blinding my vision. The sound of my name echoed through the school auditorium, bouncing off the high ceiling like a thunderclap.“Top of the class—Nova Hart!” Principal Hughes’ voice boomed through the speakers.My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I adjusted the cap on my head and faced the crowd. For a second, I froze under the heat of the lights. The faces before me blurred into a sea of colors—parents clapping politely, students cheering, and somewhere near the back, whispers rising like smoke.I could hear them even through the applause.“That’s the girl from the video.”“I can’t believe she even showed up.”“She must be desperate for attention.”The words clawed at my skin. The memories of prom night—the humiliation, the laughter, Daniel’s cruel smirk—all of it returned like a bitter taste i

The tray in my hand trembled as I balanced three glasses of champagne. My arm ached from holding it up for too long, but I forced my smile to stay fixed. The restaurant was loud with laughter and music, a celebration of wealth and power I had no part in. My white uniform clung to my back, soaked with sweat. The other waiters moved like clockwork, but I was slower—too tired, too distracted.Grandma’s voice echoed in my mind: “Nova, promise me you won’t give up, no matter how hard it gets.”I didn’t. Even when I lost every scholarship I’d fought for, I didn’t break. When she fell sick and the bills kept piling, I took this job—serving people who probably wouldn’t look at me twice if I were dying in front of them.I turned toward Table Seven when my eyes caught a familiar figure at the corner booth.My breath froze.It was him.Mr. Baldwin.Daniel’s father.Sitting there in a tailored navy suit, gold cufflinks glinting under the dim lights, surrounded by men whose laughter could buy sile