Chapter Twelve: The Fall of a Queen
The halls of Blackwood Academy had barely settled from the last war before Round Two erupted.
It was supposed to be over.
Adriana had lost—at least in front of everyone. She had stormed off, her followers trailing behind her, leaving Ava standing beside Xavier and the Sterling Five.
But humiliation is a tricky thing. It doesn't just fade—it festers. And Adriana Kingsley wasn't the kind of girl who let things go.
Not when people were watching.
Not when people were talking.
And most importantly—not when people were laughing.
Adriana walked away, her head held high, her heels clicking against the marble floors like war drums.
Her mind was racing—calculating, plotting, already thinking of her next move.
She needed to flip the script, regain control of the story before it spiraled any further.
But then—
It happened.
It was subtle at first.
The smallest misstep.
Her ankle wobbled in her designer stiletto—just slightly—but enough to make her lose her balance.
She felt the weight shift, her body tilting—
And before she could stop it—
She stumbled forward.
For a moment, time froze.
Then—
Crash.
She went down.
The Queen of Blackwood Academy, the untouchable Adriana Kingsley, was on her hands and knees in the middle of the hallway.
Gasps.
Shocked murmurs.
A few suppressed snickers.
But the real dagger?
The click of a camera.
No—multiple cameras.
Phones were out.
Pictures were being taken.
The whispers turned into a roar.
Adriana's blood ran cold.
She didn't hesitate.
Didn't even breathe.
She pushed herself up so fast it was like she had never fallen at all.
Head high.
Back straight.
Expression cold.
She dared anyone to laugh.
The air was thick with unspoken tension, a dangerous game of who-would-speak-first.
And, of course—
Xavier broke the silence.
He leaned lazily against the lockers, arms crossed, watching her like she was a particularly amusing scene in a movie.
"Damn," he drawled, smirking. "Didn't know the runway included special effects."
The Sterling Five chuckled.
Ava?
She didn't say anything.
She didn't have to.
Her smirk said it all.
Adriana's fists clenched.
Her cheeks burned.
But she didn't let it show.
Instead—
She turned.
She faced them head-on, eyes cold as ice.
"Oh, please," she sneered, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You think a little trip is enough to shake me?"
She stepped forward, voice cutting through the air.
"Unlike some people—" she shot Ava a pointed look "—I don't let one little embarrassment define me."
Ava raised an eyebrow. "That's funny, because you seemed pretty bothered a second ago."
The crowd oohed.
Xavier chuckled. "She's got a point."
Adriana's nails dug into her palms.
But before she could retort—
She took another step.
One step.
That's all it took.
Her ankle wobbled again.
For a split second, she thought she could recover.
She fought for balance, arms flailing slightly—
And then—
She went down. Again.
This time, it was worse.
Because this time?
The entire hallway erupted.
Laughter.
Gasps.
More phones whipped out.
The click-click-click of cameras was deafening.
Adriana's face turned red.
Her pride shattered.
And the worst part?
Ava's laugh.
It wasn't forced.
It wasn't fake.
It was real.
A sharp, uncontrollable burst of laughter, spilling from her lips like she had just witnessed the funniest thing in the world.
Adriana snapped.
She launched herself up, eyes blazing, voice sharp as a knife.
"You think this is funny?!" she shouted.
Ava wiped a tear from her eye.
"Uh, yeah," she said, still giggling.
Xavier smirked. "Gotta admit, Kingsley, that was a solid encore performance."
Adriana's eyes narrowed.
The humiliation was too much.
She pointed a manicured finger at Ava.
"This is your fault," she hissed. "You and your pathetic little fan club—"
Ava crossed her arms. "What, did I magically control your legs? Or is that just a rich girl skill issue?"
More laughter.
Adriana trembled with rage.
Her friends were trying to help her up, whispering desperate reassurances, but it didn't matter.
The damage was done.
The images were out there.
Her fall—both literal and social—had just become Blackwood Academy history.
And the worst part?
It was only the beginning
The Aftermath
By the time Adriana stormed out of the hallway, her social media was already flooded.
Videos.
Memes.
Captions like:
"The Queen has fallen… twice."
"Gravity: 2, Adriana: 0."
"When karma doesn't waste time."
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to destroy whoever had posted first.
But more than that?
She wanted revenge.
Because if there was one thing Adriana Kingsley knew—
It was that queens don't fall forever.
They rise again.
And when she did?
Ava Sinclair would pay.
The echo of Adriana's second fall hadn't even faded before the internet took over.
Within minutes, Blackwood Academy's gossip pages had exploded.
@BlackwoodInsider:
BREAKING: Our beloved Queen Adriana Kingsley just made history—not once, but TWICE! Someone call NASA because gravity is not on her side.
@BWASecrets:
Adriana's knees must be in SHAMBLES. Rumor has it she's applying for hazard pay.
@Xavier'sFanclub:
The way Xavier laughed? The way Ava laughed?! ICONIC.
Adriana sat in the girls' restroom, her back pressed against the cool tiled wall, her fingers tightening around her phone.
The comments.
The likes.
The shares.
It was like wildfire. And she?
She was the fuel.
Her so-called friends hovered nearby, shifting awkwardly.
"Maybe people will forget about it soon," Brielle tried, but even she didn't sound convinced.
Adriana's jaw tensed.
Forget?
As if.
This was Blackwood Academy.
This wasn't just embarrassing—it was social suicide.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
She needed a plan.
She needed to fix this.
And most importantly—
She needed to destroy Ava Sinclair.
By the time Adriana emerged from the restroom, she was a storm in stilettos.
Her head was held high.
Her rage was masked beneath an icy expression.
And her target?
Standing by her locker, chatting with Xavier, Lily, and the rest of the Sterling Five—like she actually belonged there.
Ava Sinclair.
Adriana stalked forward, each step sharper than the last.
The hallway quieted.
People watched—anticipation buzzing through the air like static before a storm.
Ava noticed her approach and sighed.
"Oh, great," she muttered. "Round three?"
Xavier smirked. "Kingsley's persistent, I'll give her that."
Adriana ignored them both.
Instead, she stopped directly in front of Ava, looking her up and down with a cold, assessing glare.
"You really think this is funny?" Adriana hissed, her voice laced with venom.
Ava shrugged. "You falling on your face twice in one day? Yeah. Kinda hilarious."
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
Adriana's hands curled into fists.
"You think you've won, don't you?" she whispered.
Ava raised an eyebrow. "Won what? A front-row seat to your downfall? Babe, that's free admission."
Xavier chuckled. "Ouch."
Adriana whipped around to glare at him.
"You really think siding with her is a good move?" she snapped.
Xavier tilted his head, amusement flickering in his emerald eyes.
"At least she has something going for her," he said lazily. "Unlike you, who's currently famous for face-planting."
Adriana's lips parted.
The nerve of him.
"Why are you even defending her?!" she hissed. "She's nothing! She's just a stupid scholarship girl—"
Xavier's smirk vanished.
His gaze darkened.
"Say that again," he murmured.
The hallway stilled.
Something in his voice had changed.
It wasn't playful anymore.
It was dangerous.
Adriana's bravado wavered.
"Scholarship. Girl." She spat the words out like they tasted foul.
Xavier stepped forward.
He wasn't touching her.
But the air shifted.
And suddenly, it felt like he had all the power.
"At least she's smart enough to earn her place here," he said smoothly. "Unlike some people who are just riding their daddy's money."
The hallway erupted.
Adriana's face burned.
Her friends stiffened.
The humiliation was too much.
This was supposed to be her school.
Her kingdom.
And yet—
Ava Sinclair was stealing everything.
Adriana's breath was shaky, but she refused to let them see her break.
With one final, icy glare, she turned on her heel and stalked away, her friends scrambling to keep up.
The second she disappeared around the corner, Lily nudged Ava.
"Well," she said. "That went well."
Ava exhaled. "Too well."
Xavier leaned in, his smirk returning.
"Enjoy the peace while it lasts, Sinclair," he murmured. "Because something tells me this war is just getting started."
And he was right.