Chapter Thirteen: Shadows in the Hotel

The female hostel at Blackwood Academy was rarely silent. It was a place of whispered secrets, late-night gossip, and carefully veiled power struggles.

But tonight?

Tonight, the air crackled with something far more dangerous.

Because Adriana Kingsley was out for blood.

Her heels clicked against the polished floors as she stalked down the hallway, her followers—Brielle, Lacey, and Naomi—right behind her. Their expressions were unreadable, but their silence spoke volumes.

This wasn't just any confrontation.

This was about Ava Sinclair.

And Adriana wasn't leaving without making her regret everything.

At the far end of the hallway, laughter rang out.

Adriana's jaw clenched.

She knew that laugh.

Ava.

Casual. Carefree. As if she wasn't a walking disaster, as if she hadn't embarrassed Adriana again and again in front of the entire school.

Adriana's grip on her phone tightened.

She'd had enough 

Ava stood outside her room, leaning against the doorway with a lazy smirk as she chatted with Lily and a few other girls. She was still in her uniform—Blackwood's signature navy blazer and pleated skirt—but her tie was loosened, her posture relaxed.

The second she spotted Adriana, her smirk widened.

"Well, well, well," Ava drawled. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Adriana stopped inches from her, eyes blazing.

"You think this is funny?" she snapped.

Ava tilted her head. "What? Breathing? Existing?" She grinned. "I know those things annoy you, but—"

"Shut up."

The words were sharp, slicing through the air.

Ava raised an eyebrow, but before she could speak, Adriana stepped closer, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper.

"I'm done playing nice," she hissed. "You think you can just waltz in here, steal my spotlight, embarrass me in front of the whole school, and nothing will happen?"

Ava didn't flinch.

"If you're asking whether I thought you'd throw a tantrum in the hallway, then yeah, I kinda expected that."

A few girls gasped.

Lily stifled a laugh.

Adriana's nails dug into her palm.

"You think you're untouchable," she said lowly.

Ava's eyes gleamed. "No. I just think you're predictable."

The tension snapped.

Before anyone could react, Adriana reached out—

And shoved Ava backward.

A collective gasp echoed through the hallway.

Ava stumbled but caught herself against the doorframe, her expression shifting.

No more teasing.

No more playing.

Her eyes turned cold.

Adriana smirked.

"What? No witty comeback?"

Ava straightened, her expression unreadable.

Then—

She shoved Adriana back.

The force sent Adriana staggering, and for a moment, everyone froze.

Then chaos erupted.

The tension in the hallway snapped like a whip.

Ava's shove sent Adriana stumbling back a step, and for a split second, complete silence filled the air. Then—

Gasps. Laughter. The sound of phones unlocking as girls scrambled to record.

Adriana's eyes flared with something dangerous.

"You did not just put your hands on me," she snarled, straightening her blazer like she wasn't seconds away from lunging.

Ava smirked, tilting her head. "You started it, Kingsley. Thought you'd be able to handle what you dish out."

Lily snorted, and Naomi—one of Adriana's closest friends—shifted uncomfortably.

It was one thing for Adriana to throw insults. It was another for someone to throw them right back and land them.

Adriana felt the eyes on her, the weight of every whisper crawling under her skin like fire.

She was losing control of the narrative.

And she refused to let that happen.

She took a step forward, gaze locked on Ava. "You really think you're something, don't you?"

Ava rolled her eyes. "Not really. But next to you? I look great."

More laughter.

Adriana saw red.

She didn't care that they were in the middle of the hostel, didn't care that girls were filming, didn't care that her perfect reputation was hanging by a thread.

She just wanted to win.

"You're a joke, Sinclair," she spat. "A walking, talking, pathetic joke. You don't belong here. You never did, and you never will."

Ava's smirk didn't waver.

"But I'm here, aren't I?" she said smoothly. "And not only that—I'm getting under your skin. You're spiraling, Kingsley. Must suck to know that I—the 'pathetic scholarship girl'—am getting more attention than you."

The words hit.

Adriana's fists clenched so tight that her nails dug into her palm.

She opened her mouth to snap back when—

"What the hell is going on here?"

A new voice cut through the chaos like a blade.

Xavier.

And behind him?

The entire Sterling Five 

The hallway shifted.

Because when Xavier and his boys walked in, they didn't just enter the room—they commanded it.

They strode down the hall in their signature confidence, expensive cologne lingering in the air. Jackets unzipped. Ties loosened. Like they owned the place.

And honestly?

They kind of did.

Girls whispered. Eyes widened. A few adjusted their skirts and smoothed their hair.

Because this?

This was the Elite of Blackwood Academy stepping into the middle of the most explosive drama of the semester.

Xavier stopped beside Ava, his sharp blue eyes taking in the scene.

He took his sweet time before speaking.

"Did I miss something?" he asked lazily, gaze flicking between the two girls.

Adriana's anger spiked.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she snapped.

Xavier arched a brow. "Me? I live here, Kingsley. Blackwood Academy is my playground, remember?"

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

Ava crossed her arms. "Adriana was just reminding me how much she despises me," she said dryly. "You know, standard rich-girl tantrum."

Adriana's eyes burned. "You—"

"You wanna know what I despise?" Xavier interrupted.

Adriana turned to him, expecting him to back her up like he used to.

He didn't.

Instead, he looked her up and down, then sighed, shaking his head like she was pathetic.

"I despise spoiled little brats who throw public meltdowns over a girl who's clearly outshining them," he said.

Silence.

Complete, deadly silence.

Adriana went rigid.

"You cannot be serious," she said, her voice tight.

Xavier smirked. "Oh, I'm very serious."

Ava bit her lip, barely holding back a laugh.

Adriana's hands shook. "You're actually siding with her?"

Xavier shrugged. "I mean, she did win a scholarship. What did you win again? Oh, right—Daddy's credit card."

The crowd erupted.

Ava grinned.

Adriana?

Adriana snapped.

"SCREW YOU, XAVIER!" she shouted.

And then—

She launched herself at Ava.

Adriana lunged.

It wasn't a shove this time. It wasn't a half-hearted attempt to rattle Ava.

No.

She went for blood.

Her manicured nails swiped toward Ava's face, her expression twisted in pure rage—

But Ava moved first.

She ducked, sidestepping just in time, and Adriana stumbled forward.

Gasps rang through the hallway.

And then—

Ava shoved her.

Not hard enough to throw her to the ground, but hard enough to send a clear message:

I'm not scared of you, Kingsley.

Adriana whirled around, livid. "You b—"

"Don't finish that sentence," Ava cut in smoothly. Her eyes gleamed, daring Adriana to try her again.

But Adriana was too far gone.

Her nails curled into fists, and she lunged again—

A hand caught her wrist.

"Enough," Xavier said coldly.

The hallway fell into a stunned silence.

Adriana yanked her arm free, her breath coming fast. "You're actually defending her?"

Xavier crossed his arms. "I'm stopping you from embarrassing yourself again."

Ava snorted. "Too late for that."

Adriana snapped.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Ava didn't even flinch.

And that made it worse.

Adriana took a breath, her voice dropping to a venomous hiss.

"You really think you're something special, don't you?" she sneered. "You think just because you landed a scholarship at Blackwood, you belong here?"

Ava raised an eyebrow. "Considering I've been here all year? Yeah, kinda."

The crowd snickered.

Adriana's jaw ticked.

"You're a nobody," she spat. "You have nothing. No money. No status. You're beneath me."

Ava tilted her head. "And yet, here you are, screaming my name in the hallway like I'm your worst nightmare."

"OHHHHHHH!"

Someone in the crowd shouted.

Laughter exploded through the hallway.

Adriana saw red.

Before she could spew another insult, a new voice cut through the noise.

"Kingsley, I'd quit while I'm ahead if I were you."

The crowd shifted as a tall figure stepped forward.

Theo.

One of Xavier's closest friends, and the most strategic member of the Sterling Five.

He wasn't as loud as Xavier, wasn't as flashy—but when Theo spoke, people listened.

And right now?

All eyes were on him.

Adriana whipped toward him. "Are you seriously taking her side too?"

Theo shrugged, completely unfazed by her rage. "I'm taking the side of logic, and right now? You're losing, Kingsley."

Adriana's hands shook. "You're all a bunch of idiots," she hissed.

Theo smirked. "No. We just don't waste our energy on petty fights that make us look stupid."

Ava grinned. "Damn. That was a nice way of calling her dumb."

More laughter.

Adriana's chest heaved.

She couldn't win this.

Not with all of them against her.

Not with Xavier, Theo, and half the school watching her crumble.

Her nails dug into her palm.

"Let's go," she spat to her girls.

Brielle and Lacey hesitated.

But Naomi?

Naomi was already backing away, her face pale with secondhand embarrassment.

Adriana clenched her teeth. "Now."

With one last glare at Ava, she turned on her heel and stormed down the hallway.

She didn't stop walking.

Not when she heard Xavier chuckle behind her.

Not when she heard Ava's amused whisper: "Damn. I didn't even break a sweat."

But she heard them.

And she knew this wasn't over.

Adriana stormed away, but the whispers followed her.

The entire hostel buzzed with excitement.

And at the center of it all?

Ava.

She turned to her friends, her expression still cool. "Well, that was fun."

Lily snorted. "More like hilarious. I wish I'd recorded the whole thing."

Xavier smirked. "Don't worry. Someone definitely did."

Ava rolled her eyes, but deep down, she knew he was right. By tomorrow morning, half the school would have seen Adriana Kingsley getting verbally destroyed in the hallway.

And that?

That was satisfying.

Then—

"Ava."

She turned, expecting Lily or Xavier.

Instead, it was Issa.

He wasn't flashy like Xavier. He didn't have the arrogance or the money.

But he had loyalty.

And right now, he was looking at Ava with an expression she couldn't quite place.

"You okay?" he asked, voice low.

Ava blinked, surprised. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Issa studied her for a moment. Then—

"You didn't have to do that," he murmured. "You didn't have to let her get under your skin."

Ava's jaw tightened. "I didn't let her get under my skin," she said. "I put her in her place."

Issa sighed. "Yeah. But now she's going to come back harder."

Ava already knew that.

And honestly?

She didn't care.

"Let her," Ava said simply. "I'm not scared of Adriana Kingsley."

Issa held her gaze for a second longer before nodding.

And for some reason, the air between them felt… different.

A little charged.

A little dangerous.

Before Ava could say anything else, Xavier clapped a hand on Issa's shoulder.

"Relax, man. Ava's a big girl. She can handle herself."

Issa's jaw twitched.

He didn't say anything.

But the look he gave Xavier?

It said enough.

Xavier just smirked. "Come on. Let's get out of here before Kingsley comes back for round two."

Ava exhaled, letting the tension roll off her shoulders.

Because if there was one thing she knew for sure—

This war with Adriana was far from over.