CHAPTER 50: CAMPUS QUEEN TURNS NICE??

Catherine’s POV

Collins wasn’t in school today. He’d texted me earlier that morning saying he had something to do, something vague, so I was on my own today.

I’d just picked up a tray of food from the cafeteria and was scanning for an empty table when someone slammed into me.

The impact jolted my arm, and I almost dropped my tray. My first instinct was to apologize, but before I could say a word, the girl turned around, glaring at me like I’d murdered her puppy.

"Watch where you’re going," she snapped.

I blinked. "Excuse me? You’re the one who bumped into me."

A few gossips nearby stopped talking, their eyes turning toward us like they were waiting for entertainment.

The girl folded her arms, a nasty little smile forming on her lips. "Apologize."

"Not happening."

She looked shocked, maybe even offended that I didn’t immediately fold. I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction, not with everyone already watching. I was tired of being small just to make others feel big.

"You sure you wanna do that?" she said, taking a step closer.

"Yeah," I said. "Pretty sure."

The next thing I knew, she shoved my tray to the floor. My food splattered across the tiles, orange rice and sauce spilling everywhere.

"What the hell—"

Before I could even finish, she poured her drink down my front.

Cold liquid ran through my blouse, sticking it to my skin. The cafeteria went silent. I just stood there, drenched and stunned, my brain trying to catch up with what just happened.

And then, because the universe clearly loved drama, Sasha Hall walked in.

Perfect.

Of course she would show up now. Her little entourage trailed behind her. I braced myself for the inevitable humiliation.

I was waiting for her to laugh at me, maybe throw a comment about how clumsy I was. That was the kind of thing she lived for but she didn’t.

Sasha stopped, her gaze landing on the girl who’d attacked me. Slowly, she set down the drink she’d been holding. Then, without saying a word, she walked up and poured it all over the girl’s head.

Gasps echoed across the room.

The girl squealed, water dripping down her face. "What the f—"

Before she could finish, Sasha’s hand connected sharply with her cheek. The sound cracked through the cafeteria.

My mouth fell open.

"Apologize to her," Sasha said coldly, pointing at me. "Now!"

The girl stared at her, wide-eyed. "What? You don’t even know what happened."

"You heard me. Get on your knees and apologize."

I blinked, certain I’d misheard but the girl, who was shaking in fury slowly sank to the floor.

"I’m... I’m sorry," she muttered.

"Louder," Sasha ordered.

"I’m sorry!"

The cafeteria went completely still. Every student who’d been watching now looked between us like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

I was too shocked to even move. Sasha, who swore to make my life miserable weeks ago, was now defending me. How real could this be?

When the girl finally ran off crying, Sasha turned to me, with a calm and collected expression. I opened my mouth, fumbling for words.

"Uh... thank you, I—"

She cut me off. "Don’t. You don’t owe me that."

Then she turned to one of her girls. "Give her your sweatshirt."

The tall, brunette looked clearly unhappy and hesitated. "But Sasha, this is—"

Sasha shot her a look that could kill and so she immediately stripped off the sweatshirt and handed it to me.

"Come on," Sasha said to me, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Let’s get you cleaned up."

I hesitated. Every part of me screamed trap. This was Sasha Hall. The last time she’d been nice to anyone, she’d probably followed it up with sabotage.

But before I could say anything, she smiled not in a sweet way, not maliciously either, just knowingly. "Relax, Catherine. I’m not going to hurt you."

I followed her. Because honestly? I was too confused not to.

We got to the restroom and it was quiet. My reflection in the mirror looked pathetic, my hair was messy, and my blouse soaked. Sasha leaned against the sink, scrolling through her phone like we weren’t in the middle of some alternate reality.

I changed quickly into the sweatshirt, tugging it down over my hips.

"You can breathe, you know," she said without looking up.

"I just... didn’t expect you to help me."

She smirked. "I don’t like bullies."

I laughed softly, surprised by the sound. "That’s funny. I thought that was your thing."

Her head lifted, and for a second, her smile faded. Then she shrugged. "Fair. I was an idiot back then."

My lips drew to a thin line. "Back then? You mean... like, two weeks ago?"

She actually let out a real laugh, not her usual fake, sugar-coated giggle. "Yeah, that."

I crossed my arms, skeptical. "So what changed?"

Her expression softened. "I thought you were messing around with Julian."

The mention of his name hit me harder than it should’ve. I forced my face to stay neutral, pretending it didn’t. "And now you don’t?"

"Yes. You are dating Collins now," she said simply.

If only she knew.

A pinch of guilt twisted in my chest. If only she had the slightest idea about the situation between Julian and me.

"Anyway," she continued, pushing off the sink, "people around here think they can mess with anyone. It’s annoying."

I blinked. "This side of you is really cool."

She smiled again. "Yes but don’t ruin it."

We both laughed, and for a second, it felt so normal.

She stopped walking and faced me, "Let’s be friends."

I stopped too and turned to face her. "What?"

"Friends. You know, normal girl stuff, gossip, coffee, pretending to care about class."

I frowned. "Really?"

She flashed me a smile. "Of course. I think I misjudged you. Now, I want to try to get to know you."

"Sure," I said after a pause. "Friends."

She smiled with satisfaction. "Good."

By the time we returned to the cafeteria, everyone was still talking about the drama. Sasha walked in like a queen reclaiming her throne, and somehow, I was part of her court now.

She gestured for me to sit with her. I hesitated because sitting at Sasha Hall’s table was practically a political statement but curiosity won.

She introduced her friends one by one: Mia, the brunette who’d given me her sweatshirt; Zoe, the tiny one with too much eyeliner; and Rina, the quiet one with an expensive watch and a bored expression.

It felt surreal.

They talked about fashion, parties, and people I didn’t know. I mostly listened, nodding occasionally. Every now and then, I caught Sasha studying me, like she was trying to figure me out.

Then my mind shifted to Tessa. I thought she was part of them, so why wasn’t she here?

"Where’s Tessa?" I asked at some point.

Her expression hardened. "I don’t know. She’s always wandering about.."

I raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you don’t like her?"

"She is annoying," Sasha replied flatly, picking at her nails. "I don’t usually keep tabs on annoying people."

Ouch.

There was something about the way she said it, so detached, that reminded me who I was dealing with.

Still, for someone who used to hate me, she was surprisingly attentive. She made sure my food was replaced, that no one gave me weird looks, that I was included in every topic. It was disarming.

Just when I was starting to relax, she leaned in.

"So," she said, voice low enough that only I could hear. "How’s Julian?"

My fork paused midair. "Julian?"

"Mhm. Yes. You two seem close."

I blinked slowly. There it was. The real reason behind her sudden kindness.

"I mean," she continued casually, "he doesn’t usually talk to just anyone. And he’s been quiet lately. I figured you’d know why."

I forced a laugh. "We’re not close. He mostly ignores me."

"Really?" She tilted her head. "That’s not what I see."

My chest tightened. "What did you see?"

"Nothing much. Just how he not-grumpy he looks when he talks to you."

I picked at my food, trying to pretend like I had no idea of what she was saying. "Uhm. I don’t know. Whenever Julian and I are together, we mostly quarrel."

"Hmm," she muttered.

And that’s when I clocked it. Sasha didn’t befriend me for the reasons she stated. She was trying to useme to get close to Julian