CHAPTER 47: ANOTHER SCENE WITH THE TRIO

Andria’s POV

Alexa and Tricia chuckled behind Tracy.

"Well, I would let that nasty slander die. So just carry your stalking and obsessed asses off my eating area, before I puke on you," I snapped at them.

"Now, you are so scared of the truth, right? Didn’t you get your things over to their house?" Tracy said, reaching to pull my hair, which I dodged before she could even get near me.

It has been a long time since I fought with any of them, and maybe they miss it, especially Tracy.

"If you had better things to do, you wouldn’t be sniffing around my business." I looked straight into their eyes, pointing two fingers at them.

The cafeteria went silent almost immediately, and everyone turned to watch the scene Tracy and Co. had created. I could tell they were enjoying the spotlight by the smug look on their faces.

I placed my fork down slowly, deliberately, because Tracy’s words didn’t just scratch; they dug claws in.

Becca shifted beside me, her jaw tightening as if she were debating whether to speak up or throw her drink in Tracy’s face. Arlo leaned back in his chair, studying Tracy with the calm expression of someone who could end a fight in two moves if it came to that.

The princess, however, simply raised an eyebrow, the kind of elegant, slow lift that somehow made the room feel colder.

"Well, look at her thinking she could cozy up with the princess after getting close with the Alpha successors, how filthy and desperate, you can’t be where you don’t belong."

"I’m sorry," I said, my voice deceptively calm. "Did you lose your dignity on your way here, or did you just leave it at home for safekeeping?"

Tracy’s nostrils flared. "Oh, I didn’t lose anything. But you? You’ve lost any respect this school could’ve given you."

Gasps rippled again. They already got their phones up and were filming the scene..

I stood slowly, because sitting and letting her spit venom in my face wasn’t my style. "You must be confusing me with someone who cares what you think, or anyone thinks, especially when it’s all a lie."

Her lips curled into a smug smile, and she took a step closer, closing the gap between us.

"You think you’re untouchable because they..." she jabbed a finger towards Arlo, Becca and the princess. "Keep following you around. But trust me, Andria, a creature like you falls the hardest."

"You wish," I snapped back at them. "The problem with creatures like you is that you find it hard to stay off others’ business; in fact, it makes you relevant."

Tracy’s face went pale, and she balled her hands into a fist in a bid to hit me with them.

Becca rose too, sliding a protective step closer to me, her eyes locked on Tracy like she was already imagining claw marks down her cheek. "You should probably walk away now," Becca warned, her tone sweet enough to be terrifying.

But Tracy didn’t move. She just smirked, her voice low and sharp. "Or what? You’ll bite me? Oh wait..." she glanced at me with mock realization, "that’s her job, isn’t it?"

Becca’s face reddened, and I could tell she wanted to pounce on them.

It took every ounce of restraint in my body not to give her what she was begging for. My nails bit into my palms, and I could hear my heartbeat as an angry drum in my ear.

Athena was enraged, and I was pleading with her to calm down.

Then, suddenly, the Zade stepped into the confusion. "I suggest you keep your filthy selves off my mate, right now. You have already made quite a scene; you should be satisfied by now."

There were gasps all over the cafeteria. "Is the Alpha of the silvernight pack her mate also?" They whispered amongst themselves.

Oh well, he just had to seize this moment also?

"I suggest you all put down your phones, there’s nothing so hilarious to watch here," he said, turning to face the crowd.

Tracy and Co gave me a very detestable look and left, Tracy first, and the other two butterflies following behind.

"And look who saved the day," I spat out sarcastically, "I never said that I couldn’t handle it well myself," I murmured to myself, before sitting down.

"I could see how well you were handling it, Aria," he said in a sarcastic tone. "Why not admit it, Aria? Sometimes you need help. Don’t get me wrong, you are strong enough to handle situations, but sometimes you just need a little help."

He turned to leave, and as if he forgot to get something, he bent down to whisper in my ear, "They weren’t lying, after all, you moved in with them, except you have moved out now."

He winked at me and then left.

’Wait, was he, was he watching my every move or better still, was he stalking me?’

"Are you alright?" Becca called out to me, snapping me out of my momentary unconsciousness. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that not just Zade monitored me, but even the enemy or whatever the Alpha successors are protecting me from.

"Well, well, well, this whole scene was quite entertaining and ridiculous," the princess said with a faint sigh, as if she’d been dragged into a play she never bought tickets for, "But I’ll rather finish my lunch drama-free.

"Welcome to Ashwood Academy, please allow me to introduce you to those three little brats," Becca said exaggeratedly.

"So the aggressive one that kept chirping on and on nonstop is Tracy, the leader of their squad." Becca nodded at the princess to see if she was paying attention to her storytelling.

"The one who immediately followed her when she turned to leave is Alexa, and the last one is Tricia. You can tell them apart with their hair color anyway."

"Are they always like this to others, or is it just Aria?" The princess asked with an astonished expression gracing her face.

"Oh yes, always like that to anybody who seems like they are stealing the spotlight." Arlo replied, clicking his fingers as if he were telling Liara ’Of course.

"Funny characters indeed," Liara remarked, shoving the last spoon of her food into her mouth. "Having been home-schooled all my life, I’ve never known this part of school," she stated with a slight chuckle.

"Well, you are just getting started, princess", Arlo stated almost blatantly.

"At least, it won’t be as boring as learning in a boring environment, I just hope not to be the subject of any drama by the way," she stated.

Unlike what I expected the princess to be like, she was soft, kind, humble and always kept to herself. I expected her to be snobbish, stand-offish, boastful and extravagant. Maybe it is the result of being home-schooled.

Everyone on the table had finished eating except me, thanks to the trio’s interruption.

"If you guys want to leave, you can leave without me. I’ll catch up with you later on or maybe tomorrow," I said, sensing everyone was done eating and had directed their gaze towards me.

I tried to hurry my food in order not to waste their time. And just as I was done and we were about to leave.

The school microphone crackled to life.