“Is that her?”

“Yeah, that's the scholarship girl.”

“She's pretty though.”

“Yeah, she reeks of poverty too”.

“Don’t sit near her. She probably brings the grades up but the smell down.”

The voices hissed like snakes as Aria clutched her tray tighter. The cafeteria was a cathedral of glass and marble, with sunlight spilling across rows of polished tables. Designer handbags dangled off chairs. Bottled water alone cost more than her week’s groceries.

She kept her eyes low, her tray rattling from her unsteady grip. The soup spilled out dangerously close to the rim.

A group of girls at the nearest table leaned together, giggling.

“Second-hand shoes.”

“Second-hand everything.”

“She looks like the janitor’s kid.”

Aria’s throat tightened, but she bit it back. She wasn’t going to give them what they wanted. She'd just ignore them, she wasn't there to fight. She was there to learn.

She spotted an empty table in the far corner. She was relieved. If she could just sit down, and just eat quietly maybe she could get through one meal without any drama

“Move.”

Her heart skipped a beat. A tall boy stepped into her path. She looked up, he wasn't Damian, he also wasn't Jason. He was just some faceless classmate of hers. His friends chuckled behind him as he nudged her tray with one finger. The soup wobbled, almost spilling.

Aria swallowed hard. “Excuse me.”

He didn’t budge. “This is our table.”

She stepped aside, gripping her tray tighter, her knuckles were white. Her gaze darted to the corner again. It was still empty. She just had to take a few more steps.

She got to the empty table and a group of girls came there.

“Try somewhere else” one of the girls said.

Aria quickly left the table and found another empty spot, she prayed silently that no one else should come there, she was hungry and needed a place to eat before the next class.

She lowered herself onto the seat, the tray clattering softly against the tabletop. The chair legs scraped.

For a fleeting second, she let out a breath of relief. Finally, she was invisible to the others. That's what she thought until she heard a voice.

“Thank goodness. I found her.” Jason’s voice boomed above the chatter,and heads turned instantly.

Aria froze in the corner she sat, her tray trembling beneath her fingers. She hadn't even eaten and it seemed trouble had found her again.

Jason strode through the crowd with the ease of someone who owned every inch of this school. His blond hair caught the light, his grin was cocky. Behind him, Damian trailed casually, Vanessa on his arm like a queen at his side.

“Well, well,” Jason said, stopping in front of her table. “Our little prodigy thinks she can hide.”

Aria forced herself to look down,she held her spoon tightly. Maybe if she ignored him, he'll walk away and let her eat in peace.

But Jason didn't leave, he lifted his leg slightly and shoved his knee against the edge of her tray.

The soup bowl tipped, spilling hot liquid across her uniform. It soaked into the thin uniform fabric, spreading like wildfire over her chest and lap. The sting of heat made her flinch, but she caught her gasp too late. Everyone noticed.

Murmurs arose from corners of the cafeteria.

“Oh my God, look at her!”

“She got burn marks for free!”

“She doesn’t even need ketchup now!”

“I hope she leaves immediately.”

Aria stood up abruptly, pushing the tray away, the soup dripping to the floor. Her heart hammered as laughter swelled around her.

Jason clutched his chest feigning surprise. “Oops. My bad. You’re just hard to miss, Lopez. You're always in the wrong place.”

Vanessa’s laugh rang out with cruelty. “You mean wrong place, wrong clothes, wrong everything.” She wrinkled her nose. “Careful, Jason, you’ll catch something.”

Aria’s hands shook as she tried to brush the soup off her uniform, the fabric clinging damply to her skin. Every motion only made the crowd laugh harder.

From the center of it all, Damian’s voice cut through, sharply, his smirk carved in stone.

“Scholarship girl,” he said, “you’re dripping on our expensive floor.”

Damian pushed Jason aside with one lazy hand, the way you’d brush off a fly.

“Move. You’re blocking my view.”

Jason laughed and stepped back instantly, like the loyal shadow he was. Vanessa’s hand tightened on Damian’s arm, her smile widening, her eyes glittering with anticipation.

Damian stopped in front of Aria’s table, staring down at her like she was some puzzle he hadn’t decided whether to break or solve.

Her tray sat abandoned, the soup was still dripping onto the floor in slow, steady drops. An apple was beside the tray.

Damian stretched forth his hand and removed the apple from the table. He polished it against his shirt, and took a slow, deliberate bite. The crunch echoed.

The entire room went quiet, waiting for his next move.

He chewed, swallowed, then leaned over and placed the half-eaten fruit back onto her tray, the bite mark glaring like a brand.

“Congratulations,” he murmured, his smirk pulling wider. “Your food just doubled in value.”

Laughter exploded again, filling the cafeteria.

Jason bent over, laughing hysterically, and pounding his fist on the table. Vanessa clapped her hands together, delighted about the turn out of event.

Aria clenched her fists, her nails cutting deep crescents into her palms. She could feel the burn of the soup still seeping through her uniform, making it stick uncomfortably to her skin.

She forced her chin up, meeting Damian’s gaze head-on.

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes, like amusement and a little bit of cruelty.

He leaned down, so close the noise around them blurred, his voice was pitched only for her but meant for everyone.

“Careful, scholarship girl. Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll think you like it.”

The crowd roared again, feeding off the cruelty, chanting his name. “Damian! Damian! Damian!”

Aria’s breath hitched. The apple sat on her tray like a scar she couldn’t erase.

The chants of “Damian! Damian!” still rang when Aria sank back into her chair, her jaw tightened, her hands trembling against her lap.

Her uniform clung damply to her skin. The soup smell was sharp, stinging her nose. Her tray looked like trash with half-eaten fruit, overturned bowl, and laughter echoing in every corner around her.

She pressed her palms flat against her thighs, hoping to stop them from shaking.

And then, something soft brushed the edge of her tray.

She looked up and saw a neatly folded napkin resting there, it was white.

Her chest tightened. She hadn’t seen anyone put it there.Her gaze darted up instinctively, scanning the cafeteria looking for a clue, maybe someone would smile at her. But the faces she met looked cruel.

The napkin lay between her fingers as she wondered how the napkin got there.

The chanting had died down, the crowd shifting back to their meals, bored now that the whole show was over. Only Jason still chuckled under his breath, tossing fries into his mouth. Vanessa had pulled Damian closer, whispering something in his ear that made him smirk again.

But Aria couldn’t tear her eyes from the back corner, where Ethan sat, perfectly indifferent.

Her lips parted slightly. Did he?

She shook her head in disapproval. He hadn’t even looked up during the whole humiliation.

Her grip tightened on the napkin until her knuckles whitened.

Jason suddenly slammed his tray onto the table across from Aria, the sound was sharp. Fries scattered on the table, the soda spilled, bubbling across the surface.

He leaned forward, smirking. “Hey, Damian. What do you think? Should we make the charity case sing for her supper?”

The suggestion drew chuckles and murmurs instantly. Students began to turn in their seats, attention shifted back to her.

Damian leaned back against Vanessa, as a king in his throne, his eyes flicking over Aria. “Sing?” He smirked. “That’s too easy. No one would hear her with that little voice of hers.”

“Then what?” Jason grinned wider.

Damian’s smirk sharpened, his gaze locking on Aria’s. “Today, she begs.” he said it with an air of authority.

Quickly, cheer rippled through the cafeteria, The chant started before Aria could realize what was happening.

“Beg! Beg! Beg!”

Her pulse thundered in her ears. The walls felt too close, every pair of eyes drilling into her, with anticipation.

Damian pushed himself to stand slowly. He walked to her corner, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. His shadow stretched across her tray, across the napkin she still clenched under her hand.

He bent low, so close she could smell the crisp scent of his cologne over the stench of soup on her uniform. His voice cut through the noise, sharp and merciless.

“Get on your knees, Lopez,” he said, loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear.

Every eye in the cafeteria was focused on Aria. The chant had ended. The laughter was gone. The whole school waited, silently, for her answer.

“Right now!” Damian barked.