Next day
Aria, Elara, and a few boys from various classes were collecting the names of students participating in the upcoming Sports Day. As Aria flipped through the list, she paused.
"Only 97 students have submitted their names," she noted. "Three are still missing."
"Who could it be?" one of the boys asked.
"Of course, Mira and her team," Elara replied with a disgusted look.
Just then, Aarav and Zorvath entered the room.
"Is everything okay here?" Aarav asked.
"Yup," Elara responded quickly, then added with a hopeful tone, "but Mira, Anvi, and Mehar haven't submitted their names yet. I guess they don't plan to."
As expected, Zorvath's expression turned cold. His voice rang with command, "Bring them here. Now!"
Elara smirked with satisfaction while Aria stayed focused on her paperwork, unbothered.
Soon, Mira, Anvi, and Mehar were brought into the room. They stood stiffly in front of Zorvath and Aarav.
"Why didn't you give your names to Aria?" Aarav questioned.
"Tsk. Why should I?" Mira replied rudely.
"HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT?!" Zorvath roared, making the entire room freeze.
"I... I..." Mira stammered, clearly shaken.
"You what?" he demanded, stepping closer.
"I know this was Aria's plan. She's jealous of my beauty," Mira said, trying to act innocent as her voice trembled. "She made this whole Sports Day thing to humiliate me. If I participate, I'll lose and get tanned. This is all her trap, Zorvath."
Elara rolled her eyes hard.
"Stop accusing Aria for no reason," Aarav warned sharply.
Zorvath looked at Aarav, his expression unreadable, then turned his gaze back to Mira.
Aria, still busy noting things down, muttered, "Then you can all become cheerleaders."
Mira looked to Zorvath, expecting him to defend her.
"Do as she said," Zorvath replied coolly.
Mira's face dropped in disbelief, but she nodded-clearly disappointed.
Afternoon____
Almost everyone was out on the ground, practicing for their events.
I was exhausted. Maybe I can go to class and cool off under the fan for a bit.
I reached my class-it was quiet, not a single soul in sight. The entire block felt empty. A strange chill crept over me, but I brushed it off.
I better join them soon.
I turned on the fan and slumped into a seat, letting the breeze hit my face. I closed my eyes, finally feeling a bit of relief.
Just then, a notification popped up on my phone.
Sinas is going live.
Should I check?
No... maybe yes... I haven't seen him in days... and no one is here anyway.
I hesitated, then tapped on it. The live was still loading.
Ugh, why is the data so slow? I sighed in frustration.
"What are you doing here?"
That voice.
Zorvath.
I froze.
What the hell is he doing here?
I slowly turned around. He was standing at the door, staring at me with those unreadable eyes.
"N... nothing," I stammered.
He raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"
He started walking toward me.
Oh no...
Just as he reached near me, Sinas's live finally started playing. His voice echoed through the empty classroom:
"Hey cutie, it's your lovely boy-myself! So how's everyone doing?"
Oh no.
Why did it have to start now?
Zorvath's eyes instantly darkened. His jaw clenched, and his fists tightened.
He grabbed my phone before I could react.
Idiot! I should've held it tighter.
He stared at me-his glare sharp, cold.
"What the hell is this, Aria?" he shouted.
I shivered. I couldn't move.
"CAN'T YOU STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM?!"
I stayed silent, frozen.
"WHAT DO YOU EVEN SEE IN HIM THAT YOU CAN'T FORGET HIM?!"
That was it.
"STOP IT!" I shouted back, almost matching his tone. He thinks only he can yell?
"Give me my phone!" I demanded, stepping forward and holding out my hand.
He didn't move. Just stared.
"I said-give me my phone!" I moved closer, trying to snatch it.
But he suddenly grabbed my waist and pulled me against him-our faces only inches apart.
My breath caught.
He's so close... so handsome-wait, what the hell am I thinking?!
"You can't forget him?" he whispered, voice low and threatening. "If I ever see you near him-or even looking at his picture again-I'll make sure you regret it."
His words sent a chill through my spine.
A warning.
No-a threat.
He's insane...
Who cares what he says?
But still... I knew I shouldn't provoke him any further.
He was dangerous.
Aria stood still for a moment, frozen in Zorvath's grip. His warning echoed in her ears long after he left the classroom, slamming the door behind him. Her heart pounded, not just from fear-but confusion.
"What the hell just happened..." she whispered, then quickly shook her head. "Nope. Didn't happen. Not thinking about it."
Grabbing her phone from the bench, she dusted off her uniform, forced a half-decent smile, and walked back to the ground like nothing had occurred. As she stepped onto the field, Elara spotted her first.
"Where were you, woman? You missed the epic fail of Aarav trying to throw a javelin! It almost hit our PE teacher!" Elara laughed.
Aria blinked. "What? Seriously?"
"Dead serious," Natasha chimed in, stretching her arms. "He screamed like a goat."
The group burst into laughter, and Aria couldn't help but join in. She needed that. Just a few minutes of normal teenage chaos.
"Okay okay," Tanya grinned, tossing a ball to Aria. "Time to show us your pro-level throw, champ."
Aria caught the ball. "Pro-level? Pfft. You're all about to witness a disaster."
She dramatically pulled back and launched the ball... which landed only a few feet away.
Everyone stared. Then-
"Ariaaa!" Nick howled, falling onto the grass laughing. "That was worse than Aarav!"
"You shut up!" Aria threw her shoe at him. "At least I didn't try to kill a teacher!"
The fun banter kept going for a while. Yet, even as Aria smiled, her mind kept slipping back to Zorvath... and that warning. You can't forget him? If I ever see you near him... I'll make sure you regret it.
Was he serious? And why did his eyes look so... hurt?
She shook it off. Whatever. He's just crazy. And scary. And maybe a little too hot when angry-Ugh, stop! Focus!
Suddenly, her phone buzzed. A message from her driver.
"Outside in 10 minutes."
Aria wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned to Elara. "Hey, my ride's here. I'm gonna bounce."
"Alright! See you tomorrow-try not to miss the 'throw-a-shoe-at-Nick' event again."
"Noted!" Aria laughed and waved goodbye.
---
Later, at home...
Aria dropped her bag on her bed and collapsed with a groan. Her room's cool air felt like heaven. She stared at the ceiling, letting her thoughts drift.
Zorvath... why is he like this? What does he want from me? And why does it mess with my head?
Then her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a post from Sinas.
"New video up: Behind the scenes of my next vlog!"
Her finger hovered over it, hesitating. Then-she turned her phone face-down.
"Not today," she whispered.
Today had been too much already.
She stared at the ceiling again. Her mind spinning with dangerous warnings, half-thrown javelins, and a boy she couldn't seem to forget-even when she tried.
After my shower and skincare routine, I settled at my desk, textbooks open, ready to force myself into studying. The quiet of my room was exactly what I needed-until my phone buzzed again. An unknown number. My heart thumped. Curiosity and nerves tangled as I swiped to answer.
"Hello?"
"Hey... Aria?" came the voice-smooth and familiar. It was Sinas.
"I'm sorry, who is this?" I managed, my pulse racing.
"It's Sinas," he said, almost shyly. "I caught your name during my live today-SBH's newest star."
My throat went dry. "Look, I don't-"
"I know SBH's been spreading nasty rumors about me," he interrupted gently. "Please don't believe them. I'm not who they say."
"I... I have to study." I tried to sound firm.
"I get that. But could we meet? Just talk. Cafe Ivy near the school-quiet, nothing public. Tomorrow at five?"
"No," I said immediately. "I can't."
Silence crackled between us.
"Swee-cutie, please," he softened, "I really want to explain."
"I said no."
"Pretty please, Aria? I've waited a long time to clear things up."
My resolve wavered. I had no other plan, no one else to turn to.
"Fine," I whispered.
"Great," he breathed out, relief flooding his tone. "See you tomorrow, sweetheart."
My hand shook as I hung up. Tomorrow at five, Cafe Ivy-there was no turning back now.