Your POV 

You're just the puppet, serving the puppet master.

The thought had been probing my head all day long, right up till now. What on Earth did Hannah mean by that? I glance sideways at her direction, giving her a curious glance, but it was returned as a dark glare.

Sighing silently, I returned back to the math equation I had been working on. Usually I'm one of the top at math, but today the equation looked like total gibberish. My forehead crinkled as I stared blankly at the neatly written inked-out words, black against the gridded paper. e = (3.4) - 4n + - 4cf. Plain gibberish. 

'Hey, (y/n), you okay?' Layla asked me softly, the tip of her pencil tapping my blazer in order to gain my attention. 'You're usually good at this sort of stuff.'

'Yeah, yeah, I'm fine,' I quickly replied, maybe a little too quickly. Making something up on the spot, I yawned loudly, stretching my arms in all different directions before slumping in my chair. 'Just tired.'

'Oh, okay,' Layla nodded, satisfied with this answer. She returned back to her paper and the atmosphere was silent. Hannah glanced up at me again before rolling her eyes and returning back to her paper. 

'Is something the matter, Miss (l/n)?' enquired Mrs. Norris, our elderly math teacher who had a shock of pink, fairy-floss hair.

'Nothing, Mrs. Norris.'

I slowly shifted my attention back to the blue and white gridded paper, the whole classroom completely silent now. Blinking, I stared at the equation some more. 

What did Hannah mean by that?

-----------------------

It was lunch. One o'clock. The dinging bells rang through the quiet school, announcing the arrival of lunch. Which meant the thought had been bothering me all day. Gathering my books, I ran out of the classroom, towards my lilac locker.

Opening it, a whiff of lavender floated through my nostrils, causing my to sigh happily at the scent of my favorite flower. I stood back for a moment and admired my locker. It had a white-and-lilac theme, which matched perfectly to the school's colours. I placed my books in the three trays lined up the top quarter, using the alternating colours.

My bag was hung on a washi-taped hook, taking up the remainder of the space. I hummed softly as I returned my pencil case to one of the three hooks that hung on the inside of the locker door. The straw hat, and some keys occupied the others.

Reaching into the back corner, I opened up my stash of makeup and snacks as we spent most of our lunch reapplying makeup in the bathroom while eating. A little burst of pride echoed throughout me, proud of myself for keeping my locker neat and tidy this year.

A second bell rang throughout the crowded corridor, reminding me of where I needed to be. Slamming the door, I dashed my way towards the school cafeteria.

As I entered the white-washed room, scents of curry, rice, sushi and spring rolls floated through the air. Asian Monday. Cafeterias was something Australia didn't really have, being an American thing. Our school was probably the only one who had a cafeteria. But all the same, the cafeteria didn't really look like a cafeteria.

More like a restaurant, with the gold-and-white décor, and the circular tables with embroided table clothes. Grabbing a bit of everything, I carefully made my way to the back center of the room, where a table fit for twelve people was positioned beside a golden tapestry. My forehead crinkled as I noticed at least four people missing. 

'Where's Chanel, Ashley, Celeste, Lilian, Layla and Harper?' I asked the sitting members of the group. A few joined me frowning, confused as well. 

'I don't know,' shrugged Mikayla, her golden hair falling down her back. 'Probably doing something to do with makeup or clothes.'

I noticed the annoyance in Mikayla's voice and I couldn't help but feel relieved that I wasn't the only one fed up with that topic. The others immediately lost interest, and started complaining about Mrs Norris, or going on their phones. Sliding into the spare seat next to the blonde, I began talking to her. 'I thought Layla wasn't into that kinda stuff.'

'You know Layla,' sighed Mikayla, exasperation laced into her words as her face adopted a weary expression. 'She likes to tag along. Always choosing what the most people choose. Always letting her friends decide for her and never thinking for herself.'

'I guess that's true,' I nodded at those words. I leant closer to Mikayla, blocking off our conversation from everyone else. 'Have you begun reading the Attack on Titan manga?'

Mikayla was the only person I knew besides me who was an Elite and loved anime as well, being half-Japanese. We both hid this secret from everyone else, but still. It was nice having somebody I could share my interests with. However, beyblade was a different story. I haven't told her about my obsession, I mean, love for beyblade. But it was nice talking about other animes.

'Oh yes,' she whispered excitedly, bobbing her head up and down. 'I still prefer the anime, but it's a whole new experience of AOT.' 

'AOT?' a snobby voice edged with nosiness suddenly cut through our conversation. We both jumped, startled at the sudden intrusion. Fear jolted through my body like an electric shock, and I could feel the thumping in my chest beating more rapidly than usual, increasing my breathing rate as well. I was almost certain my face was covered with pink streaks. 

A slender girl with willowy ombrè golden and brown hair stood between our plush white chairs, blocking our sight and the conversation off.  She directed her icy gaze towards me, her pale blue hues sending daggers towards me like always. Ashley Holdfar. 'What's that? Hmm?'

'Animals of Tanzania,' Mikayla replied smoothly, not breaking a sweat. I inwardly sighed in relief at the convincing fib. 'It's something we're working on for the upcoming Oliphant Science Awards.'

'Oh, that's boring,' sniped Ashley, dragging out the 'o' in boring. She plonked herself down on a chair in between Chanel and me. She applied herself a layer of lip gloss before resting her head on her palm. 'Can we talk about something more interesting? Like about the upcoming social?'

At the mention of the social, all the heads around this table perked up. Chanel smirked to herself, seeing this a an opportunity to boast about her chosen date. Clearing her throat, all eyes went to her. Not that they were ever away from her. 'I finally decided who I'm taking. Drumroll, please.'

Of course Chanel would want this reveal to be dramatic. I joined everyone in rapidly slapping the table, drawing the attention of the whole cafeteria to our table, even if I found it stupid. Chanel smirked again, as if the attention from everyone was something she had planned for.

She stood up elegantly, brushing the imaginary dirt of her skirt before standing on the white chair, her eyes sweeping the whole cafeteria, where even the teachers and cooks were listening.

'Attention, everyone. I have finally decided who I'm taking to the social. As you all know, the upcoming social is an extremely important time of our lives where we can openly socialize with the other gender, something our loving teachers had dedicated time to us.' She glanced over to the far right table and gave them a winning smile.

'So, without further ado, I'd like to announce that I will take Hayden Melville to the social.' As expected, the room exploded with noise. Several Elites stood up, clapping their hands and whooping. Many "congratulations" were thrown towards Chanel. 'And no one in this school may interfere with this relationship until I say so.'

With that finishing sentence, she flourished her hands and sat down once again as the claps rose to a peak, then eventually died down. 'Who are you guys going with?'

'I'm going with either with Jack or James,' piped up Ashley. I frowned slightly, having never heard of James before. I knew Jack was one of Chanel's picks, so he must've been hot to have two girls wanting him. 'Most likely Jack. The boy with dreamy eyes. Oh, sorry, (y/n). I forgot you don't know much boys.'

I opened my mouth to retort back, but Chanel interrupted. 'That's okay. Some parents are just overprotective,' Chanel gave a fake little laugh, trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't help my shoulders slumping forward. 'Look, (y/n). How about we take you to Petunia Mall?'

'But my parents will know,' I sighed. 'They always look for me after school.'

'But who said we were going after school?' asked Chanel, a little too innocently. 'It's time for skipping classes.'

-----------------

I shivered as a cold wind from the beach sprang up, goosebumps popping out everywhere as I tightened the blazer around my body. I gazed at my other companions, wondering how they were fine with this weather. Maybe this was the usual for them. Since the whole group would be too much, Chanel agreed on bringing only me, Layla, Harper and Brittany. A smile broke on my face when I realized Ashley wasn't coming. There was just one thing that was niggling at me.

'Chanel, are you sure this is the right thing to do?' I asked nervously, glancing back at the top of the school, where Mrs Caprit was standing. 'I appreciate your effort, but it's only a silly event and I'm sure all the teachers are currently looking for us.'

'Not if we pay them later to shush,' grinned Chanel, a little too ominous for me. Then I realized that was why Ashley didn't come. She didn't have the money to pay the teachers to keep quiet. 'That's what I always do.'

'But how about the boys?' I argued, desperate for a reason to avoid this situation and turn back. It didn't help we were standing in the middle of the gardens, where the whole school could see us. 'Don't they have school?'

'Yes, but can't they skip school as well?' Chanel rolled her eyes. 'Look, (y/n), I already texted them that we're meeting up in front of the fountain at Petunia Mall. And the social isn't silly. If you want, you can go back to class by yourself and explain why you were gone, sound good?'

There was a long, lengthy silence after that. All the bystanders of this party glanced nervously at us, waiting for me to say something. Eventually I sighed. 'Fine, I'll go with you.'

'Thank you,' Chanel said, a little too harsh, but I knew that all would be forgotten soon. 'We have to take the bus first.'

Petunia Mall wasn't that far away, but Chanel couldn't be bothered to walk all the way there. As we rode the smooth vehicle all the way down to the mall, I couldn't help but forget about the problems and the consequences. 

Eventually the smell of the sea hit my nostrils, announcing we were at the seaside mall, Petunia Mall. It was a grand building, concrete pillars with bustling people coming in and out. It was an open mall, with no doors into the mall and no roof. A series of shops lined the spaces, several well known brands there.

Several petunia flowers decorated the walls and pillars, hence the reason why Petunia Mall got it's name. A big, ornate water fountain loomed towards us, just outside of the mall. Around six boys were standing around the structure, each wearing a red blazer and uniform, around our height.

My eyes landed on the one who looked like the leader, with twinkling blue eyes. His face broke into a huge grin, and he dashed forward to Chanel, picking her up in a bear hug. I stepped forward, prepared to attack him before Layla tapped my shoulder, and then realization hit me again. He wasn't attacking Chanel.

I glanced back at the rest of the group, with all their chiseled faces, all laughing at my mistake. A red rash spread across my face when I realized who they were. 

Amare Private School.

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Sorry this chapter was crap, I completely winged it, which I'm not really good at. Also sorry if the chapter was quite boring at the start.

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Word count: 2060