Blair turned around and caught sight of the two girls standing by the door. Her eyes, which had been calm and distant a second ago, instantly turned cold.
There were two of them. One tall, one slightly shorter. The tall girl was stunning. She wore the blue Langford Academy uniform, but the hem of her oversized shirt had been tied into a neat knot at her small waist, accentuating her petite figure.
Her skirt was pulled up just enough to show off a pair of elegant, slender legs that were hard not to notice.
The other girl wasn't bad-looking, but standing next to the tall one, she faded into the background almost immediately.
Those two were none other than Blair's so-called "fiancée," the school's it-girl, Amelia, and her best friend, Skyler Young.
"Blair? What are you doing here?" Skyler's eyes landed on Blair and instantly filled with disdain.
She thought, Look at him—crappy background, no skills to speak of, total bottom-feeder in class. He's not even tall, and his looks are passable at best.
And he actually thinks he has a shot at marrying someone like Amelia, a rich and beautiful heiress? What a joke.
Blair didn't even look at Skyler. She barely glanced at Amelia, then turned to leave with her textbooks in her arms.
"Stop right there." Skyler stepped in her way. "Did you take those pictures or not?"
"Pictures?" Blair raised an eyebrow and looked at Amelia.
Amelia's pretty face stayed blank, but when Blair's gaze landed on her, she frowned slightly.
Amelia, like Skyler, was sick of Blair. She never acknowledged the so-called engagement between them. And every time he looked at her with that eager-to-please expression, practically throwing himself at her, it made Amelia feel completely grossed out.
Still, she wasn't Skyler. She had manners. Even if she didn't like Blair, she wouldn't make it obvious or try to humiliate her on the spot. She just stuck to her polished it-girl persona and kept her distance with a cold, detached gaze.
"You didn't get the message!" Skyler stared at Blair with a patronizing look. "All you have to do is take a hundred photos of Elijah and Amy will go on a date with you. That's doable, right?"
Blair glanced at Amelia with a half-smile, then turned her eyes to Skyler. "I'm sharing a dorm room with Elijah now."
"For real? Then you can take as many as you want." Skyler lit up.
"You're right." Blair nodded in agreement.
Skyler said, "Then get to it. I want them tonight."
"But," Blair spoke as she casually blew a strand of hair off her forehead, "I got no time for this crap."
With that, she raised her hand and used the books in it to nudge Skyler out of the way. She had a bit of a thing about cleanliness and really didn't like physical contact—especially not with someone she couldn't stand.
Skyler stumbled back from the jab and snapped, "Blair, you got a new attitude now? You're seriously refusing to take photos of him for me? Do you want that date with Amy or not?"
Blair looked over her shoulder and glanced at Amelia. "Sorry, I got one rule—no dating in high school."
Skyler thought, No dating? What's that supposed to mean? This guy used to cling to Amelia like his life depended on it. What the hell is he playing at now?
Blair added, "Also, I'm not into older girls. And definitely not into girls who are so perfect, even their boobs are an A."
Skyler was stunned, thinking, Did he just throw shade at Amelia?
Amelia was momentarily at a loss for words, her beautiful eyes widening in shock.
When their eyes met, Blair said bluntly, "Amelia, I'll find time soon to visit your house and cancel this so-called childhood engagement." And with that, she turned and walked off without waiting to see Amelia's reaction.
Amelia was so angry her face went pale. She wasn't mad that Blair wanted to break off the engagement—if anything, that was exactly what she'd been hoping for.
What pissed her off was the word older. No girl liked being called that, especially not an eighteen-year-old in her prime. She was technically over a month older than Blair, though.
What made it worse was that Blair had the nerve to throw shade at her chest. Amelia was nearly perfect—her family background, academics, looks, and body were all top-tier—but her flat chest was the one thing that made her feel insecure.
She fit every standard of modern beauty and fashion trends. Her look was what people were obsessed with right now.
She thought furiously, Who the hell is Blair to judge me?
Blair had only said a few words, but they hit harder than anything else. Even Skyler was thrown off.
Skyler thought, What the hell is going on? Blair used to act like a simp around Amelia. Now he's got the balls to talk back and insult her?
Seeing Amelia's face go stiff, Skyler tried to comfort her, saying, "Amy, don't let him get to you. He's just playing hard to get. Yeah, that's what this is. He's trying to get your attention. He—"
"Shut up," Amelia interrupted as she bit her lip, humiliated.
Skyler instantly went quiet and sneered internally, Blair wasn't wrong though. Amelia is older than him. And yeah, she's flat. Why's she taking it out on me?
Blair walked out of the Math Lab hugging her textbooks, deep in thought, and ran straight into Elijah. She was so distracted she hadn't even seen him coming.
Elijah, on the other hand, had seen her. But he didn't expect her to charge right into him, and it was too late to dodge.
"Ow." Blair's nose smacked into something hard, and the sting made her yelp. She stumbled back before she caught her balance.
With a chilling expression, Elijah instinctively reached out and grabbed her wrist, keeping her from falling.
Her books were scattered across the floor. She looked up and realized it was none other than her roommate, Elijah.
Once he saw she was steady, he let go of her wrist and frowned slightly. "Why can't you watch where you're going?"
Elijah stood six feet one. Blair was five foot nine. He was half a head taller than her. Looking down at her with that cold expression, he gave off a vibe that was clearly superior and distant.
Blair shot back, "Were you looking where you were going?"
Elijah's brows furrowed a little more. His sharp, enchanting eyes only flicked toward Blair with faint disinterest.
He wasn't the type to argue. Cold by nature, he didn't bother saying anything else to her and simply stepped into the classroom.
Blair didn't take it personally. She bent down, picked up her books, and brushed off the dust on them.
Amelia and Skyler were just about to leave when they saw Elijah walk in.
Amelia's face stayed neutral. Elijah might've been good-looking, smart, and from a wealthy family, but he wasn't her type. He was way too aloof.
Skyler, on the other hand, was practically bouncing with excitement, but she quickly dialed it back, trying to play it cool. "Elijah, what a coincidence."
Elijah gave both Amelia and Skyler an indifferent glance, then walked straight into the classroom. His eyes lifted toward the chalkboard—and he froze.
A second later, he walked briskly to the front of the room, staring at the math problem that had already been solved on the board.
For once, the usual cold look in his eyes sparked with excitement. "Someone solved it?"
He thought, No way. Someone actually figured it out?
Turning quickly, he looked at Amelia and Skyler. "Who solved this problem?"
Amelia looked puzzled. She turned to glance at the board and noticed the equation had, indeed, been worked out.
Elijah ranked first in their grade, and Amelia was right behind him in second. Her grades were solid too. Sometimes she could solve the problems posted on the board.
But this one had been up there for over a month with no solution. She had assumed no one would ever crack it.
Skyler suddenly spoke, "Elijah, Amy's the one who solved it."