The final bell screamed through Charterhouse, and everyone stampeded out, desperate to ditch school for the day. Louisa and Ellie, feeling totally drained but also weirdly fired up, walked towards the exit together.
"Ugh," Ellie said, yanking on her backpack straps, "we survived day one. Just barely."
Louisa nodded, watching all the kids leaving. The popular groups were all laughing and joking, acting like they owned the place. And then there were the cars...
Seriously fancy rides were pulling up to the curb one after another. Sleek black SUVs, shiny sports cars, all with drivers in suits jumping out to open doors for the rich kids. It was like a scene from a movie.
The scholarship kids she'd seen mostly just walked towards the bus stop or waited for their parents in regular cars.
Right as they hit the big front doors, Nicolas hurried over to them. "Louisa, Ellie, wait up!"
They stopped and turned. Nicolas looked a little stressed, like always. "Hey," Louisa said.
"I just wanted to, like, see how your day went," Nicolas said, sounding a bit awkward. "That English class was… intense, right?"
"You have no idea," Ellie agreed. "Especially with the whole secret note thing."
Nicolas frowned. "Note? What note?"
Louisa hesitated, then just went for it. "Just a little 'welcome' from the resident mean girls."
Nicolas's jaw tightened. "Seriously? Already?" He sighed. "Look, my dad, he means well, but he totally doesn't get this school. It's not just about being smart, is it?"
"Definitely not," Ellie said, rolling her eyes a little.
"We figured that out pretty fast," Louisa added.
For a sec, the three of them just got it, this whole scholarship kid struggle at a rich-kid school.
Then, Jayden King and his buddy Ashtray walked past. Jayden glanced at Louisa, and this time, his eyes weren't totally blank. It was like he was actually curious or something, maybe even noticed the weird vibe.
A chauffeur opened the door to a ridiculously expensive sports car, and Jayden gave a quick nod before sliding into the leather seats. The engine roared, and he sped off.
Right after Jayden, Cassia walked out, looking all perfect as usual. Her driver held the door of a super-shiny black car open for her. She gave Louisa, Ellie, and Nicolas this quick, cold look before getting in and being whisked away.
Louisa watched the parade of fancy cars and their uniformed drivers, and this stubborn feeling started to bubble up inside her. This wasn't gonna be easy. They were outsiders in a place that wanted to keep them that way. But she hadn't worked her butt off for years just to get bossed around by a bunch of spoiled brats.
Next to her, Ellie looked just as determined. "They think we're just 'special admissions'? We'll show them how 'special' we really are."
Nicolas nodded, his eyes looking a little tougher. "Yeah. We earned our spot here. We're not backing down."
The three of them stood there for a second, right at the edge of Charterhouse, the setting sun making everything look kind of dramatic. You could feel this unspoken challenge in the air, and this new feeling that they weren't going to take any crap.
They were in this together, these scholarship kids, ready to take on the rich kids and their fancy school. The fight for their place had just started.
*****
HUDSON YARDS: WALTON'S ESTATE
The sleek black Mercedes-Maybach Exelero, seriously the most expensive car ever, glided through Hudson Yards like it owned the place. Which, you know, it kind of did. It stopped at these huge gates that just swung open, no surprise there. The ride rolled up the long driveway and finally stopped in front of the mansion. The doors hissed open, and Jayden and Ash hopped out, backpacks slung over their shoulders like they didn't care about the million-dollar ride.
"Welcome, young masters," Antonio, the old doorman, rumbled. He'd been around forever.
They just nodded. But Ash was already checking out this sick white Bentley SUV parked with all the other fancy cars.
"Is that your mom's favorite toy today, King?" he asked, with that annoying smirk of his.
They were brothers in all but blood, their families intertwined since childhood, their fathers titans of industry and unwavering allies.
Jayden just glared at the Bentley. Didn't answer. Just took the steps two at a time. Two maids were waiting inside to grab their bags.
"Mum?" Jayden asked, handing his backpack off.
"She's in the dining room, having dinner," one of them said, bowing all proper.
"Jayden!" His mom's voice was all dramatic when she saw him. Silverware clanked as she practically jumped up to hug him.
Jayden just stood there, not really hugging back.
"I heard you came by my office," she said, sounding all disappointed. "I had this huge meeting with the Director and the big shareholders. I totally missed…"
Jayden pulled away, nice and slow. "Your assistant told me. It's fine," he said, his voice flat. Forced a smile.
"Ohhh…" She trailed off, looking lost. "How was school, darling? Did you eat? Come join me." She sounded almost… hopeful?
"I'm good," Jayden said, short and sweet. "I'll eat later."
"Oh. Okay." You could tell she felt a little guilty. What else was new?
"I'm going to my room," Jayden announced, turning away. He just walked off, leaving her standing there.
"You should be so lucky your 'offspring' has manners, considering your total lack of interest," Ash said, all sarcastic with his British accent.
Her eyes went wide. "What did you say?"
Ash just shrugged and headed for the elevator. Pushed the button, hands in his pockets, acting all cool. When the elevator showed up, he stepped in and turned to face her, this stupid grin on his face. He waved as the doors closed.
Next thing, he was barging into Jayden's room without knocking. Jayden had his blazer off and was about to take off his shirt when Ash just walked in.
"Why didn't you just tell her what you really thought?" he demanded, all frustrated.
Jayden sighed, running a hand through his hair. "She's still my mother, Ash."
"Dude, you had, like, a whole speech ready in your head, and then you just… swallowed it. Bullshit!"
"You seem to know my brain better than I do," Jayden said, totally dry.
"Not for long," he said, his eyes all mischievous.
"Get the hell out of my room."
Ash just turned and walked out, leaving Jayden alone in his ridiculously huge bedroom. Dark wood, soft couches, weird art on the walls. It was all so… much. And he was still just as annoyed as he was at school.
Louisa didn't go straight home, ditching Ellie and Nicolas for a yellow cab to Tribeca. They were stuck with the pokey downtown bus to the Lower East Side stop. As the taxi zoomed through the city buzz, Louisa stared at the "Spotless Finish" sign getting closer.
Butterflies did a crazy dance in her stomach. Had the fancy dress owner shown up? If she found out it was ruined, would they get arrested? Sued for a gazillion dollars?
The cab screeched to a halt, and Louisa hopped out, paid the fare, and hurried into her mom's workplace. Her mom was ironing a suit, the steam hissing softly. "Hey, Ma."
"Lou! How was school? Your first day?" Mrs. Wren's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"It was... okay. The people were nice-ish." Louisa mumbled, but her mom didn't seem to notice.
"Did you make, like, actual friends?" Her mom asked, all curious.
"Later, Mum, promise. The red dress – did anyone come for it?" Louisa blurted out, her voice tight.
"Yep, just this afternoon. A girl, your age maybe? Definitely from one of those super-rich families, judging by her fancy car and driver." Her mom said, shaking her head a little.
Louisa's eyes went wide. Uh oh. That meant some Charterhouse big shot might have seen her in that dress. Who was it?
"What did she look like? What did she say about the dress?" Louisa needed details, stat.
"Oh, you know, really pretty. Like, movie-star pretty. And so graceful! I told her it wasn't ready yet, so she gave me her address. I have to drop it off when I'm done." Her mom continued, oblivious.
"Ma! You know that stain is, like, never coming out! That dress probably costs more than our apartment! What if she, like, totally sues us?" Louisa was freaking out. Being exposed as a fraud to the Charterhouse elite? Total nightmare fuel.
"Come on, sweetie. Maybe this girl is even one of your new friends! She won't sue us." Her mom tried to sound reassuring, but Louisa could hear the worry in her voice.
Just then, the little bell above the door jingled, announcing someone else. Mrs. Wren smiled. "Just a sec, Lou."
Louisa's heart did a drum solo against her ribs. Was this her? The dress owner? All poised and ready to be mad? The person stepped in, and it wasn't the honey-haired girl her mom described. This guy was different. Way too familiar.
Standing there, looking way too cool in expensive sneakers, was Christopher Jacobs Mars. One of Jayden King Walton's shadow buddies. His sharp eyes swept over the tiny shop, like he was inspecting it for flaws, before locking onto Louisa. A slow, totally smug grin spread across his face.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," he drawled, his voice smooth and mocking.
"Louisa Wren. Fancy seeing you here."