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The school day ended, and Lisa and Cassie made their way to the parking lot, waiting for Jade. Lisa didn't bother calling her; Jade had already ditched her during lunch. As they stood there, they spotted Jade approaching, but suddenly she stumbled and fell to the ground. Lisa instinctively moved to help her, but her gaze shifted to Lucas and his friend Derek, who were walking toward them. Derek rushed over to assist Jade while Lucas simply stood back, his eyes locked on Lisa.
Ignoring Lucas, Lisa approached Derek and Jade. "Hey," she greeted, a faint smile on her lips.
"Hey," Derek replied, flashing a boyish grin that lit up his face.
"Thanks for helping her up," Lisa said, genuine appreciation in her tone.
"It's no problem," Derek replied. "That's what a gentleman does when he sees a lady in distress."
"A gentleman, huh?" Lisa teased, her smile widening.
"Of course," Derek confirmed, his expression earnest.
Lisa turned to Jade, who was staring at Lucas with an air of disappointment. "Jade, are you alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Jade said curtly, pivoting away and heading to the car without a backward glance. Confusion washed over Lisa; shouldn't Jade be the one upset? It seemed more like Jade was irritated because Lucas hadn't helped her, especially since her fall had clearly been a ploy for his attention. Shaking off the thought, she refocused on Derek.
"Sorry for her behavior. She's not used to getting help from strangers," Lisa offered, trying to smooth over Jade's rudeness.
"No problem. At least I got to chat with a beautiful girl like you," Derek replied, his smile deepening, revealing charming dimples.
"Are you trying to flirt with me?" Lisa asked, amusement dancing in her eyes.
"What if I am?" Derek shot back playfully.
"Then sorry to disappoint you, but I'm too tired for that right now. Goodbye," Lisa said, turning to leave.
As she approached the car, she could feel Jade's glare pierce her back, but she brushed it off and focused on Cassie. "Sorry for keeping you waiting."
"No problem. Anything for my bestie," Cassie replied with a light laugh.
Lisa smiled, started the car, and drove them away. After dropping Jade off at home—choosing to avoid her mood swings—she took Cassie back to her place, feeling a lightness in her heart. It had been a good day; she had made a new friend.
Meanwhile, Lucas sat in class, attempting to concentrate. The girl who had been with Lisa earlier was now seated beside him, her eyes filled with adoration. He found it nauseating. When she tried to initiate a conversation, asking to borrow his English workbook, he dismissed her coldly.
"I'm using it," Lucas said, his tone icy as he continued to study.
"Please, I'm new here. Just help me out a little. I won't take it home; I just want to browse through it," she pleaded, her desperation evident.
Lucas ignored her, pretending not to hear.
"Don't be rude. I don't deserve this treatment from you," she insisted, clearly irked.
With an irritated glance, Lucas shot back, "I'm not the only one in this class. Ask someone else for their book; I'm not interested in sharing mine."
She looked like she might cry, but Lucas turned away, exasperated. He hated tears, hated whiny girls. The rest of the day dragged on, and Lucas buried himself in his books, hoping to forget about Lisa.
After classes, Lucas and Derek headed to the parking lot. The new girl was ahead of them and, upon seeing Lucas, smiled brightly. He ignored her and continued chatting with Derek.
"Man, she's smiling at you," Derek noted.
"So?" Lucas replied, nonchalant.
"It wouldn't hurt to acknowledge her. She's hot and looks smart," Derek said.
"Then why don't you go for her?" Lucas retorted. Before Derek could respond, a loud thud interrupted them, and they turned to see the girl sprawled on the ground.
Derek rushed to help her, while Lucas stood by, awaiting the inevitable drama. He knew she had fallen deliberately to attract his attention—he had seen that tactic before. As he waited, he glanced up and spotted Lisa near her car, looking stunning. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, even as he fought against it.
Lisa walked over but didn't spare Lucas a glance. She thanked Derek for helping Jade, who now shot Lucas a hopeful look. When he failed to acknowledge her, Jade stormed off to the car, visibly upset. Meanwhile, Derek flirted with Lisa right in front of Lucas, and she smiled at him, completely ignoring Lucas's presence.
A surge of anger welled up in Lucas, an unfamiliar feeling. Why did it bother him that Lisa didn't look his way? When she finally left, he continued to stare after her, hoping she might turn around, but she didn't.
"Man, are you alright?" Derek asked, noticing Lucas's distraction.
Lucas nodded but remained silent as he headed to his car.
"You know, you could try talking to her," Derek suggested. "I'm sure she wouldn't ignore you."
"What makes you think I want to talk to her?" Lucas snapped, tossing Derek the car keys. "I don't feel like driving."
"It's written all over your face," Derek chuckled.
"I don't want her. You can have her if you want," Lucas declared, trying to sound indifferent. But deep down, he was angry at himself for being so affected by her.
"Don't get mad if I make her mine," Derek teased, starting the car.
"Don't you have enough girls already?" Lucas replied, irritation creeping into his voice. "Whatever, just drive," he muttered, closing his eyes and slipping on his earphones, hoping the music would help soothe his frustration.
Meanwhile, Jade was seething with rage. She was furious with Lisa for letting Lucas humiliate her. Her plan had been to attract Lucas's attention after classes, but he had been too preoccupied with Lisa to even acknowledge her.
Jade's anger simmered as she plotted her revenge. Boys didn't turn her down—she was the one who did the rejecting. But Lucas would come crawling back to her once she dealt with him. As for Lisa, Jade vowed to take everything she cherished, including her family. Lisa had no idea who she was messing with—Jade, the master schemer.
Deep in thought, Jade barely registered the knock on her door.
"Jade, honey, are you alright?" came Daisy's voice. Quickly, Jade stood up, disheveling her appearance to look pitiful before opening the door.
"I'm alright, Aunt Daisy. I just don't feel like going to school tomorrow," Jade said, tears brimming in her eyes as she put on her most sorrowful expression.
"What happened, dear?" Daisy asked, her hand gently touching Jade's face. "And where's Lisa? Aren't you both supposed to be home after school together? What went wrong? Did you two have a fight? She's supposed to guide you today."
"Aunt, don't blame her. It's not her fault. She tried her best to help me. It's my fault for not being able to meet her standards," Jade said in a pitiful voice. "I'm from the slums—what do I know about the rich? Nothing. I shouldn't have forced myself in…"
"Shhh… Don't talk like that, Jade. You belong here now. I don't know what really happened, but I'll talk to Lisa," Daisy assured her.
"Don't worry, Aunt. I'll be fine. Thank you for talking to me and calming me down. Lisa isn't back yet; she went to see a friend after school," Jade added, her heart racing as she spun her web of deceit.
"She really left you to see a friend after school? I understand why you're feeling this way now, but rest assured, I'll talk to her. Sisters should have each other's backs. Come here," Daisy said, enveloping Jade in a warm embrace.
"Anytime you feel this way or need to talk, I'll always be here for you, okay?"
"Yes, Aunt," Jade replied, her heart dancing with malicious glee.
"Good. Now go take a shower—you look horrible," Daisy said with a smile, gently pushing Jade toward the bathroom before leaving the room.
As the door closed behind Daisy, Jade smiled to herself, her mind filled with dark thoughts. "Let the game begin," she whispered, relishing the chaos she was about to unleash.
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