"That concludes today's lesson. Make sure to turn in tomorrow's assignments before class begins."
As everyone began to pack up, Zephyr looked up to see Christina taking a seat next to him.
"You're not heading to mech piloting class?" He asked, surprised.
She shook her head as she pointed towards Nia Sterling who sat in one of the front rows currently being surrounded by other classmates.
"I was going to talk to her and I was wondering if you would come with me?"
Zephyr raised a brow at the blonde haired girl's suggestion.
"I didn't think you'd be the type to get involved with that crowd."
"I'm not. Which is why I'm asking you to come with me."
Christina stared intently into his eyes, patiently waiting for his reply.
Zephyr let out a soft sigh.
"Don't blame me if our classmates aren't exactly welcoming."
"I wonder what your impression is of me," Christina smiled, "I might be a little shy, but it doesn't mean I can't handle a little bit of social interaction."
'Could've fooled me," he thought, recalling their first conversation.
The first time she had talked to him, she wouldn't even make eye contact with him.
Standing up, they approached the already surrounded girl who still wore the same expression.
"Miss Nia, would you like to share your contact information with me? I can supply you with our Republic's latest weapon accessories if you're interested."
"I'm not interested," Nia replied coolly.
"Lady Nia, if you're free next weekend I can take you on a tour throughout the city. This is your first year in the Republic right? Allow me to show you around."
"I'm fine. You don't need to bother."
"Miss Nia–"
Every attempt to get closer was met with a swift rejection. The young scions, unaccustomed to being turned down, wore flustered expressions that Zephyr found hard not to laugh at.
"Um, Miss Nia, my name is Christina Garland. I was wondering if we could be friends."
Nia's expression finally changed slightly at the mention of Christina's last name.
"Sure. Let's trade contact information."
The blonde-haired girl beamed.
"See Zephyr? I'm not as socially awkward as you think I am!"
'No, I'm pretty sure she only had any interest because of your background.'
Not wanting to burst her bubble Zephyr kept his thoughts to himself.
The other students furrowed their brows dissatisfied with Nia's response to Christina. How come she got to trade contact information with her and they didn't? All of them came from reputable families!
"Christina, would you like to form a group chat with everyone here? I'm sure everyone would like to interact with someone from the famed Sterling family here."
Christina shifted uncomfortably, her gaze darting towards Zephyr as if sending out a plea for help.
'Not very socially awkward huh…'
"I think you guys should back off a little. Can't you see she's uncomfortable?"
The group of students turned their attention to him, surprise and annoyance flashing across their faces.
"I didn't expect to see our esteemed transfer student here as well. This matter does not concern you."
"I'm someone who doesn't like seeing people pressured into doing something they don't want to," Zephyr replied firmly, meeting the boy's gaze.
Christina looked relieved, and Nia's eyes flicked between Zephyr and the other students with mild interest.
The boy opened his mouth to retort, but Nia cut him off.
"I choose who I want to interact with. My matters do not concern you."
The tall boy hesitated, then backed down, muttering under his breath. The rest of the group reluctantly dispersed, leaving Zephyr, Christina, and Nia the only ones remaining.
"Thanks, Zephyr," Christina said softly, a grateful smile on her face.
He returned a small smile of his own, "It was no problem."
Turning towards Nia, he asked, "Would it be okay if I also got your contact information? I was impressed by your piloting skills a couple days ago."
Fully expecting her to accept his request, he pulled up his comms waiting for her reply.
"No."
'What?'
Did he hear correctly? Zephyr rubbed his ears a couple times.
"Um, could you repeat that?"
"No."
"..."
Nia sighed softly before standing up from her seat.
"I only befriend those I believe are worth befriending. Someone like yourself who only knows how to boast about themselves without actually showing any results…I don't think it's worth my time."
Christina glanced back and forth nervously at the two as the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
Zephyr felt his eyebrows twitch slightly as his expression darkened.
'What does she know about me? Does she think I play around all day?'
He worked harder than anyone else here! He studied the second the sun rose, ate tasteless nutrient packs for every meal of the day, all while enduring the countless disdainful stares from the people around him. Still, he couldn't say anything back, as it was true that he hadn't shown any results.
Nia continued, her tone uninterested. "Not to mention, you are practically failing every class, are you not? Why would you continue to stay in this academy knowing this? Are you not embarrassed of yourself?"
He opened his mouth to reply, but closed it seconds later. Zephyr quietly balled up his fist, hiding it behind his back.
"I think it would be better if you quit soon. It's not too late to transfer to an easier academy."
After giving a slight nod to Christina, she turned around ready to leave.
When she appeared to be out of listening range, Zephyr scoffed quietly under his breath.
"A privileged daughter of an esteemed family who can't win without a customized mech has no right to criticize me."
He regretted speaking those words the second they came out of his mouth as Nia froze in her tracks.
'She heard me?' Zephyr felt his heartbeat speed up as she turned around striding back towards him.
Then he remembered what Christina had said the other day.
"They still enjoy a good number of genetic enhancements…"
'Well damn.'
"What did you just say to me? Repeat it."
Her stormy gray eyes seemed to give off sparks contrasting her calm expression.
Zephyr's mind raced. Should he apologize? After all, he knew her strength wasn't really due to her mech. He knew that better than anyone. In reality, he was only venting his frustrations.
But something about her attitude ticked him off. She was allowed to say whatever she wanted to him, while he needed to watch his language? It was as if no one amongst their peers could ever hope to match her now or even in the future. She wasn't looking at him, in fact, she wasn't looking at anyone around her seriously.
In his mind, what was the best way to respond? By doubling down of course!
"I said…a privileged daughter of an esteemed family is weak without her expensive customized mech!"
The room seemed to grow even colder as Christina stared at Zephyr in disbelief.
Pulling him to the side she whispered into his ear.
"What are you doing?" she hissed softly. "Although her words may have been a little excessive, you need to stop provoking her!"
"Stay out of this Christina. I need to knock this arrogant rich girl down a couple of pegs."
"You're plenty arrogant yourself right now though!?"
Nia narrowed her beautiful eyes, her expression hardening.
"A duel."
Zephyr blinked.
"A duel?"
"Yes, a duel," Nia repeated, her voice icy. "Your terms as per the rules. To make things interesting, how about we place some conditions on the losing party?"
"What are you proposing?"
She revealed a thin smile.
"If you lose, you will leave this academy."
Zephyr felt his fingers twitch.
"And if I win?" he asked slowly.
"That won't be happening of course. Feel free to state your request if it makes you feel any better."
'This girl really knew how to tick people off.'
Zephyr met her gaze with his own, a determined glint in his eyes.
"If I win…" he began.
Christina gulped, bracing for what he might say.
"...you will wear a dog collar while I walk you around campus."
For a brief moment, both girls gave him disgusted stares at his strange, if not perverted, request.
"What?" Nia's voice was incredulous. "Are you trying to discourage me by stating such a condition? How distasteful."
"You said to feel free to state my request. Scared now?" Zephyr challenged, crossing his arms.
Nia's eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a slight smirk. "Scared? Hardly. I accept your terms. Just be prepared to leave the academy when you lose."
Zephyr nodded, trying his best not to show the nervousness on his face.
"I'll send you the duel conditions before the next duel day."
As Nia walked away, the room buzzed with whispers and murmurs. Christina turned to Zephyr, her eyes wide with shock and confusion.
"What were you thinking?" she asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and concern. "A dog collar? Really?"
Zephyr shrugged, trying to play it cool. "I wanted to make it something she'd remember."
Christina let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head. "You're something else, Zephyr. I just hope you know what you're doing."
He fell silent as his confident expression began to crumble.
"You do know what you're doing right?"
"Well about that…"
"..."
"Let's go apologize now. It's not too late." Christina grabbed Zephyr's arm determined to follow Nia.
"I refuse."
"What are you talking about! At this rate, you'll have to leave the academy!" she exclaimed, her voice laced with worry.
Zephyr picked up his bags and began to leave the classroom.
"Hey wait, where are you going!"
Although Zephyr had held his emotions in check whenever other classmates had openly berated him, something about Nia's words stung him more. Unlike the others who he had confidence in eventually surpassing, Nia Sterling was the only one who stood out like an unreachable star.
She was berating his efforts, and the fact that he might never be able to surpass her lingered in his mind.
'Why am I being so impulsive? This isn't like me.'
Zephyr frowned to himself, his expression souring. Was his ego hurt because someone who he respected openly looked down on him? Perhaps. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to back down so easily.