Xyrine Jean's POV
"Agh! I need to hurry! I'm already late!"
Panic surged through me as I sprinted up the stairs, my heart hammering against my ribs. If I waited for the elevator, this would mark my hundredth tardy slip, and I wasn't about to let that happen. My breathing came in quick, shallow bursts as I reached the fourth floor, but the moment my eyes landed on the figure standing before Class A's door, I came to an abrupt halt.
Monique.
She stood poised with an unsettling air of confidence, her back straight, arms crossed, and an unreadable smirk tugging at her lips. The dim hallway lights cast shadows over her face, accentuating the sharpness in her gaze. A slow, deliberate smile curled her lips as our eyes met.
"I've been waiting for you for a while now," she said, her voice silky yet laced with something I couldn't quite decipher.
A shiver ran down my spine, and I instinctively took a step back. "What kind of nonsense is this?" My voice came out sharper than I intended as I narrowed my eyes at her.
Instead of answering, she suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me, pressing her lips close to my ear. My entire body tensed at the unexpected contact, my hands twitching at my sides.
"Be ready," she whispered, her breath ghosting over my skin before she pulled away, her smirk deepening.
Something was off. I could feel it in the way she carried herself, the way she looked at me. There was something different about her today—something unsettling.
Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked into the classroom, leaving me frozen in place.
What is Monique up to this time?
I shook off the unease settling in my stomach and followed her inside. Almost everyone was already in their seats—except for Louren and Spade.
"Morning," Ren and Ten greeted with easy smiles, which I returned absentmindedly.
"Spade and Louren aren't here yet?" I asked while scanning the room.
"Oh, those two? Louren already left for America last night, and—"
"What!?" My head snapped toward them.
"He didn't tell you?" Ten raised a brow. "His flight to Florida was last night."
My chest tightened. "He told me he was leaving, but not that his flight was that soon!"
"Ahh, well, there's a simple explanation for that." Ten smirked. "He didn't want to see you before he left."
His words struck like a slap. I stood there, dumbfounded. What the hell? That didn't make any sense.
"Guys, can you keep your voices down?"
Althea's irritated voice cut through the air, and my gaze shifted to where she sat—right beside Monique. The moment our eyes met, Monique simply smiled.
Something's wrong. I know her. After everything that happened between us yesterday, there's no way she's this unaffected.
Be ready.
What the hell did she mean by that?
"Good morning, everyone."
I barely had time to sit before our professor entered, his expression grim.
"Before we start class, I have an important announcement to make."
A strange, uneasy weight settled in my chest. His eyes flickered toward me, then away just as quickly.
Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
"This announcement concerns Ms. Guevara." Her gaze finally met mine, and hesitation clouded his face. "I know this will be difficult to accept, but we have no choice..."
"What is it?" Ren's voice was laced with tension.
The professor gripped the book in his hands tightly before exhaling deeply.
"S-starting tomorrow, Miss Xyrine Jean Guevara will no longer be part of Class A."
A deafening silence fell over the room before—
"What the hell did you just say!?" Ten shot up from his seat as his face darkened with anger.
"Are you even aware of what you're saying?" Ren followed as his voice turned sharp.
"It's the administration's decision." The professor sounded almost apologetic. "There's nothing we can do about it."
"Why would they make a decision like this without informing us beforehand?" Ten's voice rose.
"I—"
"So what if they didn't inform you?"
A sharp voice cut through the room, and all heads turned toward Monique.
"We are members of Class A," Ren reminded her coldly.
"And I," she smirked, "am the soon-to-be daughter of this university's founder."
My fists clenched at her words. Soon-to-be? What a joke.
"So this was your doing, huh?" Ten's tone was dripping with sarcasm.
Monique leaned back with a smug expression. "We all know that in order to be part of Class A, one must come from an elite billionaire family. But recently, we discovered that Xyrine doesn't belong to that category."
"Then explain how she passed all the financial screenings before," Ten challenged.
"The administration is still investigating."
"Then they have no right to remove someone while they're still under investigation," Ren countered.
Monique smirked. "The decision has already been made."
"You can't just—"
"Ren, Ten, that's enough."
They turned to me, surprised. I slowly stood, meeting Monique's gaze.
"Are you really that desperate?" My voice was calm but sharp. "So desperate that you'd twist the truth into a lie?"
Her eyes darkened. "How dare you talk to me like that? If I were you, I'd be scared by now."
"Scared?" I scoffed. "You said it yourself—you're only the 'soon-to-be' daughter. That's far from being legitimate. Should I really be afraid?"
Her face paled.
"You bitch!" She raised her hand to slap me, but before she could, another hand caught hers midair.
"You sure seem to enjoy causing trouble lately, Monique."
It's Spade.
Monique's face twisted in anger. "Get off me, Spade!"
Spade released her wrist and turned to me. "Are you okay?"
I nodded.
Then he turned to Monique. "From now on, stay away from my girlfriend. Got it?"
Monique scoffed. "Is that a threat?"
Spade smirked. "It's a warning."
Without another word, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the door.
"Where do you think you're going!?" Monique screamed after us.
Spade glanced back. "Breaking my own rules."
He lifted our intertwined hands. "Running away with my girl."
I barely had time to react before we were already out the door. As we stepped into the elevator, I found myself staring at him.
"Don't look at me like that unless you're asking me to kiss you," he muttered without looking back.
I snapped my gaze away. "Nonsense. Wait—where are we going?"
"Xyrine," he said suddenly.
I turned to him. "What?"
"I have a favor to ask."
I frowned. "What is it?"
He met my gaze. "Run away with me."
My heart pounded. But then, I smiled. "Anywhere, anytime… yes."
"Waaahhhhh!"
That wasn't me—it was the person sitting beside me.
We were currently riding on… uh, it looked like a ship? Whatever! We were in an amusement park, and that was all that mattered. I turned to Spade once again, who looked as if his soul had completely left his body.
I covered my ears as he let out another ear-piercing scream. Tsk. He was the one who dragged me onto this ride, yet here he was, screaming like an idiot. My entire body jerked when he suddenly clutched my shoulder tightly.
"WAAAHHHHHHH!"
This time, we both screamed.
After what felt like an eternity, the ride finally came to a stop. As soon as we stepped off, I turned to look at Spade—his face had lost all color, now replaced by an unnatural shade of pale violet. He looked like a walking eggplant.
"Spade? Are you okay?"
"Wait… where am I? Who are you?" he mumbled, swaying unsteadily on his feet. I almost burst into laughter at his dazed expression.
"Do you want to sit down for a bit?" I offered.
He was just about to answer when he suddenly covered his mouth. Before I could process what was happening, he sprinted toward the nearest restroom.
Left with no choice, I sighed and leaned against the wall outside the men's restroom, waiting for him to come back. That was when I overheard a group of girls sitting nearby.
"Girl, did you see that guy who just went into the restroom? Damn! He's insanely handsome—like a model."
"I know, right? I wonder if he's alone or if he's here with his girlfriend."
"Her gf must be a model too. A guy that gorgeous wouldn't date an ordinary girl."
"For real."
I could practically hear them swooning.
Tch. So what if a guy looks like a model? Does that automatically mean his girlfriend has to be one too? Annoyed, I glanced in the glass panel of a nearby store.
Damn. Who's that motherfvcker?
Only to realize that it was my own reflection. Lol
I stared at myself, unable to fathom how disgusting I looked right now. My appearance was a mess—an absolute disaster. My once straight, long hair was now a tangled mess, and my lips were so pale I could've been mistaken for a ghost.
Akk! What the hell is this?! Do I even look human right now?!
I frantically looked around, making sure no one was watching before I bolted into the women's restroom. As soon as I reached the mirror, I leaned forward, inspecting my reflection with horror.
Arg! My hair looked like it hadn't been introduced to a brush in years, and my lips—God, they were so pale they blended in with my skin.
Akk! Xyrine! You've been walking around looking like this the whole time?! What the hell is wrong with you?!
I groaned, gripping my bag as I remembered something.
"Use this so you won't look like a mess, okay?"
Ella's words echoed in my head as I rummaged through my bag, eventually pulling out the item she had given me a while back.
Wait… what was this called again? Lip… lip…
Ah, Whatever. It was something for the lips.
I wasn't into makeup, so I had no clue how any of this worked. I popped off the cap, ready to apply it when—BOINK!
The damn thing slipped from my fingers, rolling onto the floor.
I groaned frustratedly, running my hands through my already disastrous hair.
ARGH! Forget it!
A new plan popped into my head, and I took a deep breath before—
"Awwww!"
I nearly teared up as I bit down on my lower lip, trying to make it look redder.
…Oh crap.
I bit too hard.
Ignoring the sting, I moved on to the next step. I yanked off my cap, stuffed it into my bag, and attempted to comb my hair using my fingers.
"Aw! aw!" I almost sound like a barking dog when my fingers got stuck in a knot.
"Damn it! Is this how painful it is to look decent?!" I grumbled in frustration.
Realizing my fingers weren't doing much, I gave up and simply tied my hair back. Once I was finally satisfied with my appearance, I took a step back and admired myself in the mirror.
"Woah… is that really you, XJ?" I smirked at my reflection. Feeling a little more confident, I exited the restroom.
I barely took a few steps when I spotted Spade emerging from the men's restroom. I smiled at him, but he didn't react—he just stared at me, completely with black expression.
"Spade," I called out, waving a hand in front of his face.
Still, no reaction. Then, out of nowhere, he leaned down, closing the distance between us. My eyes widened as he reached out and touched my lips.
"What happened to your lips? Did Monique slap you earlier?" he asked as his brows furrowing in deep concern.
Should I tell him I bit my own lip just to make it look red?
"Haha! Ah, well… I, uh, bumped into the sink earlier," I lied, wincing slightly.
"What a clumsy baby, just be more careful next time," he sighed before pulling out a handkerchief and gently dabbing my lips.
I stood still, unconsciously staring at him.
"…Is staring at your boyfriend your new hobby now?"
"Huh?" I snapped out of it, quickly averting my gaze.
"Let's go," I muttered, starting to walk away—but before I could get far, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I looked at him with a puzzled look.
"Why did you tie your hair like that?" he asked, frowning again.
"Oh, this?" I touched my tied-up hair. "Haha! No reason. Why? Does it look cute?"
He looked away. "Never mind. Where's your cap?"
"My cap?" I blinked. "Oh… uh, the wind blew it away! Hehehe…"
Without another word, he suddenly grabbed my wrist and started leading me somewhere.
"Where are we going?" I asked, confused.
"To buy you a new cap."
Huh? What? I hid my cap on purpose, and now he was dragging me off to buy another one?!
"Wait, why?"
He stopped and turned to look at me.
"…I don't like it when too many people are looking at you," he muttered.
I instinctively glanced around. Was he even aware that he was the one people couldn't stop staring at?!
With no other choice, I followed him as we searched for a similar cap, but we couldn't find one like mine. Obviously, since it was custom-made for the assassins at BBO.
After a while, we ended up at a stall selling all sorts of hats.
"I think this suits you," Spade said while looking at one of the hats.
I followed his gaze and nearly choked. "…You're serious?"
"Why? Don't girls like this kind of stuff?"
"No way! That's for kids!" I protested.
He glanced around. "Everyone in this amusement park is wearing something like this."
"Fine, I'll wear it if you wear one first."
"Me? Wear that? Are you kidding me?"
"Then forget it. Let's just leave." I turned to walk away.
"…Fine. I'll wear it." He looked away, clearly reluctant.
I grinned, scanning the options before my eyes landed on a hat shaped like a dog's head. Perfect.
I handed it to him, barely holding back my laughter as he stared at it in horror.
"I think we need to go," he said, about to turn around.
I grabbed his arm. "Stay still. I'll put it on you."
He sighed. "…Fine."
The problem was—he was too damn tall.
"Bend down a little."
"No."
"Why not?!"
"Do it yourself."
Stupid. With no other choice, I stood on my tiptoes.
"Baby, what's your height?"
"Uh… around 5'5, I think?"
"…Then how the hell did you fit into my heart?" he said casually.
My fingers slipped. Goddamn it. What a cringe guy.
Xyrine's POV
"Can you please be quiet for a moment? I can't seem to put this on you," I muttered to him.
"Okay..." I was caught off guard when he bent one of his knees and knelt down. "Put it on now." His smile was disarming.
"O-okay," I muttered, unable to meet his gaze, my face flushing from the smile he gave me.
Good grief, how someone could be this handsome?
Spade's POV
"Woah! You look so cute!" He exclaimed after placing the animal hat on my head. I tugged at the string, causing the ears of the hat to move.
"Wow! That's amazing!" Xyrine said, her face lighting up with excitement, and I couldn't help but to smile again.
"You know," I said, "you're the only girl I've met in my life who looks ridiculously silly but somehow still manages to be cute." I pinched her cheek gently.
"Is that an insult or a compliment?" She asked while furrowing her brows.
"My lips speak only the truth, my dear princess."
"Tss, you talk too much," she scoffed with a grin. "Come on, let's go find more rides."
I stopped in my tracks when I saw the Ferris wheel not too far from us. Without thinking, I grabbed her hand and led her to the line for the ride.
"Spade. I don't want to! I hate heights!"
I held her hand tightly. "I'm right here, okay? There's nothing to be afraid of." She calmed down after hearing me. Once we were seated, she suddenly grabbed the hem of my uniform.
Ah, she really is adorable. Seeing her so scared like this just makes me want to squeeze her!
"Xyrine..."
"...uhm?"
"You must be the square root of 2."
"What?" She looked at me confused with her brows furrowed.
"Because I feel irrational around you."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "What the heck?"
I almost laughed at her reaction.
"Xyrine, are you an angel?"
"Nevermind, you seem high, literally."
"Because when I look at you, I see a piece of heaven."
"Ugh, crazy," she said nonchalantly, though I could tell she was trying not to laugh.
"Xyrine..."
"What now?"
"You know, if I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together." I winked at her.
Finally, she burst into laughter. "Ah, Spade, I think I'm going crazy, you're so corny." she said, between giggles.
She kept laughing, but suddenly her expression shifted, and she let out a deep sigh. "Spade, what if I leave?" she asked seriously.
"What do you mean?"
"I got kicked out of Class A."
I averted my gaze, feeling the weight of her words.
They were really starting to push her.
"Does that mean, we won't be classmates anymore. You must be happy now, huh? Free to pick between Althea and Monique," She said with her eyes downcast but a faint smile still on her lips.
"How did you know?" I joked, though it felt hollow.
"Don't worry, you won't have to see my face starting tomorrow," she replied with a playful smirk.
"Haha, where are you going?"
"To hell."
"Then I'll follow you there."
"Did you not hear what I said?"
"I don't want to hear it." I moved closer to her, gently taking her hand.
"Xyrine, you can't escape me. Nothing will stop me, not even if I have to follow you to hell and back."
A heavy silence settled between us after my remark.
"Insane. I don't know whether I should be happy you're a crazy fool with me, you jerk."
"Xyrine, I lov—"
"Spade!"
I stopped mid-sentence when she suddenly grabbed my hand.
"Yes, baby?" I smiled at her, still holding on to her small hands.
"We're at the top!" she shouted, and her excitement made me smile.
That's so unfair... I thought to myself, but I couldn't help but smile.
"Xyrine Jean Guevara..." I called her name again, softly.
"What?"
"No matter what happens from now on." I held her hand tighter, looking into her eyes.
"Nothing's gonna stop us."