𝘼 𝙂𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙨𝙚 𝙊𝙛 𝙁𝙖𝙩𝙚

Chapter 1

"Tiff, you coming ?" I asked, my sound muffled by the bread in my mouth. I shrugged my backpack on, feeling the familiar weight of it on my shoulders.

Tiffany Cao, my roommate, as well as my childhood best friend, groaned as she waved a hand at me dismissively signaling for me to go to class without her.

"Tiffany flipped through a magazine on her bed, her own face staring back from a glossy ad. "You know, if I were as obsessed with school as you are, I'd be modelling textbooks by now."

Being a child model at the age of 5, Tiffany has been rising in fame with her modelling ads. Gaining more sponsorships as well as brand endorsements was second nature to her by now. Her mother, who is my mom's best friend, Chanel Cao, is also a super famous model who constantly makes it to the cover of Vogue.

I rolled my eyes affectionately at Tiffany before making my way from the warm and stuffy dorm to the main campus of Airington International school .

The moment I stepped out of the girls dormitory building, I was greeted with a light breeze that refreshed my face .
It was currently Autumn. As I walked towards the main building, I took note of the trees which were a riot of color. Their branches ablaze with shades of yellow, orange and red. Each step I took caused a crunch sound by the golden and crisp leaves on the ground, the early morning sun casting a light golden glow over the landscape, highlighting the vibrant hues of autumn.

I always loved the walk to the main building as in order to get there I would need to pass the school's garden which was always a sight to behold. With its vibrant flowers and numerous fruit trees, I especially loved the scent of roses that was emitted as I walked by .

I would usually walk slower so I could take my time to bask in the fragrant atmosphere . But today was the day where Mr Murphy would give out our English results and I wanted to know what I got. I just couldn't wait till everybody was there. 

My mother and father had attended this school as well in the past. This was where they fell in love after being rivals for the longest time, their love story was honestly the cutest ever.

I mean who doesn't love a good "rivals to lovers" romance?

I pulled open the glass door of the main building and made my way up the marbled staircase to my classroom which was on the 3rd floor (what a dread..).

My stomach twisted with each step closer to the classroom. My palms were sweaty, and I wiped them on my skirt. English was my passion, but the thought of not meeting my own high expectations gnawed at me.

My goal was to be the first one to get 100 in Mr Murphy class, it's practically impossible but never say never right? I took a deep breath before entering the classroom, ready to meet Mr Murphy but instead, I was met with a familiar face that was the last thing I would rather see .

Joseph Gong was already inside the classroom talking to Mr Murphy as Mr Murphy handed him back his test paper .

"Joseph..I must say , I am truly impressed with your essay about 'what is the most important value to you'. I found it inspiring and it might have been one of the best essays I have ever read. Good job! " 

My jaw tightened as Mr. Murphy praised Joseph's essay. I forced a smile, my fingers curling into a fist at my side. As Joseph walked to his desk, our eyes met in a silent battle of wills.

"Good morning Mr Murphy! " I greeted him with an overly cheerful voice , I wanted to keep up my reputation as the teacher's favorite sunshine student.

Mr Murphy turned his attention from Joseph to me and his face immediately broke into a huge grin.  "There's my favorite student! " Mr Murphy exclaimed before looking through the exam scripts on the table searching for mine .