Clash Of Crowns I: Shadows Of Love And Sacrifices.

XIII || First Day

Please note: This story may contain errors and grammatical mistakes. Your understanding and patience are appreciated as this is a work in progress.

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AIESHA'S POV

First Day of school namin ngayon, at kanina pa ako kinakabahan.

Sure, the place had incredible massive buildings, immaculate gardens, and this aura of prestige that I was still trying to get used to.

But deep down, it was just another reminder of the pressure I felt from my family. All of us here were heirs of powerful families, expected to live up to names that carried too much weight.

"Chill, Aiesha," pag papakalma sakin ni yves habang nag lalakad kami sa hallway. "We're in Elite now. New school, new beginnings. Let's not overthink it."

I smiled weakly at her, but my mind was far from relaxed. I hadn't fully recovered from everything that had happened before this day-the lies, the secrets.

My trust in Yves, Solace, and Shee had been shaken, kahit na sinabi ko na susubukan kong intindihin lahat. There was still a distance between us that none of us wanted to acknowledge.

We entered our classroom for Block A and were greeted by rows of pristine desks and chairs.

Mabilis lang na napuno ang mga bakanteng upuan sa classroom namin. I tried to blend into the flow of things, pushing aside the nagging thoughts of my family drama.

"Over here," tawag samin ni shee, pointing to a row of seats near the middle. We all shuffled over, taking our spots.

"Think we'll run into anyone we know here? You know... people we might not expect?" Out of nowwhere na tanong sakin ni yves

"Like who?" I asked, sino ba yung tinutukoy niya sa tanong niya?

Pero umiling lang siya at nag iwas na ng tingin sakin. I shook my head, trying to brush off the weird feeling na para bang may tinatago nanaman siya sakin.

The bell rang, signaling the official start of class, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, we could focus on something other than awkward conversations.

Just as our professor began speaking, the door opened. A group of students walked in, their presence almost commanding attention.

I wasn't paying much attention at first until I heard Yves inhale sharply beside me.

I turned my head, and my heart nearly stopped.

Maxine Lazzaro...

She walked in with her usual composed expression, her sharp gaze scanning the room like she was analyzing everyone in it.

And behind her were the rest of her group Cole, Skye, and Gian, I already know na kwento na sila sakin nila yves, sa kanila nila ko pina paiwas.

And for a moment, I just stared. My mind couldn't process what I was seeing.

Maxine and her friends... here? At Elite? I thought they'd be the last people I'd see today, let alone in the same classroom.

I felt Yves stiffen beside me, and I glanced over at her. She looked shocked, parang hindi siya makapaniwala na andito din yung grupo nila maxine.

"Is this real?" Shee whispered, her eyes wide as she followed Maxine's movements. "What are they doing here?"

"I have no idea," Solace murmured, just as stunned as the rest of us.

Maxine's eyes swept the room and briefly locked with mine. My breath caught in my throat.

There was no emotion in her expression no hint of surprise, na para bang alam niya na makikita niya ako dito.

She just... stared, like she was assessing me before moving on.

I quickly looked away, my pulse racing. Of all the people, why did it have to be her? And why did my stomach twist in knots every time she was around?

Napatingin ako kay yves kasi kanina pa siya hindi mapakali simula nung pumasok ung apat and more than that, she looked guilty

Guilty from what?

Before I could ask what was going on, Cole caught Yves's eye. For a brief second, their gazes locked, and the tension in the room spiked. Mabilisan lang yon pero napansin ko parin.

Anong meron sa kanila? Bakit parang kung umasta si yves matagal na niyang kilala yung cole?

Habang nasa kanila yung attention ko, the professor continued with introductions.

Maxine's group had taken seats at the back, far enough from us but close enough that I could still feel their presence.

It was like this unspoken weight hanging over the class, and I wasn't the only one who felt it. Even Solace, who was usually unbothered, kept stealing glances at them.

"Of course they'd be here," Solace muttered under her breath, shaking her head. "Figures."

"What do you mean?" naguguluhang tanong ko sa kanya.

"I don't know," she sighed. "Just... it's Elite. All the powerful families send their kids here. I guess it was only a matter of time before we ran into them."

May point siya, but it didn't make me feel any better. There was something about this that didn't feel like a coincidence.

Something bigger was at play, but I didn't know what it was yet.

Gusto kong mag focus sa pag tuturo ng prof namin, but my mind kept drifting back to Maxine.

Why was she here? Was this just some unfortunate coincidence, or was there more to it?

Kasi simula nang malaman ko lahat, parang hindi na ubra sakin yung salitang coincidence lang.....

As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of class, I felt the tension in the room release.

Students began packing up their things and chatting about lunch plans and upcoming assignments.

I glanced back at Maxine's group, but they were already on their way out the door.

Yves stood up quickly, at mukang nag mamadali siya? "We should go," she said, her voice tight. "Before we run into them again."

Solace shot her a look but didn't say anything, and Shee just shrugged.

I grabbed my bag and followed them out of the room.

Habang nag lalakad kami sa hallway, umiikot din ang paningin ko, to see if makikita ko ulit sila maxine.

Yves, Solace, and Shee exchanged glances, and I could tell they were thinking the same thing I was.

Na hindi magiging madali ang buhay namin dito sa school dahil andito rin ang kaaway nang pamilya ko.....

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