"You called me what?"

The cafeteria went dead silent.

Ava’s voice wasn’t loud. It wasn’t sharp. But it cut through the air like a blade.

All eyes turned toward the Section A table.

And there, with her perfect hair, perfect posture, and perfect arrogance, sat Sophia Kang—the self-proclaimed queen of Section A and the rudest girl in the entire school.

She blinked up at Ava, feigning confusion. "Excuse me?"

Ava didn’t blink. Didn’t move. Didn’t back down.

"You called me a whore."

A collective gasp rippled through the cafeteria.

Whispers exploded everywhere—

"Holy shit, did Sophia really say that?"
"Oh, she’s dead."
"Ava’s about to end her whole career."

Sophia scoffed, crossing her arms. "Maybe you misheard, sweetheart." Her tone was sickly sweet. Fake. Condescending. "Or maybe you just know it’s true?"

That was it.

That was the moment Ava decided Sophia Kang would regret ever speaking.

She leaned in slightly, voice calm, collected, and absolutely venomous.

"Tell me, Sophia," she said, tilting her head. "Does your dad know you’re running your mouth like that? Or is he too busy with his second wife to care?"

The cafeteria exploded.

"OH. MY. GOD."
"NO WAY—"
"SHE JUST WENT FOR THE JUGULAR."

Sophia’s face went ghost white.

Her perfect composure shattered.

"You—" she started, but Ava cut her off.

"Oh, and let’s not forget," Ava continued, eyes gleaming, "weren’t you the one who got rejected by three guys in one semester? Damn. Maybe instead of worrying about me, you should figure out why no one wants you."

Sophia stood up so fast her chair screeched against the floor.

"You bitch—!"

And suddenly—

Section E moved.

Ava barely had time to process it before her entire class was in front of her.

Like a wall of protection.

Jae was at the center, his stance casual but deadly.

Eli stood beside him, arms crossed, smirking.

Even the laziest guys in their section—people who never got involved in anything—had stepped up.

It was instinctive. Immediate.

Sophia froze.

Because Section E?

They weren’t just protecting Ava.

They were challenging her.

"You sure you wanna do that, sweetheart?" Jae murmured, his tone mockingly soft. "It won’t end well for you."

Sophia clenched her jaw. She wasn’t stupid. She knew the school’s rules—no one messed with Section E.

So she did the only thing she could do.

She flipped her hair, scoffed, and stormed out.

The cafeteria stayed dead silent.

Then—

"That. Was. Insane."

The moment Sophia was gone, Section E turned to Ava.

Laughter. Cheers. Claps on the back.

Eli whistled. "Damn, Ava. Remind me never to get on your bad side."

Ava grinned. "Too late."

Jae?

He didn’t laugh.

He just watched her.

And for the first time, he realized something—

Ava wasn’t just someone he liked.

She was someone he would burn the world for.

But before he could even process that, something else caught his attention.

Or rather—someone.

Across the room, in the Section E crowd, one of their classmates—Minho—was looking at someone.

And not just anyone.

His gaze was locked onto Lily, one of the softest, most feminine girls in Section A.

The contrast was almost ridiculous—Minho, the reckless troublemaker, staring at Lily like she hung the stars.

Jae’s eyes narrowed slightly. Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because Minho?

He had never looked at anyone like that before.