Lila Zhao smiled sweetly as she scrolled through her phone, her painted nails tapping against the screen. To anyone watching, she looked like the perfect best friend—loyal, harmless, devoted.
But behind that flawless smile, venom brewed.
Her eyes lingered on the photo she had secretly snapped earlier: Elena Zhou walking into class with Ryan Liu at her side. The sight made her blood boil. How dare she?
Lila had worked too hard to secure her place next to Adrian Chen. She had whispered in the right ears, planted rumors in the right places, and cut down anyone who dared to rise too quickly. Yet Elena—fragile, naïve Elena—was suddenly blooming, commanding attention that should have been hers.
No. That couldn't be allowed.
Slipping her phone into her pocket, Lila leaned toward a pair of gossip-loving classmates and whispered, "Did you hear? Elena's been cozying up to Ryan lately. I even heard she's planning to replace Adrian completely."
The girls gasped, wide-eyed, their excitement immediate. Gossip was poison—and Lila knew exactly how to spread it. By lunch break, the whispers had multiplied, twisting into something sharper.
"Elena is playing both of them."
"She's just trying to climb higher."
"Didn't she betray her own best friend once before? Typical."
Elena walked into the cafeteria, tray in hand, and felt the stares like daggers piercing her back. Her fingers tightened around her fork, but her expression stayed calm, almost bored.
She sat down, ignoring the whispers. But when Ryan dropped into the seat across from her and Adrian appeared moments later, the tension in the room reached its breaking point.
Adrian's eyes scanned the cafeteria, then narrowed at the malicious whispers spreading like wildfire. His gaze flicked to Elena. "What's going on?"
Ryan chuckled, leaning lazily against the table. "Seems like someone doesn't like seeing you with me, Elena. Must be Adrian's fangirls."
Elena didn't reply. Her instincts screamed at her. She could almost feel Lila's eyes on her from across the room. That sugary smile was too perfect, too practiced.
So it begins again, Elena thought coldly. The web of lies. The same trap she wove last time… but this time, I'll cut her strings before she strangles me with them.
She set her fork down deliberately, her gaze sweeping across the cafeteria before landing on Adrian.
"Why does it bother you so much?" she asked softly, but her words carried. "Unless… you're afraid of losing something that was never yours to begin with."
The cafeteria fell into stunned silence. Adrian's jaw tightened. Ryan smirked. And Lila's fingers curled into fists beneath the table, rage bubbling behind her smile.
Elena's game had officially begun.