The silence was deafening. For a heartbeat, it felt like the whole cafeteria had stopped breathing.
Then gasps, whispers, low laughter rippling across the tables as if they are scared to laugh too loud.
Leo nearly choked on his drink, covering his mouth with his hand while his shoulders shook in silent laughter. Felicia's jaw dropped, her hand clutching Athena's arm under the table like she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
Adrianna's face went pale, then flushed a furious red, her chest rising and falling fast. Her lips parted but no sound came out at first. She looked like she'd been slapped in front of the entire school.
"You little bitch." she started, her voice breaking, but Athena's eyes stayed on hers, calm, sharp, unshaken.
Adrianna's face burned crimson at Athena's indifference, her voice trembling with fury. She leaned forward, her words now loud enough for the cafeteria to hear.
"You think you're better than me? You're nothing but a charity case that somehow slipped through the doors. Girls like you don't last here, you'll always be beneath me."
Gasps rippled across the tables. A few students exchanged wide-eyed looks, already whispering.
For the first time in Athena's life, she wanted to brag so badly about her wealth and her family background and not to talk of a rich boyfriend, who wouldn't even question her if she asked him to transfer his wealth to her name.
Athena's expression didn't even flicker. She picked up Leo's glass of water, swirled it slowly, then set it back down with deliberate calm. When she spoke, her voice was soft, but the weight of it crushed every sound in the room.
"Beneath you?" Athena's lips curved into a faint, cold smile. "No, sweetheart. I just don't crawl low enough to fight for scraps of attention. That's your job."
The cafeteria froze. The words struck like a blade, clean and merciless.
Adrianna's mouth fell open. Rage tightened her face, her hands clenching into fists. Her laugh came out bitter, harsh, almost unhinged.
"You bitch," she spat, her voice breaking. "Don't think Eryx will even look at someone like you. You'll be forgotten in a week!"
Eryx on the other hand was a bit stunned. 'So the fight was because of him, this was beginning to get interesting.' he thought as his lip stretch into a smirk.
Athena tilted her head, eyes locking on Adrianna's without a single flinch.
"If he forgets me in a week, Adrianna, that still makes me unforgettable longer than you ever were." she replied each word carved to cut deeper.
The crowd erupted, shocked gasps, muffled laughter, hands covering mouths. Leo actually slapped the table once, his jaw dropping, while Felicia squeezed Athena's arm under the table so tightly she could leave marks.
Adrianna's eyes widened in pure disbelief, her face contorting with humiliation. Something inside her snapped. She grabbed Eryx's cup of water without thinking, and splash the water on Athena.
Water cascaded over Athena. The cafeteria fell into stunned silence.
She threw the cup back on the table, empty now. Cold water dripped down Athena's shirt, soaking the fabric until it clung to her skin. Gasps and whispers spread like wildfire across the cafeteria.
Felicia shot up from her seat. "What the fuck, Adrianna?!" she snapped, eyes blazing.
Leo's jaw dropped as he stared at his nearly untouched cup being emptied all over Athena. "Seriously? That was my drink," he muttered, giving Adrianna a dumbfounded, almost disgusted look.
But Athena didn't move. She didn't shout, didn't throw anything back. Instead, a small smile curved on her lips as her eyes flickered across the room straight to where the Phantom Fours sat ahead of the cafeteria.
Adrianna's voice rang out, sharp and venomous. "You're nothing but a whore, Athena. That's all you'll ever be."
The words struck the room like a slap, and a few gasps broke through the silence.
Athena's smile only widened. She leaned back in her chair for a beat, her voice calm, low, and cutting through the air with effortless confidence.
"A whore, huh?" Her gaze locked on Adrianna's trembling form. "If that's the word you need to make yourself feel above me, use it. Because unlike you… I don't beg for anyone's validation. I own it."
The cafeteria erupted in shocked whispers.
And with that, Athena stood.
Slowly, deliberately, she tugged off her soaked school jacket and dropped it on her seat. Next, she shrugged out of her inner short coat, folding it neatly and placing it aside like she had all the time in the world. Her fingers moved to her tie, pulling it loose before tossing it lightly onto the table.
Now only her white shirt remained, wet and clinging, sheer enough to draw every pair of eyes in the room.
The entire cafeteria held its breath.
Athena smirked, her fingers drifting to the top button of her shirt. She undid it. Then another. Then another, until the delicate net bra beneath was visible, barely covering her curves, her cleavage spilling in a way that made half the boys groan under their breath, but the groans from the wolves were more loud, not like the humans can differentiate.
A low sound rippled through the cafeteria, some boys whistling, others choking on their food.
Felicia's eyes widened to the point of shock. "Oh my god…" she whispered.
Even Leo blinked rapidly, at a rare loss for words. "Well, damn."
And then, every gaze in the room inevitably shifted to the Phantom Fours.
Eryx leaned back in his seat, a sharp smirk tugging his lips as his eyes drank in the sight of her, utterly unapologetic.
Azrael didn't even look away this time, his piercing gaze locked onto her, fascinated, curious, as though he was watching a live play unfold.
Theodore's lips curled into an amused grin, his elbow propped on the table. "Interesting," he murmured, loud enough for his friends to hear.
And Rhydric being Rhydric didn't so much as flinch. His dark, devilish gaze slid over her once, cold and detached, before settling on his food again like nothing happened.
The room felt like it was about to explode.
And Athena? She stood there, dripping, smirking, unbothered and turning Adrianna's insult into a stage she controlled completely.
Athena tilted her head at Adrianna, that calm smile never leaving her lips.
"You called me a whore…" she said slowly, her voice dripping with amusement. "Then I might as well show you what a real whore really looks like."
She brushed past Adrianna without sparing her another glance, leaving the girl frozen in place. Murmurs rose immediately, spreading like wildfire as the cafeteria followed Athena's every move.
She walked straight to where the Phantom Fours were sitting, her presence drawing every eye in the room. When she reached their table, she looked at each of them one by one, Azrael, Theodore, Rhydric before finally fixing her gaze on Eryx.
Then, slowly, she reached up to her braids.
Gasps filled the air as she undid them, letting her long, silky white hair fall freely, cascading past her waist, brushing over her curves until it nearly touched her thighs. The sight alone silenced half the cafeteria.
Azrael tilted his head slightly, studying her with interest. His blue eyes narrowed as though he was trying to memorize the sight. Damn. She looked unreal, an angel with boldness that didn't belong to heaven or hell. He didn't even realize until now how much white hair stirred something in him, but his gaze refused to leave her.
Eryx's lips curved into a sharp smirk the moment her eyes stayed locked on him. He leaned back in his chair like he was enjoying every second.
Then Athena moved again. She took the glass jug of water from their table. And without hesitation and poured it all over her body.
The entire cafeteria froze.