Lucian's POV:
Morning. I muttered as I blinked the sleep out of my eyes. The sun hadn't risen yet, but the household was already awake — the soft shuffle of maids in the corridor, the distant clink of cutlery. I shoved my phone into my palm. 6:00 a.m. School at eight. Typical.
A shower, clothes, breakfast—mechanical, neat. I ended up in the study with a textbook open in front of me, though it had been two months since I'd really studied. An hour and a half later a maid peered in. "It's 7:45, sir." The time had slipped away.
The driver was in the driveway when I left. I usually drove, but today I didn't bother. "All right. You can drive," I told him. He opened the door and smiled "Get in, Sir" he said. Soon we reached the basement parking of the school. "Leave the car here and hand me the keys ,I'll drive on my own while departure" I informed him. He smiled and he handed them over without fuss.. Actually ,I don't like these smiles still I Forced a smile back.
School felt like a swarm when I arrived — bodies, laughter, the small electric tension of other people's mornings. I pushed through the crowds , making my way to the first floor Section B and found my seat: row one, center. Ethan and Marcus to my left, Julian and Damon to my right. Behind me sat Adrian, with Finn and Rylan further left, Leo and Jayden to the right. Classroom positions were a map everyone read at a glance.
In 3rd row was Xander sitting in the center , actually that guy likes spending some 'Alone time'.
I didn't notice Mr. Gregory Dalton until he was already at the front. Strict, built like he could silence a room with a look, he ran attendance and gave us a lecture on discipline that lasted an annoyingly long time. Bells slipped by. Math. English. Science. Then — blessedly — break.
The cafeteria was chaos. I was halfway to the snack line when a shove sent me sprawling. "Get out of my way," someone hissed, but it wasn't that before I could react someone pushed me down on the floor. I saw Four hands grabbed coats — Jayden, Damon, Marcus, and Adrian holding Elias, Maddox, Silas, and Kaden from Section A. Shouting cut the air; fists started flying.
Elias pushed first — just a shoulder shove, but enough to set Damon off.
Adrian grabs Elias by the collar, pulling him forward so hard that his tie twists.
Maddox swings but misses, hitting the edge of a desk instead.
Jayden catches Silas by the wrist mid-swing and shoves him back.
Marcus steps in between, slamming his forearm into someone's chest.
Rylan pulls a chair aside, clearing space as if it's routine.
Lucian ducks a punch and lands one clean hit on Elias's jaw — not hard enough to injure, but enough to silence him.
Someone's bottle rolls across the floor, spilling water everywhere.
The crowd forms a ring, shouting, cheering — "Yo let's go!"
I pulled Adrian back. "Why?" he whispered. "Because we'll teach them a lesson outside," I said, eyes hard. He blinked, then shrugged; loyalty was a reflex for our group.
"Whatever" he replied.
By the time the bell rang for the next class, it was carnage. Section A had expected an easy push; they hadn't expected all nineteen of us to answer. It wasn't just brute force — Luna-the silent girl stood up and landed a kick on one of the girls from Section A surprised everyone — but it was enough. We pinned them to the floor, breaths and anger and adrenaline making the air taste metallic.
"Don't you dare try that again," I warned Elias, landing a final, controlled punch. His mouth opened and closed; he tasted defeat.
We left them nursing bruises and pride. My shoes dragged as I walked back to class. My hands still shook a little — from the fight or from something under the skin, something I didn't want anyone to see. Tomorrow was the weekend. Tomorrow I would try to be ordinary again. But ordinary never stuck for long.