By the time Mira Lawson left the cafeteria, every pair of eyes in Aristella Institute was either:
1. Staring at her in disbelief,
2. Filming her every heartbeat, or
3. Whispering like she had personally slapped the sun.
It didn't help that her phone, her dear, cracked, overused phone, was vibrating so violently it could've passed for a malfunctioning blender.
When she finally answered, Sophia screamed into her ear:
"MIRA! YOU'RE FAMOUS! YOU ARE VIRAL! YOU ARE, wait, why did you threaten the Crown Prince?!"
Mira winced. "Can you lower your voice or are you trying to summon the dead?"
"Why would you say, 'I'll spill another one'?! Who says that?!"
"Someone who was pushed," Mira snapped. "And someone who doesn't like being talked down to."
Sophia groaned dramatically. "Your stubbornness will put me in a coma."
"Good," Mira said. "I'll finally get some peace."
Before Sophia could lecture her into retirement, Mira hung up and stuffed her phone into her pocket. The notifications kept buzzing, but she ignored them. If the internet wanted to roast her, let it roast. She had bigger problems.
Like the fact that she didn't know where the hell her dorm was.
She wandered down polished halls so shiny she could see her reflection cringing at her life choices. Every student she passed paused to stare. Some whispered excitedly. Some watched like she was walking toward her execution.
A girl with a pearl-encrusted collar blocked her path.
"Lucky Star?" the girl asked breathlessly.
Mira blinked. "That's me."
The girl squealed. "You're amazing! You talked back to him! No one talks back to him! My mother would faint. Actually, she probably already has, she watches the live streams."
Mira stared. "Please don't idolize me. I'm pretty sure I'm in trouble."
"You are," the girl said cheerfully. "But we all are, in some way. Welcome to Aristella!"
Mira watched the girl skip off and muttered, "I'm in a madhouse."
A bell rang from somewhere above, clear, refined, obnoxious. Students immediately formed neat lines, which made Mira suspicious. "What are we, synchronized robots?" she whispered as she slipped into formation.
A tall boy with copper hair stood next to her. He smelled like citrus and rich-person privilege.
"You're Mira Lawson," he said, smiling like he was posing for a magazine cover.
"Unfortunately," Mira replied.
He chuckled. "I'm Leo Drake."
Ah. One of those Drakes. Billionaires with a capital B.
He leaned closer. "You know, you made my entire week."
Mira raised a brow. "How?"
"You challenged him."
"You mean your prince?"
"I mean the prince. The guy no one touches because his ego is allergic to imperfection."
Mira snorted. "He started it. I just finished it."
Leo's grin widened. "You're going to be very fun."
"I'm not here to be fun," Mira muttered. "I'm here because my mother traded me for baby formula points."
Leo laughed so hard heads turned.
"Wow," he said, wiping his eyes. "I like you."
"Stop that," Mira said. "I don't need friends."
"Well," he said, linking his arm through hers before she could fight him, "too late."
Mira tried to pull away, failed, and grumbled her fate.
Their first class was a monstrous lecture hall built like an opera house. Students practically floated to their seats. Mira climbed the rows like someone scaling a small mountain.
Leo followed her. "Sit with me."
"No."
He sat next to her anyway.
"What part of no don't you rich people understand?"
"The part where it means yes," he said innocently.
Mira groaned.
And then the room went silent.
All the nobles straightened their backs. All the girls fixed their hair. All the boys looked mildly terrified.
Because the Crown Prince walked in.
Adrian Everhart entered with the grace of someone who'd practiced walking since birth. His uniform was spotless. His expression was carved from cold marble. His sleeve, previously Mira's crime scene, was clean again, probably replaced with a fresh one worth more than her rent.
His eyes scanned the crowd.
They landed on Mira.
And stayed there.
A ripple of tension snaked through the room. Even Leo stiffened.
Mira didn't blink.
She stared right back.
Adrian's jaw ticked.
The professor cleared his throat and tried to begin class, but no one was paying attention. Everyone was watching the silent, deadly staring contest between the Lucky Star and the Crown Prince.
Finally Adrian turned away and sat in the front row, his "throne seat," judging by how other students didn't dare sit within three chairs of him.
Leo whispered, "You've officially angered the most powerful boy in the country."
Mira whispered back, "He'll survive. I did."
Leo covered his mouth to stifle a laugh.
Halfway through class, a notification lit up Mira's screen. She glanced down.
TRENDING #1: #CoffeeGate
#2: #LuckyStarVsPrince
#3: #MiraLawsonDidNothingWrong
#4: #RoyalSleeve
Mira's soul left her body.
Leo leaned over. "Oh wow. You broke the internet."
"I didn't break anything!" she whispered harshly. "I spilled coffee!"
"In Aristella," Leo whispered back, "that's equivalent to starting a revolution."
Mira dragged a hand down her face. "Great. Just what I wanted."
Class ended. Students filed out in silence, making space as Adrian stood. He walked toward the aisle Mira was in, and Leo nudged her.
"He's coming," Leo whispered. "Brace yourself."
Adrian stopped right beside her row.
His eyes, cold and sharp, locked onto hers.
"You," he said quietly, "are coming to the Headmaster's office after final period."
Mira's spine straightened.
"Why?" she asked, already sounding defiant.
"For disciplinary discussion."
"No," she said simply.
Adrian blinked. "No?"
"No."
"You don't have a choice," he said, voice lowering.
"I always have a choice," she replied.
Leo covered his face with his hand.
Adrian leaned closer, just enough to make the air in the room crackle.
"You challenged me once," he murmured. "Don't do it again."
Mira leaned in too, fire in her eyes.
"Try me."
The entire classroom froze.
Adrian's gaze hardened, but there was something else behind it now too. Interest. Frustration. Curiosity. Maybe all three.
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Leo slowly slid down in his seat. "Mira," he said breathlessly, "I think you just became his worst nightmare."
Mira stood, shoulders square.
"Good," she said. "Maybe he'll stop acting like a spoiled chandelier."
Leo blinked. "A… chandelier?"
"Shiny, dramatic, and too high up," Mira explained.
Leo burst into laughter.
As Mira left the classroom, the air buzzed with a new kind of energy.
By lunchtime, she wasn't just the Lucky Star.
She was the girl who told off a prince.
And Aristella Institute had never seen anything like her.