Chapter 8: The Falling King
The walk from the school gates to the main hall felt like a slow-motion march toward a guillotine. April's fingers were numb, buried deep in her blazer pockets. She could feel the stares of the students the "Legacy" kids who usually looked through her as if she were made of glass. Today, their eyes were wide, tracking her every movement with a mixture of confusion and burgeoning resentment.
The news had leaked five minutes before the physical board was even updated. Someone in the registrar's office had snapped a photo of the final tally, and the school's private server had nearly crashed from the traffic.
"There's no way," she heard a girl whisper as she passed the fountain.
"The server must have been hacked. Sterling doesn't drop to a 91. That's a failing grade for someone like him."
April didn't look back. She kept her eyes on the double oak doors of the North Wing. As she pushed them open, the sound of the hallway hit her like a physical wave. Usually, the morning before the first bell was a low hum of gossip and coffee orders. Today, it was a roar.
In the center of the hall, a massive crowd had gathered in front of the glass-encased bulletin board.
"Move," a voice commanded.
It wasn't April's voice. It was Marcus. He pushed through the crowd, his face pale and his jaw set so tightly it looked like marble. He reached the front, his eyes scanning the list with a frantic, predatory energy. He was looking for his own name at #1. He was looking for the moment he finally surpassed Jaden.
April reached the edge of the circle just as the crowd went silent.
[Official Academic Rankings: Senior Year - Mid-Term Update]
1. April Mendoza - 99.5%
2. Jaden Sterling -91.2%
3. Marcus Thorne - 90.8%
The silence was deafening. It wasn't the sound of respect; it was the sound of a world-view shattering.
"She did it," Chloe gasped, appearing at April's side and grabbing her arm so hard it left a mark. "April... look at the gap. You didn't just beat him. You obliterated him."
Marcus slammed his fist against the glass casing, the sound echoing like a gunshot. "This is a joke! 91.2? Jaden was at a 99.8 last month! You can't tell me he lost eight points of IQ in a single Physics exam!"
He turned around, his eyes wild as they landed on April. "What did you do to him, Mendoza? Did you steal his notes? Did you sabotage his computer? There is no world where a girl from the Old District stands above a Sterling."
April felt a surge of cold, hard pride. For three years, she had been the "charity case." For three years, she had been the 0.5% loser. Now, she was looking down at Marcus Thorne, and she realized he wasn't a shark he was just a boy who was terrified of being ordinary.
"Maybe the world is changing, Marcus," April said, her voice steady and clear. "Maybe 'perfection' is just a mask that finally slipped."
"Or maybe the King just decided he liked the view from the ground."
The crowd parted instantly. Jaden Sterling was walking down the hall, looking entirely too calm. His tie was loosened, his blazer was unbuttoned, and he had a look of relaxed indifference that was more terrifying than his usual coldness. He didn't look like a boy who had just lost his status; he looked like a man who had finally put down a heavy weight.
He walked straight past Marcus, not even giving him a glance, and stopped in front of April.
In front of three hundred witnesses, Jaden reached out and took April's hand. He lifted it slightly, as if he were presenting a champion.
"Congratulations, Mendoza," he said. His voice wasn't a whisper it was a declaration. "Number one looks good on you."
"Jaden, explain this!" Vanessa cried out from the crowd, her face twisted in a mask of horror. "Your father is going to be here in an hour! You're at a 91! You're barely holding onto the Top Three!"
Jaden turned his head slowly toward Vanessa. "A 91 is still higher than Marcus's best day," he said, the old arrogance flickering in his eyes for a second. "And as for my father... he'll have to get used to it. I've spent eighteen years being his trophy. I think I'll spend the rest of this year being a human being."
He looked back at April, his gaze softening in a way that made her heart do a traitorous somersault. "Want to go to the library? I think the #1 student should help the #2 student with his 'failing' grades."
"You're a jerk," April whispered, her face heating up.
"And you're the Queen of St. Jude's," Jaden replied with a smirk. "Let's give them something else to talk about."
As they walked away, hand in hand, the silence broke into a cacophony of camera shutters and frantic typing. The "Golden Boy" hadn't just fallen; he had jumped. And he had taken the scholarship girl with him.