Ice Cracks and Rumors Burn
By morning, the school no longer belonged to Serena Blake.
It buzzed.
Phones were out before first period even began. Screens glowed with clips from the basketball tryouts—Lucien's dunk looping endlessly, the way he drank from her water bottle, the unmistakable intimacy of it.
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Serena walked through the halls like she always did—back straight, expression cool, eyes forward.
But today, the whispers followed her like shadows.
"Isn't she the Ice Queen?"
"I heard she rejected every guy who ever asked her out."
"So why him?"
"Because he's Lucien Reed."
She didn't flinch.
She never did.
Serena Blake had been first long before Lucien Reed arrived.
First in grades.
First in influence.
First in reputation.
She'd earned the nickname Ice Queen not because she was cruel—but because she was unreachable. Polite refusals. Calm rejections. Absolute boundaries.
Guys hated her for it.
Girls admired her for it.
Until Lucien walked in and shattered the balance.
Her locker slammed shut.
"Serena Blake."
The voice was sharp. Confident. Calculated.
Serena turned slowly.
Cassandra Vale stood there—perfect posture, styled hair, designer bag slung over one shoulder like a challenge. Her smile didn't reach her eyes.
"I was wondering when you'd stop pretending you didn't hear me."
Serena's gaze swept over her coolly. "I didn't hear anything worth responding to."
A small crowd slowed. Curious.
Cassandra laughed softly. "You really live up to the nickname."
"I didn't give it to myself."
Cassandra stepped closer. "So tell me—how long have you been sleeping with Lucien Reed?"
The hallway went silent.
Serena blinked once.
Then she smiled.
It was small. Cold. Dangerous.
"I don't share my personal life," she said evenly. "Especially not with strangers who confuse curiosity with entitlement."
Cassandra's jaw tightened. "Don't act innocent. You show up together. He drinks from your bottle. Holds your hand like you belong to him."
Serena leaned in just enough for Cassandra to hear.
"I don't belong to anyone," she said softly. "But if Lucien chooses to stand beside me, that's his decision. Not yours."
Cassandra scoffed. "You think he'll stay? Men like him don't choose ice forever."
Before Serena could reply, a familiar voice cut in.
"Funny," Lucien drawled, slinging an arm lazily around Serena's shoulders, "because I've always liked a challenge."
The hallway erupted.
Cassandra's eyes flashed. "Lucien, I—"
He smiled at her. Charming. Deadly. Empty.
"Sorry," he said pleasantly. "Do I know you?"
Laughter rippled.
Cassandra stiffened.
Lucien glanced down at Serena. "Ready for class, Elise?"
Serena elbowed him sharply.
He only grinned.
By lunchtime, the rumors had mutated.
Some said Serena had planned Lucien's return.
Others claimed their families were both billionaires—and already engaged.
A few insisted Serena had finally been humbled.
None of them were true.
All of them were loud.
The guys were worse.
Jealous glances turned into muttered insults. Whispers about privilege. About luck. About Lucien "stealing" what no one had ever been entitled to in the first place.
Lucien noticed.
He always did.
That afternoon, he didn't leave school early with Serena.
Instead, he went back to the court.
"Pickup game," he announced casually. "Anyone brave enough."
They came.
Too eager. Too angry.
Lucien dismantled them.
He played ruthless basketball—fast breaks, clean steals, humiliating crossovers. He blocked shots with a grin, dunked without mercy, passed only when it made his opponents look worse.
Damien whistled from the sidelines. "You're enjoying this way too much."
Lucien wiped sweat from his brow. "They needed a lesson."
"About basketball?"
Lucien glanced toward the bleachers—where Serena sat, arms crossed, watching despite herself.
"No," he said lightly. "About boundaries."
By the end, no one was talking trash anymore.
That night, Serena lay in bed, phone face-down, mind restless.
Ice Queen.
Fiancée.
Billionaire's daughter.
Lucien's Elise.
She hated how easily the world tried to rewrite her.
And she hated—even more—that part of her wondered how long Lucien would keep standing between her and the noise.
Outside her door, she heard his laugh echo faintly from downstairs.
Warm. Familiar.
Dangerous.
Serena closed her eyes.
The ice had cracked.
And the whole school had noticed.