Mel slipped into the empty seat beside Andre, letting out a quiet breath.
"You made it," Andre whispered with a grin.
"Barely," she whispered back. "Thanks for saving me again."
Miss King tapped her marker against the board.
"Now, as I was saying—the Scientific Revolution greatly influenced human society, especially in terms of economic development—"
But before she could finish her sentence, a hand rose lazily from the back of the room.
It was him.
The mysterious guy from earlier.
"Yes, Drayton?" Miss King asked.
Drayton leaned forward, his voice deep and calm.
"My question is… can we truly claim science improved economic development when it often causes more harm than solutions?"
A hush fell over the classroom.
Miss King blinked.
"That's… quite a complex perspective."
"So can we?" Drayton pressed gently, staring straight at her.
"Well…" The teacher shifted uncomfortably. "That depends on interpretation, data, and—"
But she couldn't give a direct answer, and everyone felt it.
Andre leaned toward Mel, whispering,
"That's Drayton Veldrez. He does that to teachers… a lot."
Mel bit back a small smile. "I can see that."
A few moments later, the bell rang.
"Class dismissed," Miss King announced, relieved.
Andre stood and grabbed his backpack. "Since geography is free period, I can show you around the campus, if you want?"
Mel nodded. "Yes, please. I'd love that."
They headed toward the door, but just as they stepped into the hallway, Mel bumped into someone—hard.
"Whoa—easy." A voice said, warm and rough at the edges.
It was Drayton.
He steadied her by the shoulders as his friends paused behind him.
"Hey, new kid, are you okay?" he asked, brows drawn in concern.
Mel straightened herself quickly. "I'm fine, thanks."
"You sure?" He tilted his head, eyes scanning her like he actually cared.
"Yes. Really."
Drayton's mouth twitched, almost into a smile. "Alright then… Lucy, was it?"
Mel froze a little. "You… remembered?"
"How could I not?" he said casually before walking past her with his friends.
Andre nudged her lightly. "Don't mind him. He's… complicated."
Mel looked after Drayton as he disappeared down the hallway.
"Yeah," she said softly. "I can tell."
Andre walked beside Mel, pointing out different buildings.
"That's the cafeteria—always crowded. Over there is the football field. And if you ever need the labs, they're in that block."
Mel nodded as she took everything in. "This school is huge… and beautiful."
"You'll get used to it," Andre said with a smile.
They finally reached the basketball court, where the last few players were packing up and heading out. One ball rolled across the floor and stopped right in front of Mel's feet.
Her eyes lit up.
Andre noticed. "Uh… Mel? What are you thinking?"
She grinned mischievously.
"Just watch."
"Should I be scared?" Andre whispered.
Mel dropped her bag on the bleachers, walked onto the court, picked up the ball, and bounced it firmly.
One of the players turned. "Hey—uh, do you need help with that?"
Mel ignored them for a second, focused her breathing, stepped back to the center line, then—
Dribble.
Turn.
Launch.
The ball spun through the air, clean and perfect, then—
SWISH!
It dropped straight through the net.
The entire court fell silent for a heartbeat.
"WOAH!"
"Did you see that?"
"No way!"
The players who had just returned stared at her in shock.
Mel bit her lip, cheeks burning. "I was just… having fun—trying my luck."
"You call THAT luck?" one of the players asked, almost laughing. "You should sign up for the girls' team!"
"Yeah, we need a shooter like you!" another added.
Mel shook her head quickly. "No, no, I'm okay—really. I was just messing around!"
Andre was practically bent over laughing. "Mel—why didn't you tell me you could do that?!"
Before she could answer, someone else had stopped near the entrance of the court.
Drayton.
He had been walking by with his backpack slung over one shoulder. But the moment he saw the shot, he froze… watching her with slow-growing curiosity.
A smirk sharpened his face.
"Interesting…" he murmured to himself. "This should be fun."
Mel didn't notice him at all. She grabbed her bag as the players kept encouraging her to join the team.
"I really can't—I promise!" she said, flustered.
Finally, she tugged on Andre's sleeve. "Let's go!"
They ran out of the court, both breathless.
When they finally stopped, Andre burst into laughter again.
"That was crazy!" he wheezed. "But awesome! Honestly—where next?"
Mel playfully shoved him. "Somewhere far from basketball courts!"
But behind them, still watching from afar with unreadable eyes, Drayton whispered once more—
"Lucy… you're full of surprises."
---
The bell rang loudly over the campus.
"Next class," Andre said, swinging his backpack over his shoulder. "It's a joint session with the other seniors. Some of the basketball guys are in that class too."
Mel groaned. "Great. More people who saw my little show."
They walked in together and took their seats. The room was twice as full as before, buzzing with chatter. A few of the basketball players waved at her with impressed smiles, making Mel shrink into her chair.
During the lesson, a teacher tried explaining economic theories, but—
"Sir," Drayton's voice cut in lazily, "your data contradicts your conclusion. Are we supposed to pretend that makes sense?"
The teacher opened his mouth… closed it… then sighed.
"O-okay, that will be all for today."
Andre leaned toward Mel.
"Told you. He does this every class."
Mel whispered back, "He enjoys it."
"Too much," Andre muttered.
---
Classes passed quickly, and by lunchtime, Mel felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and starving.
"Cafeteria time," Andre announced with a grin.
Inside, the cafeteria was loud and packed. Andre waved to three other boys over.
"Lucy, these are my friends—Estevan, Valentino, and Kelvin."
"Nice to meet you," they all said in unison.
Mel smiled shyly and sat down with them.
They chatted casually until the atmosphere suddenly shifted. The noise level spiked—people whispering, gasping, moving aside.
Mel turned her head to see what was happening.
Drayton entered.
And beside him were Walter, Bliss, and Conrad.
The four of them walked in like they owned the place—because in a way, they did. Their presence alone pulled every eye in the room.
Drayton barely glanced around, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable.
Walter grinned like he was stepping onto a stage.
Bliss quietly adjusted his glasses, walking with a calm, almost gentle aura.
Conrad followed behind them like a silent shadow.
Mel stared without realizing how obvious she looked.
Kelvin noticed and leaned closer.
"You… uh… don't know who they are, do you?"
Mel shook her head faintly.
Kelvin cleared his throat dramatically. "Alright then. Listen carefully."
He pointed subtly toward Bliss.
"That's Bliss Santos—calm, sentimental, robotics team captain. Smartest guy in school."
Then to Walter.
"And that's Walter Santos, Bliss's stepbrother. Loud, extroverted, narcissistic… and captain of the football team."
"And their is Conrad Oliveira the ambivert and oldest of the group. He is also the swim team Captain and a massive playboy.
Mel nodded slowly. "Okay… and the last one?"
Kelvin swallowed as if saying the next part needed courage.
"That," he pointed, "is Drayton Veldrez."
Mel blinked. "Veldrez?"
Kelvin leaned in.
"The king of bullies, a straight-up masochist,fetish, and—" he paused, then announced loudly,
"THE MAFIA HEIR."
Mel froze.
…Mafia heir?
Her heart dropped like a stone.
Suddenly she wasn't in Brazil anymore—she was back in Italy, surrounded by the same shadows she ran from.
"O no… This is Italy all over again," Mel whispered to herself, eyes widening.
"Lucy?" Andre waved his hand in front of her face. "Lucy—hey. You okay?"
She snapped out of her trance.
"Oh—yeah. Sorry. Just… zoned out."
But inside, her thoughts were swirling.
Drayton wasn't just a mystery.
He was danger.
He was familiar chaos.
He was everything she had tried so hard to escape.
And now he was here—in her school, in her new life—and she had no idea what fate was planning next.