The hallway of St. Jude's Academy smelled of ancient oak, floor wax, and the suffocating arrogance of a thousand trust-fund legacies. Raya pushed through the crowd toward the housing board, clutching her schedule like a shield.
"Excuse me," a voice drawled behind her. It was a cold, melodic sound-the kind of voice that belonged to someone who had never been told 'no' in their entire life. "Your trunk is leaking lace and desperation. Move it."
Raya spun around. Standing there was Alaric. He was leaning against a marble pillar, looking like a statue that had been sculpted specifically to annoy her. His uniform was so crisp it looked like it could cut glass, and his eyes were full of a bored, icy disdain.
"And you're standing in my way," Raya snapped, her eyes raking over his perfectly polished shoes. "It's a hallway, not your personal catwalk, you human iceberg."
Alaric's brow arched-just a fraction.
"Iceberg? How quaint. I suppose I should expect such pedestrian insults from someone wearing... are those glitter trainers?"
"They're limited edition," she hissed. "Unlike your personality, which I'm sure was bought in bulk."
"Move, Raya," he said, stepping forward. He knew her name from the honors list-the girl who had dared to tie with him for the top entrance exam score.
"I'm not moving, Alaric."
They glared at each other, a silent war of wills that lasted until a passing proctor cleared his throat. With a final huff, Raya turned to the board to find her room number.
"Room 402," she muttered, a smile finallytouching her lips. "The penthouse suite of the East Wing. Perfect."
"402?" Alaric's voice was suddenly much closer. He was looking at the paper in his hand, then back at the board. His face went from pale to ghostly. "There must be a clerical error. 402 is my assignment."
"In your dreams," Raya laughed. "This is an all-girls wing."
"It was," a passing teacher called out without stopping. "The East Wing went co-ed this morning due to the flood in the South Hall. Congratulations. You're the first experimental 'academic pairing' roommates. And you have Advanced Latin together in ten minutes."
The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush the floorboards.
Raya looked at Alaric. Alaric looked at Raya.
"I'm going to kill you in your sleep," Raya
"Not if the smell of your glitter shoes kills me first," Alaric countered, though for the first time in his life, he looked genuinely terrified."It's called minimalism," Alaric countered, his voice smooth and dangerously calm. He reached for a single, expensive fountain pen. "But I suppose when one's GPA is as loud and messy as their décor, one wouldn't understand the concept of restraint."
Raya's eyes narrowed. "My GPA is exactly 0.2 points behind yours, you elitist gargoyle. And I did it while having a social life."
"A social life? Is that what you call those loud, glitter-covered gatherings in the common room?" Alaric smirked, finally looking her in the eye. "I thought you were just auditioning for a circus."
Raya grabbed a small, velvet-covered throw pillow-the one that cost more than most people's textbooks-and weighed it in her hand. "One more word about the circus, Alaric, and I will hide your Latin notes in the one place you'll never look."
"And where would that be?"
The gold-leaf border on the dorm room floor was Raya's idea. It was also, according to Alaric, the most "aggressively tacky" thing he had ever seen, which was exactly why she'd spent three hours applying it.
"You're staring again, Alaric," Raya said, not looking up from her silk-covered headboard. "It's a very common habit for people who have no personality of their own."
Alaric didn't flinch. He sat at his mahogany desk-which was so tidy it looked like a threat-and adjusted the cuff of his school blazer. "I'm not staring. I'm mourning. My retinas are currently protesting the sheer volume of 'neon sunset' you've managed to cram into twelve square feet."
Raya finally looked at him, flashing a sharp, practiced smile. "It's called ambiance. You should try it sometime. Your side of the room looks like a Victorian funeral home."