Kara's POV
I stood at the tall silver gate of Ravenwood Academy, my heart pounding with excitement so loud I could feel it in my throat. I had never seen a school this beautiful in my entire life. The walls were tall and clean, the lawns were trimmed like something from a movie, and students walked around in neat uniforms that screamed money.
I couldn't stop smiling.
My cheeks actually hurt.
I did it.
I finally did it.
I clutched the scholarship letter in my hand as I stepped inside the campus. I felt like a small ant walking into a giant kingdom, but a very proud ant.
The moment my shoes touched the shiny pathway, the atmosphere changed.
The students walking around suddenly stopped.
Their heads turned.
Their conversations paused.
Like someone pressed a giant 'pause' button.
I blinked fast, confused.
Why were they staring?
Some looked shocked.
Some looked amused.
Some looked… confused.
I tried to smile at them, thinking maybe I looked too excited and it seemed weird, but no one smiled back.
A man in uniform walked quickly toward me. Maybe a guard. Maybe a staff.
"Excuse me," he said, looking down at me as if I was a lost puppy. "Are you looking for someone?"
"Oh!" I smiled brightly. "I'm actually a scholarship student. I was asked to resume today."
His eyes widened.
Like—really widened.
"A… scholarship student?"
"Yes," I said proudly, holding up my letter.
He stared at me for three whole seconds, then looked around at the boys who were still staring, and then back at me.
"Wow," he whispered. "Okay. Uh… come with me. I'll take you to the principal."
He looked almost… nervous.
That made me nervous too, but I followed him.
As we walked through the school grounds, something strange dawned on me.
Everywhere I looked, I saw boys.
Tall boys. Short boys. Loud boys. Quiet boys.
Just… boys.
Not a single girl.
Not even a tiny one.
I turned to the man carefully. "Um… sir?"
"Yes?"
"There are so many boys here, if I didn't know better I would have thought it was an all-boys school," I laughed at my ridiculous thoughts.
He looked at me like I had said the dumbest thing ever.
"Of course," he said. "This is Ravenwood All Boys Academy."
I stopped walking.
I froze like someone had poured cold water on my head.
"All…" I whispered. "Boys?"
He blinked. "Yes? Didn't you know?"
My jaw dropped. "NO. I did NOT know!"
His mouth hung open too. "But… it's written on the school brochure. It's on the website. It's everywhere."
I groaned loudly.
"I didn't check those! I only checked the scholarship form!"
He rubbed his forehead like I had just given him a new headache.
"Oh dear… this is a problem."
No kidding.
A school full of boys?
A girl like me?
How would I survive?
This was a disaster dressed in a uniform.
But I followed him anyway. What else could I do? Turn back and throw away my one chance at helping Grandma?
No way.
We reached the principal's office, and the man knocked gently before ushering me in.
The office smelled like old books and expensive furniture. The principal, a tall man with gray hair and a calm face, looked up at me.
His eyes widened slightly too.
Oh great. Even he was shocked to see a girl in his office.
"Uh… sir," the staff said awkwardly. "This is the new scholarship student."
The principal's lips parted slowly, like he was too polite to show his confusion but still too human to hide it.
"Oh," he finally said. "Please, sit."
I sat, clutching the letter like it might save my life.
He cleared his throat.
"There seems to be a… mix-up."
My stomach dropped.
"A mix-up?" I repeated.
"Yes," he said gently. "The scholarship program you applied for was for Ravenwood Academy. But due to an error on their website, the form did not specify 'boys-only section'. The mistake was from the scholarship portal, not from the school."
I blinked rapidly, trying to understand.
"So… I'm not supposed to be here?"
"Well…" he folded his hands. "Technically, no."
My chest tightened.
"Then… then am I losing the scholarship?" I whispered.
He shook his head quickly. "No. No, you are not losing it. We have contacted the scholarship board. They said the process to correct the mix-up will take about three months."
Three months.
Three months in a school full of boys?
The principal continued, "So, for now, you will have to study here."
My heart almost fell out of my body.
"Study… here? With them? With ALL of them?"
He nodded.
"But— but— are there female bathrooms?" I asked desperately.
He hesitated. "Um… not specifically."
My eyes widened.
I was going to die here.
Actually die.
"There's nothing we can do until the scholarship board finalizes the correction," he added. "You just have to endure for three months."
I swallowed hard.
Three months.
Three months with boys staring. Boys breathing. Boys talking. Boys being boys.
But Grandma's smile flashed in my mind.
Her tired eyes.
Her soft voice.
I had to do this for her.
I lifted my chin.
"I'll manage," I said, even though my soul was screaming.
The principal sighed in relief. "Your class is Class Four. A prefect will show you around later."
Great.
A prefect. Another boy.
I thanked him and stepped out.
When I entered the hallway again, the noise hit me like a wave.
Whispers.
Stares.
Voices.
"Is that a girl?"
"No way."
"What's she doing here?"
"She's tiny."
"She's cute."
"She smells good."
"Bro, I'm hallucinating."
My palms grew sweaty.
My stomach knotted.
I quickened my steps, but it didn't help. Their eyes followed me everywhere. Some boys stepped out of their classrooms to see me. Some grinned. Some smirked.
It felt like walking through a zoo where I was the new animal.
A group of boys suddenly stood in my path.
One leaned against the door frame lazily, staring at me like I was entertainment.
"Hey," he said with a confident smile. "You can join our class if you're scared. We'll protect you."
I shook my head quickly. "No thank you."
They laughed.
I walked faster, but I needed directions. I didn't want to get lost and wander into the wrong place.
A group of boys passed, so I stepped forward carefully.
"Um… excuse me," I said politely.
They turned around slowly.
The leader was tall, with a sharp jaw and a cocky smile. The moment his eyes met mine, something mischievous lit up in them.
"What do you want, sweetheart?" he asked.
"I—I'm looking for Class Four."
He licked his lips, smiling at me like I said something funny.
"Well," he drawled, "how about I become your Class Four?"
His friends burst into wild laughter.
I frowned, disgusted.
Right then, one boy leaned toward him and whispered loudly enough for me to hear:
"Bro… that's the Precious Butt girl."
My mouth dropped.
What the—
The leader's eyes widened, then brightened with excitement.
"Ohhh. So YOU are the Precious Butt."
"Precious WHAT?"
They laughed harder.
He stepped closer. "If I spank you hard, will you arrest me too? Maybe make me your prisoner?"
My stomach twisted with disgust.
"Get away from me," I snapped.
I stormed off as fast as I could.
"I LOVE YOUR PRECIOUS BUTT!" one of them yelled behind me.
I nearly screamed.
What butt?
What PRECIOUS?
What nonsense?
I already hated this school.
After almost thirty minutes of wandering and praying not to cry, I finally found Class Four.
I opened the door—
And chaos exploded.
The boys screamed like they just saw a celebrity.
Tables were hit.
Feet stomped.
Voices rose.
"NO WAY!"
"A GIRL???"
"OH MY GOD!"
"IN OUR CLASS???"
I swallowed hard, my throat dry.
I felt like collapsing.
The teacher walked in, shock written all over his face, but he controlled the class quickly.
"Quiet!" he shouted, slamming the table.
The noise stopped immediately.
He turned to me. "Introduce yourself."
My hands shook as I stepped forward.
"My name is—"
"We know you!" a boy shouted from behind.
"PRECIOUS BUTT!"
The class roared with laughter.
The teacher slammed the table again. "SILENCE!"
My face burned with embarrassment, but I continued weakly. "My name is Kara."
The teacher nodded and opened his book to start teaching.
But before he could say a single word—
BANG!
The classroom door flew open so hard it hit the wall.
The room fell silent.
A group of boys walked in slowly—
Tall
Confident
Handsome
Feared
Respected.
The SajaBoys.
The hottest boys in Ravenwood.
The kings of the school.
The air changed instantly.
Everyone straightened.
I looked up slowly…
And my breath caught.
Ethan Hale walked in.
His jaw tense.
His eyes dark.
His presence heavy.
He wasn't smiling.
He looked angry.
Broken.
Dangerous.
And then—
His eyes landed on me.
He froze.
Actually froze.
I stared back, shocked beyond words.
"It's—" I whispered.
"You!" he shouted.
I shouted at the same time—
"You!"
The entire class gasped.
My heart dropped into my stomach.
Of all the boys in this nightmare school…
Of all the people I could meet again…
It had to be HIM.
The boy who swore to destroy me.