On her way back, Angela spotted Stales standing in front of her classroom, clearly waiting for her.
"We have the same class," he said with a grin.
Angela blinked, caught off guard. "What? They're putting form three and form two in the same class?" That didn't happen at her old school. Things were definitely different here.
"What class is it?" she asked as she headed down the corridor toward the West wing where her locker was. It was right next to Alex's. She grabbed an exercise book and a pen, but Stales let out a laugh and gently pushed them back into her locker.
"You won't need those," he said. "We've got combat class. That's why they combined the forms."
"Combat class?" Angela stared at him. That was definitely new. Her old school didn't even allow rough play, let alone actual fighting. But instead of being scared, she felt a thrill rush through her. "Finally, something in this school I might actually enjoy."
"Really?" a familiar voice said behind her.
She jumped and spun around. "Alex! Can you not do that?"
Her hand flew to her chest. He always moved so quietly. It reminded her too much of his alpha—strong, silent, and unpredictable. The way he just appeared out of nowhere made her nerves jump.
"You scared us, man," Stales said, frowning a bit. He knew Alex, of course. Everyone did. Top of the form two class, Alpha Kaito's trusted beta. Stales had always wished he could trade places with him.
Alex didn't respond to the comment. His tone was cool as ever. "Stop acting like girls. Come on, the ranking board just got updated for the whole school. We've got to check it before combat class starts."
With that, he turned and walked off, leaving Angela and Stales staring after him.
Angela shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. This school was nothing like she expected—and she kind of liked that.
"Fine, I'll close my locker and come," Angela said quickly. She shoved it shut and turned to follow them. For a second, her eyes lingered on the box inside—the new phone she hadn't even opened yet. Her first ever. But there wasn't time for that now. Maybe later.
They joined a few other students heading down the stairs, moving as a quiet crowd toward a room that buzzed with chatter. On the far wall stood a giant black board—so big it looked like something you'd see on a highway billboard. But instead of ads, it was covered in names. Dozens of them, maybe hundreds.
"That's the general student ranking," Stales told her as they stopped in front of it. He sounded excited, like this moment mattered. "Let's see where we stand."
Angela's eyes scanned the board. At the very top, in bold letters, was Alpha Hiro. Number one. That shocked her—he didn't exactly scream 'model student' when they met. Right below him was Kaito. Then came a tie—Renn and Taros. The name in fourth place didn't ring a bell, but the fifth spot did. Alex.
She watched a group of students go over to pat him on the back and cheer like he'd won a prize. Angela tilted her head, confused. What exactly were they being ranked for?
She leaned closer to Stales and whispered, "What does this list even mean?"
"It's based on performance in each subject," he explained, "but also on news rankings. You know, the stuff going around the school. Kaito was trending number one yesterday, but after your fight with Renn, he dropped. Renn went up."
Angela's eyes widened. "Wait, what? So my little drama with Hiro put him in first place?"
Stales nodded. "Exactly. He's holding it for now. But someone else could take it anytime, if something big enough happens."
"I see," Angela muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. Everything here felt upside down. Back at her old school, it was all about exams and classwork at the end of the term. But in this place, the All-Boys Academy had its own rules, its own kind of pressure.
Alex returned, holding his phone. "History class results just dropped in the group chat," he said, his voice calm like always. He was at the top again, no surprise there.
Angela leaned in with Stales to check hers. Her stomach turned the moment her eyes found her name—dead last. Number thirty-seven out of thirty-seven.
Her heart sank.
She bit her bottom lip, trying to hold it together. Deep down, she already knew she wouldn't be near the top, but a part of her had hoped... just a little. Why had she let herself believe she might have done better?
Without a word, she handed the phone back to Alex and turned to the general ranking board. Hundreds of names filled the space. It was overwhelming.
"I found mine!" Stales said with a grin. "Three hundred and five. Not bad, huh?"
Angela forced a smile. "Congratulations." Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. She was genuinely happy for him, but she couldn't stop the sting in her chest. She was proud of her friend, but disappointed in herself.
"Thanks, buddy. Let's find yours. I bet it's not too far off," Stales said, scanning the board quickly.
Alex joined them again and pointed to her name. "You're ranked one hundred and twenty on the news board. That'll help your score go up overall."
Angela nodded slowly. At least there was something working in her favor. But then she asked the question that had been sitting in the back of her mind. "What happens to students who don't meet the average?"
Alex didn't sugarcoat it. "There are seven hundred and six students. If you fall between five hundred and fifty and seven hundred, you're out. They'll be sent home at the end of the term. No second chances."
Angela felt a lump form in her throat. That meant she had to rise—and fast. She had left everything behind to be here. Her home. Her past. Her secrets. Going back wasn't an option. Not now. Not ever.
If she was going to leave this school one day, it would be on her own terms and not because she failed.
In less than two minutes, she spotted her name on the board.
Number seven hundred and three.
Angela's chest tightened. She was third from the bottom. Even with her news ranking helping a little, she was still hanging on by a thread. One wrong move, and she'd be sent home.
She let out a long breath, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.
"I'm sorry… but you can still do better," Stales said gently, trying to sound hopeful.
"If you actually want to," Alex added without emotion.
Angela clenched her jaw. Sometimes, she wished he would just shut up. This wasn't the time for one of his cold, logical comments.
"Our next class is about to start. Let's go," Stales said, and without warning, the boys broke into a run.
Angela hesitated, still shaken, but forced herself to move. Her legs felt heavy, but she ran after them, across the yard to another building that looked more like a training center than a classroom. Inside, there were sandbags lined up, three massive ones hanging from metal frames. The room smelled like sweat and metal. Swords. Artificial guns. All kinds of weapons filled the space.
She turned to Stales and Alex. "Where's the teacher?"
They looked at each other and didn't answer right away.
Angela didn't like that. It was the kind of silence Stales gave before saying something she didn't want to hear.
Then Alex spoke. "Alpha Renn teaches combat. He'll be here any moment."
Angela froze.
Her mouth opened, but nothing came out.
They had to be joking. There was no way. Not after what happened between her and Renn. They saw it with their own eyes. Why would they joke about something like this?
"Are you serious?" she asked again, her voice barely a whisper.
"Yes. I thought you knew," Stales said, a little confused. "It's really him."
Angela felt a chill crawl up her spine. Her skin prickled. Her heart pounded louder with every second.
She wasn't ready for this. Not even close.
How was she supposed to survive combat class… when the one teaching it was the boy who wanted her broken?