INT — CLASSROOM – 10:00 AM
The room buzzed with energy.
"Let's plan about Foundation Day" that meant no real classes — just laughter, plans, and too many voices speaking at once.
"I'm sure President Ice can give us an easy approval," the advisor said, glancing at him.
I followed her gaze.
There he was, leaning on one arm, expression unreadable. He didn't respond. His face didn't change. If anything, he looked… annoyed.
Ideas flew across the room.
"Haunted house!"
"No. Not safe," Ice replied with his usual calm finality.
"Maid café!" a chorus of boys offered.
"Taken by the seniors."
Groans erupted. And still — Ice didn't flinch.
I shifted in my seat. I had an idea. It wasn't amazing, but it could work. My hand half-lifted, then immediately dropped.
Too late.
"Zafire, do you have a suggestion?"
The class turned. My mouth dried up.
"Ah, yes— I mean…" I stood, hands shaking slightly. "I was just thinking maybe… we could set up a photo booth with different backgrounds? People love pictures during events, and we could offer prints or digital copies. And maybe snacks too, while they wait."
Silence. My heart beat in my ears.
"That's all," I finished with an awkward smile and sat back down as fast as I could.
Everyone looked at Ice.
He didn't blink. Just stared at me for a second before saying, "Send the proposal to the SSC."
And just like that — the tension broke.
Excited chatter exploded. My classmates formed groups to start planning.
"That's a great idea, Fyre!" Oriel beamed.
"Yes! I'll take a million pictures of Ori!" I heard Dhylan joked nearby.
I smiled, letting myself breathe again.
The class continues to happily imagine possible background ideas. Everyone has a request and their own version in mind.
"I want a flower garden theme!"
"We definitely need to make it a culinary food theme."
Then—
SLAM.
The door.
It slid open hard enough to rattle the windows. The noise cut through the chatter like a knife.
A girl stood in the doorway.
Older. Senior uniform. Her long hair fell in dark waves, veiling her face. But something was off.
Way off.
The air itself felt heavier. Like something pressing down on my chest.
The laughter drained from the room.
"Hello, do you need something?" the advisor asked, voice slightly strained.
I didn't know why I was suddenly so alert.
But then I saw it.
From where I sat — front-left, just ahead of Ice — I could see it perfectly. Her hands clenched tight at her sides… and in one, something small gleamed.
Metal.
A fork? No — not from the cafeteria. Something sharper. Pointed.
My stomach dropped.
My legs moved before my brain caught up.
She was walking — not fast, but steadily, straight down the aisle, straight toward Ice. Her face still hidden, but her grip tightening.
No one else was reacting fast enough.
Ice hadn't even moved.
She's going to—
I shot up from my seat. "Stop—!"
But she didn't.
She didn't even look at me.
I threw myself between them, reaching out—
And then—
Everything blurred.
Pain.
A thud.
The floor rushed up to meet me.
Wind knocked from my lungs.
I gasped, blinking. Everything was spinning.
Ice. Standing now.
His hand wrapped tightly around the girl's wrist.
A fork clattered to the floor. Then he pushed her.
The girl — stunned — lay on the ground.
I realized what had happened. He had pushed me aside. Shielded me. But—
She was going for him.
I tried to stop her… but I wasn't fast enough.
"Fyre! Are you okay?" Oriel's voice came from behind as she rushed to help me up.
I nodded, though my limbs still shook. My chest was tight with something between panic and guilt.
"You!" the girl screamed, her eyes blazing at Ice. "You're the reason he won't graduate!"
The advisor held her back, but she fought against it, her rage boiling over.
Ice's expression didn't change.
Still calm. Still unreadable. But his eyes…Cold.
He set the fork gently on the desk beside him. Every move was controlled.
But when the girl lurched forward again — even just slightly — his voice turned sharp. Icy.
"Try that again," he said, "and I'll make sure you end up with him."
His tone wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. It cut through the room like frost on glass.
The girl froze.
Then slowly — slowly — she started to shake. Her legs gave out. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"You heartless monster!" she cried. "He was supposed to graduate! You took that away! I hate you!"
Over and over, she screamed, the fight gone from her but the bitterness still clawing.
And then I heard footsteps.
Ice.
He was walking toward me.
He didn't kneel. Just looked down — cold eyes, unreadable face.
"You," he said, voice low. "Don't do that again."
His hand gripped my shoulder, pulling me to my feet — not harshly, but firm. Controlled. Like I was a child who had done something reckless.
Then he let go.
Then turned and walked to the girl, who now looked like she regretted everything.
"Class 4-B. Lopez," he called.
She flinched.
"If you don't want to be expelled too, follow me."
No yelling. No emotion. Just command.
And she followed.
The last thing I saw was Ice walking out, back straight, her footsteps behind him like a defeated echo.
The room buzzed again — but now it was gossip.
"You sure you're okay?" Oriel asked, sitting beside me.
"I'm fine," I replied quietly. But my heart still hadn't settled.
"That was wild…" Dhylan muttered.
"For Ice, not surprising," Oriel said. "People hate him."
"But to attack him?" I whispered.
"Only got a scratch," someone said behind me.
"Bet he didn't see that coming," another laughed.
Why were they laughing?
He saved me.
And they still treated him like he was the villain.
"She was probably the girlfriend of that expelled senior," Rika whispered.
"I heard he was in his final year too," Lia added.
"Guess Ice got him kicked out," someone else offered. "Guy broke a bunch of rules anyway."
The boys laughed.
That's not funny.
I stood up and left the classroom. I didn't say a word.
Let them talk.
Let them hate him.
But what I saw today — the way he stood between danger and someone else without blinking — that wasn't the cold-hearted beast they painted him as.
Next Chapter: Fire can't stop thinking about Ice. After the incident, he's barely been to class, and no one else seems to care. The rumors about him spread — the genius, the rival, the one who upset the powerful students. But when Fire overhears a conversation in the SSC room, she begins to understand why Ice is so hated. Still, something about it doesn't sit right with her.
She delivers a proposal for Foundation Day, but a lingering feeling remains. She got the task done, but deep down, one thought echoes in her mind: I wanted to see Ice.