"thanks for the save, mate"
Andi knelt on the floor of Miss DeLuca's dojo, listening intently to the woman's words. Mateo, one of her new charges, was on her left, his attention for the lesson seemingly equal to hers. However, the platinum blonde girl was actually putting more effort into ignoring the whispers of her classmates than she was actually following DeLuca's words.
Marcus and Billy were fucking around on the other side of the room, their hushed words not-so-hushed. Viktor had taken Chico's absence as an opportunity to be a bigger asshole than he ever was before. Getting rid of the devil they knew had opened the door for other dickheads to vie for the vacant top dog spot. Everyone was on their A-game; Brandy was bitchier, Viktor was more obnoxious, even Kendall—Simon's roommate—had been more ruthless as of late, trying to move the Preps to the top of the food chain.
Soto Vatos was losing their cred, because although she fell into the position rather easily despite the uncertainty surrounding Chico's MIA status, Maria wasn't cut out to lead the gang.
"You are soft-boiled noodles ready for my belly," DeLuca said, pacing slowly in front of the group of students.
Mateo turned to Andi and raised an eyebrow, confused about their teacher's odd words. Andi merely smirked at him, not saying a word. King's Dominion was a strange place filled with a menagerie of characters. She couldn't wait until the reserved boy met Master Zane if this was how he was reacting to DeLuca.
"Which one of you is prepared to face me?" DeLuca asked.
Viktor took this as an opportunity to flex his new ego in front of the class. He shoved Shabnam forward, the bespeckled teen almost face-planting before he could catch himself. "If you want soft-boiled," the Russian started. "Shabnam is your man." He laughed at his own joke, but no one joined him.
The only noise from the rest of the students was Billy's poor whispering. DeLuca caught their small conversation, turning her attention to them. "An opportunity, perhaps, for one drug-addled dirtbag to prove himself?" DeLuca locked on to Marcus.
Andi turned her attention toward them but did not allow her gaze to rest on Marcus. She knew it was stupid, to think she would ever be able to avoid him. But, he had really hurt her. More than her mother or Abaddon ever had. Whenever she dwelled on that hurt feeling, it quickly turned to anger, and she didn't have a valid outlet at the moment. She was not taking on DeLuca her first day back. She would have bruises for weeks.
"No. No way," Marcus drawled out with a quick shake of his head.
Billy took his chance, "Scold me, Miss DeLuca. Beat me. Tell me I've been bad." He held his arms up like a begging dog. Andi rolled her eyes at his attempts to hit on their instructor. DeLuca didn't even reward him with an answer, simply turning away from him and walking to the other side of the room.
"Is two giant pussies," Viktor quipped quietly from the back row. "They must have menstrual cycles lined up."
Having heard enough of Vik's tough talk, Shabnam goaded him. "I'd like to see you show Miss DeLuca a thing or two, Vik," the nerdy boy said, calling him out.
Miss DeLuca stopped in front of Shabnam and squatted in front of him, her eyes looking to the boy who spoke. "Shabnam has a dream."
Andi scoffed out a light laugh, turning to Mateo and whispering, "I've had this same dream for a long time. Just watch." The tall, Italian boy smiled back and her and nodded.
DeLuca's gaze moved past Shabnam to the blond Russian boy. "Viktor. Will you help him realize it?" The question wasn't truly a question, the woman telling him to step forward with hidden meaning.
Viktor bit his bottom lip and stood with a repressed sigh as Shabnam restrained his laughter. The entire class paid attention to the fight before them, only Petra excusing herself because she 'got her period' or something.
The blond boy stood before DeLuca. He was in a fighting stance, his fists raised while she remained still with her hands at her side. "Come, soft noodle, show me who you are." Viktor took the first swing, but his fate was resigned in seconds. DeLuca swatted his punch away and trapped his arm as she lunged forward, striking at his throat. He gagged as he lost his breath. Using his stance against him, DeLuca stepped on his extended knee and moved to wrap her legs around his neck and drop her weight, flipping his body over hers and pinning him to the mat. Her legs were still wrapped around his neck, squeezing and restricting his breathing until he quickly tapped out.
DeLuca, barely out of breath, looked to the class. "The lesson—when faced with impossible odds, it is better to lose face and decline than to attempt that which is beyond you." She released her hold on Viktor and he scrambled away.
Shabnam, now smug after the display, smiled at Viktor. "Oh, princess was so eager to impress." The Russian boy glared at him from the mat.
The bell rang, dismissing the students. Mateo offered her a hand and she took it, allowing him to help her stand. "That was beautiful," he said with a laugh.
"Right?" Andi replied with a genuine smile. Despite all the drama and heartache that she had come to associate with King's, a large part of her missed the dark halls and chaotic classes. For years, this had been the only place she could call home and it felt good to be back. "I'm sure you guys are gonna fit right in here."
"I heard Yelena is already making plenty of friends," he said, a teasing lilt in his voice.
Andi gave him a curious look, "I just wanna know how she managed to worm her way into the drug market so quickly. We've been here like forty-eight hours tops."
"It's a gift. She a fucking entrepreneurial prodigy."
Andi laughed, "Damn, for someone who barely speaks, those are some big words!"
"When you spend all your time talking, you miss the important things. Better just to sit back and listen, eventually, everyone forgets you're even there," he answered smoothly. The blonde shrugged. He did have a point. Mateo knew there was a time a place for everything. He chose his words carefully, much like how he threw his punches, always wanting them to have an impact.
Simon didn't know what he had been expecting when it came to Andi's new friends. But, on top of the Chico drama and the arrival of Madame Gao, they seemed to be the talk of the school.
He had been in Master Zane's class at the start of the day because nothing said 'Good Morning!' like a scenario-based test where he got to wait around to be attacked by, as Master Zane described, "generic ninja dudes."
The Asian girl and the redhead were in the class with him—Diana and Zara, respectively. Zane called out Simon's name, along with some nobody from Vik's group of Jocks and Zara. Everybody was paying rapt attention from behind the stone walls of the cemetery, eager to see how well the new girl performed.
As far as everyone knew, they weren't legacies. And the last Rat to join the student body of King's Dominion was Marcus, who was certainly not a savant when it came to fighting as they all quickly learned.
So, Simon supposed that it wasn't so much that they were curious to see how well Zara would do, as much as they were excited to watch her get her ass handed to her. Fucking vultures, the Londoner thought.
The redhead girl sat daintily across the cemetery from him, her legs cross and dangling off the edge of a tomb she sat on. She looked like a real priss.
Her long, copper locks were pulled back from her face in a high ponytail and she seemed oblivious to her surroundings as she focused solely on her long, perfectly kept nails. She had shed her uniform jacket before entering the cemetery, handing it to Diana to hold. Her shirt sleeves were rolled up and her top few buttons were left open. He knew she was tall, the uniform skirt looked a little shorter on her than it did on most of the other girls. Paired with the stilettos she insisted she was fine wearing for the test, she looked to be all legs.
To put it simply—she was a walking wet dream.
But, Simon questioned it. He felt uncomfortable lusting over her like some other students had obviously taken to. The whole look felt manufactured like it was meant to disarm you. He knew where she came from. He knew who was sponsoring her stay at the esteemed school. Zara wouldn't be at King's on behalf of Ouroboros if she wasn't already lethal.
Simon's gaze narrowed as he examined her, his ears still listening for any sudden movements. He hadn't been expecting her to look up and meet his eyes. She offered him a sly smirk before speaking up.
"You're Simon, right?" she asked although it was just for show since she obviously already knew him. Ivan, Viktor's crony, also turned his attention toward them, surprised to hear her speak up. Zara spoke with an exaggerated Valley Girl accent. Fake, a voice whispered in the back of Simon's mind.
The boy nodded. "Yeah. And you're Zara, Andi's friend."
She shrugged, "Sure." It wasn't like she was saying that Andi was her friend, but simply going along with Simon's assumption she was. "But, you're her best friend," she added.
Simon's gaze hardened, trying to determine what she meant by that. "I am," he settled on. Just because Andi was distancing herself from him, didn't mean he wasn't going to be there for her. Whether or not she really did still see him as her best friend, she was his.
"Good for you!" she exclaimed, her well-wishes seemingly genuine. "I'll tell ya, she's a tough nut to crack. Known her for almost a month now and like I know nothing about her! Sooo frustrating. I mean, I like to hear myself talk, I'll be honest, but a girl can only take so many one-sided conversations."
Simon did not know what to say. "Uh—yeah, she's a pretty private person," he settled on. He wasn't trying to spill any information about the blonde to this girl he didn't know.
"I guess—Wait," the redhead cut herself off, quirking her head to the side. "I think we have some company." A light squeal of excitement escaped her, but Simon ignored it in favor of tracking the ninjas movements.
The first ninja dropped into the cemetery, going straight for the redhead. Yet, in the time it took him to blink, she had whipped out two long thin knives from holsters that were barely concealed by her skirt and taken him out.
The next came for him and then it was an all-out brawl. He struggled with the first ninja for only a minute before he went for the second. Consumed in his own battles, he hardly noticed the barrage of ninjas the redhead was taking on until her knives were knocked from her petite hands.
With an angry snarl, she swiped at the ninja's eye, her manicured nails, which Simon now noted were filed to a dangerous point, ripped at the skin that was slightly exposed by his mask. With little thought, he stepped on her knife that had slid nearby and pushed it back in her direction.
He grappled with his ninja, pulling him into a chokehold until he passed out. Then, it was over, the scenario finished. Simon glanced toward the redhead who was now holding the knife he slid to her. She met his gaze and held the steel blade to her brow and giving him a mocking salute in thanks.
"Thanks for the save, mate," she said, her Valley Girl accent gone and replaced with a perfect mimic of his own London accent.
The confusion must've been evident on his face, because she winked at him and turned to Master Zane and the class who entered the cemetery behind him. Maybe one of those ninjas had hit him harder than he thought.
He all but zoned out as Master Zane dealt out the grades, catching his when he earned an A. Zane commended him on not only his ability to take out two of his own guys but assist a partner in taking out theirs.
"Zara Mendelson. The fresh meat... Sweet pickles, I'm shocked. I'm intrigued. But, most importantly, I'm giving you an A. Four ninja dudes down and out for the count. Impressive. Welcome to King's."
Another delighted squeal erupted out of the preppy girl and she rushed to envelop Diana—her fellow newbie—in a tight hug. She pulled back only a fraction before planting her lips firmly against the Asian girl's in front of the entire class.
It lasted only a second and when they separated, Diana didn't say a word. She only handed Zara back her jacket with a light blush on her cheeks and linked her arm through Zara's.
Simon was glad for his good grade and a successful scenario overall. But, when it came to his new classmates, his questions had only multiplied.
Who the hell were these people?
But, I'm back now! This was more of an introduction to some of our new additions to King's Dominion. Andi's POV was used to get a bit of insight into her after the last few chapters, but next chapter will have her ninja dude fight alongside Saya, Brandy, and Maria which will for sure be spicy. This time we learned a little more about Mateo and Zara, but Diana and Yelena will be focused in upcoming chapters as well.
Stay tuned and let me know what you all think!