"You're delusional," Sierra hissed. "You actually believe that he cares about you? He's just using you, Aria. He'll dump you as soon as he finds someone better and richer.""That's not true," Aria insisted, her voice trembling slightly."Isn't it?" Harper challenged. "Think about it, Aria. What does he have to offer you? He is not rich, he is not famous, he not even that good looking. Why would you choose him over all the other guys who are throwing themselves at you?"Aria hesitated, her confidence wavering. Damon, sensing her vulnerability, stepped closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders."Because she love me," Damon said, his voice clear and unwavering. "Because she's the most amazing person I've ever met. And plus she makes me a better man."Sierra and Harper stared at Damon, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief. They had never seen Aria the queen of the school be so vulnerable, so sincere."You're lying," Sierra said, her voice barely a whisper as she faced Aria. "Y

He projected a series of screenshots onto a nearby screen, showing Mason exchanging messages with other students, asking them for answers to exam questions.A gasp swept through the crowd as people recognized the evidence of Mason's academic dishonesty. Mason hung his head in shame, his reputation in tatters.Damon turned to Harper, his expression hardening. "Harper," he said, his voice cold and accusatory. "Isn't it true that your 'charity work' is mostly self-promotion? That you're using your foundation to raise your own profile, rather than to help those in need?"Harper's face paled. "That's ridiculous!" she protested. "I'm doing everything I can to make a difference in the world.""Are you?" Damon replied, pulling out his phone again. "Then how do you explain this?"He projected another series of screenshots onto the screen, showing Harper using her foundation's funds to pay for lavish vacations and expensive designer clothes.Another gasp swept through the crowd as people realiz

The "Olive Branch," a trendy, sun-drenched restaurant just off campus, boasted a discreet private dining room. Aria smoothed down her dress, a silk number she’d picked up at a boutique last month, and took a deep breath before entering. Inside, Beatrice, Chloe, and Daphne were already seated around a polished wooden table, a trio of forced smiles aimed her way."Aria! So glad you could make it," Beatrice chirped, her tone a little too bright. "We were starting to think you’d forgotten about your old friends." Beatrice and the girls planned to act nonchalant, as if there had not betrayed Aria at the party and hoping that she would be too embarrassed to try and confront them."Of course not," Aria replied sarcastically, pulling out a chair. "Things have just been… hectic." Aria knew the girls wanted to act like there did not betray her at the bar. She had plan to brush it off and if there asked for forgiveness, she had also plan on forgiving them. But, until then she will play along wi

With a new wave of sound assailingThe Olive Branch in the wake of Damon's story was already rife with hysteria, but there was a new wave of noise behind the front door. Crowds looked on silently, everyone was paying attention to it. Ernie and his regulars just walked into the club in something different from their usual swaggering glory. They were in matching bright pink aprons with huge glittery letters over them saying "ARIA'S PETS".The restaurant manager, a nervous-looking man in a slick suit, said hurriedly, and turned them over — clearly giving them directions. Ernie, in the face of barely tolerated anger, tried pulling the apron back, but it didn’t work. His friends didn’t fare much better, just pushing their way to some sort of dignity.Damon sat back in a quiet pose next to Aria at their table, raising an eyebrow with a faint whiff of fun in his eyes, “Ah, Ernie, ” he said with a voice fast enough to be heard by the majority of the restaurant. “On time. I hope you remember th

The Olive Branch had managed to return to something of normalcy, though the sound of it reminded us of nigh-on Wednesday afternoon's tragedy. The rush to get Damon's opportunity cards out and the rest of the party sitting at the table was finally falling into their own meal. But now with a new awareness that everything was going on.With Beatrice, Chloe and Daphne out of the way, a new type of energy started to fill the air around Aria and Damon’s table. Many students that they’d never met, or even friends of theirs, saw them walk up to the table in a mute expression that seemed both admiration and apology."Aria, " said a young girl called Sarah in a sincere tone of voice, "I just just wanted to say that I'm so sorry for ever thinking I didn't like you. I'd heard those rumours and I... I should have known better. You're amazing. You deserve everything.“Thank you Sarah, ” Aria replied pleasantly, her voice warm. “I appreciate that. ”Another student spoke up, a young boy named Kevin.