The subtle whispers and curious glances had followed Louisa throughout the morning, a constant reminder of her unwanted connection to Jayden King Walton.
She tried to keep her head down, focusing on her classes and sticking close to Ellie and Scarlett, hoping to ride out the wave of speculation.
But as she navigated the crowded cafeteria during lunch break, it became clear that Jayden wasn't going to let her fade back into the background.
Meanwhile, in their usual spot in the upper lounge overlooking the cafeteria, Cassia and Anya were observing the lunchtime chaos.
They had been dissecting the rumors surrounding Jayden and Louisa, both equally bewildered and irritated by the turn of events.
Then, they saw him. Jayden, his usual entourage conspicuously absent, making a beeline through the crowded tables. Their eyes widened in disbelief as he stopped directly in front of Louisa's table.
"Wren," he said, his voice carrying just enough to draw the attention of nearby students.
A hush fell over a small section of the cafeteria as all eyes turned towards their interaction. Cassia and Anya exchanged shocked glances.
Louisa's heart pounded in her chest. She avoided his gaze, wishing the floor would swallow her whole. Ellie and Scarlett stiffened beside her, their expressions wary and protective.
"Can I help you, Jayden?" Louisa asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jayden leaned down slightly, a small, almost charming smile playing on his lips. "I was just wondering if you'd thought about… my offer."
From their vantage point in the upper lounge, Cassia's jaw dropped. Anya gasped, clutching Cassia's arm. The word hung in the air, thick with unspoken meaning.
Everyone listening knew exactly what "offer" he was referring to. A collective gasp rippled through the nearby tables.
Louisa's face flushed crimson. She finally met his gaze, a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance swirling within her. "I… I haven't had time to think about anything."
"Well," Jayden said, his eyes lingering on her for a moment, a hint of something possessive in their depths, "don't take too long. Friday nights in the city can get pretty booked up." He straightened, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding students, a subtle challenge in his expression.
He briefly flickered his eyes up towards the lounge, a fleeting, almost imperceptible glance that Cassia caught, before turning back to Louisa. "See you around, Wren."
With a casual nod, he turned and walked away, leaving a stunned silence in his wake.
The whispers immediately erupted, louder and more fervent than before. Louisa felt the weight of a hundred curious gazes boring into her.
Up in the lounge, Cassia stared down at Louisa, her initial shock morphing into a renewed wave of anger and confusion.
Anya looked equally bewildered.
Jayden's deliberate public interaction had just amplified the unwanted attention tenfold, making Louisa the unwilling center of a social storm, and leaving Cassia and Anya utterly dumbfounded.
The weight of a hundred curious gazes pressed down on Louisa. Jayden's casual dismissal and the knowing looks from the other students made her skin crawl. She just wanted to disappear.
Ellie and Scarlett were practically vibrating with questions. "His 'offer'? What offer, Louisa?" Ellie asked, her voice tight with concern.
Scarlett's eyes narrowed. "Friday night? What's happening this night?"
Louisa bit her lip, her cheeks still burning. How could she possibly explain Jayden's bizarre invitation? "It's… nothing," she mumbled, avoiding their gazes. "Just Jayden being… weird."
But her friends weren't buying it. "Weird? Louisa, he just put a giant spotlight on you," Ellie insisted. "Everyone saw that. Everyone heard him."
Up in the lounge, Cassia was practically fuming. "Did you see the way he looked at her?" she hissed at Anya, her nails digging into her palm. "Like she belonged to him! And that little smirk he gave before he left? He knows exactly what he's doing!"
Anya, equally stunned, could only nod in agreement. "This is insane, Cassia. What is his deal with her?"
Mateo, who had joined them in the lounge, leaned back with a cynical smirk. "Looks like King has found himself a new little project. Probably just slumming it for kicks. It won't last."
Cassia shot him a venomous glare. "He humiliated me! Publicly! For her!" Her anger was a palpable force. "I'm not going to let this go, Anya. Not again."
Back at Louisa's table, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. It was a welcome reprieve from the intense scrutiny.
As they stood up to leave, Ellie grabbed Louisa's arm. "You have to tell us what that was about, Lou. We're your friends."
Scarlett nodded, her expression serious. "Whatever Jayden wants, it can't be good. We need to know what we're dealing with."
Louisa hesitated, the weight of Jayden's unexpected invitation pressing down on her. She knew she couldn't keep it a secret forever, but the thought of actually saying it out loud felt surreal and terrifying.
*******
"He… he asked me out," Louisa finally blurted out, the words rushing out in a breathless whisper as they walked towards their next class.
Ellie and Scarlett stopped dead in their tracks, their mouths agape. "He… what?" Ellie stammered, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Jayden King Walton asked you out?" Scarlett repeated, her usual skepticism momentarily overridden by sheer shock.
Louisa nodded miserably, her cheeks flushing again. "He said… Friday night. This night."
The news hung in the air between them, heavy with disbelief and a sense of impending disaster.
"But… why?" Ellie finally managed to ask, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would he ask you out?"
Louisa shook her head, feeling just as bewildered. "I don't know! He just… he paid off Cassia, and then he… he offered me a date."
The whole thing felt surreal, like a twisted fairytale where the prince was more likely to turn into a frog.
Scarlett's initial shock quickly morphed back into suspicion. "There's gotta be a catch, Louisa. Jayden doesn't just… date scholarship students. This is King we're talking about. He probably wants something."
"Like what?" Louisa asked, a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach. The thought of Jayden having some ulterior motive was deeply unsettling.
"I don't know," Scarlett admitted, her gaze thoughtful. "But we need to be careful. This whole thing feels wrong."
Ellie put a comforting arm around Louisa. "You don't have to go, you know. Just ignore him. Pretend it never happened."
But a small, insistent voice in Louisa's head whispered a different possibility. He had helped her with Cassia. He had seemed genuinely… something… when he looked at her.
And a tiny, reckless part of her couldn't deny a sliver of morbid curiosity. What would a date with Jayden King Walton even be like?
Meanwhile, in the upper lounge, Cassia's fury was reaching a boiling point. "A date?" she shrieked, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "He asked her out? After everything?"
Anya tried to calm her down. "Maybe he's just trying to mess with you, Cassia. To get a reaction."
"Oh, I'll give him a reaction," Cassia seethed, her eyes blazing. "He thinks he can just waltz in here and take whatever he wants? Humiliate me and then… and then date her?"
Mateo watched Cassia's outburst with a calculating glint in his eyes. "Looks like King's got a new queen. Too bad for you, Blackwood." He smirked, enjoying her distress.
Cassia stopped pacing, her gaze hardening. "This isn't over, Mateo. Not by a long shot. If he wants to play games, then let's play."
Her mind was already racing, plotting her next move. Jayden's blatant interest in Louisa had just ignited a new and more dangerous kind of fire.