The cafeteria looked pretty chill at first glance—everyone just eating and chatting.
Regina exchanged a few fake-nice words with Katie, then picked up a carton of milk and said apologetically, "Sorry, guys, I need to step away for a minute—personal matter."
With that, she strutted off toward Mike's table like she owned the place.
As the school's queen bee, every move Regina made drew eyes.
Back at the original spot, Karen suddenly turned to Katie and asked, "So, you and Mike—are you guys pretty close?"
Katie was still watching Regina's every step and answered casually, "Yeah, kinda. He's the first real friend I made at school."
"Looks like you two are tight..." Big-wavy-haired Karen smiled, then hit her with, "Do you like him?"
"Who, Mike?" Katie's first instinct was to play it off like no big deal.
But looking at Karen's cute baby face and that warm smile, she wondered if she should open up a little—share some real feelings.
Karen's beauty was the kind where an angel beats the devil. She had this killer body that turned heads, but paired it with an naturally adorable face. Especially those big, lively eyes—they gave off pure, wholesome vibes.
The combo of sexy and innocent made her super approachable, not intimidating at all.
Compared to Regina's bossy aura, Karen seemed way easier to talk to—and more trustworthy.
Someone like her? Perfect ally material.
But while Katie was weighing the pros and cons, Karen sighed dramatically and said, "That's too bad, Katie. I can tell you kinda like Mike, but... you probably won't get a shot anymore."
"Why not?" Katie's eyes went wide, totally shocked.
In her mind, she and Mike were just one step away from being official.
Hearing someone say they were about to get torn apart? Katie wasn't having it. She shot Karen a wary look.
Karen acted like she didn't notice the shift and explained kindly, "You joined the killer-figure crew, so you gotta follow the girl code.
Rule number one: Never go after a guy's who's already claimed by one of your girls.
Regina's making her move first. Trust me, she'll lock him down soon. So..."
The message was clear—if Regina snagged Mike, no one else in the group could touch him.
That super-warm invite to join the crew? Total setup.
Smart as she was, Katie connected the dots right away.
She'd joined to spy on the enemy, but ended up walking straight into Regina's trap. Chicken not stolen—rice gone instead.
The girl who'd just started settling into school life felt a wave of frustration.
But hey, based on what she knew about Mike, she was pretty sure Regina wouldn't win that easy.
Plus, Katie had confidence in her own appeal.
She knew her personality wasn't everyone's cup of tea yet, but she'd never doubted her natural charm.
That's why she'd been bold enough to approach a hot, talented guy like Mike in the first place.
And when it came to who got there first? Katie figured she had dibs.
Shaking off the bad mood, she asked, "Karen, who came up with this girl code anyway?"
"Regina made it all herself. She said it keeps drama out of the group..." Karen explained.
'Figures.' Katie smirked inside, officially marking Regina as public enemy number one.
To gear up for the fight ahead, she softened her voice: "Karen, could you fill me in on the rest of the rules?"
Know your enemy, win every battle.
"Of course..." Karen dove right in, all helpful.
The killer-figure crew's girl code was packed with rules—stuff about how members talked, acted, even dressed.
Bottom line? Regina wrote it, and a ton of it was rigged in her favor.
To keep the queen bee shining brightest, everyone else had to dim their light sometimes.
For example: If Regina had weekend plans and needed backup, the rest of the girls had to clear their schedules—no excuses.
It was straight-up power-trip vibes.
Of course, for Katie, that "dictatorship" was actually good news: Oppression breeds resistance.
She glanced at Gretchen—the other member sitting there all elegant and zoned out.
Maybe she could turn her into an ally too.
Over at Mike's table, Regina had slowed her walk to max out the drama and finally arrived, full boss mode on.
She flashed her dazzling smile at the girls sitting with him: "Sorry, mind scooting over? I need a spot."
As she spoke, she scanned the table like a queen surveying her kingdom.
Those junior girls were kinda green compared to her.
Plus, with Regina's bold entrance pulling every eye in the cafeteria, the pressure was on.
Pretty soon, one girl cracked and stood up.
Like dominoes, the rest followed. In no time, the whole table was empty except for Mike and Lena sitting next to him.
Even Lena, who wasn't as seasoned, started squirming under Regina's stare.
"I need to have a private chat with Mike," Regina said with a perfect, polite smile that had a hint of teasing. "You planning to stick around and listen?"
All those empty seats, and the queen still loomed over the last holdout.
Side by side: One poised and gracious, the other flushed and nervous.
If this dragged on, "overreaching" Lena could end up as the school's laughingstock.
Never underestimate a queen bee's influence.
Mike saw it going south and stepped in: "Lena, head out. Catch you in class."
Hearing that, Lena let out a huge breath.
She'd sworn to "protect" Mike, but facing the queen bee head-on? The pressure was insane.
"O-okay... see you this afternoon~" Blushing hard, Lena grabbed her tray, mustered the guts to glare at Regina one last time, then bolted.
"What a fun girl..." Regina waited until everyone cleared out before gracefully sliding into the seat across from Mike. Clearly, she hadn't even registered those junior girls as worth her time.
"What do you want?" Mike asked, openly admiring the queen bee's looks but mentally slapping a "toxic personality" label on her.
"Can't I just come chat if I feel like it?" Regina's smile turned playful.
Suddenly, she stood, leaned way in close, and purred, "Want some milk?"
While Mike's eyes got dazzled by the view down her shirt, she slipped a milk carton into his hand.
Then, right in front of everyone, she brushed his hand suggestively.
The cafeteria erupted in hoots and wolf whistles.
Back at the other table, Katie—who'd been watching the whole thing—nearly bent her fork in half. She muttered under her breath, "Bitch~"
She was done. Didn't want to spend one more second in there.
As Katie stormed off, Karen called after her helpfully: "Katie, tomorrow's Tuesday—girl code says we wear pink!"
'Screw pink!' Katie fumed inside, stealing one last glance at Mike in the crowd before unhappily leaving the cafeteria.