Everyone finally settles into their seats.
The classroom buzz slowly fades into low whispers.
Suddenly, the professor walks in—
tall, serious, glasses resting low on his nose, carrying the "I will ruin your confidence" energy.
The entire class instantly sits straight.
Before anyone can react—
Elara stands up.
Loud. Clear. Confident.
"Good morning, sir."
Silence.
Absolute.
Dead.
Every head in the class turns toward her.
Alice freezes.
Victor's mouth slowly opens.
Lucien covers his face with his hand.
Noah's soul leaves her body.
The professor pauses, looks at Elara, then smiles gently.
"Good morning."
The class explodes into whispers.
Noah immediately grabs Elara's sleeve and pulls her down.
"Sit. DOWN," Noah hisses.
"This is college, not morning assembly."
Elara blinks, embarrassed.
"Oh… yeah. I forgot."
Victor leans toward Lucien.
"She said it with confidence though."
Lucien nods.
"Respect."
Alice doesn't laugh.
He just looks at Elara for a second—soft, unreadable—then looks away.
That hurts more than teasing ever did.
The professor clears his throat.
"Alright everyone, welcome to Hohenberg International University."
The lecture begins.
But the damage is already done.
A girl sitting two rows ahead—perfect hair, perfect posture, judgment written all over her face—turns around slowly and scans Elara from head to toe.
She whispers loudly to her friend,
"Who even does that? So embarrassing."
Elara hears it.
She stiffens.
Before Elara can react—
Alice speaks.
Calm. Sharp. Deadly.
"At least she has manners."
The girl blinks.
Alice continues, voice still casual.
"Confidence isn't embarrassing. Arrogance is."
Victor joins in instantly.
"And whispering like a broken speaker doesn't make you classy."
Lucien smiles sweetly.
"It just makes you loud and irrelevant."
The class goes—
"OHHHH."
The girl turns red.
"Mind your own business," she snaps.
Victor shrugs.
"We are. You made it public."
Lucien adds,
"Also, welcome to college. High school judging doesn't earn credits here."
Alice finally looks forward again, uninterested.
The girl turns back, furious and silent.
Noah leans toward Elara, whispering,
"…You're protected by chaos."
Elara whispers back,
"I didn't ask for this."
Noah smirks.
"Too late."
The professor pauses mid-lecture, looks around, then sighs.
"First day energy, I see."
The class laughs.
Elara sinks slightly into her seat, cheeks warm.
She sneaks a glance at Alice's back.
He's listening to the lecture now, posture relaxed—but there's tension in his shoulders.
For the first time, she realizes—
He didn't defend her to tease her.
He did it because… he always had.
Victor leans toward Alice.
"You didn't roast her. Growth?"
Alice mutters,
"Shut up."
Lucien grins.
"Proud of you, man."
Alice ignores them.
The lecture continues.
But for Elara, the words blur.
Because somewhere between awkward greetings, savage comebacks, and quiet glances—
The past didn't just sit behind them.
It stood up.
And spoke.
Lucien leans back in his chair and nudges Victor.
"Bro… I swear Alice's phone vibrated."
Victor smirks.
"Oh? Which one this time?"
Lucien grins loudly.
"GF number nine calling?"
Alice glares at him.
"Shut up."
Victor adds casually,
"Or was it number eleven? I lost count."
Alice clenches his jaw.
"You both are dead."
Lucien laughs.
"Relax, playboy. Fame comes with responsibility."
Before Alice can reply—
The professor clears his throat sharply.
"Alright, class."
Everyone instantly straightens.
"Today's topic," the professor continues, writing on the board,
"Feminism."
The room goes quiet.
"Does anyone know what feminism is?"
Silence.
No hands.
Students avoid eye contact like it's a crime scene.
Then—
Elara raises her hand.
Confident. Calm. Certain.
The professor looks at her.
"Yes?"
Elara stands.
"Sir, I do."
The professor nods.
"Go ahead."
Elara speaks clearly.
"I am a feminist. Feminism is about equality—not superiority. It's about giving women the same opportunities, rights, and respect that men already have."
The class listens.
Even Alice stops leaning back.
"It's not about hating men," Elara continues,
"It's about breaking stereotypes and creating balance in society."
The professor smiles.
"Very good. You may sit."
Elara sits.
Noah immediately whispers,
"Icon."
Lucien mutters to Victor,
"She's dangerous."
Victor nods.
"In a smart way."
The professor continues explaining the topic in detail.
After a few minutes, he asks another question.
"Can anyone explain how feminism impacts modern society?"
Again—silence.
Then—
Elara raises her hand again.
She answers smoothly, confidently.
The professor nods approvingly.
"Excellent."
She sits.
Lucien whispers loudly,
"She's carrying the whole class."
Victor adds,
"Respect."
Alice doesn't say anything—but his eyes follow Elara for just a second.
Noah pokes Elara's arm.
"Miss International Speaker."
Elara whispers back,
"Stop."
Noah grins.
"You're literally flexing your brain."
Lucien leans forward and whispers to Noah,
"Careful. She'll give a TED Talk next."
Victor chuckles.
Alice mutters,
"You all talk too much."
That's when—
"ENOUGH."
The professor's voice echoes.
"Stand up."
Everyone freezes.
He points sharply.
"Elara. Noah. Lucien. Victor. Alice."
Five names.
Five souls leaving their bodies.
"Stand. Up."
Slowly, all five stand.
The entire class watches like it's free entertainment.
"You five," the professor says sternly,
"have been talking continuously and disturbing the lecture."
All five speak at once.
"Sorry, sir—"
"I wasn't talking—"
"It wasn't me—"
"Please sir—"
"Shut. Up."
Instant silence.
The professor looks directly at Elara.
"Elara, I did not expect this from you."
Elara lowers her eyes.
"I'm sorry, professor."
"I was planning to assign you a feminism topic for an international seminar," he continues.
"But clearly—"
Alice looks up sharply.
"But now," the professor adds,
"you five will do it together."
All five blink.
Together?
"No, sir," Elara and Alice say at the SAME TIME.
The professor raises an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Elara turns toward Alice.
"No way."
Alice snaps back.
"No chance."
They start talking over each other.
"I won't work with him—"
"She doesn't cooperate—"
"He's irresponsible—"
"She's controlling—"
"ENOUGH."
The professor slams the desk.
"From now on—"
He points.
"Alice and Elara, you will sit together."
Both freeze.
"Victor, Lucien, and Noah—you three will sit together."
Elara and Alice instantly protest.
"No way, sir!"
"That's impossible!"
The professor's patience finally snaps.
"That's it."
He points toward the door.
"All five of you—get out."
Noah panics.
"But sir—"
Lucien tries,
"Sir, we were just—"
Victor adds,
"Sir, first day—"
"No arguments."
The professor opens the door.
"OUT."
One by one, they walk out.
The door shuts behind them.
Silence inside.
Outside—
They all stand in the hallway.
Lucien breaks the silence.
"Well… that escalated quickly."
Victor sighs.
"First day record."
Noah looks at Elara.
"At least you were iconic before getting kicked out."
Alice runs a hand through his hair.
"This college is wild."
Elara crosses her arms, annoyed.
"This is your fault."
Alice scoffs.
"Excuse me?"
She glares.
"If you hadn't started talking—"
He steps closer.
"If you hadn't answered every question—"
They stop.
Lock eyes.
Tension.
Lucien whispers to Victor,
"Oh this is getting good."
Noah grins.
"Group project from hell."
And somewhere in that hallway—
Five lives officially get tangled together.
The five of them stood in the bright hallway outside the classroom. The air was tense, filled with unspoken words, lingering anger, and a hint of amusement.
Elara's arms were crossed, her eyes sharp as knives. "Honestly, Alice! And you too, Noah! And all of you!" she jabbed a finger at Victor and Lucien, "This is ridiculous! I can't believe I'm stuck with all of you!"
Alice stepped forward, more serious than usual. He placed a hand against the wall near her and leaned in slightly, his gaze locked on hers. "Elara… stop blaming everyone. Look at me. Are you really going to fight me every time we meet?"
Elara didn't step back. Instead, she smirked, savage and fearless. "I'm not like you. I don't need thirty-six girlfriends to feel important. I'm not like ordinary girls, Alice. And for me… you're just ordinary."
Alice's lips curved into a faint, almost amused smile. "Ordinary, huh? That's what I get from you?"
Noah, Victor, and Lucien watched in stunned silence. Lucien whispered to Victor, his eyes wide, "Oh boy… this is like watching two volcanoes argue."
Victor chuckled, "And I think one of them just found lava."
Noah rolled her eyes. "Stop it, you two. Seriously."
Alice took a step back, leaving a small distance between them. Elara straightened, still glaring, but there was a faint softness in her gaze—a trace of something unspoken.
Before anyone could speak, the professor appeared at the end of the hallway, arms crossed and looking unimpressed.
"Do you young people have a personal vendetta, or is this some new project?" he asked, voice sharp.
Noah, Lucien, and Victor immediately pointed at Alice and Elara. "It's them!" they chorused.
The professor raised an eyebrow. "I hope, for all your sakes, that your project turns out better than your behavior here." He turned and walked away, leaving the five of them alone.
Immediately, the hallway erupted into a mix of laughter, groans, and gossip.
"Did you see her face when Alice got serious?" Lucien asked, smirking.
Victor added, "She's savage, man. Absolutely savage. Alice, you're lucky she's even talking to you."
Noah laughed. "This is like watching enemies turn… well, I don't know, slightly less enemies."
And then a new presence appeared. A girl, with mischievous eyes and a teasing grin, walked straight up to Alice.
"Hey," she said playfully, "are you free tonight?"
Alice blinked. A smirk slowly spread across his face. "Yes… I am, darling."
Elara, Noah, Victor, and Lucien all froze. Lucien's jaw dropped. Victor's eyes widened.
Lucien whispered, "Here we go again… which girlfriend number is this?"
Elara rolled her eyes. "All boys are the same."
Noah added, "She's right. All the same."
Lucien leaned toward Victor. "Alice is busy with the project. He's not free for her. Let's hope she understands."
Alice turned back to the girl, voice teasing, "Sorry, next time, okay?" He winked.
The girl laughed, shaking her head, mock-annoyed. "Fine. You owe me one."
Victor and Lucien were practically rolling on the floor, laughing.
Alice looked at Elara, whose arms were crossed again, still glaring but hiding a small smirk.
"You know," Alice said quietly, just for her, "this project might be the most fun I've had in a long time."
Elara raised an eyebrow. "We'll see about that," she said, her tone half-savage, half-amused.
Noah groaned. "Enemies, sparks, and chaos. My favorite combo."
Lucien laughed. "Five people. One project. Unlimited drama. This semester is already a masterpiece."
Victor shook his head. "And somehow… Alice is going to get the short end of the stick."
Alice smirked at Elara. She gave him the sharpest, most lethal look possible—but there was a glint of amusement in her eyes.
Somehow, amid sarcasm, teasing, savage comebacks, and half-flirtation, a strange understanding was forming between them. The hallway felt electric. And none of them were ready to admit it yet—but they were hooked.