The Roberts Mansion
The Roberts mansion stood in quiet luxury
But inside Rihanna's room, laughter spilled freely.
Rihanna was nearly falling over on the bed, clutching her stomach.
"Stop Pacho, stop! I can't breathe!"
Pacho grinned, shaking his head.
"I'm serious! Fourteenth date. Fourteenth! And somehow this one was worse than the last!"
Maxim chuckled lazily from his seat.
"I don't understand it. You've got money, decent looks… you have everything it takes to get a girl."
Pacho let out a soft laugh.
"Yeah… except the part where no one actually wants me."
Rihanna burst into laughter again.
"God you're so hopeless!"
Maxim leaned forward slightly.
"You just haven't met the right girl."
Pacho smirked faintly.
"No, I just need to lock you in this house. Any girl that sees you forgets the rest of us exist."
Maxim smiled.
"Maybe if you built some muscle"
Rihanna cut in instantly.
"Do you want him to snap in half?" she teased. "People with actual body build muscle. What is he supposed to build? His bones?"
Maxim laughed loudly.
Pacho forced a grin.
"Oh… so I'm the joke now?"
Rihanna only smiled wider.
That was enough.
Pacho stood up suddenly.
"Yeah, you're done!"
Rihanna's eyes widened.
"Wait—Pacho—don't—"
Too late.
She jumped off the bed and ran.
"Stay away from me!" she laughed, darting around the table.
Pacho chased her.
"Come back here!"
They circled the room once, twice.
Rihanna ducked behind a chair.
Pacho reached
She slipped away again, laughing breathlessly.
"Too slow!"
"Keep running!" he shot back. "Let's see how long that lasts!"
"Guys stop!" Maxim called out, half amused, half irritated.
They didn't listen.
Rihanna dashed toward the door
Then back toward the bed
Pacho gaining on her now.
"Got you!"
"No you dont!"
She twisted
Her foot caught the edge of the rug.
Her balance broke.
Her body tilted
And then
THUD.
"Ouch!"
The sound was sharp.
Painful.
Real.
Everything stopped.
Maxim was on his feet instantly.
He shoved Pacho back hard.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he snapped.
Pacho stumbled, shocked.
"I—I didn't—she slipped—"
"Don't start that!" Maxim's voice rose. "You were chasing her like an idiot!"
"I was just joking!"
"Joking?!" Maxim barked. "You call this a joke?!"
Rihanna winced, trying to sit up.
"Maxim… stop please"
But he didn't stop.
Didn't even look at her.
"You always do this!" Maxim continued. "You don't think! You don't act right! You just ruin everything!"
Pacho's expression began to crack.
"I said I didn't mean it…"
"But that's the problem!" Maxim snapped. "You NEVER mean anything! You're just useless like that!"
"Maxim, enough!" Rihanna raised her voice now, pain and urgency mixing.
Still
He kept going.
"You can't even handle something simple!" Maxim continued, harsher now. "We're just having fun and somehow you mess that up too!"
Pacho's breathing became uneven.
"I didn't"
"No wonder no girl stays with you!" Maxim cut in coldly.
"You're not just unlucky…" he continued, voice dropping.
"You're the problem."
Rihanna's eyes widened.
"Maxim, stop it!"
"You're weak," Maxim said,
"You're pathetic."
Pacho froze.
"You don't even carry yourself like a man," Maxim went on. "You hide behind jokes because you know you have nothing real to offer!"
"MAXIM!" Rihanna shouted now.
Too late.
"Look at you," he finished coldly.
"You're not even worth taking seriously."
That was it.
Pacho didn't move.
Didn't speak.
For a moment… it was like he stopped existing.
Then
His lips trembled.
His vision blurred.
And the tears came.
Slow.
Silent.
Unstoppable.
"All these years…" his voice broke, barely holding together, "I thought… you were my friend…"
Maxim chuckled "oh please I will never be friends with a slackover like you."
Those words hurt more than everything else.
Pacho lowered his head, shoulders shaking slightly.
Then he turned to Rihanna.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered, his voice fragile. "I didn't mean for you to fall… I swear I didn't… I would never hurt you…"
His hands trembled as he wiped his face
But the tears kept falling.
So he stopped trying.
He turned.
Walked.
One step.
Two steps.
Then faster.
Like if he didn't leave now
He would completely fall apart in front of them.
The door opened
Then slammed shut behind him.
Silence.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Rihanna looked up slowly.
Her eyes locked onto Maxim.
And this time
There was no softness left.
He stepped toward her.
"Let me help you"
She slapped his hand away.
"What is wrong with you?!"
Maxim frowned.
"I was protecting you"
"I didn't ask you to destroy him!" she snapped, her voice shaking now.
He froze.
"It was an accident!" she continued. "I slipped! Why didn't you listen?! I told you to stop!"
Maxim had no answer.
Her voice broke slightly.
"You didn't protect me…"
A pause.
"You humiliated someone who trusted you."
She struggled to stand, wincing.
Maxim instinctively moved
She stepped back immediately.
"Don't."
"You always think being strong means tearing people down," she said quietly. "But today… you were just cruel.You said things…" she whispered, "…that don't go away."
Maxim looked away.
For the first time
He couldn't meet her eyes.
Rihanna turned, limping toward the door.
Before leaving
She stopped.
"…You should be the one running after him."
Then she walked out.
The door closed.
Softly.
Maxim stood there.
Alone.
The room still held echoes of laughter
But now it felt like a grave.
His chest tightened.
His jaw clenched.
"Damn it!"
He kicked the bed frame hard.
"FUCK!"
The sound echoed
But nothing changed.
Nothing fixed.
Nothing came back.
📚 Class E
Andre sat at the back seat near the window, quiet as always.
Maria beside him.
Marco directly in front sitting alone.
The classroom buzzed with chatter chairs scraping, laughter bouncing off the walls, heat pressing in from the release of carbon.
Marco slouched in his chair, spinning a pen lazily.
As his eyes wandered.
A girl by the window adjusted her uniform, focused on her notebook.
Marco nudged Andre with a grin.
"See that one? Acts all quiet… but I bet she's not."
Andre snorted.
"Marco seriously."
"Even you wants to act innocent but I know you aren't ."
Another student walked past.
Marco's gaze followed too long, too obvious.
"Man… this school would be way less boring if people stopped pretending," he muttered. "I mean, look at that ass"
"Oh shut up."
A girl in the front row turned, eyes sharp.
"You rotten pig."
Marco raised a brow, amused.
"Relax honey. It's just talk."
"Yeah," she shot back, disgust clear in her voice. "And it's disgusting."
"Whatever." Marco hissed.
Then the door opened.
Instant silence.
The teacher walked in, a sharp-looking woman with a presence that demanded attention.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, ma."
"Well lets start with a formal introduction .My name is Mrs Rodgers and for the time being I will be your history teacher. Is that clear?"
"Yes, ma."
She turned to the board.
"Today, we'll be discussing about some fictional mysteries, a conquest in ancient Hispania. But before that…" she paused, "there was a record of unusual deaths in a village close to the boarder that separates Hispania from her nearby countries."
The class leaned in slightly.
"People went missing. By morning… only burnt remains and blood were found.The bodies were reduced to ash. Identification was impossible."
A voice spoke from the back
All attention turned backwards.
Mrs. Rodgers smiled.
"Interesting. And you are?"
"Andre."
"Well then, Andre… tell us more."
Andre leaned back
"Back then, the villagers worshipped the one winged goddesses.They believed that the winged goddesses came from the Sumerians who they belive are the first god's of the world. It was said they judged a man unjustly… and sentenced him to be devoured alive."
"Woahhhhhh" the class echoed the sound in unison.
Mrs Rodgers then jumped in curiously" so did they succeed."
"They succeeded," he continued. "But the god of death brought him back… for revenge."
A pause.
"And he took it by killing, cutting and burning his every victim to ash."
Mrs Rodgers smiled
"Very good. Some believe that story. Others call it fiction. The story was known by three ancient scrolls in the past, each incomplete as if the writers were killed before completing it. The story itself was recorded in the conquest of the history of Hispania. So I am curious Andre, How do you know about it?"
Andre shrugged lightly.
"I read a lot."
Marco leaned forward with a grin.
"That's the top student. Scored 99% in the entrance exam. What do you expect?"
"Impressive I must say," Mrs. Rodgers nodded. "Now"
SLAM.
The door burst open.
Carlos.
And his group.
They walked in like they owned the place.
"You're late, Mr. Carlos," the teacher said sharply.
No response.
Just footsteps.
Slow. Deliberate.
One of the boys stepped forward.
"We'll introduce ourselves once."
Silence tightened.
"And we don't repeat warnings."
Another spoke.
"Anyone who gets in our way gets trampled on."
Uneasy murmurs spread through the class.
Then Carlos smiled.
He lifted his hand
And pointed.
At Andre.
"Including you mate."
Every eye turned.
Andre smiled.
Relaxed.
Unbothered.
"In case you didn't notice," he said calmly, "there's a teacher in the class and your ignorance just proved your brain is the size of a peanut."
The class exploded
Then immediately suppressed it.
Carlos stared.
Seconds passed.
Then
He chuckled.
"I like this guy. One of these days he will end up in the hospital."
And just like that
He turned and walked out.
Marco leaned back, exhaling.
Then his eyes shifted
To a group of girls whispering.
Looking at Andre.
His expression twisted slightly.
"I hate you, bro," he muttered. "You keep stealing attention I'm supposed to get."
SMACK.
Maria hit the back of his head.
Hard.
"I've had enough," she snapped. "Stop being a pervert."