"Well," Cassia began, leaning back in her chair with an air of casual observation, "she had a bit of a… moment at the Welcome Party. Let's just say she made an unforgettable entrance, though perhaps not in the way one usually intends." Cassia deliberately omitted the part about the ruined dress, keeping the focus on Louisa's perceived social faux pas.
As she spoke, her gaze flickered almost imperceptibly towards Jayden, who was now leaning against the railing of the upper lounge, his usual bored expression seemingly absent as he watched the interaction below.
Anya's eyes went all wide. "Ooh, spill! What did she do?"
Cassia gave this little, almost-smirk. "Let's just say it involved this super loud red dress and, like, zero clue about how things work here." She totally skipped the ruined part, just making it sound like Louisa was clueless.
She glanced at Jayden again. He was still glued to the scene, a little frown line between his eyebrows, his usual companion, Ashtray and Jason, seemingly forgotten.
"Ew, a total newbie," Anya said, making a face. "Was she, like, one of those scholarship kids?" You could hear the slight shade in her voice.
Cassia nodded a little. "Yeah, Louisa Wren's her name. She's definitely trying to get noticed."
And Jayden's definitely noticing, Cassia thought, her eyes flicking back to him. He looked almost… interested? That was a first.
"Ugh, Louisa Wren," Anya repeated, like she was tasting the name. "Haven't seen her. Is she, like, interesting interesting?"
Just then, Cassia's eyes went back down to the main floor. Louisa was standing right near Christopher's table, and you could practically feel the awkward vibes from up here. Christopher looked like the cat who ate the canary. And then Cassia looked back at Jayden. Still staring. What was his deal?
"She's definitely causing a scene," Cassia said slowly, watching the drama unfold. Christopher looked way too pleased with himself. And Jayden's actually watching. This is getting weird.
Anya, totally picking up on Cassia's distraction, followed her gaze. "Who's she talking to? Oh, that's Christopher Jacobs, right? He always looks like he is plotting something."
Cassia nodded, her brain half on the drama below and half on Jayden's unusual focus. "Yep, that's Chris. He loves stirring the pot."
And Jayden is totally watching the pot boil.
Anya, always nosy, leaned closer.
"Something's going on down there, right? More than just a fashion disaster?"
Cassia hesitated. Should she tell Anya about the dress? About Christopher being a creep? She looked at Anya, her bestie since forever, but something felt… off. And Jayden's weird interest was throwing her.
"Probably nothing," Cassia said, giving Anya a fake-casual smile. "Just the usual lunchtime freak show."
But even as she said it, she had this feeling that Louisa Wren's "epic fail" entrance was just the beginning.
And Jayden King Walton was way more invested in the sequel than he should be.
Jayden was leaning against the railing, but his usual bored face was gone. He'd been watching the whole weird little scene downstairs. That scholarship girl, Louisa Wren, actually going up to Christopher Jacobs? That was, like, a plot twist.
Christopher was totally eating it up, that smug look all over his face. But it was Louisa's attitude, the way she stood her ground even though she looked kinda awkward, that caught Jayden's attention.
Usually, the scholarship kids just tried to disappear. She was… different.
Then there was Christopher's shady look upstairs, the whole "right audience" thing.
Jayden wasn't dumb. That was a total show for them, a little gossip appetizer. But what was the real deal? What did Christopher think he knew? And why try to involve him, Jayden King Walton?
He pushed off the railing, feeling this weird restless vibe. Ash and Jason were still blabbing about some party, totally missing the mini-meltdown. Jayden zoned them out.
There was something about Louisa Wren's quiet "don't mess with me" look, mixed with Christopher being a total snake, that actually made him curious.
He knew Christopher. Jacobs was a total climber, always trying to suck up and stir stuff up. If he thought he had dirt on the scholarship girl, something that would impress the Kings and their crew… that could get messy.
And for some reason, Jayden kinda didn't want that to happen.
He glanced down at Louisa's table. She was back with her friends, Scarlett and that intense redhead, Ellie. They were all huddled together, whispering. They looked like they had each other's backs, which was also… unexpected.
A thought popped into Jayden's head. Maybe he should just ignore it. It was probably just some lame drama between the nobody kids. But the picture of Louisa's face when she was talking to Christopher kept replaying in his head. And the way Christopher had looked up… it felt like he was being dragged into something actually… interesting.
He made a quick decision. "Later, losers," he said, pushing past a surprised Ashtray. "Gotta… check something out."
He didn't wait for a reply, just headed for the stairs. He wasn't sure what he was gonna do, or even what he was looking for. But there was this feeling, like the usual boring routine of Charterhouse had just glitched, and Jayden King Walton, for once, felt a little bit intrigued.
He needed to know what Christopher Jacobs thought he knew. And he needed to get a better look at Louisa Wren.