The morning was cold, and Jade was shivering, but not from the cold.
The university had a terrifying total of 1,056 students; there were more than 100 people in her class, and no one ever noticed her. Some called her the crazy Monster Mash fangirl, others called her the gothic freak, but nothing more. But now she would be the big news; she just hoped that it wouldn't last long.
When Jade finished putting her clothes on the old dresser, practically a purple jacket, a low-cut black dress, her many rings and three necklaces, she grabbed her bag of toiletries and went to the bathroom to take a shower that would take away the sleeplessness from staying up last night with the boys.
She looked at her face in the mirror as she brushed her damp, tangled hair after the shower.
She looked ugly, and exhausted in general. Nothing that tons of makeup, black eyeliner around the eyes, and a bit of black or purple lipstick couldn't hide.
Jade was afraid someone would ask about the interview because she wouldn't know how to deal with the attention.
She didn't get along well with people her age, period.
She didn't sleep well, but she wondered... Did the boys stay up all night thinking about her too?
As if she were that important!
Maybe they didn't even need to sleep!
But Jade needed to, and she couldn't even after she finished crying. She pulled the duvet over her head and then added the pillow as well, but couldn't fall asleep until an hour before she had to wake up.
But at least now she wouldn't have to think about the boys or see them for a while!
A thick fog was all Jade could see out the window in the morning, so she knew it would be one of those gloomy days.
She didn't want to get to school too early, but she couldn't stay home anymore.
She put on her jacket and went out into the rain, which drenched her immediately.
Jade thought about asking her dad if he knew the boys, but he wasn't there when she woke up, so she figured he'd gone to open his gym, the only one in the whole town, not counting the one on campus and the one at the hotel... The hotel where she spent part of the night with the boys.
Enough!
She should have stopped thinking about them already!
They were probably already having breakfast at the damn diner Draco mentioned.
"Shut up, brain," she told herself as she drove to school, which was, like most things, right next to the road.
It wasn't obvious that it was a school; it was more of a castle with a tall bell tower and an oversized parking lot surrounded by a few small suburbs that were fraternity and sorority houses.
Only the sign on the curtain wall, which said it was Hollow Woods University, gave away the purpose of this place.
The thought that this castle would be full of people waiting to ask her about the interview terrified her.
When Jade parked, a van from the local news channel snapped her out of her thoughts. Not only that, but it was strange to see so many people crowded outside the school gates. There were also a lot of trucks, and a lot of people in black shirts with the word 'Staff' written on the back, unloading a lot of things, from reflectors to huge cameras.
Jade reluctantly got out of her old black car and walked down a small stone path flanked by dark hedges.
Her plan was to jump over oversized pots of a hidden zone near the pool to enter through the emergency exit of the cafeteria.
There was something strange. There were no people in the pool.
She took a deep breath before opening the door. Inside, it was brightly lit and warmer than she expected.
This place was empty. Everything was peculiarly quiet.
The cafeteria was empty, not even Mrs. Gordon was there.
That was strange. Mrs. Gordon always ran this mini-cafe on campus, and she would arrive long before everyone else to prepare her delicious sandwiches, croissants and salads, and her coffee was amazing!
Why was everything so quiet?
No...
There was noise, murmurs, girls screaming their voices, boys laughing like idiots.
Jade went further and further into the school until she exited through one of the corridors towards the entrance hall. The interior was huge, purple walls, with many stairs and a giant black chandelier above.
There was a crowd, people screaming, girls swooning, and teachers running around sweating in their fine tailoring.
In the centre of the hurricane, this donut made of people, there was something that had caught the attention of the whole school.
"They're going to shoot a video here!" Jade heard a girl talking to her friend. "Can you believe it?"
"We are going to be famous!" the other girl replied.
"Excuse me," Jade reached out a hand to take one of the girls by the shoulder, "What's going on?"
“Didn't they tell you last night?" the second girl mocked and took out her phone. "Zeth posted that they were coming to school this morning."
And then it all made sense.
Jade was stunned, her coffin-shaped bag falling off her shoulder and her arms dangling like noodles.
"There she is!" shouted a basketball player Jade didn't know.
The whole school turned to look at her at the same time.
"This must be a fucking joke," Jade told herself, "It can't be... THEM!"
Out of the crowd and looking like a monster from a Kaiju movie, Everett straightened up, his torso sticking out from the tiny female fans, and then he looked at Jade, his gaze cold... But there was a slight, very slight, almost imperceptible smile on his marble face.
Behind him, Jade could make out Frank's black and white hair that reached Everett's shoulder, as well as Alex's brown hair.
At that moment, Jade knew that her destiny was tied to these boys, and there was no way to change it.
Jade crossed a sea of screaming fans, barely holding on to her sanity and her bag.
When she finally squeezed between two huge football players, she huffed and smoothed her hair, finally stepping into the circular space where all the members of the band were.
Zeth was taking a selfie with five girls.
Frank was carrying Mrs. Gordon bridal-style for a photo.
Finn was signing a poster next to Alex, who was a head taller and signing autographs for some girls.
“Finn!” Jade yelled, and the blond boy turned his head sharply. The blood drained from his face until he was as pale as flour. “Oh yes, sir! You are in trouble! Why did you upload the video to MY account? I told you it was for my friend! And how did you do that?!"
Zeth, who was about to sign a photo of himself, turned to look at Finn slowly, with lowered eyebrows.
“You did what?" Zeth tapped his foot.
"I...” Finn looked down, as if genuinely afraid of the band leader, "I just wanted to help."
“No silly dramas right now," said Everett, a giant among all those girls who were the same height as Jade. He was even gigantic compared to the tallest boy on the basketball team, who was almost as tall as Frank and Alex.
“We won't be drama queens in front of our fans, but wait till we get home, Finn," Zeth said after taking another selfie with a group of girls, handing the phone back to its owner.
“Finn. Because of you, my only friend is no longer my friend." Jade said, and the blonde lowered his head.
"Finn," Zeth snapped his fingers, "If you're going to get dramatic, get out of here with your girlfriend. We are working, and our image is the main attraction in this business. No drama!"
"We'll talk later. I see you're busy." Jade snorted and turned to leave.
“Wait!” Finn pulled her by the arm.
"Finn, I told you to leave with your girlfriend," Zeth said through gritted teeth.
"How afraid are you of Zeth that you let him control you like this, Finn?" Jade frowned, "Tell me, are you afraid of Zeth?"
“I...” Finn blushed, “I guess...”
“Finn, be a good boy and say no,” Zeth, whose face barely reached Finn's shoulder, looked up.
“No, I am not,” Finn lowered his gaze, but Zeth approached Jade, pretending to raise his own phone for a selfie, but his intentions were different.
“If you're going to get dramatic, you better leave. I don't want any scandal, it's nothing personal," Zeth whispered in Jade's ear, then looked up at Finn, "Finn, make sure to smile. Keep signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. Be professional."
It was almost terrifying, the control that this athletic boy with bandages around his forearms had over the blond, as if he didn't fear Finn's sharp teeth or his bulkier body. It was like watching a lifeguard tame a shark with one look.
Jade turned around, sobbing desperately, pushing people while trying to escape the eye of the storm.
“Don't you think you were too harsh with her?” Frank approached Zeth and asked with a low voice, "I was able to hear everything, you know, bionic hearing."
"But Zeth is right.” Said Alex, crossing his arms next to Frank, “We are working. It is not the right moment. I like Jade but...."
"I think Zeth did right thing," Everett agreed.
"I was worried that he was going to call Evie to kick her out of here," said Alycandro, "I'm glad you didn't do that, Zeth, because you and I would have had a problem."
"Oh! Are you threatening me for doing the right thing, Alycandro Alfaro?" Zeth crossed his arms, "That girl is right to be upset, but I will not allow her to make a scene here."
"But that girl left crying," Frank insisted, clenching his fists and turning red, raising his voice, "Zeth, you should apologise and..."
"Hey, we've never had a fight," Zeth snapped his fingers. "We're not starting now, let alone in front of the fans. I'll go talk to her later, okay? I know this will be resolved, but right now, our image is more important and you are making a scene."
"You're all overreacting," Everett said in his flat voice. "You look like children, because you're small too."
"Hey, speaking of children," Alex looked around, gasping. "Fuck! Where's Draco?!"