Chapter 1
Peace never lasted long, at least for Ellena. The afternoon sun shone brightly over the school grounds.
A girl in a sky-blue dress sat on the concrete steps overlooking the playground. She wore white sneakers, and the gentle breeze played with her long, dark wavy hair. Resting her chin on her hand, Ellena watched the students scattered across the campus, laughing and enjoying their lunch break.
“Ellena!”
A familiar voice called from across the playground.
Ellena looked up, squinting her almond-shaped brown eyes against the bright sunlight.
A smile spread across her face as she spotted her best friend hurrying toward her.
Sarah was impossible to miss. With her blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and effortless confidence, she looked like the kind of girl people admired the moment she walked into a room.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Sarah said dramatically as Sarah finally reached her. “Do you know how exhausting it is to search for someone in six-inch heels?”
Ellena stared at her in disbelief.
“Who told Her Majesty to wear six-inch heels to high school?” she teased. “Do you have a death wish?”
Sarah placed a hand over her chest and pretended to look offended.
“First of all,” she said proudly, “I’m not a princess.”
She lifted her chin with exaggerated confidence.
“I’m a queen.”
Ellena immediately bowed her head.
“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. What can this humble servant do for you?”
Ellena couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“Actually...” she said, grabbing Ellena’s wrist. “I almost forgot why I was looking for you.”
“That doesn’t sound promising.”
“It’s Brenda.”
Ellena sighed.
“What happened this time?”
“She’s fighting with Fae.”
Ellena looked at her.
“Let me guess...”
She didn’t even have to finish.
“Mike,” they said together.
Sarah nodded.
“He came to school for the basketball match. They both started arguing, and now they’re about to kill each other.”
“Oh, great.”
The two girls hurried toward the basketball court.
Before they even reached it, loud shouting echoed across the campus.
“I told you Mike likes me!”
“In your dreams!”
Sarah and Ellena exchanged a quick look before breaking into a run.
As they pushed through the crowd of students, they found Brenda and Fae in the middle of the court—each gripping a fistful of the other’s hair while their classmates desperately tried to pull them apart.
“...Well,” Ellena muttered, “I guess we’re just in time.”
Sarah watched from a safe distance before flashing Ellena an overly cheesy smile.
“Well,” she said, taking a step backward, “my job is done here. I am not risking my life trying to separate those two. The way they fight, I seriously doubt I’d survive.”
She smiled so brightly that every one of her perfectly white teeth was on display.
Ellena shot her an unimpressed glare.
Traitor.
Sarah accepted the look with another shameless grin.
Ellena let out a long sigh. Tilting her head toward the sky, she silently prayed.
God... please give me the courage to deal with this.
Shaking her head, she marched straight into the chaos like a referee entering the ring.
The students surrounding the fight visibly relaxed the moment they saw her.
“Ellena’s here.”
“Finally.”
Ellena stopped a few feet away and stared at the two girls who were still yanking each other’s hair like angry chickens.
Taking a deep breath, she raised her voice.
“Ladies!”
The entire crowd fell silent.
“This is a public area. Could you please settle your personal conflict somewhere more secluded? It would be much safer... for the rest of us.”
For a split second, the absurdity of her words worked.
Brenda and Fae froze mid-fight before turning toward her at exactly the same time.
“WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH YOU?!”
Ellena nearly laughed.
Not now.
Keeping a perfectly serious face, she smiled politely.
“I actually have something important to tell both of you.”
The girls narrowed their eyes.
“So... how about we step aside for just a minute?”
She gestured toward the basketball court.
“And let those gentlemen continue their match.”
Idiots, she thought, glaring briefly at the boys. This whole mess started because of them. Playboys are nothing but trouble.
After a moment of hesitation, Brenda and Fae reluctantly followed Ellena to the sidelines.
Behind them, the crowd collectively sighed in relief before quickly returning to the basketball game.
Brenda crossed her arms.
“Fine. What’s so important?”
Ellena nodded confidently.
“I know you both like Mike.”
Neither girl denied it.
“But think about it. If he sees the two of you pulling each other’s hair in the middle of school, he’ll probably feel embarrassed... and he might not even want to talk to either of you.”
Fae frowned.
“And why do you care?”
“Because I’m part of the Student Union,” Ellena replied calmly. “Keeping peace around school is literally part of my job.”
She smiled.
“If you absolutely have to compete for his attention, at least do it in a way that doesn’t turn the basketball court into a battlefield.”
The two girls exchanged confused looks.
“What exactly do you mean by that?” Brenda asked.
“I’ll explain another time,” Ellena said quickly. “For now, let’s go back to being the beautiful, elegant young ladies everyone knows you are.”
Brenda rolled her eyes.
“We don’t need you telling us what to do.”
Fae nodded in agreement.
“Exactly.”
The two girls turned and walked away in opposite directions, glaring at each other as they left.
It wasn’t a complete victory...
...but at least they weren’t trying to kill each other anymore.
The basketball match resumed, and the students erupted into cheers.
A moment later, Sarah walked over, hands tucked casually into her pockets.
“So?” she asked. “Is everything resolved?”
Ellena dusted off her hands dramatically.
“For now.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow.
“What does that mean?”
Ellena smirked.
“It means...”
She glanced toward Brenda and Fae, who were still shooting daggers at each other from opposite sides of the court.
“...the showdown has merely been postponed.”
Sarah burst into laughter.
“You deserve a medal.”
“I deserve a vacation.”
The two girls laughed, exchanged a high-five, and headed toward the bleachers to watch the game.
The players stepped onto the court to roaring cheers from both sides, the rivalry between King’s League and Legends as fierce as ever.
The basketball court buzzed with excitement as the unofficial challenge match between King’s League and Legends was about to begin.
Although plenty of students had gathered to support their schools, most of the girls seemed far more interested in the players than the game itself.
Cheers erupted from every corner of the court.
“Mike!”
“David!”
“Logan!”
Those three names echoed the loudest.
Mike Carter, the captain of Legends, stepped onto the court with his usual calm confidence. Standing at 6′4", with dark hair, an athletic build, and an easy smile, he looked every bit the basketball prodigy everyone admired. Every movement was effortless, and even before the game began, all eyes seemed to follow him.
On the opposite side stood David Walker, captain of King’s League. At 6′2", with black hair, sharp brown eyes, and a powerful athletic build, he carried himself with quiet determination. Unlike Mike’s relaxed confidence, David’s expression remained focused as he fixed his eyes on the court. The rivalry between the two captains was legendary, and today’s match promised to be another unforgettable battle.
Not far from them, Logan greeted his teammates with his usual carefree grin. Charming, funny, and undeniably handsome, he was just as popular among the students as he was on the basketball court.
Ellena ignored the endless cheering and kept her eyes on the scoreboard.
Sarah nudged her shoulder.
“Ellena.”
“What is it?”
Sarah tried to hide her smile.
“Mike’s looking this way.”
Ellena frowned and glanced toward the court.
Sure enough, Mike was looking directly at her.
The moment their eyes met, he raised an eyebrow and flashed his signature devilish smile.
Sarah’s mouth fell open.
“Wait... is he flirting with you?”
Ellena didn’t even blink.
“No.”
She folded her arms.
“He’s challenging me.”
Before Sarah could ask what that meant, Mike stole the ball from his opponent.
Ellena sighed.
“There he goes.”
Mike dribbled past two defenders with ease before jumping for a three-pointer.
Swish.
The ball dropped cleanly through the net.
As the crowd erupted into cheers, Mike looked back at Ellena with the same smug smile.
still as cocky as ever, she thought
Instead of looking annoyed, Ellena smiled right back before cupping her hands around her mouth.
“Come on, King’s League! David!”
David answered immediately, weaving through the defense before scoring a basket for King’s League.
The crowd exploded with excitement.
Sarah looked from Mike to Ellena before shaking her head.
“You two are impossible.”
The match continued at a thrilling pace, with neither team willing to give an inch.
Every basket was answered with another.
Every steal was met with another counterattack.
The rivalry between King’s League and Legends was on full display.
With less than a minute remaining, the score was tied.
The entire court held its breath.
Mike received the final pass.
Without hesitation, he launched the ball from beyond the three-point line.
The buzzer sounded.
Swish.
The gym erupted.
Legends had won.
The players celebrated their hard-fought victory, laughing as they teased the members of King’s League after shaking hands.
Within moments, a crowd of girls rushed toward the players carrying water bottles, towels, and every excuse imaginable to talk to them.
As expected, the biggest crowd surrounded Mike.
Ellena watched the scene for a moment before rolling her eyes.
“What a spectacle.”
She walked over to the teams and smiled politely.
“Good game.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed toward the school gates.
Sarah hurried after her.
Mike noticed the two figures walking away.
For a brief moment, he simply watched them disappear into the distance.
Then he smiled to himself before turning back to the crowd surrounding him.
“Thanks,” he said politely as another girl offered him a bottle of water.
“But I’m really fine.”
He accepted their congratulations with kindness while gently rejecting every attempt to flirt.
By the time he finished packing his bag, the crowd had finally begun to disperse.
Meanwhile, Sarah finally caught up with Ellena, who had slowed her pace after leaving the basketball court.
“I seriously don’t understand you two,” Sarah said.
Ellena looked at her.
“What?”
“You and Mike.”
Sarah folded her arms.
“Your parents are friends.”
“You’ve been neighbors for years.”
“You’ve practically grown up together.”
She looked genuinely confused.
“So what’s your problem with him?”
Ellena was silent for a moment.
Sarah waited expectantly.
Finally, Ellena smiled.
“One word.”
Sarah leaned in.
“What?”
Ellena looked straight ahead.
“Rivalry.”
Sarah sighed dramatically.
“Of course it is.”
