School Daddy's Commandments

Erela John was aware of the kind of shady guys who loitered near the old arcade behind the city mall.

Her parents called them sweet poison—smooth words, dangerous charm. Boys who could ruin you with a smile and leave you hollow before you even realized it.

She had promised herself she’d stay away. That promise lasted exactly two weeks.

---

Erela was seventeen, in junior class two, and tired of living under the watchful eyes of her parents. She wanted freedom—the kind Lydia had. Lydia, a girl in her class, moved through life unrestrained, unbothered. Her parents gave her space, she laughed easily, made her own rules. Erela admired that freedom from afar, wishing just once she could breathe like that.

Her best friend, Filia, had parents just as strict as hers. But Erela’s parents and Filia’s parents were close, old friends who trusted one another implicitly. That bond had shaped much of Erela’s childhood, threading Filia and her life together. They shared church, choir practices, even sleepovers—but school had kept them apart.

The first time Erela met Rex, he had smiled and said, “You look like the kind of girl who needs to breathe a little.”

They had been walking home from choir practice. Erela’s heart betrayed her resolve. Rex was everything her parents warned her against—tall, smooth-skinned, a faint scar tracing his jaw, dressed like trouble. Chains, sneakers, an air of reckless confidence. He was the kind of boy good girls weren’t supposed to notice.

But she noticed.

Filia didn’t approve. Not in the slightest. Yet when Rex asked for her number, Erela gave it. That was how it began.

Whenever her parents traveled, she met Rex. He introduced her to parties and clubs, always careful to return her home on time. A fake ID made the world seem smaller, wilder, hers for the taking. She hadn’t been to his house yet—her fear of parental discovery still clung—but she lived for these stolen hours.

Soon, school became an afterthought.

“You’re changing, Ella,” Filia said one Saturday, sharp as she perched on Erela’s bed. Textbooks lay forgotten across rumpled sheets. “You skip classes, hang out with that boy, and your grades—”

“Filia, please,” Erela interrupted, rolling her eyes. “You are not my mother. I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. You’re failing. You’re not even yourself anymore. If your parents find out—”

“Filia, I’ve never been out all night. Today, I want to. Cover for me.”

“I can’t. My parents—”

“Are on a date night with mine. Perfect timing. You can come. Our parents will be back by morning. Noon at the latest. This is the only chance we have.”

“Don’t say ‘we,’ please.”

“Live a little.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Well, I am. I’ll go when Rex calls.”

Erela chewed her gum loudly, staring out the window.

“I’ll report.” Filia threatened.

“You don’t understand, Filia. You’ve always been the perfect one—the choir girl, the good daughter. Let me breathe for once.”

Filia’s voice softened.

“Breathe, not break. He’s not your kind of person, Ella. And hey, you love choir, remember?”

But Erela had stopped listening.

---

That evening, she slipped out after having an agreement with Filia.

Rex was waiting by the roadside, leaning against a power bike that wasn’t his. His grin was lazy, addictive.

“Thought your parents or friend’s parents had you locked up,” he teased.

“Told you—it’s date night. They leave me with Filia. They trust us to behave.”

“So what did you tell Filia?”

“That I’ll be back before ten. The only way she’d let me leave without telling on me.”

“You’re learning. I like that.”

They wandered near the arcade, the night alive with flashing lights and thumping music. He bought her snacks, made her laugh, then showed her a tiny, innocent-looking packet.

“Try it,” he urged. “Just once. Helps you relax. Don’t you trust me?”

Erela hesitated. Streetlights traced her unease.

“I don’t do stuff like that. That’s drugs.”

“Not the harmful kind. This just… lets you see things from a wider perspective.”

“I… I have to get back.”

“Stay till dawn. Real clubbing. Not the half-hearted one we’ve been to. You’re missing out.”

He slipped the packet into her bag with a grin.

“Keep it. For when you’re ready.”

That night, she didn’t sleep. Curiosity wrestled with conscience.

---

Three days later, her life collapsed.

Filia, unable to watch her spiral further, had told their parents the truth.

The confrontation was explosive.

“How could you?” her mother wailed. “Is this what we sent you to school for?”

“It’s just powder! I didn’t even use it!” Erela shot back, arms folded, jaw tight.

Her father’s voice was low, final.

“You’ve crossed a line, Erela. We were at your school. We were called because of your falling grades.”

“Life is full of ups and downs,” she tried to sound wise.

Her father shook his head. “I have been trying to treat you with kid gloves. Not anymore. You’re not staying in that school another term.”

“I can’t wait to be eighteen! I’ll leave and do as I wish!”

She slammed her door, retreating into anger and denial. She didn’t know it yet, but her fate had already been sealed.

---

The next day, Filia came to see her.

“Don’t talk to me,” Erela hissed as soon as the door opened.

“Erela, please—”

“You betrayed me! You told them!”

Filia’s eyes shimmered.

“Because I care about you! You were about to ruin your life. That boy—”

“Enough!” Erela’s voice cracked. “You think you’re better than me? Fine. You win. You and your perfect school, your perfect morals!”

Filia swallowed hard.

“You’re coming to my school, Erela. My dad said—”

“What?” Erela froze.

“Your parents are transferring you to King Prestige.”

Her heart sank. She knew of Filia’s school—a place ruled by strict discipline, where laughter seemed measured and freedom was a foreign word. At least, that was her opinion. Filia claimed it was not that bad but Erela didn't believe her.

“My parents love me too much,” she muttered. “They would never send me there.”

“I only came to warn you in advance. That’s the least I could do.”

Erela’s father’s words echoed: “You’re not staying in that school another term.” He had meant it. She shook her head and glared at her friend.

“Your bad wish for me won’t work.”

Filia shrugged and left. Erela closed her eyes, trying to ignore the dread settling in her chest. She had always been adventurous, untamed. This school would attempt to tame her. And she wasn’t ready.

Three mornings later, her father stopped her before she left for school.

“You’re not going,” he said.

“Daddy, why?” Her voice trembled.

“Because you’ve been transferred. Tomorrow, we go to King Prestige College.”

“Never!” she shouted. Tears came unbidden. “Never!”

Her mother appeared. “This is for your own good, sweetheart.”

“Just go away!” Erela screamed. She sank to the floor in defeat as her parents walked away. Her fate was sealed.

---

That night, she explored the school website. The campus was beautiful, serene. The elite level of the school struck awe into her heart. She scrolled through the team page, eyes stopping at a photograph that made her pulse quicken.

The Senior Prefect, Head of the student body: Tovia King.

A drop-dead handsome senior, dressed in a dark blazer with the school crest, his gaze sharp and magnetic.

Her heart skipped a beat. It was written that he was in charge of the students. Would he also be in charge of her?

Closing the laptop, she muttered, stubborn and defiant:

“I will not be controlled in that school by anyone, especially not by a fellow student. And this…guy better stay away from me.”

But deep down she knew -- this was a force she might not be able to ignore.