UPDATE! (Also, just in case you guys got notified about Chapter 7 being updated, it was an error)

Also in case you missed that chapter (it was a double update) do read it before continuing with this one!

-EIGHT-

Even though I'd asked Mae to wait for a day or two before making me meet her friends, I could clearly tell that she just couldn't wait until I met them. She kept on juggling between hanging out with them and me during school.

While I'd initially thought of trying to analyse them if I saw them in school to give me enough of an idea to how to approach them, I didn't see much of any one out of the group, which was surprising. According to the two girls I'd overheard talking, it had something to do with Allison's family charity ball that was going to be held after a few months. Apparently, it was one of the most awaited events of the year and a few people from the school got invites to it. Half of them got those because of their affluent parents and the other few got lucky and were invited by Allison herself.

I was also surprised that not a lot of people were paying me attention for now, even when I did hang out with Mae during classes.

Mae: Can you come to the room 214 after your class? You have a free period, right?

I see Mae's text as I sit down with my books for Calculus. Maybe she wanted to discuss a few things before I officially met them. She did say that she would tell me a couple of things so that I could be prepared.

Neither of the members of Elite could be seen anywhere even when I shared the class with Lucas, Madison and Mr. Blue Eyes.

I still couldn't believe I still hadn't been able to get his name, no matter how many times I tried to eavesdrop on conversations when they mentioned Elite. From what I had gotten from the people around me, was that people loved to gossip about Lucas, since he was the most popular with the ladies. And both Allison and Madison were appreciated for their fashion sense, especially the former, because her mom apparently owned Russel Couture, a fashion line that was worn by major A-list celebrities.

Me: Yep! I'll be there :)

I texted Mae back before looking up. I was early to class again and was sitting in the same seat I'd become used to.

"Oh, look who we have here, Miss Loser sitting all alone," a very familiar and annoying voice of none other than Isabella caught my attention.

I sighed, my eyes still trained on my book. I was super annoyed at the aspect of having to hear her nonsense. "Is that the best you've got?" I asked, finally looking up to see a smirk on her face.

I noticed both Trinity and Olivia were behind her, intently listening to our conversation, but acting as if they weren't.

"Don't think we've not noticed you clinging to one of the members of Elite like the clingy little bitch you are. Do yo really think they're going to let a wannabe like you into their group?" she taunted, making my nerves tick in annoyance.

She was getting out of hand with all the insults she had been throwing at me randomly, when I hadn't even done anything to her.

Clenching my jaw, I stood up. Luckily I had a few inches on her being 5'5" so I towered on her 5'1" frame as I looked down. I tried not to let aggression come in my voice as I spoke and instead gave her a big, sugary smile ,"You know, nonsensical people like you really make me wonder why your dad failed in his pull-out game," I said, shaking my head in feign disappointment.

A few chuckles from the people sitting around us, made me realised how loud I'd said that. Oh, well.

I could see her face her face turning red. "You bi-"

"Bitch?" I blinked, finishing for her, my expression flat. "Let me know when you have more words in your limited vocabulary. Till then, I'd like to concentrate on calculus, please."

I gave a hard look to her and then swept my gaze over the two bystanders before sitting back down. She tried cursing me a couple of more times but I wholeheartedly ignored her and pretended to be busy turning the pages in my book.

Once she was embarrassed by my lack of reactions, she finally took a hint and sat down somewhere. That or she had to go sit since the teacher was here. Either, way it was good riddance.

***

I checked the text once again to confirm the room number.

It was 214. Right now, I was standing in front of what seemed like an abandoned classroom that was half converted into a storage room. There was no one inside yet. I shrugged, making my way inside and deciding to wait there, instead of the hallway. Didn't want anyone catching me there.

I dusted off some space of what seemed like an old teacher's table and sat on it, with my feet dangling. After five minutes of waiting, I decided to text Mae, to check if she'd actually given me the right room.

Me: Hey Mae, did you give me the right room number?

Her reply came within a few seconds.

Mae: Hey! You're in room 214, right? Don't worry, they should be there in some time. I'll don't think I'll be able to make it, though. Got held up by Mrs. J. Will meet you after!

My eyes widened as I read her text. If by them she meant the entire Elite squad, then I wasn't ready yet! Mae had told me to wait after school and I had been okay with that since I knew that Olivia wasn't going to be taking me home anyways. Thankfully, uber had been my saviour the past two days as well, which reminded me that I needed to find an alternative- I couldn't keep spending money on cab rides.

And on top of that, she wasn't coming.

I had also thought of catching June somewhere during lunch time to get more information on them so that I could be a little more prepared. I had tried looking for her these past two days but couldn't get a hold of her.

I was in the middle of typing a text when the door to the room opened with a thud, making me look up, startled.

Madison stood there, her long blonde hair styled immaculately into a half braid and her poise strong. She looked stunning in her uniform, it seemed to really compliment her figure. She gave me a once over before walking in and sitting in one of the chairs opposite me so that we were facing each other. She had this aura of dominance and sass that radiated off her face and the way she held herself.

Another girl-who I assumed was Allison- with raven hair walked in next, her honey eyes becoming lighter with the reflection of the light. She was of Asian descent and was equally beautiful with her hair open and reaching just past her shoulders. She seemed to have a relatively chill vibe as compared to Madison.

Then one by one, walked in the boys.

The first one to enter was a guy with light brown hair, almost similar to Chase's but a shade lighter. His green eyes looked at me for a brief moment before finding the girls' and taking his place. After him came in Lucas, Chase and the one guy whose name had become a mystery to me.

He looked really good with his familiar glasses perched on his nose, making me wish to see him without them for once. His dark brown hair were messy which made him look effortlessly amazing.

Chase gave me a huge grin and a thumbs up before sitting down behind Lucas and with the light brown haired guy.

At this point, my stomach was twisting with nerves as I sat there, not making a move to do anything. I kept my face blank, trying not to let the nerves get the better off me. I couldn't let them know that I was nervous. They could take it the wrong way.

I wasn't nervous because they were popular or belonged to the ultimate squad goals in the school. It did play a small part but the major reason for my nerves was that I wanted them to like me for who I was and was hoping to get along with them, especially because of Mae. I really did want to continue being friends with her and I knew that these people played a major role in her life and I wanted to get along with them, even if we weren't all buddy-buddy.

"So, let's get started, shall we?" It was Madison who spoke, making me shift my eyes to her.

I nodded to her, signalling to her that I was ready for her questions. It almost felt like I was going to give an audition with how we sat.

"How much do you know about us?" she asked, waving aimlessly towards the people sitting around her. Her tone wasn't rude, nor was it welcoming. It was more neutral, making me hard to figure out what exactly she was thinking.

I tilted my head a little in thought before speaking. "Well, not much, to be honest. But I'll tell you what I know," I answered.

Madison gave me a single nod, asking me to continue.

"I apologise in advance because I'm bad with last names," I started but quickly continued. "You're Madison and if I remember correctly, you are the captain of the dance team here, which makes you," I said looking at the black-haired girl,"Allison, the one who is in the swim team and is nick-named 'Little Mermaid'."

Allison shot me a tiny smile, confirming that I was right about these two.

My eyes moved to the guy beside her, the one with super light brown hair. "I'm sorry, I don't really remember your name," I said, blanking out on his name,"but guessing from how you're sitting with Allison, I'm going to assume that you're the one who is in a relationship with her," I said and he, too responded with a nod and a smile that was more directed towards Allison than me.

"Next, is Chase, who I've encountered just twice before," I smiled at him who responded with an equally bright one, before moving my eyes to the one who, for some strange reason, seemed to catch my attention every time he was in the same room as me. "I still don't know your name but I know you exactly the same as Chase, which leaves me with..." I trailed off looking at Lucas, who was smirking smugly at me. He gave me a sly wink, making me raise an eyebrow at him.

I had already noticed him giving me a once over before and his once-over was way different that Madison's and I knew the exact kind.

"Right, which makes you the guy who apparently can't keep it in his pants," I answered with a small smile.

I heard a few chuckles echo in the room, along with a loud guffaw from Chase. I looked around to see most of them supporting amused expressions, including Lucas. And he knows how to take a joke.

I had almost thought that he would be offended at that or would even glare at me but it was nice to see that these people weren't as high headed as some people made them out to be.

"Would you want to verify that?" Lucas smirked, suggestively at me, to which I laughed.

"Took me two seconds to do that. And sadly, you're not really my type," I smirked back at him, making him chuckle.

There was no doubt that Lucas was attractive. He had that effortless aura of power and his looks did help a great deal in automatically drawing your attention towards him. But, even though he seemed to have it all, I didn't get any pull towards him unlike-

"Moving on," Madison said, grabbing my attention. "Do you know anything about our families?" Madison questioned, looking at me.

It was really hard to read her expressions. She had a really good poker face, which I was actually impressed with. Out of everyone in the room, Chase was the only one who seemed like an open book. The rest of them had a really good control over their expressions which made it harder for me to figure out if this was going well or not.

I shrugged in response to her question. "Other than the fact that you guys are rich, not really. The only one I know about is Allison. Her mother owns a fashion line I think, at least that's what I've heard."

Madison nodded before continuing her barrage of questions. Seemed like she came prepared but even I wasn't one to back down. "Why do you want to be a part of our group?"

That sounded more like an interview question to me. Something like Why do you want this job?

I had already known that this question would come in one form or the other. I just didn't think that they would flat out ask me about it but I guess it was fair and I liked that they were straight forward about it.

"I originally didn't but you guys are a huge part of Mae's life and I can't make her choose between you guys and me, even if she ends up choosing you. She's my first friend here and I think of her as a really good friend of mine even though it has just been a few days," I answered, honestly.

I didn't mind answering these questions, because I knew that they were only being protective of Mae. I would've been too, if I were in their shoes. It made me really see how tight they were and I kind of envied that.

Madison scrutinised me for a bit, probably to see if I was lying or not. But I matched her scrutiny with a calm look because I knew I was telling the truth and there was no need for me to hide anything from them.

"Why didn't you want to be a part of our group?" It was Lucas who asked, this time, his tone curious.

I gave him a slightly flat look. "With how crazy people are about you guys, I have absolutely no doubt that I am going to be targeted with a lot of hate if I suddenly became a part of your group especially considering you guys don't let just anyone in and I'm not really on best terms with a few girls here and there," I added the last bit, thinking back specifically to Lillian, who was constantly making sure to push me in the hallways while muttering a few shaming words. Unsurprising, really.

She seemed to me like a classic bully, projecting her frustrations and negative emotions on others, who she thought was weak. Unfortunately for her, she didn't scare me and that was all thanks to the two most important men in my life- my father and brother.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when both Lucas and Madison let out a short laugh, making others look at them in surprise. "Oh, we know."

I looked at them confused for a second before it dawned upon me that they had witnessed my squabble with Lillian. I couldn't help but let a smile escape.

"It was time someone talked back to her. She really gets clingy sometimes," Madison snorted, giving a knowing look to Lucas who responded with an eye roll.

While they chatted, I stole a look at Mr. Blue eyes to see that he was already looking at me, a small smile on his face. He threw me a discreet wink, making me immediately turn away. I hoped to god that I wasn't blushing because that sure would be embarrassing.

Thankfully, Chase interrupted, pulling my attention towards him. "I think that is enough with the interrogation for now," he said before looking at me. "So, Kyra, tell us about yourself."

I smiled at him. "Only if you guys tell me about you, too."

They all exchanged looks before agreeing. So, I talked.

I talked about living in New York before this and how I was homeschooled for two years before shifting here. I told them about Cameron and how I was into dancing before I left it after my father's death, to which Madison had questioned if I still danced. To which, I replied that I hadn't danced in a long time. I didn't divulge into too many details about my life and mostly kept it to the basic facts about me.

It was nice talking to all of them. They really seemed like genuinely nice people. Even though I was the one mostly doing the talking, I did get to know a little about their personalities. Chase was easily the goofiest one out of all and the most talkative and open. The brown-haired guy- Maxwell or Max, seemed the nicest out of all but was on the quieter side. He and Allison had apparently been dating since the sophomore year and were still going strong. Allison, like Max, was sweet but I knew from how she talked that she wasn't one to let people mess with her.

Madison was sassy yet wasn't high headed like she appeared to be and she seemed to be the toughest out of everyone here. She and Lucas seemed to banter a lot. Lucas really did like getting under her skin.

The most mysterious one was Mr. Blackwood. He was relatively quiet but the way he was with this people showed a different side of him. He smiled more and was more expressive and I actually enjoyed seeing this side of him.

I knew these guys were holding back a lot and I didn't blame them because to some extent, so was I. But I was grateful at how they were willing to talk to me pretty normally and weren't treating me like shit, which was also an option I'd considered while wondering about how this meeting would go.

I didn't realise how long we had been sitting there, until the loud ring of the bell rang through the room, startling me. I hadn't even realised how fast the time flew by.

"Ah, I have dance practice. I need to go," Madison announced, making a move to get up, which prompted everyone to start getting up too.

I had English for my next period so I needed to go soon too, considering it was quite a walk and I really didn't want to miss this one. I slid off the table, muttering a bye to everyone as they left.

Madison and Lucas gave me a departing nod along with Max who added in a small smile while Chase gave me an enthusiastic high-five. Allison gave me a warm smile and a 'see you around' before exiting the class too. I bit my lip, a little disappointed that Mr. Blue Eyes had already left without saying bye.

I shook my head. Who cares about a stupid guy, anyway.

I dusted off my skirt, taking in all that happened in the free period. Had I passed whatever test they had for me? Did they like me?

Their reactions hadn't really given off any indications, either positive or negative but going by how they hadn't completely shut me out, it had to be good, right? I really hope they didn't think of me as someone who was in this for popularity. Even if they didn't want me in their group, I didn't want that kind of an image of me in their heads because that would bother me a lot.

I sighed as I continued replaying the events of the last hour, trying to figure out any clues which could tell me anything. I exited the class, lost in thoughts when a hand grabbed me by my wrist from behind. I turned around, startled to see Mr. Blue eyes standing there with a small smile.

I looked at him both surprised and questioningly. "We have English together. I thought we could walk together since we're heading the same way," he said, making my stomach flip a little.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak immediately before adding a small "Sure!" after a moment.

He gave me a smile and let my hand go before falling into step with me. Was it bad that I liked it when he held my hand?

I tried not to dwell on those thoughts a lot and concentrated on walking ahead. I didn't even notice him bend down a little until I felt his low whisper reverberate in my ear.

"By the way, I'm Kade," he said, his voice low. My eyes widened a little and my hear almost skipped a beat. I turned to look at him but he was walking normally as if nothing happened.

Kade.

Boy, his name sounded as hot as he was.

I looked at him and even though he didn't say much, his eyes were a clear give away of the amusement dancing in them. I simply gave him a nod and let a small smile curve my lips to shield how knowing his name was actually making me feel.

I was so busy being in the moment and aware of him walking next to me, that I failed to notice the stares I was getting from so many people in the hallway, all whispering different things to each other.

I guess I was going to have to get used to that, anyway.

******

So Kade. How are you liking him so far?

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Next Update: 24th October 2020

I'll try to do a mid-week update but no promises!