Yvonne's POV

"Oh my gosh, Boo!" Tricia's voice cut through the hum of the corridor as she walked toward us. I felt my stomach drop the second I saw her, and then saw Adrian wrap his arms around her like she was the only person in the world. For a heartbeat I hoped it was nothing-just a friendly hug-but the way he held her said otherwise as it reeked of warm, possessive, and easy.

Tricia laughed loudly and angled those long lashes right at me. The whole laugh landed like a slap on my face. "Look at her. She actually thought the principal's son would take the cleaning lady's adopted child to homecoming." The words were cold and loud, and the corridor got quieter as I noticed some students turned up instantly to watch.

Normally, I would have started to cry. You don't always get used to being humiliated in public-but somehow I found a little reserve of courage. Maybe it was the dress still tucked in my arms. Maybe it was my mom's voice in my head telling me not to give them the satisfaction. I squared my shoulders and tried to let it slide. There was nothing I could do to change what the others wanted to believe.

Tricia drifted closer, smiling like a queen she always claimed to be. She leaned in, as if sharing a secret. "Oh! I think you'll find...this isn't about you," she teased, touching my cheek with a finger that left the faintest trace of perfume. It was meant to humiliate as the gentle touch turned sharp but I kept my face still. I didn't want to start a scene. Not because I was ashamed-because I was afraid my mother would pay for it.

The thought of my mom's job flashed in my mind as she could lose the very job that paid for our tiny apartment and for dresses like this. So I bit down the words that wanted to fight back.

Then Tricia did the thing I had half-feared: she kissed him. No soft little peck-right there in the middle of the school hall. And in turn, Adrian melted into it like he'd been waiting all his life for the show. My brain refused to accept it; I felt like I was watching someone else's life.

I stepped forward on instinct, needing to remind him of promises, to make him remember what he'd said to me. "Adrian, you told me you loved me." The question came out thin and small, but full of hope.

Adrian pushed my hand away like I was a stain. "Get off me. Are you serious?" he spat. His voice was sharp, the kind that got more of the students' attention. Just then, my cheeks warmed with humiliation.

Tricia clapped with a soft, satisfied sound, and Adrian announced, loud enough so everyone could hear, "Tricia is my girlfriend. You're literally the school's charity case."

He sounded so sure of himself, and Tricia took a step back to pose, like a model in a magazine shoot. Around us, phones were already being raised and lenses turning toward me. The hallway filled with the low, cruel chuckles of students who loved nothing more than a public spectacle.

Adrian kept going, like he couldn't stop now that he had everyone's attention. "Besides, you only got into this school on some DEI scholarship because your mum is a pathetic cleaner. You don't even have a proper uniform-always in that cardigan. And you imagined that I wouldn't come down to love a riffraff like you?" The words were precise, aimed like arrows.

It felt like each sentence pushed the air out of my lungs. He was rubbing salt into something that had already been raw. If he didn't love me-if it had all been a lie-why did he let me hope? The questions churned in my head and I couldn't find an answer.

Someone in the crowd jeered, "Give me my phone. The cleaner's adopted girl is getting served." Laughter rose like a wave. Phones clicked and flashes popped.

I wasn't ready to let it end there. I had to try once more. "Adrian, you told me you loved me," I repeated, stronger this time.

The reaction that followed was worse than any insult. The laughter spiraled into something mean and loud. "Oh my God! You actually believed that?" someone cried out. The worst part was how easily they all believed him-how quickly my face turned into an image for jokes.

Tricia leaned in close, voice dripping with venom. "He only needed you to pass his classes. Now you can't even get him the key to the physics lab? You're not useful."

My hands were trembling. I felt helpless, like I had slipped under ice and couldn't find the way out. Then the next humiliation came from Tricia as she held out a cup she had, turning the content from it right on my head. The cold content spread across my chest, soaking the dress my mom had saved a lot just to get for me.

"Oops." Tricia tossed the empty cup at me as if it were confetti. It landed and stuck and just then, a chorus of laughter swelled from the students.

More phones hovered everywhere Someone shouted, "Makeover of the year!" Another added, "Finally, a look that suits her." Someone else mimed the act of crying. I heard it all-each word another weight on my ribs.

I lunged forward in a fury I didn't know I had. I grabbed that same cup that was beside me with the mess it held and shoved at Tricia in anger.

Maybe they didn't expect resistance. Maybe they expected me to cower. But I wouldn't.

And so, Adrian grabbed a tray from somewhere-having a cafeteria plate, leftover food and before I could move, he kneeled and poured the contents down my dress. The food slid, warm and greasy, staining everything. The smell hit me: tomato, oil and the likes.

A dozen phones recorded the scene. I felt the slickness trickle down, warm paste sticking to my skin. I wanted to scream; instead I picked a piece of meat from the smear and flung it at his face.

"How could you say that to me, asshole?" I snapped.

He looked stunned, like he hadn't expected me to fight back. For a second, his smirk faltered.

Tricia stepped closer, looking all dangerous and pleased. "Oh, you really outdid yourself now," she said, and then, like a queen bestowing mercy, she reached into her pocket and flashed a few dollars. "For your shit dress. At least get something better-don't waste it on that coat of many colors." The money hit everywhere across the floor.

"You know, zoom in on her face," someone laughed, feeding the chaos. "She's about to start crying!"

The voices blended into an ugly chorus. Someone shouted, "That bitch is the stupidest nerd I've seen. How could she think Adrian would ever date her?" The words felt like a thousand small knives.

I was stacked on the floor, the mess cooling on my skin and the dress ruined. I looked up at Adrian, then at Tricia, and something hot and raw rose in my chest. It wasn't just shame. It was fury. But when I tried to stand, Adrian shoved me down with force-hard enough to make me breathe in a sharp pain.

Tricia took one foot and pressed it against my chest, pinning me further to the ground so everyone could see. She laughed as if nothing could touch her.

Then, above the din, I heard a new voice. It cut through like a bell. "That's enough. Leave my daughter alone."

My heart lurched as I saw my mom was there in her wheelchair, her hands gripping the arms as if she'd pushed harder than seemed possible to get into the corridor. Her face was flushed and her eyes fierce.

The crowd turned. For the first time since it started, the laughter dropped down a notch. Some students shifted uneasily, phones half-lowered. I felt tears build up, but they weren't the small, quiet kind. They were the kind that had been collecting for a while.

My mom wheeled herself forward and she reached me in two big pushes, then stopped. Her breathing was heavy but controlled. She didn't shout and couldn't say anything at that point with pity all over her face judging with the way I was looking. She looked at Tricia and then at Adrian like she was measuring them.

"You will not speak to my daughter like that," she said, with her voice steady and low. She didn't wait for them to protest. "Get up."

Some students clapped. Not in a cheering way-more like a reflex, like they didn't know what else to do.

Tricia smirked, and then, for the first time, her face flickered. "Oh, look. The cleaner's here," she sneered. "What are you going to do? Call security?"

My mom's face tightened, but she didn't lose control.

Yvonne's POV

Tricia smirked, and then, for the first time, her face flickered. "Oh, look. The cleaner's here," she sneered. "What are you going to do? Call security?"

My mom's face tightened, but she didn't lose control.

And just immediately, the student paparazzi didn't even think to stop like I had thought they had behaved themselves. They just kept snapping pictures like it was the funniest thing they'd seen all week.

"Oh look," one of them laughed, "the cleaner's come to clean up the trash."

My stomach dropped. I could take all their insults, I'd been taking them for years, but the moment they dragged my mum into it, something in me snapped. I stepped closer, putting myself between her and their cameras. "Don't talk to my mum like that!" My voice cracked, but I didn't care. She didn't deserve this.

Before I could even breathe, Adrian walked forward. The smirk on his face made my skin crawl. Then-like it was nothing-he shoved my mum down from her wheelchair. The gasp that left my throat burned. The sound of metal screeching against the floor echoed as he kicked the chair away. "I'll do whatever I want to help," he sneered. "And the other students are allowed to talk to your mum however they like. She's just a cleaner. And you? A charity case."

I dropped to my knees instantly, helping my mum up, my hands trembling. Blood smeared on her knees, staining the skin I'd seen tired and bruised from work a thousand times. Seeing it there because of him? That tore me apart. My chest tightened, fury boiling hotter than I had ever felt. "You hurt my mum, you psychopath!" I spat, my voice loud enough to draw the crowd even closer.

Adrian tilted his head, his grin widening like my anger was entertainment. "So what? She's a nobody. And so are you."

Tricia's voice slid in sharp like glass. "You really need to learn your place, Yvonne. Adrian is the principal's son. And you? You're just the dirty cleaner's trash daughter." Her laughter followed, nails-on-chalkboard to my ears.

I wanted to tear her words apart, to spit back something so strong it would shut them up, but before I could, I felt a light tap on my hand. My mum's fingers shook as she whispered, "Yvonne, I'm fine. I'm so sorry, Mr. Adrian. I'm sure Yvonne didn't mean to pick a fight. Couples shouldn't argue in public."

My heart sank. Heat rushed to my cheeks. Couples? Oh God. I had told her-so excitedly-that Adrian had asked me to be his girlfriend. That was why she'd gone out of her way to buy me the dress, the one she could barely afford. She thought she was defending my boyfriend.

Adrian barked a laugh, sounding all sharp and cruel. "Are you stupid? Yvonne was never my girlfriend. I wasn't going to ask her out either. She's just an orphan nerd who does my homework. My own personal AI." He dragged the word like a curse. "And wait till I tell my mother that you spoke out of line. You'll be unemployed before you know it."

I staggered back at his words, my throat tight. He was simply twisting everything and making me feel small on purpose. Rage burned hot in my chest. "You monster, Adrian," I snapped, my voice shaking as I turned to my mum. "Mum, why are you apologizing to this asshole? Don't you see? We were never meant to be. I realized that not too long ago."

"Yvonne," she whispered, fear lining her face, "don't exchange words with him. I can't afford to lose my job, okay?" Her eyes begged me for silence.

My jaw clenched. I hated how her words made me fold, but I couldn't stand to hurt her more. "Okay, Mum," I whispered, laying my hand over hers gently. The familiar blinking of my bracelet caught the corner of my eye-it always did that at 12 noon. The little flash of light I'd always told myself meant hope, meant I belonged somewhere.

Tricia noticed instantly. "Look here." She stepped closer, eyes narrowing as she grabbed my wrist without asking. "What's this?"

I jerked my hand, trying to pull away. "Get off me."

But then, her grip only tightened. "Come on, this looks genuine and there is no way you could afford this. You're a walking discount rack. You obviously stole it." Her words sliced deeper than the laughter building around us.

Murmurs spread through the crowd in whispers and my chest tightened. "I didn't steal it," I said, my voice cracking under the weight of all those eyes. "That's all I have left from my birth family."

Tricia scoffed, pulling at the bracelet harder. "No. I think you stole it from me. Because there's no way this belongs to you."

"Oh my God," someone whispered. Another laughed nervously.

I held on with everything I had, my fingers gripping her wrist, trying to twist free. I couldn't lose this-not this. The murmurs grew louder, people circling closer, phones up and recording. "Let go!" I shouted. But she smirked, leaning in close so only I could hear. "Give it back or Adrian and I will make sure you and your trash mother lose her job."

I froze. My stomach sank. I looked at my mum. Her face was drawn, exhausted and apologetic. I knew how much this job meant to her. If she lost it, there wouldn't be another waiting. My scholarship might be gone. Again, our survival would be at risk.

Tricia's voice cut again, all sweet and venomous. "And then where would you be? Expelled. Dumpster diving for breakfast."

My grip weakened. I didn't want to, but my mum's pleading face haunted me more than the thought of letting go. Slowly, reluctantly, I eased my fingers open and let Tricia slip the bracelet off. The emptiness on my wrist felt heavier than the weight of her laughter.

But the ache inside me screamed. I clenched my fists, heat flushing my skin. "No!" I snapped, surging forward, ready to fight back and snatch it away. But my mum's hands caught my arms, pulling me back. "Baby," she begged, her voice breaking. "What if I lose my job? What if you lose your scholarship too?"

Her words wrapped around me like chains. I froze, feeling all helpless, rage clawing at my chest. She was right. With Adrian and Tricia's influence, one more step out of line could destroy everything.

Then, suddenly, the buzz of phones filled the air simultaneously. Notifications chimed one after another, spreading like wildfire through the crowd. Heads bent down and their screens lighting up faces. Then, like a chorus, everyone gasped.

"The Diamond Belfort brothers are transferring to Pacesetters High School?"

The scream of excitement that followed made my ears ring. It was as if every single student had rehearsed the reaction, with their voices colliding in perfect unison.

I even felt my stomach flip. The Diamond Belfort brothers. Everyone in town knew that name. The heirs of the richest family in New York. The ones who had everything-looks, fame, money, influence. People whispered about them like they were untouchable, like they lived in a world above ours.

My thoughts scrambled. Why would they come here? Pacesetters High School was beneath their standards and their kind. This was a small-town school. We didn't get heirs and celebrities like them. So, I couldn't really place.

And yet, as everyone buzzed around me, my bracelet gone and my heart raw, I couldn't stop one thought from carving itself deep into my chest:

Maybe their coming means something for me.

Yvonne's POV

"Oh! My God."

"This is the sweetest gist I have heard my whole time in this school."

Since the mention of the Diamond Belfort brothers, everyone kept gushing about it so much that it distracted them from the humiliating scene they had created around me.

"Are we sure about this news? Because what on earth would the Diamond Belfort brothers be coming to our school to do, knowing their status and all?" Someone finally asked the one thing I had considered first, and to think it was Adrian that asked the question made my skin crawl.

But out of nowhere, Tricia replied, flipping her hair dramatically. "Who cares? I mean the Belfort family is one of the wealthiest in the world. If you and I get in with them, we won't ever need anybody else again-we'll be set for life." She squealed like she was already cashing in on their bank accounts.

Someone in the crowd chimed in, "I heard their dad owns like half of New York."

Tricia scrunched her nose. "Half? Oh please! Try all of it. As far as I'm concerned, the Belforts practically own this entire country. And their mum? She's basically the queen of Hollywood. Do you know how many celebrities line up just to be invited to their birthday parties?" She made it sound like she had been there herself.

I stared at her, baffled. How did she even gather this much information? I only knew the basics-that they were rich and famous. But Tricia spoke like she had their family tree saved on her phone. Her obsession was embarrassing, even for her.

Adrian looked equally curious now, leaning in. "That's insane. But do you think they'll even talk to us? I mean, why would they want to mingle with us in the first place?"

"Of course they will, Boo," Tricia said, smirking. "We practically run this school. And they'll be new here, which means they'll definitely need us. Trust me, they'll want to be seen with us."

Adrian nodded like her nonsense made sense. "True anyway."

While they were carried away by the chatter and fake dreams, I took it as the perfect chance to slip away with my mum. She had been dragged into enough humiliation already with me. If I could at least get her out of sight, maybe the ache in my chest would soften.

*****

I wheeled my mum to the school clinic, the squeaky wheels of the chair echoing against the tiled hallway. Inside, the nurse didn't ask too many questions-she just gave me a sympathetic look and went to work. She dabbed gently at the blood on my mum's knees with cotton soaked in antiseptic. Mum hissed quietly but kept still, clutching the sides of her chair.

The nurse cleaned the scrapes, then spread ointment before wrapping them with fresh white bandages. My stomach twisted, watching my mum flinch at every touch. She had been through enough without Adrian adding to her pain.

When the nurse left us alone, I pulled the chair closer and held her hand. That was when the weight of everything slammed down again. The bracelet. Adrian's betrayal. Tricia's cruelty. It all piled on like heavy bricks. I couldn't hold back anymore-tears slipped past my lashes.

"I don't get it," I muttered with a cracked voice. "Adrian lied to me, used me, and he didn't even hesitate to push you to the ground. And now Tricia has stolen the only thing I had left of my birth family. How is this happening to us, Mum? Why does it always have to be us?"

Mum squeezed my hand, her voice soft but steady. "My daughter, you should know by now that people like Adrian and Tricia always have power here. They take what they want because no one tells them no as they have never been stopped in their lives."

Her words stung because I knew she was right. But anger still boiled in me. "I wish I could stand up to them. I wish your job wasn't on the line every time. I wish I could afford your surgery so you wouldn't have to suffer anymore. I wish..." I stopped, the lump in my throat choking me. "I wish life wasn't this unfair."

Mum reached up, brushing a strand of hair from my wet cheek. "Oh, sweetheart..." Her eyes carried both pain and pride. She always tried to be strong for me even when I knew she was breaking inside too.

But then my thoughts circled back, sharper than before. "She took my bracelet, Mum. That bracelet is the only lead I have to my birth family. Maybe... maybe they could help us. Maybe if I find them, they could help with your surgery. They could help us both."

The words tasted desperate, but they were true. My bracelet wasn't just jewelry-it was my only connection to the life I might have had. And without it, that link might be gone forever.

I slumped against the chair, feeling all exhausted. "But without the bracelet, there's no way. She has it now. And I can't fight her for it without risking everything for you."

As if on cue, the loud crackle of the school's PA system interrupted us. "Students, this is the principal. Please make your way to the gymnasium for a special announcement."

I closed my eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. Of course. No time to cry. No time to think. The world just kept moving, even when I felt like I was falling apart. "Mum, I have to go now. If I'm late, the principal will make things worse."

She held onto my wrist before I could turn away. "It's fine, my daughter. Go. Just take care of yourself. And remember, I'll be here when you need me, always."

Her voice cracked, but she smiled anyway. That smile cut deeper than any insult Tricia had thrown today.

I bent down, holding her hand with both of mine. "Mum, before I go... I just need to say thank you. For everything. For adopting me. For raising me like your own even when you had nothing. For loving me when life was already too hard for you. I don't take any of it for granted." My words trembled as they left me, raw and real.

Her eyes glistened, but she pulled me into a half-hug. "Yvonne, I would do it all again. A thousand times over. Don't thank me, my daughter. Just promise me you'll keep going. That's all I need."

I nodded into her shoulder, breathing in the faint scent of laundry soap clinging to her uniform. "I promise, Mum."

With that, I straightened, wiped my eyes quickly with the back of my hand, and turned toward the door. "Bye, Mum. I'll see you later."

She raised her hand in a small wave as I walked out, my chest heavy but my steps forced steady. Whatever waited for me in that gymnasium, I had to face it-even if the whole school was still buzzing with gossip about the Diamond Belfort brothers.