The sweet shop was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Filled with the laughter and chatter of students.
The aroma of freshly baked cookies, pastries, and chocolate wafted through the air, mingling with the faint scent of brewing coffee.
Ariana Snow sat at a corner table with her two closest friends.
Eliza Thornfield and Clara Windsor.
The trio was well-known for their tight-knit bond.
Forged through years of shared experiences and late-night heart-to-hearts.
Eliza, a petite girl with curly auburn hair and a penchant for bold statents, was enthusiastically recounting a dramatic mont from her week.
"And then he tripped—yes, tripped—over his own two feet while trying to cast a fireball!
Can you believe it?
Nearly set Professor Martin's robes on fire!"
She exclaid, her green eyes gleaming with amusent.
Clara, the ever-poised and slightly mischievous one, laughed as she sipped her iced tea.
"I swear, Eliza, half the boys in this academy are walking disasters.
They can conjure lightning but can't manage basic coordination."
Ariana, however, wasn't joining in their laughter.
She sat quietly, absently tracing her finger along the edge of a cookie on her plate.
Her other hand cradled a warm mug of coffee, the steam rising and swirling around her face.
Eliza and Clara exchanged a quick glance.
It wasn't like Ariana to be so distant, especially when surrounded by sweets—her one true love.
Normally, she would have devoured her cookies and debated the rits of caral versus chocolate with passionate fervor.
Today, she was barely nibbling.
And her usually bright silver-blue eyes seed clouded with thought.
"Ari..."
Clara said, leaning closer and resting her chin in her palm.
"What's going on with you?
You've been poking at that cookie like it's insulted you or sothing."
Ariana blinked, startled out of her thoughts.
"Huh?
Oh, nothing. I'm fine."
Eliza wasn't having it.
"Liar. You've been off since we got here.
Spill it, Snow. You can't hide from us."
Ariana hesitated, her fingers pausing mid-trace on the cookie.
She sighed, knowing her friends wouldn't let it go.
"It's... it's nothing, really.
Just sothing stupid."
"Stupid things are our specialty."
Clara said with a grin.
"Co on, Ari.
Out with it."
Ariana took a deep breath, feeling the weight of their expectant gazes.
"Okay, fine.
It's about...
Noah Ashbourne."
Both girls froze, their expressions shifting to a mix of disbelief and indignation.
"Noah?"
Eliza repeated, her voice sharp.
"What did that insufferable, arrogant, pompous jerk do now?
If he so much as looked at you wrong—"
"It's not like that!"
Ariana interjected quickly, holding up her hands.
"At least, I don't think it is.
It's just..."
She trailed off, trying to find the right words.
Clara raised an eyebrow.
"Ari, you're going to have to give us more than that.
Start from the beginning."
Ariana set down her mug and began recounting the events of the past weeks.
She told them about how Noah had arrogantly demanded she wash his blazer after so minor sweat had dampened it.
How she'd begrudgingly done the task, irritated by his entitlent.
Then, she described the mont she returned the freshly cleaned blazer to his room.
"And he said... thank you."
She finished, her voice almost a whisper.
Eliza and Clara stared at her, their mouths agape.
For a mont, there was silence, broken only by the chatter of other students in the shop.
"He what?"
Clara asked, her voice incredulous.
"Are you sure you heard him right?"
Eliza added.
"Maybe he said sothing like, 'Thanks for wasting my ti.'
That sounds more like him."
Ariana shook her head.
"No.
He said thank you.
Just... thank you."
The girls exchanged a glance, then erupted into a cacophony of disbelief and indignation.
"That slimy little snake probably had so ulterior motive!"
Eliza declared, slamming her fist on the table for emphasis.
"Noah Ashbourne doesn't say thank you.
He's physically incapable of basic human decency."
"Exactly."
Clara chid in.
"He must be plotting sothing.
Maybe he's trying to ss with your head.
You know how manipulative he is."
Ariana frowned, their words stirring her own doubts.
"But then there was another ti."
She said hesitantly.
"After... well, after I kind of hurled him into a wall with my wind magic."
Eliza snorted.
"Good. He deserved it."
"That's not the point."
Ariana said, though a small smile tugged at her lips.
"There was this commotion outside his room, and students started saying awful things about .
They assud... well, they thought—"
"They thought what?"
Clara pressed.
Ariana's cheeks flushed.
"That we were... you know...sleeping together."
Eliza's jaw dropped.
"They what?
Oh, I'm going to march up to every single one of those idiots and—"
"Let her finish."
Clara interrupted, though she looked equally appalled.
Ariana continued, her voice quieter now.
"It really hurt, the things they said.
But then Noah... he stood up for .
He told them to shut up and stop spreading rumors.
He even went as far as to threaten their lives. "
Clara leaned back, her expression skeptical.
"Noah Ashbourne?
The sa guy who treats everyone like dirt stood up for 'you?'"
"I know it doesn't make sense."
Ariana admitted.
"But he did."
The table fell silent as the three girls processed this revelation.
Finally, Eliza broke the silence with a dramatic groan.
"Ugh, I hate this.
Now I have to rethink my whole ntal image of him.
Do you know how much effort I put into hating that guy?"
Clara smirked.
"Don't worry, Eliza.
I'm sure he'll give you plenty of reasons to hate him again soon enough."
"True," Eliza conceded.
"But still. This is weird."
Ariana sighed, picking up her cookie and taking a small bite.
"I don't know what to think.
It's been on my mind for the last weeks."
Eliza reached across the table and patted her hand.
"Well, stop thinking about it.
He's not worth the ntal energy, Ari."
"Exactly."
Clara agreed.
"And even if he did have so weird mont of decency, it doesn't change the fact that he's a self-absorbed, egotistical jerk.
Probably just trying to get sothing out of you."
Eliza grinned wickedly.
"If he ever tries anything, just let us know.
I've got a whole list of ways to make him regret it."
"Like what?"
Ariana asked, her curiosity piqued despite herself.
"Oh, you know..."
Eliza said casually.
"Maybe I'll 'accidentally' spill ink all over his fancy clothes.
Or 'accidentally' trip him into a mud puddle."
Clara laughed.
"Or we could enchant his shoes to squeak every ti he takes a step."
The three girls dissolved into giggles at the thought, the tension lifting as their bond of friendship eased Ariana's worries.
"Thanks, guys."
Ariana said, smiling genuinely for the first ti that day.
"Anyti."
Eliza replied, grinning back.
"And don't let his scrawny ass occupy your thoughts.
He's not worth it."
Clara nodded, her expression turning serious.
"And rember our pact.
No falling for anyone at the academy.
We graduate as independent won of the empire, no strings attached."
Ariana laughed, raising her cookie like a toast.
"Deal."
Ariana felt lighter.
Whatever Noah's intentions had been, she knew she could count on her friends to keep her grounded.
For now, that was all she needed.
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