7:58 AM – Ridgewood High, Main Hallway (Silence Before the Sirens)
Ridgewood felt different.
Like a haunted house pretending to be a school.
The morning bell hadn't even rung yet, but students lingered near lockers like ghosts who hadn't realized they were dead. Every glance was cautious, every whisper coated in suspicion. No one said Bee's name aloud—but everyone was thinking it.
Bee strode through the hallway like a storm in a silk blouse.
Hair slicked back. Eyes unbothered. Air sharp enough to slice through tension.
Kai trailed a few steps behind her, backpack slung casually, hoodie up like he hadn't just helped set the whole school's social order on fire.
From the corner of her eye, Bee saw her picture flash across someone's phone screen. Not the old Queen Bee glamour shot—but the rooftop kiss. It was everywhere now. So was the truth about the Ridgewood Foundation's dirty funding. The anonymous drop on the school forum last night had included it all: receipts, budget leaks, files.
By now, half the staff was panicking. The other half was pretending they weren't.
Zuri caught up with them near the east stairwell, holding her coffee like it was a lifeline. "Mr. Harrow's office was locked down. Admin's in full code-red mode."
"They're calling it a targeted cyberattack," Serena added, materializing beside them. "The kind that just happens to reveal years of financial fraud and include a romantic scandal?"
Logan leaned on the railing. "They're cornered. Question is—do we push, or wait for them to implode?"
Bee didn't hesitate. "We push."
---
8:16 AM – First Period: AP Politics (Whispers and Glances)
Ms. Keller was five minutes late. The class didn't notice.
Everyone's eyes were on Bee as she entered, Kai sliding into the seat next to her like he belonged there. Which, technically, he didn't—he wasn't even in this class.
No one dared tell him to leave.
The whispers were loud enough to echo.
"Did you see the files?"
"Is that why Hailey left?"
"Bee's the one who posted them—she has to be."
"Who was kissing her on the roof? Was that Kai?"
"Is she trying to take over Ridgewood or burn it down?"
Bee opened her notebook, ignoring them all. But the tension was thick, sticky, suffocating.
Kai leaned over and whispered, "If looks could kill, we'd be extra crispy right now."
She gave him a sideways smirk. "Then we'd better give them a reason."
---
8:43 AM – AP Politics (Keller's Breakdown)
Ms. Keller finally entered—wild-eyed, clutching a tablet. She looked like she hadn't slept.
"The school board will be issuing a statement by end of day," she said, voice too high, too fast. "Until then, let's focus on today's lesson—uh, political scandals and whistleblowers."
The class broke into low laughter. Not with her. At her.
Bee didn't blink.
She raised her hand.
"Will we be analyzing local scandals too? Like, say, school foundations misallocating funds?"
Keller froze. Then fake-smiled. "Let's... stick to Watergate."
---
9:10 AM – Girls' Bathroom (Broken Crowns & Bloody Lipstick)
Bee ducked into the third-floor girls' bathroom. It was empty—until it wasn't.
Madison followed her in. Lip gloss perfect. Smile poison.
"Well, well," she said, clicking the stall door shut behind her. "Queen Bee turned whistleblower. That's a plot twist."
Bee rinsed her hands slowly. "You here to slap me or kiss me?"
Madison's eyes flashed. "Neither. I'm here to warn you."
"About what?"
"About your new throne," Madison said, stepping closer. "You might've burned Hailey's reign to the ground—but fire leaves ashes. And someone always rises from them."
Bee narrowed her eyes. "You volunteering?"
Madison tilted her head. "I don't need to. Ridgewood's already picking its next queen. And spoiler alert—it doesn't care about truth. Just power."
Before Bee could answer, Madison turned and left, her heels tapping like war drums.
---
9:40 AM – Empty Classroom (The Warplan)
Zuri, Serena, Kai, Logan, and Bee huddled in Mr. Phelps's abandoned homeroom.
A map of Ridgewood was laid across the table—classrooms, exits, camera zones. A war table in every sense.
"We're not done," Bee said, voice low. "That message about deeper secrets? They're baiting us."
"We take the bait," Kai said. "But we bite back harder."
Zuri highlighted something in red. "There's an unmarked room in the west wing. Records storage. Admin-only access."
Logan nodded. "If there are files—real files—they'll be there."
Bee tapped the map.
"Then that's our next move."
And as the bell rang for second period, she smiled.
Not like a queen.
Like a general.