At Aether Academy, Yuna Vale only wanted to stay invisible. But after catching the attention of seven rich and arrogant boys, her quiet life turns into a dangerous game—one where the players slowly begin losing their hearts first.

CHAPTER 1

The Girl in the Rain

Yuna POV

Rain always made everything quieter.

That was probably why I liked it so much.

The sound against the classroom windows drowned out people's voices just enough to make them bearable. Outside, gray clouds covered the sky above Aether Academy while students rushed through the courtyard with umbrellas and expensive shoes they were probably overprotective of.

Meanwhile, I sat peacefully in my corner beside the window with my book open and my headphones on.

Exactly where nobody would bother me.

Perfect.

I turned another page slowly, ignoring the loud conversations around me.

Someone near the front was talking about a party.

Another group was screaming over social media drama.

Honestly, rich people had too much free time.

I adjusted my glasses slightly before taking a sip from my iced coffee.

Just survive the day.

That was the goal.

Unfortunately—

the classroom door suddenly opened.

And the entire room exploded.

"Oh my god, they're here—"

"Move!"

"Did you see Kai this morning?"

I already knew who it was.

The kings of Aether Academy.

Seven rich boys who acted like the school belonged to them.

Technically...

it probably did.

I kept my eyes on my book, hoping they would stay far away from me.

Then footsteps stopped directly beside my desk.

...You've got to be kidding me.

A shadow fell across my page.

"You're sitting in my spot."

I slowly looked up.

And immediately regretted it.

Kai Mercer stared down at me with calm dark eyes, one hand inside his pocket while rainwater still dripped slightly from his black hair.

Why did he look like a magazine cover at eight in the morning?

More importantly—

why was he talking to me?

I glanced around the classroom.

There were literally empty seats everywhere.

I looked back at him blankly.

"Looks like you have plenty of others."

The classroom became silent so fast it was almost impressive.

A girl near the front looked seconds away from cardiac arrest.

Did nobody at this school speak normally to each other?

One of the boys behind Kai suddenly laughed.

"Damn," Eli Navarro grinned. "She rejected you immediately."

Another one leaned against the doorway looking entertained.

"That might be a first," Noah Vance added.

I already had a headache.

I looked back down at my book.

Conversation over.

Or at least it should've been.

Instead, the chair in front of my desk scraped loudly against the floor.

Kai sat down facing me.

Why?

Why was this happening to me?

The whispers around the classroom grew louder.

I could practically feel people staring now.

Wonderful.

"What's your name?" Kai asked.

I frowned slightly.

"Why?"

One of his eyebrows lifted.

"Because I asked."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Eli started laughing again.

Honestly, he laughed like someone who enjoyed causing problems for fun.

I sighed quietly before closing my book.

There was probably no escape now.

"Yuna."

"Yuna what?"

"Does it matter?"

For a second, Kai just stared at me.

Not annoyed.

Not angry.

Just... watching.

It made me uncomfortable.

People who stared too much usually expected things from you.

And I hated expectations.

Then suddenly—

he smiled.

Not a normal smile.

A dangerous one.

The type that looked calm on the surface but felt like trouble underneath.

My instincts immediately screamed:

Avoid him.

Unfortunately, before I could escape, the teacher entered the classroom.

"Take your seats, everyone."

Finally.

The boys moved away while the classroom slowly returned to normal.

Well—

normal for this school.

I reopened my book immediately.

But for some reason...

I could still feel someone looking at me.

And every time I glanced up slightly—

Kai Mercer's eyes were already there.

Watching.

Lunch break couldn't come fast enough.

The cafeteria was probably packed by now, which meant absolutely not.

Instead, I escaped toward the old library wing carrying my lunch and coffee like usual.

Most students avoided this area because the signal was terrible.

Personally?

That made it perfect.

Rain tapped softly against the tall windows while I sat near the back corner overlooking the courtyard below.

Quiet.

Peaceful.

Safe.

I had just opened my lunch when—

"Found you."

I nearly choked.

I looked up slowly.

Of course it was them.

Jace Holloway stood there smiling brightly while holding two canned coffees.

Behind him appeared Eli and Noah.

Why were they here?

Actually—

better question.

How did they find me?

"You always hide here?" Jace asked curiously.

"How did you find me?"

"Kai told us."

I stared at him blankly.

Wonderful.

I immediately stood up.

"Then I'm leaving."

Before I could walk past them, Noah casually blocked the staircase with one arm.

Not aggressively.

Just enough to stop me.

"Relax," he said. "We're not gonna bite."

"Speak for yourself," Eli grinned.

I blinked slowly.

Honestly, rich boys were weird.

"What do you want?"

The three exchanged glances.

And somehow—

they actually looked unsure.

Jace offered me one of the canned coffees.

"Peace offering?"

I eyed it suspiciously.

Could coffee be poisoned?

Probably not.

I carefully accepted it anyway.

Eli gasped dramatically.

"She accepted your gift. That means she likes you."

"No," I answered immediately. "It means I'm thirsty."

Noah laughed so suddenly that even I looked surprised.

For a moment—

the atmosphere felt strangely normal.

And somehow...

that felt more dangerous than anything else.

Outside, rain continued falling softly across the academy grounds.

And without realizing it—

my quiet little life had already started changing.

CHAPTER 2

The Beginning of the Game

Kai POV

I couldn't stop thinking about her.

Which was irritating.

Rain blurred against the rooftop lounge windows while the others talked around me, but their voices faded into background noise the longer I stared at the city lights outside.

Yuna.

Even her name lingered annoyingly in my head.

Most people at Aether Academy were predictable.

They wanted attention.

Money.

Popularity.

And whenever they talked to me, they always looked nervous.

But her?

She looked at me like I was mildly inconveniencing her day.

I still couldn't decide if that was insulting or interesting.

Maybe both.

"You're staring into space again."

I glanced sideways.

Damien Cross smirked from across the couch while lazily spinning his phone in one hand.

Around the lounge, everyone else looked equally relaxed.

Noah was throwing a basketball into the air repeatedly.

Eli was upside down on another couch for some reason.

Lucas typed calmly on his laptop.

Ren sat near the speakers with headphones around his neck.

Jace quietly drank coffee beside the window.

Typical night.

Unfortunately, the conversation immediately shifted back toward her.

Again.

"I still can't believe she rejected Kai," Eli laughed.

"Twice," Noah added.

Damien leaned forward slightly.

"So she's actually real."

I sighed quietly.

"You people are dramatic."

"No," Noah grinned. "This is entertaining."

Jace frowned slightly.

"Maybe leave her alone."

Damien immediately scoffed.

"Why? Because she's shy?"

"Because she clearly wants nothing to do with us."

For a second, the room went quieter.

Then Damien smiled slowly.

That expression usually meant trouble.

"That's exactly what makes it fun."

I already knew where this was going.

And honestly?

Part of me was curious too.

Damien leaned back against the couch casually.

"Let's make this interesting."

Lucas finally looked up from his laptop.

"Whatever you're planning, no."

Damien ignored him completely.

"Whoever makes her fall first wins."

The room fell silent.

Rain tapped softly against the glass walls.

Noah snorted immediately.

"That's stupid."

"Scared you'll lose?" Eli teased.

"Please," Noah scoffed. "I could make her like me in two weeks."

"You'd probably scare her away first."

"Shut up."

Jace rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"This sounds like a terrible idea."

He wasn't wrong.

But somehow—

nobody actually disagreed.

Because the truth was...

we were all curious.

About her.

About the quiet girl who walked through school like none of us existed.

About the way she looked more comfortable alone than most people looked surrounded by friends.

About the fact she never tried impressing anyone.

Especially us.

Damien's eyes moved toward me.

"What about you, Kai?"

I looked back toward the rain outside.

Honestly?

I didn't care about winning.

But I did want to understand her.

And that alone was already dangerous.

"Do whatever you want," I answered calmly.

Eli grinned immediately.

"That means yes."

"No," Lucas sighed. "That means Kai lacks self-awareness."

Noah suddenly stood up.

"Alright then."

He spun the basketball once on his finger.

"Game starts tomorrow."

Jace looked genuinely concerned now.

"You guys are unbelievable."

But nobody stopped.

Because somewhere between curiosity and boredom—

the line had already disappeared.

And none of us realized yet...

that we were about to ruin our own lives first.

The next morning—

Rain still covered the academy.

I walked through the front gates while students immediately moved aside.

Normal.

Annoying.

Expected.

Then—

I noticed her.

Standing near the vending machines beneath the covered hallway.

Alone.

Again.

Yuna held a canned coffee in one hand while reading a book with the same focused expression she always had.

Completely unaware of the people secretly staring at her as they walked past.

Or maybe—

she just didn't care.

I slowed slightly without meaning to.

Then she looked up.

Our eyes met briefly.

And immediately—

she frowned.

Like seeing me had inconvenienced her morning.

I almost laughed.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Then before I could say anything—

she turned around and walked away.

Avoiding me.

Again.

And for some reason—

that only made me want to follow her more.

CHAPTER 3

Too Close

Yuna POV

Something was wrong with those boys.

Seriously wrong.

I realized that the moment I entered class the next morning and saw Eli Navarro sitting on top of my desk like he paid rent there.

My bag nearly slipped off my shoulder.

Why.

"Good morning, ghost girl."

I stared at him blankly.

"Why are you on my desk?"

"I'm waiting for you."

That somehow made it worse.

Around the classroom, students openly watched us now.

Whispers spread immediately the second I walked in.

I could already hear it.

"Why are they talking to her?"

"Did she get close to Kai?"

"She's not even pretty—"

Okay.

Rude.

I ignored the comments and walked toward my seat.

Eli grinned while leaning forward slightly.

"You ignored my messages."

I stopped.

Slowly—

I looked at him.

"How did you get my number?"

"Jace."

Traitor.

I made a mental note to avoid Jace too.

"Also," Eli continued proudly, "you left me on read."

"That was intentional."

Noah nearly choked laughing from the back of the room.

Wonderful.

They were all here today.

Noah sat backward in his chair spinning a pen between his fingers.

Jace waved awkwardly from beside the windows.

Lucas looked mildly exhausted already.

Ren quietly listened to music near the corner.

Damien casually scrolled through his phone.

And Kai—

Kai was watching me again.

I looked away immediately.

Honestly, his staring problem was becoming concerning.

Eli hopped off my desk dramatically.

"You wound me, Yuna."

"You'll survive."

"Cold."

I finally sat down while pulling my book out.

Maybe if I ignored them hard enough, they would eventually lose interest.

Hopefully.

Probably not.

Before I could open my book, someone dropped into the seat beside mine.

I looked over slowly.

Kai.

Of course.

"Can I help you?"

He rested one arm against the desk lazily.

"You always look annoyed when you see me."

"Because you're always there when I'm trying to feel peace."

Eli burst out laughing again.

Honestly, his life expectancy around Kai seemed surprisingly high considering how much he enjoyed making fun of him.

Kai, however, looked amused.

Which somehow felt more dangerous.

"You're honest," he said.

"You're observant."

His eyes narrowed slightly like he was holding back a smile.

Why did this feel like a conversation I was losing somehow?

Before I could answer, the classroom door opened.

Our teacher walked in carrying several folders.

"Alright everyone, listen carefully."

The room slowly quieted.

"Next month, Class 2-A will participate in the academy partnership program."

Instant groaning filled the room.

The teacher ignored it calmly.

"This includes paired activities, after-school events, and preparation for the upcoming field trip."

Field trip?

Absolutely not.

I already hated this.

Then the teacher smiled.

A dangerous smile.

"Partners will be chosen randomly."

The boys around me suddenly looked interested.

Meanwhile—

I experienced the overwhelming urge to disappear into another dimension.

The teacher reached into a box near her desk.

"Let's begin."

Please not me.

Please not me.

Please not—

"Yuna Vale."

Every muscle in my body froze.

The classroom turned toward me instantly.

The teacher reached for another paper.

Then read calmly—

"Kai Mercer."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Somewhere behind me, someone whispered:

"No way."

I stared at the teacher in horror.

The teacher smiled warmly.

"Looks like fate chose for you."

No.

No, it absolutely did not.

Beside me—

Kai leaned back in his chair slowly.

Then looked at me.

And smiled.

Again.

That same dangerous smile.

"Looks like you're stuck with me, Yuna."

I immediately considered skipping school for the next month.