Cliques

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

A high-pitched voice shouted at the boisterous boys in the classroom. She was not the one who collided with Chip, but she reprimanded the boys for her friend.

Hugh looked at her, and her blonde hair almost blinded his eyes. Her slightly curly hair was tied up in a ponytail, giving her a refreshing look. Her face was without blemishes, a perfect definition of femininity.

She sat on the desk of a chair with her legs crossed, slightly revealing her silky white thighs underneath her skirt. She was surrounded by girls that chatted around her. Hugh guessed that she was the diva in the classroom.

Hugh remembered her name to be Serena.

Serena did not look at Chip, the man who collided with one of her girls, but at Aric instead. Their eyes met, and everyone stopped what they were doing.

Hugh looked at both of them as they shared similarities. Aric was the alpha of the boys, and Serena was the diva of the girls. They were a match made in heaven, as most people would say.

They were the type of people that would be voted prom king and queen.

Everybody waited as they anticipated the interaction between the two people.

Aric smiled as he pushed his friends away and made his way towards the girls' side. His footsteps sounded throughout as everybody went silent. His walk had a confident swagger that made the girls' hearts speed up.

Time seemed to slow down for everyone as Aric walked over towards where Serena was sitting. They did not break their staring contest; Aric walked over to her, and Serena did not get up from her seat.

Aric stopped walking as he reached Serena. They were only one feet away from each other. Aric leaned over to her and put his hands on the desk, and their heads were closer than ever.

Aric still had his charismatic smile as he observed her face. Serena's face showed no emotion as Aric put his head closer to hers. Her eyes showed defiance as she stood her ground and did not let Aric get the upper hand.

Aric chuckled as the light from the classroom bounced off her face, enlightening her face and accenting her red lips.

The tension inside the room was palpable as the two of them were only a little bit of space until their lips touched, yet their lips did not quiver. They did not advance nor back away from each other.

"Ooooooohhhhhh"

The boys behind Aric teased them, showing their support to their leader.

"Kyaaaaaaaa!"

The girls screamed a high pitched noise that signaled their excitement for Serena.

They all wanted Aric and Serena to get together. Once they did, they would be considered a power couple that could shake the whole system down.

*smack*

The door suddenly opened, taking everyone's attention away from the two. Professor Kain walked into the classroom; his suit was neat and tidy ready for today's class. He ignored the crowd of people as he started to write on the board.

Aric smiled as he withdrew his head away from hers and walked back to his seat.

Serena also withdrew her gaze from Aric as if he never existed at all. After Aric went away, the girls in her group swarmed her and asked a lot of questions.

"Is there something between you guys?"

"Do you like him?"

"Why didn't you kiss?"

Serena was not flustered at all when the sequence of events happened. She still had her full composure as she dealt with Aric. She spoke with a lighthearted tone as she addressed her friends.

"I don't know."

In the ears of girls around Serena, a vague answer meant that them getting together was not out of the question. They whispered amongst themselves and squealed as they imagined Serena and Aric getting together.

The boys, on the other hand, were silent as they nodded furiously to their leader's coolness. They aspired to be as charismatic as Aric, and they lived vicariously through him as Aric went towards Serena.

She was the most beautiful pearl in the class, and there was a sense of pride in them that Aric would be getting together with her. They silently fist-bumped and chest bumped as they celebrated Aric's return.

"Quiet."

Professor Kain spoke silently as he gathered their attention. The classroom immediately went silent, wary of their professor's show of power like the first day of school.

The professor continued his lecture about various planets, tombs, forests, and everything of that nature that abruptly spawned after Desire was discovered.

Hugh listened carefully as he gathered all the information that their professor gave them, being a diligent student. He seemed to be the only one taking notes, except for a girl on the corner of the other side of the classroom.

He looked to his right and saw her long black hair that fell to her shoulders. She wore rounded glasses that gleamed in the light, hiding her clear blue eyes. She was writing on her tablet as she looked up to their professor.

Hugh did not notice her with the other girls in the classroom. Even though not all of the girls were on Serena's side, most of them had their own groups.

She seemed to be the only one without any friends that she interacted with, except for Hugh. Hugh was always alone and never had friends, even in high school, so he did not expect to make friends here in the special class.

She suddenly stopped writing as she turned her head towards Hugh, a little bit annoyed at his gaze. Hugh was flustered as he retracted his gaze and focused on the professor.

Hugh remembered her name to be Jane.

He focused on the lecture at hand until the professor raised his voice.

"Okay class, today will be your sparring day."

Murmurs filled the classroom as a cacophony of excitement mixed with thrill stimulated everybody, except Hugh. He dreaded this part of the class since he did not have an excellent way to fight correctly.

He looked at his right hand and focused his power on it. Silver and brown liquid formed an outer skin and outer muscle that gave him defense and explosive power.

It only lasted for three seconds until it disappeared, and disappointment filled his face. He would have to move with precision to time his defense to use his armor three times, each using one second to defend.

The professor led the students outside towards the sparring area. They all lined up, with Hugh standing at the back. Aric stood at the very front, followed by his lackeys.

Hugh noticed that Dempsy was nowhere to be seen. He did not go to class today, which gave him anxiety. He was worried that Hugh would report him to the CDA because he lost.

Sweat poured down his back as he tried to calm himself. He had to assume that Dempsy would not do that, or else he would not have waited until today.

They walked out of the building towards the bare solid ground that stretched towards the horizon. There were multiple big white circles in the field. Hugh guessed it to be the place where the students would spar.

It was like one of those ancient sports where gigantic humans pushed each other off; its name was sumo, if he remembered it correctly.

Professor Kain faced them all as he shouted to get their attention.

"Okay! You will be sparring here in these circles. If you step outside the circle, you are out. If you cannot take it anymore, you surrender. You can use your Desire, but there is absolutely no killing. That is all."

The men were giddy as they punched each other jokingly, excited to flaunt their Desires. The women were also competitive as they tried to get the attention of their queen, Serena.

Serena was an A-rank talent, as well as Aric, who had the same talent. They were sure to be strong and important people in the future, so it would be wise to get in their favor while still young.

"Betty vs. Carla. Go to the first ring

Chad vs. Mike. Go to the second ring

Bower vs. John. Go to the third ring

...."

Professor Kain listed the students who would face each other in this sparring session.

"Tanner vs. Hugh. Go to the tenth ring."

Hugh's name was called, and his heart sped up. He remembered that Tanner was one of the guys in Aric's inner circle.

He would surely try and gain Aric's attention by severely injuring Hugh. After what the mysterious reporter had said, Tanner would take revenge on Hugh in place for Aric.

Hugh gulped and practiced his armor once again. He walked over to the tenth ring and calmed himself down.

He closed his eyes and stood on one side of the ring. Feeling ready, he opened his eyes only to see Aric standing opposite him with a wicked smile.