Chapter 108: Uncalculated Fame

It was not hard for Starlight to figure out how the Red Lounge elevator worked. There were only two options on the panel: one leading to the underground garage and one leading to the ground-main entrance, obviously meant for those who didn’t own a car or arrive in one.

The moment the elevator opened to the main entrance, she breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the corridor was deserted. She guessed it was still too early for the high influential students to hang out, or maybe they just used the garage entrance directly. Either way, it didn’t matter as she could now go back and explore her new suite. She also needed to go on a foodstuff shopping spree at the academy mall, since there were a lot of dishes she wanted to try out now that she had a kitchen to herself. Yeah, that would definitely take her mind off the constructed, inescapable cage the crown princes had created around her.

They really thought playing a high-stakes game of control would work on her, if only they knew how severely they had miscalculated. If push came to shove, she would just act all swoon-worthy and compliant until they lost whatever interest they had in her in the first place. Once they got bored of her, she’d be free from their shenanigans. Starlight smirked as she made her way back to Eclipse House. When she had thrown out that suggestion about wooing her like a gentleman, she had only done it to throw them off balance and mock the sheer cowardice of hiding behind administrative contracts instead of saying what they actually wanted. As if she would ever give them the satisfaction of genuine interest.

But the look on Prince Mikhail’s face right before she turned her back on him was worth every second of that ridiculous session. For a second, his calm, calculating facade had completely cracked, and as for Nikolai, reeling him up was even more satisfying. He was so easy to provoke that Starlight couldn’t help herself.

However, as she got closer to the main building, the reality of her situation began to sink in. Students were scattered around the area, some hanging out while others were rushed off to their scheduled hours. The moment they spotted her, several of them immediately brought out their phones to record her, calling out her name.

She had almost forgotten that she now ranked number one in the Apex overnight. The attention she had received from simply being on the Apex leaderboard had been tiresome enough, let alone now that she had become the first ever human to make it to the top slot amid all the controversy surrounding her.

"Hey! Starlight Dawson, how does it feel to be ranked number one without even working for it?" someone shouted from the crowd.

It was obvious that whoever called out had a heavy bias against her, but Starlight wasn’t about to give them more material gossip about or risk losing her top ranking, which would mean losing her main and only source of income. She pretended she hadn’t heard them and simply picked up her paced

"Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear what he asked?" another student called after her when Starlight didn’t respond to the first question. "How does it feel to be at the top when you didn’t even work for it? Feeling so proud now, just because you rank number one? You don’t even deserve to be there!"

"Hey, stop it!" a girl near the back called out, shoving her way through the gathering crowd. "What exactly is your problem? If you think it’s so easy to make it to the top of the rankings without working for it, then why don’t you go and take it yourself?"

"Mind your damn business, Downlosers!" the guy snapped back, turning on her.

"Who are you calling a Downlosers?" Before Starlight could even register the sudden turn, shouting erupted between the two groups, with both sides throwing insults at each other until someone shoved someone else, and a fight broke out in the middle of the crowd, smartphones still held high in the air as students began recording the escalating chaos.

Starlight didn’t bother waiting to see how it ended. Recognizing that the situation was spiraling entirely out of control, she picked up her pace and broke into an outright sprint.

"She’s running!" someone yelled behind her.

Footsteps clattered against the pavement as a handful of students started chasing after her.

Starlight bolted toward the main pathway leading to Eclipse House, her heart thumping against her ribs. She was so close to the entrance, almost within reach of the heavy front doors, when she spotted another dense crowd gathered right near the steps. They were waiting for her. Starlight groaned inwardly and veered sharply to the right, skipping past the main steps to avoid getting cornered by the second mob. She was literally running from one crowd straight into another.

"Starlight! Over here!" a frantic voice hissed from a side walkway. She turned her head and saw Nalani standing behind a pillar with the two girls Starlight had met during her first class. They were waving at her. With the crowd closing in behind her, Starlight trusted her instincts.

Nalani had been nothing but genuinely helpful to her since they had met, and right now, she needed all the help she could get. Without wasting another second, Starlight ran toward them. Nalani immediately reached out, grabbed Starlight’s arm, and dragged her down an empty hallway. They ducked through what seemed like a utility door, slamming it shut and locking the bolt with a sharp click just as the sound of running footsteps echoed past outside.

All four of them stood there for a moment, breathing hard. The huge girl finally turned toward Starlight with a warm, relieved smile.

"It must be really hard being the most famous person in school right now."

Starlight leaned back against the locked door, catching her breath. "I wouldn’t call myself the most famous student, but I’m definitely the one everyone seems to be chasing today. Seriously, it seems like I can’t even walk to my own dorm without starting a riot."

Nalani laughed softly. "Well, you survived it."

"I hope so," Starlight muttered before looking at the three girls. "Really, thank you. I really appreciate it. I don’t even know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t pulled me in here."

"It’s no problem at all," the three girls said almost at the same time, waving off her thanks.

"You just have to know that we’re and will always be full-blooded Dawnbreakers," Nalani said with a proud grin.

Starlight gave her a skeptical look before sighing. "I really appreciate it, I guess."

Nalani’s two friends exchanged an excited glance before stepping closer. "We’re sorry. We don’t mean to make you uncomfortable or bother you, but we just wanted to say that we’re really happy we got to meet you like this. And if you don’t mind, could we please take a picture with you? Please, Starlight, please. We really want a picture with you, but we won’t mind if you say no. We promise we won’t become annoying stalkers or anything."

Starlight looked at the three of them, a helpless, genuine smile breaking through her exhaustion. Seeing no other way out and actually appreciating their quiet rescue, she nodded.

"Fine. Let’s get it over with." The girls let out muted squeaks of excitement, crowding in close as Nalani held up her phone, ready to snap a picture of Starlight with her friends.

"You’re not going to take one with us?" Starlight asked Nalani.

Nalani blinked. "But nobody will take it. Besides, I’m the one who dragged you in here. I’ll just take the pictures for them."

Starlight stared at her for a moment before sighing. "Okay, fine. You can take one with me after you take theirs."

Nalani’s face immediately beamed with excitement. "Really? Thank you!"

She quickly positioned herself to take her friends’ pictures, practically glowing at the prospect of taking pictures with Starlight Dawson.