Chapter 19 || A Second Chance

Chapter 19: 19 || A Second Chance

Classes had ended, but no one had left the classroom yet. Everyone was still seated at their desks, except for one empty seat.

Ben’s seat.

It remained untouched, a quiet reminder of the student who would never return.

At the front of the classroom, Ivy stood beside Riven and Juro, who remained silent at her sides.

Ashir stared at the three of them. "What’s this new drama now, Ivy?"

Sena leaned back in her chair.

"Yeah. And I thought we were supposed to be at the mall. So what are we still doing here?"

Meira sighed, resting her cheek against one hand.

"I wonder what new story those two have come up with. You can’t really trust anything that comes out of their mouth."

Lily suddenly stood up.

"Why don’t we all just hear what Ivy has to say? Ivy has also been the one supporting the class, and she wouldn’t wish anything bad for it. So let’s all just... listen to her."

Everyone froze.

The classroom fell silent.

Ivy looked at Lily and gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Lily."

Lily smiled back before sitting down.

Ivy stepped forward.

"I know everyone is still upset about what happened. And we have a right to be, but I think we shouldn’t act out of impulse and instead solve it together like a team."

She looked at Riven standing beside her.

"I agree Riven was wrong for keeping his position a secret, but can we really blame him? He was just scared about how we would react to the news and he came to a conclusion. A bad conclusion."

She turned back toward the class.

"And now seeing how we’re acting, I think this is what Riven was afraid of and tried to prevent. That shows that Riven really cared about the class."

Ivy turned toward Juro.

"Juro here isn’t at fault either. He was just looking out for his friend like anyone in his shoes would."

She placed both hands on the table and leaned forward slightly.

"So can we please forgive them for what they did? I mean, think about it. He’s the Master of the Grents. If he really wanted our money, why would he go through the trouble of bringing the class together? He could have just ordered us to do as he has the power. But he didn’t. Why? Because that wasn’t his intentions."

Torin tapped a finger against his chin as he thought about it.

"Well, now that you mention it, it is true. There would be no need for him to gain our trust just to get our coins."

Caden nodded in agreement.

Riven and Juro exchanged a glance.

For the first time since the reveal, a little hope returned to their eyes.

But Ashir wasn’t convinced.

"That could be true, Ivy. But what if the reason he didn’t order us to give him our coins was because that wasn’t his style? So his real plan was to get all of us to trust him, then when someone came up with the idea of saving up money and giving it to someone we trust, obviously we all settled on Riven. He gets the money, then he and his little sidekick share it among themselves."

Code glanced at Ashir.

’He makes a good point.’

"I suppose that would be a good plan."

Code turned toward Aria.

Aria calmly closed her book. "That’s if Riven had agreed to keep the class’s money in the first place."

Ashir turned toward her. "What do you mean?"

Aria spoke calmly, her voice carrying through the quiet classroom.

"Riven clearly didn’t want to keep the class’s money in the first place and that’s why Juro volunteered to do it, but that could also be read as Juro just helping his friend steal the money himself, but no. It wasn’t. Riven wasn’t interested in our money, he was only trying to become the class’s leader and move the class forward."

Riven looked at Aria, clearly surprised by her words.

Aria folded her arms and closed her eyes.

"Ivy is right, if Riven wanted the money he could have just ordered it from us. If it was anyone else in his shoes they wouldn’t have tried to get the class together. It would just be an easy grab of money. I know I would have done the latter."

Code stared at Aria.

’She really came through today.’

Aria opened her eyes and looked directly at Riven.

"That’s the difference between Riven and I. And I believe Riven deserves to be this class’s leader."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Then—

Clap!

Torin started clapping.

Ivy joined him.

Then Caden.

One by one, the rest of the class followed.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Ken whistled. "That was a good speech, Aria."

Aria didn’t reply.

She simply remained composed, her arms still folded.

Ivy smiled at her. "Thanks for helping out, Aria."

Aria was about to speak when she noticed Code holding up a piece of paper.

She looked at him.

Code silently showed her the words written on it.

Aria read them.

Then she turned back toward the class.

"You’re welcome."

The class broke into applause once again.

Code folded the paper and looked out the window.

He sighed.

’She was probably going to say something off point and ruin everything.’

Aria stared at him for a moment.

Then she turned her attention back toward the class.

"I believe everyone deserves a second chance, no matter the circumstances," Ivy said.

She looked at Juro, then Riven.

She smiled. "And I believe these two deserve a second chance."

Lily nodded. "Mmm."

Ivy stepped aside.

Riven moved into her place.

The classroom gradually fell silent.

Riven placed both hands on the table.

"I want to say thank you to Ivy, Aria, Juro and thank you..."

He looked around the classroom.

"...Everyone for giving me a second chance at being your leader. It... it really means a lot to me."

He paused briefly.

"I’m not really going to say much as everyone have places to go and we also need to prepare for our part time jobs."

Riven looked around at his classmates.

"All I want you all to know is that I truly want to move to the fourth floor with you all and I know we can all do that as a team. And I promise to lead you all with complete honesty this time around."

Caden raised his hand slightly. "You need to also promise no more secrets."

Riven let out a small laugh. "Right, Caden. No more secrets. I promise."

Juro stepped forward. "Same here as well."

Riven smiled. "I look forward to working with you all."

The classroom erupted into applause.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Ivy, Juro and Riven returned to their seats.

Lily smiled at Ivy. "You did great."

Ivy sat down. "...Thank you for supporting me, Lily."

Lily simply smiled.

Riven settled back into his seat.

Yua looked toward him. "Welcome back, Riven."

Riven nodded. "It’s good to be back."

Ashir stood up from his seat, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked out through the front door without saying another word.

The moment he left, the classroom gradually became noisy again.

At the back—

Beep.

Code felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

He pulled it out and turned on the screen.

A message from an unfamiliar number.

He opened it.

[Let’s meet at the café. Love Ivy.]

Code glanced toward Ivy.

She gave him a small smile.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Bam.

Something landed on his desk.

Code turned.

Aria was already walking away with her bag over her shoulder.

The classroom door slid shut behind her.

Code stared at the folded paper for a moment.

Then he picked it up.

...

At the Caféteria

The café was busier than usual after school.

Students came and went through the glass entrance, while the quiet chatter of customers filled the room. The smell of coffee and freshly baked pastries lingered in the air, mixing with the sweeter smell of cakes and desserts displayed behind the counter.

A few tables near the windows were occupied by students talking with friends, while others sat alone with drinks or desserts in front of them.

A waiter passed between the tables carrying a tray of drinks.

At the back of the café, beside a large window, two students sat across from each other.

Code and Ivy.

A parfait sat in front of Ivy, topped with layers of cream, fruit, and a few pieces of chocolate.

Code had a bowl of ice cream in front of him, with chocolate freckles scattered across the top and a single cherry resting in the middle.

Ivy scooped up another spoonful of her parfait.

Code glanced at her. "Aren’t you supposed to be shopping with the girls?"

Ivy smiled. "I cancelled it."

She took another spoonful.

"I also returned Meira’s hair clip like you told me to."

Code picked up his spoon and took some ice cream.

Ivy rested her cheek against her palm.

"But I don’t know why she chose to wear the ribbon instead. Maybe she didn’t care much for the hair clip after all."

Code swallowed his ice cream. "She probably hid the hair clip someplace safe. She wouldn’t want it going missing again."

"True."

Code reached into his pocket and pulled out another silver hair clip.

Ivy’s hair clip.

He held it out toward her.

"Here, you can have yours back."

Ivy reached for his hand but instead gently closed his fingers around the clip.

"You keep it. It’s safer with you."

Code looked at her. "You should take it. I won’t hesitate to sell it, if ever I need money."

Ivy lightly tapped the back of his hand. "If that’s what makes you happy, then do it."

Code withdrew his hand. "Fine."

He slipped the hair clip back into his pocket.

Ivy picked up her spoon again.

"So Code, tell me how did you know that was my hair clip and not Meira’s."

Code took another spoonful of ice cream.

"Well. Meira’s clip was worn out. She probably used it for a long time, even before coming to the academy. Yours still looked new."

"I see."

Ivy reached for the bag beside her and unzipped it.

Code watched her.

She pulled out a black marker.

"Show me your hand."

She gave him a warm smile.

Code brought his injured hand forward.

Ivy uncapped the marker and carefully wrote across the white bandage.

"Get well soon, Code, signed Ivy," she repeated as she wrote.

When she finished, Code withdrew his hand and looked at the message.

Ivy dropped the marker back into her bag and picked up her spoon.

"Let’s enjoy our date."

Code picked up his spoon. "thought I thought you said this was a celebration for the class getting together again."

Ivy laughed lightly. "We can still take this as our first date, silly."

Code calmly put another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"Just so you know. I’m not paying for all this."

"Of course. But Code, you should learn to act gentlemanly."

"I’ll think about it."

Ivy smiled. "Then for our next date you’ll take care of the bill."

Silence.

Code continued eating.

Ivy stared at him. "Why are you being silent?"

Code didn’t reply.

Ivy narrowed her eyes slightly before puffing out her cheeks.

"Code!!"

Her sweet voice carried across the table.

Code continued eating his ice cream.