High School Again: The President's Secret Lady Boss

Winter doesn't have to earn anyone's favor in that household. 

Even if it's only pretense, she shouldn't bother. It doesn't matter if Cyrus gets disappointed in her all the time or if Grace keeps finding faults in how she does things. Everyone else in the family can also abhor and detest her. Regardless of what they'll do, she'll never let Bianca get what she wants.

She'll never marry for their benefit.

"It's alright, Uncle Cyrus and Aunt Grace. Let Winter be for now. This may have been too sudden for her. Maybe she still has to take it all in," was what she heard Bianca saying before she left the dining hall that morning.

Winter won't fall for it, though.

She may have helped her get out of that situation before their uncle and aunt could resort to forcing her, but she was not at all relieved nor grateful that she was taking her side for once. Surely, she's only pretending to be considerate and understanding. Then again, she was the one who came up with the list of candidates – all of whom she claims as 'suitable for her' as her marriage partner. 

That said, Winter has only gotten warier of Bianca if anything.

'I don't know who the other candidates are, but I have a feeling that they're just as bad of a choice as Neil Schwartz. After all, if Uncle Cyrus and Aunt Grace think that he's the best one among them – a sex offender whose one and only good trait was his fortune, then I could only wonder just how bad the others were…' she grimaced, already looking enervated even though her first class just ended. 

'They probably won't stop nagging me after the attitude I showed this morning. If only they just chose Sir Lexington again-'

Flabbergasted at where her train of thoughts just led her to, she found herself halting on her tracks.

Still and silent, she tried to deny that she really admitted that she wanted Marcellus to be her husband once again. Getting married is not necessary, especially at her age. She doesn't need a man to prove her worth, abilities, and competence. That's what she should be telling herself. But then, for some reason, she's still considering that route - that she can have that kind of relationship with him. 

Winter shook her head vehemently, dispelling the thought.

"Excuse me!" someone exclaimed from behind her out of nowhere.

She heard the voice half a second before she was shoved aside, bolting down the hallway and crashing into several other students along the way. The force of the impact sent her tumbling into another person, but she was lucky enough to catch herself before they both fell. She shook her head and looked up to apologize, but her voice caught in her throat. 

The one Winter knocked into was none other than Chloe.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident," she squeaked.

Chloe said nothing. 

Yet the look on her face spoke volumes. Her lips curled up in disgust before she flicked her hair over her shoulder. Clicking her tongue, she then turned around and walked away. 

Winter stood in the hallway like a rock caught in the middle of a stream - a steady flow of students rushing by on their way to their next class.

'I didn't even do anything to her…!' she thought, gritting her teeth. 

'It's like she hates me because I'm not as pretty as she is. Where's the logic in that?'

This day just couldn't get any worse. 

She'd been doing so well lately. Then, all of the sudden, she starts finding herself in one troublesome situation after another – first, there's that whole emotional mess with Marcellus and Ace, and then, there's all that marriage talk with Cyrus and Grace. Now, it's back to Chloe again. Perhaps, this is life's way of reminding her that she can't always have her way. 

Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes, but she wouldn't cry over this - not over Chloe or Bianca or anyone else for that matter.

---

"Girl, you look like a wreck."

Maxine was the first to show up at their hang-out place at campus. Winter came a moment after her. 

Only when she saw that it's still the two of them did she realize that she arrived earlier than usual. That's probably a good thing since she didn't really want to appear to all of them while looking like a 'wreck' like what she said. She didn't even notice it.

"You okay, Wintry?" Maxine chimed in again, concerned.

"I'm just having a bad day," Winter replied sheepishly.

"I see. Wanna talk about it?"   

"W-Well, it's kind of embarrassing."

"Hmmmm… Is this about boys?"

"Ohh~ What's this about boys?"

Courtney appeared then, casually joining the two of them. 

They're surprised to see that she already arrived, though knowing that she's a sucker for juicy talks like this, she looked more like she'd been summoned. She cut off their conversation for a second, ecstatically letting herself in before prompting them to continue.

"So, boys problems, huh? Don't fret! They're nothing that girls' talks can't solve~" Courtney cooed.

"Stop jumping to conclusions, idiot. I haven't even heard the whole story from Wintry yet," Maxine chided.     

"Actually, she's right. I do have that kind of concern," Winter piped in.

At her admittance, they whip their heads in her direction and look at her in surprise.

It took a little while more before it registered – for once, this ever reserved and secretive friend of theirs is opening up to them, and it has something to do with guys, too. For the first time, she's the one approaching them about it. They don't even have to prod like usual.

"We're all ears~!" Courtney chirped with a thrilled grin.

"Yeah. You can tell us about it," Maxine seconded, patting her shoulder.

Winter smiles at them, grateful that they've stayed friends.

She can safely say now that she's chosen the right people to be with. Though it's still a challenge to express her thoughts and feelings to them, she always feels welcome and comfortable whenever she does so. That's because she can feel that they genuinely care.

However, Winter can't still find it in herself to tell Courtney and Maxine about everything. 

So, she decided to talk about the one they're raring to hear from her the most – her love life. She does need to figure out her feelings towards two certain guys, anyway. Perhaps, if she solves this matter first, she will be able to deal with the others much more easily. No more emotional messes.   

"You see, I've been thinking…" Winter started nervously, fidgeting and squirming, while Courtney and Maxine stared at her expectantly. 

"How do you know that this guy is… like I don't know… the one for you or something-"

"Hey, girls!"

Then, she froze.

It's already embarrassing enough to say it out loud, but for an intervention to take place and require her to say it one more time – well, that would've still been fine if only the one who intervened wasn't involved in whatever she's about to confess. She had to zip her mouth at once as soon as it happened. Otherwise, there would be another reason for her to get all flustered.

"Ace! Xander!" Courtney blurted out, surprised to see them already making their way to them.

"Way to ruin it, guys. Can't you see we're having a private discussion here?" Maxine deadpanned, shooting them a glare. 

"A private discussion?" Xander repeated, blinking in puzzlement. 

"Oh, do you need to be by yourselves right now?" Ace asked with his head tilted quizzically.

He glances at Winter, hoping to be clarified, but only to find her looking somewhere else. She appears a bit uncomfortable, and as if that's not enough to make him worry, he feels like she's trying to evade his gaze and looking a little self-conscious.

"Yeah, we have to be by ourselves for now. So, do excuse us," Maxine said urgently, grabbing Winter and Courtney before walking away.

While Xander raises his brow in confusion, Ace watches them leave despondently. 

It's not that hard to tell. Whatever they want to talk about in secret must have something to do with his love confession. As much as he wants to confront the matter as soon as possible, he has to understand that timing is of utmost importance in starting a relationship. 

If Winter needs a little bit of space, Ace is more than willing to give it to her –

Or so he thought.

Just when she and the others were about to cross the street, he spotted a certain someone approaching them from the other side of the road. Ace can't possibly fail to notice him – not with that sumptuous suit and those striking features of his. Then, before he knows it, he ends up doing the same. He left Xander behind to catch up to the girls in a hurry.

"Winter!"

They called Winter at the same time. 

Flummoxed, she turns around to look at whoever they are. She then found Ace looking somewhat frantic. To her surprise and confusion, standing beside him is Marcellus. Her heart races at the sight, her mind going blank and her eyes going wide. 

For whatever reason, the two of them have come together again, turning Winter into an emotional mess once more.