CHAPTER 71: FAKE PEACE OFFERING

[Cliff Edge, Camila’s Camp— Euphoria]

[Continuation]

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"Do either of you even hear yourselves?" Principal Camila barked, slamming her palm on the desk so hard the maps and papers on it rattled. "You two were sent on a simple task...work together, retrieve the relic, and return safely. And instead, what do I get?"

Her eyes darted between the two girls standing before her— Soda and Stephanie, both looking like they’d rather be anywhere else, With no single fucks given, the expression written boldly on their faces.

Soda stood with her arms folded, jaw tightened, defiance simmering behind her sharp eyes.

Stephanie, on the other hand, stood with her chin tilted slightly upward, her signature smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as if the whole situation was beneath her.

Camila pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, her patience fraying. "You two are unbelievable."

Neither of them flinched. The silence that followed wasn’t calm— it was loaded.

Finally, Camila straightened and leveled her gaze at them, her voice calm but deadly sharp. "Soda, you cursed out your teammate in front of everyone. You completely disregarded your decorum as an angelic student."

Soda’s mouth twitched. "With all due respect, Principal Camila, she left me to die in that forest. I had every right to say what I said."

Stephanie rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, please. You act like I abandoned you on purpose. You’re the same one who told me to get lost, Hello?...Maybe if you weren’t so slow, you wouldn’t have gotten lost."

That did it. Soda took a step forward, fury flashing across her face. "For the record, I never got lost, Secondly... you’re nothing but a spoilt brat."

Camila slammed her hand on the desk again, louder this time. "Enough!" Her voice echoed across the tent, making both of them freeze. "I am tired of this childish nonsense. Both of you are supposed to be representatives of this academy, and instead, you’re acting like squabbling toddlers!"

Soda’s glare didn’t waver. "Tell that to her principal Camila...Soda has no teammate OR leadership qualifications...you can tell from the way she treats her own friends..." she muttered under her breath.

Stephanie scoffed. "You see? She never shuts up...you know nothing about leadership, and you of all people shouldn’t be lecturing me about that either, Maybe you’re forgetting that I’m still your students president."

Camila’s patience snapped. "Stephanie!" she shouted, her voice sharp as lightning. "I’ve had it with your attitude. If you keep this up, you can forget about running for student president next year."

That hit Stephanie like a punch to the gut. Her smirk faltered instantly. "W-what?" she blurted out, her tone shifting from arrogant to alarmed.

Camila crossed her arms. "You heard me...I’ve watched you bully, manipulate, and tear down others just to make yourself look better. Leadership isn’t about ego or power...it’s about responsibility. You’ve proven you can’t even handle a partnership without turning it into a battlefield."

Stephanie clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. Her heart pounded, but she forced herself to remain composed. "No way she’s taking that from me. No way!" She thought to herself.

With a slow, practiced breath, Stephanie shifted her tone. The smirk returned, polished now and softer, it was almost convincing. "You’re right, Principal Camila," she said smoothly.

Soda glanced quickly at her, as if she heard something wrong. Something very wrong.

"I got carried away. It won’t happen again."

Soda raised a brow, half-amused and half-skeptical. "Oh, really?"

Stephanie turned toward her, her voice dripping with feigned warmth. "I should’ve never left you in the forest, Soda. That was wrong of me. I’m... sorry. I really am..."

The apology felt like venom disguised as honey.

Soda narrowed her eyes, reading right through it— but she wasn’t about to give Stephanie the satisfaction of seeing her riled up again. She let out a small, tight smile and nodded. "Apology accepted," she said coolly. "I guess we can try again next time."

Stephanie swooped in for a fake hug, her smile too sweet to be real.

An irritated "ugh" escaped Soda before she could stop herself— she hadn’t seen that one coming.

The air between them was now colder than before, and even lighter— though both girls know it wasn’t real. The were all playing along.

Camila exhaled slowly, rubbing her temple. "Good. That’s... progress, I suppose." Her tone said she didn’t believe it for a second. "Now, I expect you both to maintain this civility outside of this tent. You’re dismissed."

Stephanie stepped forward first, flashing her best politician smile. "Of course, Principal. Thank you for your patience."

Soda followed, her expression unreadable.

As they stepped outside, the air was thick— too thick for this late hour, like the whole forest of Euphoria was holding its breath.

The smell of smoke from the early fires lingered, mixing with the crisp air. The world looked peaceful— but the tension between them was anything but peaceful.

Stephanie exhaled through her nose and muttered just loud enough for Soda to hear, "You’re lucky I’m in a good mood."

Soda chuckled dryly. "You’re lucky I haven’t thrown you off this cliff right now... or back then in the woods when I said I would."

Stephanie shot her a glare, but before she could respond, a few passing students looked their way. Instantly, she pasted on that perfect smile again and looped an arm around Soda’s shoulder. "Smile for the crowd, partner," she whispered sweetly.

Soda forced a stiff grin, leaning into the act. "Sure thing, bestie."

They hugged— at least, that’s what it looked like. But up close, the contact was stiff, their muscles tense, each of them silently daring the other to break character first.

The moment they pulled apart, the smiles dropped like masks hitting the ground.

Inside the tent, Camila stood motionless for a moment, staring at the closed flap. The echo of their fake laughter still rang in her ears. Finally, she sank into her chair and let out a long, weary sigh.

"For heaven’s sake..." she muttered, rubbing her face with both hands. "If they don’t kill each other, it’ll be a miracle."

Her eyes drifted toward the pile of papers on her desk, the faint glow from the light inside the camp spread across the canvas walls. The responsibility of keeping all these students alive and sane weighed heavily on her and Darren’s shoulders. Especially hers.

She reached for a cup of cold tea, took a sip, and muttered under her breath, "These kids will be the death of me."

Outside, laughter and chatter filled the camp again, the forest of Euphoria alive with new energy. But among the voices, two stood apart— Soda and Stephanie, walking side by side, their words polite but their eyes saying something else entirely.

And as the light shifted across their faces, it was clear...this truce wouldn’t last long. Not in a place like Euphoria. And certainly not with hearts like theirs.