Their Exclusive Sweetheart

Ella stood helplessly in front of the dazzling gates of Vanderlyn Preparatory Academy, glaring at the golden letters that screamed "We're too good for you." Not because she didn't want to walk in—oh no—but because she physically couldn't.

The front gate was surrounded by a wild mob of furious girls who looked like they'd lost all brain cells to rage.

One of them—a senior who looked like she'd eaten one too many cupcakes and had the attitude of a bulldozer—was practically foaming at the mouth. "You? Get close to Alexander? Alexander Blackwood of TVU5— the untouchable five princes at the Vanderlyn University! You actually had the nerve to kiss him?! Have you even looked in a mirror lately? You're not even in the same zip code as his league!"

Ella raised her hands like she was surrendering to riot police. "Wait, wait—this is all a huge misunderstanding. I didn't try to kiss him! It was just—like—one of those weird, freak accidents!"

"Liar!" someone shrieked. "You definitely kissed him! Don't you know our life goal is to win Alexander's first kiss? And now you stole it? This is treason! Absolute, unforgivable treason!"

The crowd was now fully possessed. Fists were in the air. "Unforgivable! Totally, absolutely, no-way-back-from-this UNFORGIVABLE!"

"I already said it was an accident!" Ella cried out, desperately trying to reason with the angry mob. "And FYI—it was my first kiss too! Shouldn't I be the one crying?!" But her voice was completely drowned out by the mob's fury.

"GET HER! Kick her out of Vanderlyn Prep!" Somebody screamed it, and the pack lost what was left of their minds. Somewhere in the back, half-hidden in the shadows, a girl smirked coldly. That villain-vibe sneer? Straight-up Disney evil.

That girl was no one but Ella's stepsister—Kristen Jones. Brought into the family by her stepmom. No blood relation—just bad blood.

Chaos. A dozen manicured claws and Louboutin-clad feet descended on Ella like a high-fashion stampede. She tried to fight them off, but there were too many of them and she was built like a pixie stick. In no time, she was on the ground, her uniform shredded like she'd been through a woodchipper.

Then came that voice. Lazy. Bored. Dipped in sarcasm. "Wow… someone's having a rough morning."

The mob froze like someone had hit pause on a movie. Then they transformed—like magic. One second they were wild banshees, next they were soft-spoken schoolgirls straight out of a Jane Austen novel. "Good morning, young masters!" they chirped sweetly, like a flock of fake-ass angels.

Ella, still in a crumpled heap, looked up. And there they were: Five boys. Five heartbreakers. Five reasons this school might as well be called Drama 101. They stepped out of a long black Lincoln limo like they were filming a perfume commercial. And leading the charge?

Yep. Him. Alexander Blackwood. The guy she accidentally lip-locked with. The root of all her current suffering.

Next to him was the one who'd just spoken—Beckett Astor. Resident playboy. More girlfriends than test scores. Probably allergic to commitment.

Then came Caelan Montgomery. Quiet. Mysterious. Looked like he slept through drama but was somehow always ten steps ahead of it. He glanced over the crowd with a slight frown, eyes landing on Ella's disaster of a situation.

Fourth out of the limo was Dexter Harrington, known gamer and the poster child for "I'd rather be leveling up than dealing with this crap." He didn't even look up from his console. Total vibe.

And lastly—Emmett Hayes. Sunshine boy. Sweet. Kind. Probably the only one in the group who'd actually help Ella.

When Emmett saw Ella, sitting there in her ripped-up clothes, he gasped. "Oh. My. God. What the hell happened?!"

Because Emmett always looked like he walked out of a Disney musical, someone from the crowd immediately piped up, "It's all her fault! That ugly girl kissed Alexander! It's unforgivable!"

Beckett burst out laughing. "Seriously? That news traveled fast!"

Alexander, however, didn't look amused. His jaw twitched. "Beck. Shut up."

Ella wanted to dig a hole and disappear. She ducked her head, cheeks flaming. Ughhh. That was my first kiss too! Of all the people to fall on—why did it have to be Alexander? Out of seven billion people on Earth, she tackled the one guy with a fan club and a hit squad.

Emmett stepped forward, his voice calm but ice-cold. "Ladies, I'm warning you. Ella's my friend. Touch her again, and I don't care if you're girls—I will hit back."

Ella gazed at Emmett with tears in her eyes, moved. Meanwhile, the faces of the other women twisted in resentment and helpless envy—they glared daggers at Ella.

They knew Emmett wouldn't actually fight them—most of them came from powerful families too—but the message was loud and clear:

Ella's off-limits.

Everyone already knew Ella and Emmett got along well in class. What shocked them was Beckett stepping in for her too.

Beckett glanced at Ella, still sitting on the ground, and told Emmett, "Let's just skip class today and take her to the hospital. Let those charming ladies cover the medical bill, okay? Ladies? Any objections?"

The girls all shook their heads like synchronized swimmers. "N-no objections!"

"Oh, and one more thing," Beckett said dramatically. "Ella's officially our personal maid now. Starting today. Bully her again, and you're messing with all five of us. Got it?"

WHAT?! Gasps exploded like popcorn. "No way! Is this serious?! If getting beat up means I can be their personal maid, I volunteer as tribute!"

Ella was done. She glared sideways at Alexander and mumbled, "Seriously, did the entire female population of Vanderlyn Prep go collectively insane? And those five? What's so great about them anyway? Aside from Emmett, they're just a bunch of over-glorified peacocks."

Alexander, hearing Beckett's announcement, clearly wasn't thrilled either. "Beckett. Enough."

Dexter finally paused his game, glanced up, and shrugged. "Honestly, it's not a bad idea. We don't like being interrupted when we hang out. A maid might actually be useful."

Even Caelan chimed in. He walked behind Ella, reached over, and messed up her hair like she was a pet hamster. "I heard you've been working part-time jobs to save up for college. Alexander's willing to pay you a nice monthly salary. By graduation, you'd probably have a year's tuition saved. Interested?"

Ella opened her mouth to protest, but the moment she heard "salary," her brain short-circuited. "…Is that… for real?"

Alexander didn't answer. He just scoffed, "I’m out of this drama," and walked off like she was gum on his shoe.

Beckett grinned, patted her on the shoulder, and followed.

Caelan and Dexter wandered off behind them. Emmett gently helped Ella to her feet and started guiding her toward the car.

"Whoa, whoa—where are you taking me?!"

"To the hospital, duh!" Emmett sighed. "I can't believe you got yourself into this mess. Two years of keeping a low profile—wasted! Don't stress about the hospital bill though. Beckett already put those girls on the hook. And if they back out? You've got me."

Ugh… That wasn't even what she was worried about! The real problem? WHEN exactly did she agree to be their maid?!

Since Emmett took Ella to the hospital, the remaining four members of the TVU crew headed straight to their private lounge. Coffee and snacks were delivered the second they sat down. Perks of the elite.

Alexander flopped onto the couch like he had beef with it and shot a death glare at Beckett. "Yo, Beck. What was that about making that girl our personal maid? You running low on maids at home or something?"

Caelan sipped his coffee with a ghost of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Dexter, true to form, had his earbuds in, gaming like the apocalypse could wait.

Beckett just laughed, the audacity practically radiating off him. "We're definitely not short on maids. But come on, none of our maids are walking-talking porcupines, right? That girl's kind of fun. All puffed-up and prickly the second she senses danger—like a tiny hedgehog with an attitude."

Then he lowered his voice and grinned like he was about to drop a nuke. "Hey, Alex… you've never actually dated anyone, have you? Wasn't that kiss the other day your first ever?"

Alexander practically snapped his neck turning to him, eyes blazing behind his glasses. "Beck, I swear to God, if you don't shut it, I will deck you."

Alexander huffed, arms crossed. "Those shallow, vulgar types aren't worthy of my love."

Caelan and Dexter finally looked up from their own worlds and shared a knowing smirk. "Classic Alex," Caelan said. "He's got that big ol' sister complex. To him, all women are trash… except his baby sis."

Alexander looked like he was about to implode. "Seriously, you guys—enough!"

But deep down? He knew they weren't totally wrong. There really was something about that Ella girl that reminded him of his sister. Why else hadn't he already shut her down for being completely disrespectful? Anyone else, and he would've had them quietly 'disappeared.'

Little hedgehog, huh? That nickname was… weirdly accurate. The way she bristled up the other day? She looked ready to stab someone with her ponytail.

Beckett exchanged a glance with Caelan and Dexter but didn't say anything more—for now.

That's when Emmett strolled in, cheerful as ever, and plopped down next to Dexter. "What are you guys laughing about? Sounded like someone just dropped the best meme of the year."

Beckett grinned. "We were talking about Alex's big moment with that girl… you know, his very first kiss."

Seeing Alexander about to explode again, Beckett quickly zipped it. Making Alexander mad was like poking a bear—armed with a law degree and the funds to sue you into next week. The rest of them knew that better than anyone.

These five had been thick as thieves since they were kids. And when it came to temperament? Alexander was basically a volcano in a silk suit. Honestly, he and Ella might've been long-lost twins with their mutual talent for rage-quitting reality. Back in middle school, some poor soul pissed off Alexander and ended up hospitalized for a month. Since then, the Five basically ruled both Vanderlyn Prep and TVU like lowkey royalty.

Caelan, on the other hand, was the group's human version of chamomile tea—gentle, soft-spoken, always smiling like he just solved world peace. Girls at school either had a massive crush on the broody Alexander or the warm, dreamy Caelan. With his looks, manners, and a background just as elite as Alex's, Caelan was like a walking romance novel cover come to life.

Then there was Beckett—the infamous playboy of TVU. His nickname, Mr. B, was practically a legend. Everyone knew he was bad news (in the hot way), but so far, no girl had managed to make him settle down. Rumor had it he got his heart broken once and had been in "IDGAF" mode ever since.

Dexter was the quiet one. Son of a legendary music producer and an iconic novelist, his family basically ran half of North America's music scene—and had a stake in the film industry too. But Dexter couldn't care less. He'd rather game than go to red carpets. Cold to everyone and emotionally unavailable? Check. Which is probably why the rumor mill decided he had to be gay. Still, he didn't seem bothered either way.

And Emmett? Same age as Ella. Sunshine incarnate. Sweet, honest, allergic to evil. The kind of guy who'd rescue a puppy in the rain and then apologize to the rain.

Meanwhile, at the hospital… Ella lay on the hospital bed, getting her wounds cleaned and wrapped. Her mind drifted—unfortunately—straight back to the past.

Her mom had been in a car crash when Ella was little, and had been in intensive care ever since—ten years and counting. That left her dad struggling to raise her alone, and spoiler alert: he wasn't exactly crushing it. Then came Chloe. Rich, beautiful, polished—and Ella's future stepmom. She brought a daughter with her too: Kristen. Just six months younger than Ella, and apparently, the new favorite. Ella never understood it. Chloe clearly had money and options—so why marry a broke, grumpy guy with a kid?

From the second Chloe and Kristen moved in, Ella might as well have been a ghost.

Her dad treated Kristen like royalty. Designer clothes, fancy snacks, the works. It was also true that the breadwinner of the family was Chloe, and her father Frank, who was used to spending women's money, naturally wanted to please his stepdaughter Kristen. Ella? Invisible.

Ella felt like she was the stepchild, and Kristen was the real daughter.

Since middle school, Ella had been waking up early to cook breakfast for the whole family, then washing dishes, cleaning floors, and racing to catch the subway for school.

Kristen? Cruised to class in her mom's luxury car like she was late for her debutante ball.

After school, Ella worked part-time jobs to cover her living expenses and her mom's insane medical bills. She studied like her life depended on it (because, well, it kind of did), and managed to stay top of her class for seven years straight—all so she could score a scholarship.

That's how she got into Vanderlyn Prep—tuition-free. But private school wasn't just tuition. There were fees. Lots of them. So Ella kept hustling, saving every cent for her dream college fund.

But the second she got in? Kristen started whining that she wanted to go to Vanderlyn too. Her parents, thinking they'd hit the jackpot, forked over everything they had to send her. Why? Because Vanderlyn was crawling with rich trust-fund boys. If Kristen could bag one, boom—problem solved.

Too bad Kristen didn't have the polish to hang with the real socialites.

No matter how hard she tried, she was always a B-list extra in an A-list world.

And as for Emmett? That friendship happened totally by accident.

Ella didn't even realize at the time that Emmett was actually a heir of a rich family as well.

Ella had just stepped out of the subway when she saw a guy lying on the sidewalk next to a wrecked motorcycle, looking dazed and confused.

His school uniform matched hers—Vanderlyn Prep.

Without thinking, she rushed over, helped him up, and dragged him to the nearest hospital.

It was because of this act of kindness by that Emmett met and remembered his first classmate and friend when he came to Vanderlyn.

Turns out, it was his first day as a transfer student. He loved motorcycles and had ditched his bodyguards to ride solo to school. Bad timing—he got slammed by a drunk driver who fled the scene.

He was still frozen in shock when Ella found him. Without her, he might've just stayed there until help finally showed up.

Thanks to her, Emmett ended up with just a minor fracture and stayed in the hospital for observation. Ella dropped by after school every day to check on him. They got close. Like, real friends-close.

And when he got discharged, Ella found out the kicker—Emmett, the chill guy in non-name-brand clothes, was actually a rich kid too! Plot twist of the year.