Early in the morning, John Sinclair saw his desk mate walk in with a blank expression just as the class bell rang.
"Hey, Claire, didn’t sleep well last night?" As soon as she sat down, John moved closer.
Claire Green lay on the table, giving a muffled "mm" in response.
On the podium, the chemistry teacher noticed Claire’s demeanor, shook her head visibly, and stopped looking at her.
After class, John glanced at the still-sleeping Claire, got up, and kicked Sebastian Winn’s chair, "Hey, chubby, let’s go."
"John, where are we going?" Sebastian followed John downstairs, asking in confusion.
"To the supermarket. Claire doesn’t seem to be in a good mood today."
The two arrived at the supermarket and stood in front of the vast array of snacks, feeling troubled.
"John, what should we buy?" Sebastian held a bag of chips, thinking Claire didn’t look like someone who’d enjoy eating those.
John recalled what he saw in Claire’s desk yesterday and pulled chubby over to a shelf.
Sebastian’s eyes widened at the sight of the row of candies, thinking that John must be joking, as candies didn’t fit Claire’s persona at all.
John didn’t care what Sebastian thought and picked a variety of candies. At the checkout, he noticed some small cakes and took them as well.
Carrying the items, Sebastian still hadn’t quite recovered from the shock of what they’d bought.
"John, you bought these things; I doubt Claire would like them."
After all, most normal girls don’t have a sweet tooth, and someone like Claire definitely wouldn’t either.
"Let’s make a bet," John smirked, a flash of cunning in his eyes.
"If Claire eats them, you do my homework for a week."
Sebastian quickly agreed without a second thought, "Alright."
Back in the classroom, they saw Claire already awake, sitting with her legs crossed, her fingers tapping away on her phone.
As they approached, they saw her bomb her entire team in the game.
"Claire, want some candy?" Sebastian forced himself to look away and asked nervously.
Claire looked up, saw a pile of candy on her desk, picked one up, and put it in her mouth, "Thanks."
The sweet taste spread in her mouth, and Claire’s mood became less irritable.
Sebastian stared wide-eyed at the scene, surprised that Claire actually ate candy.
"Chubby, you lost," John said smugly, as if he had expected this outcome, and grinned at Sebastian.
"You guys made a bet?" Claire asked with interest, the candy still in her mouth.
Sebastian rubbed his nose sheepishly, "We bet on whether you’d eat candy, and I lost."
Curious, Sebastian looked at John, "How did you know, John?"
Claire raised an eyebrow, looking at him with interest.
"I accidentally saw some desserts in your desk yesterday, so I guessed you might like sweets," John said, his smile full of pride.
Realizing he had been set up, Sebastian gave John an annoyed glance.
Claire clicked her tongue and looked away.
"Rae, will you come with me to class six?" Olivia Song had made up her mind overnight to check on class six, and she shook Rae Zander’s arm slightly, her delicate face showing a gentle smile.
Unable to resist her pleading, Rae replied helplessly, "Alright, I really don’t get why you want to see her."
The two walked arm in arm to class six and saw John Sinclair amiably chatting with Claire Green.
He didn’t resemble the usual school bully at all.
"Hey, could you call Claire Green for us?" Olivia Song stopped a boy and asked politely, her voice gentle and courteous.
"Uh, sure," the boy replied, nodding mechanically as he stared at her in a daze.
I can’t believe it, the school belle actually talked to me and smiled so gently at me.
"The school belle is looking for you," the boy said abruptly before running off.
Claire Green glanced sideways and saw Olivia Song standing at the door, looking at her.
"Claire, aren’t you going?" Sebastian glanced at the door, gesturing with his mouth, full of curiosity.
"No," Claire replied concisely.
John yawned and patted Sebastian on the head, "Chubby, I’ve noticed you’re curious about everything lately; you might as well become a reporter."
Olivia Song, seeing that Claire Green noticed her but still didn’t come out, felt a rise of anger but didn’t show it.
"Claire, I need to talk to you. Could you come out for a moment?"
The classmates’ eyes darted between the two of them, the air thick with gossip.
Claire raised an eyebrow and slowly walked over, leaning against the door.
With darkened eyes, she said coolly, "Go ahead."
"Claire, how did you get into Brightsong?" Looking at her face, Olivia pinched her palm, suppressing her jealousy.
Upon hearing this, Claire chuckled and replied with interest, "Of course, I walked in. Didn’t you?"
Her voice wasn’t loud, but enough for those nearby to hear.
Someone couldn’t help but laugh, followed by a stream of chuckles.
The school belle’s question was really dumb.
Olivia’s smile froze on her face, fully aware of the mocking glances directed at her.
"That’s not what I meant. It’s just you used to study at Virtue Wind, and suddenly transferred to our school. I’m a bit worried about you."
At face value, the remark seemed harmless, but on deeper thought, its implication was clear.
For a moment, the students’ gazes at Claire turned with distaste, and emotions of aversion and suspicion began to spread.
But Claire merely lifted her eyelids slightly, retorting coolly, "None of your business."
Having said that, she intended to leave, unwilling to continue an unproductive conversation.
Rae Zander forcefully grabbed her wrist, glaring fiercely, "Who do you think you are to talk to Olivia that way?"
Seeing that hand, a cold light gathered in Claire’s eyes, her expression turning icy.
Seeing the chill in her eyes, Rae felt as if her blood had frozen, as if she’d drop dead from the cold any second.
She dumbly let go, not daring to speak.
Seeing Rae’s cowardice, Olivia attempted to smooth things over, smiling gently, "Claire, I’m sorry, she’s not usually ."
She pulled Rae over, pinching her arm as she scolded her silently for being useless.
A fierce glint flashed in Claire’s eyes as she licked her red lips, "Olivia Song, keep your dog under control, or next time you’ll be visiting the hospital to cultivate your sisterly bond."
The crowd drew in a sharp breath, silence engulfing the classroom and corridor.
She’d just finished a self-critique yesterday, and today she was openly threatening people, not forgetting to provoke the school belle too.
No one believed that Claire’s talk of "excellence" was intended as a compliment.
Tears welled up in Olivia’s eyes, streaming down her face as she trembled slightly, "Claire, are you still mad at me and that’s why you won’t come home?"
"Our parents miss you a lot."
Seeing her sorrowful face, everyone couldn’t help but feel a pang of conscience towards Claire.
"Wow, is the school belle mourning? Hurry back to class one to cry then," John crossed his arms, his gaze turning cold.
Olivia’s sobbing abruptly came to a halt, caught between crying and not crying, trapped in a dilemma.
John was defending Claire. Why? Just because she was pretty?
"Olivia, let’s head back," Rae tugged on her, sensing the growing crowd and wanting to avoid further embarrassment.
Ultimately left with no choice, the two skulked away.
Soon after, the entire school knew about what happened that day, gossiped about it eagerly.