No longer a pushover

Chapter 8

Just as Noelle was about to lose her temper, Xenia finally appeared. While running toward them, she called out, "I'm so sorry! I was discussing tournament strategies with the others and lost track of time." "That's fine," Blake replied calmly. "At least you're contributing to the family, unlike certain ungrateful people."

Aiden smiled warmly at Xenia. "Don't worry. I'll drive faster to make up for it."

Despite his efforts, they still arrived late to school, where their homeroom teacher, Lionel Kramer, caught them at the classroom door. Xenia, breathing heavily, immediately spoke up. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault that we're late. I even held Noelle up." Noelle remained silent, her face expressionless. Lionel glanced at both women before saying kindly to Xenia, "I understand. There is no need to explain further. Go ahead inside."

"Thank you," Xenia replied.

As Noelle tried to follow Xenia into the classroom, Lionel's voice turned harsh. He scolded, "Noelle, stop holding Xenia back. Don't let this happen again!"

Noelle turned back. "Xenia just admitted that it was her fault we were late."

"Enough! I know what you're really like. Keep arguing, and you'll spend class standing in the hallway."

Not wanting to miss any more lessons when she was already behind, Noelle entered the classroom silently, her mood darkening. She wished she could take her exams sooner and finally escape all of this.

A crowd gathered around Xenia during their lunch break as she shared stories about the professional gaming team. Everyone listened enviously.

One of her lackeys glared at Noelle and mocked, "Someone is just jealous of Xenia and deliberately made her late."

Xenia smiled faintly but did not bother correcting the person. Meanwhile, Noelle remained unfazed, resting her head on her desk and ignoring them all.

After school, Xenia deliberately provoked Noelle again, saying, "I'm heading to training again today."

Noelle simply packed her books and left the classroom without saying a single word. Xenia's face broke into a triumphant smile as she watched Noelle leave.

She turned to her minions and said, "Do my homework like usual, okay? And make sure the teachers don't notice."

They all assured her. "Don't worry about it. Train well and chase your dreams. We've got you covered."

happily, determined to prove

...

sat with an amused

cleared her throat and replied, "I'm here to study. Please let

she barged in like she belonged there, hoping he would not kick her out. Cedric raised a brow, surprised by her confidence. He had expected her to be too timid to return. However, Cedric still did not hold back when Noelle asked him questions about her homework. "Can your brain

about simple problems and

accepted his harsh words without argument, diligently taking notes. The

tried to hide her embarrassment. She had eaten

the clock and

they sat together, Noelle noticed the scar on his wrist again. She could not help but ask, "When did you get in an

on the desk. He looked at Noelle, his gaze unreadable as he replied,

muttered, "Me too. My parents died in the crash,

memories surfaced. Back then, they had struggled, but their bond as siblings had been unshakable. However, everything changed when Xenia came into the picture. "What are your plans now?" Cedric asked,

aiming for Yole University. I want to leave this city and start

a big dream for someone with your grades. Getting into Yole University

Noelle responded confidently. "I'll

averting his gaze. Then, he said, "Well, stop asking such basic questions from

smiled, taking this as permission to keep

until she

favored Xenia and merely accepted her excuse of

events played out just like in her previous life, except this time without Noelle. Cedric caught her looking at the videos and teased, "Slacking off instead of

I was just watching. Studies come

said, "If you make the top 100 in next week's exams,

me then?" She knew that

slightly. His profile was as striking as ever. "I haven't played in

a deal!" Noelle watched him walk away, determined to rank among the top 100 in the

Since she had been an excellent player in her previous life,