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."

Xenia left happily, determined to prove

...

infirmary, where Cedric sat with an

cleared her throat and replied, "I'm

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 retain any information at

simple problems

his harsh words without argument, diligently taking notes. The room was

to hide her embarrassment. She had eaten a sandwich earlier, but it clearly was

at the clock and ordered takeout.

could not help but ask, "When did you get in

looked at

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

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

to leave this city and

"Quite a big dream for someone with your grades. Getting

still time," Noelle responded

a moment before averting his gaze. Then, he said, "Well, stop asking such basic questions

smiled, taking this as

her after-school sanctuary, staying until she finished her homework. Meanwhile, Xenia began dozing off in class, distracted by

favored Xenia and merely accepted

usernames matching in a coordinated style. The events played out just like in her previous life, except this time without Noelle. Cedric caught her looking at the

shook her head. "No, I wasn't. I was

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

me then?"

"I haven't played in

a deal!" Noelle watched him walk away, determined to rank

excellent player in her previous life, she