The plan was set—prank her, watch her panic, and soak in the glory. Yet if they botched it, Ryder's reputation was toast. "Ryder, you're always so clever," Daxton teased with a smirk. Ryder rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Enough chit-chat. Let's go watch the masterpiece unfold." Seraphina walked into the classroom, calm as ever, while her classmates gawked in confusion. They'd been expecting drama, maybe even tears—but there she was, completely unfazed. "What's going on? Did Ryder mess up?" someone whispered. "Maybe he bailed at the last minute," another chimed in. One replied, "Or he couldn't do it after seeing how pretty she is." Ignoring the chatter, Seraphina headed to her seat. The atmosphere in the room shifted as everyone silently observed her. Some tried to act indifferent, others looked amused, and a few even seemed... sympathetic. As she opened her desk drawer, a dark, wriggling shape launched out toward her face. Gasps rippled through the room. Before anyone could process what was happening, Seraphina's hand shot out, gripping the snake firmly by its head. Silence fell. The harmless king ratsnake thrashed in her grasp, but she held it steady, her expression unreadable. Then, she squeezed with one swift motion. The snake's body went limp, its tail sliding off her arm and flopping to the floor. The classroom collectively held its breath. Someone remarked quietly, "What the... She just... grabbed it?" "Is she not scared at all?" a girl whispered, her voice shaky as she brushed off imaginary goosebumps.Near the door, Ryder and his crew stared in disbelief. The camera in Ryder's hands was supposed to capture a moment of panic and humiliation to post online—not this. "Ryder, what now?" Daxton muttered, his voice low. Ryder clenched his jaw, staring at Seraphina. "She's not scared of snakes," he grumbled, irritation seeping into his voice. Even so, he refused to accept it. Seraphina flicked her gaze to the doorway as if on cue, landing squarely on Ryder and his group. Her cold, piercing eyes made even Ryder's confidence falter momentarily. Seth stiffened, a visible shiver running down his spine. He mused, What's with that look? Her stare was unnerving, and it wasn't just Seth who felt it. Even Ryder, usually brimming with confidence, felt a flicker of discomfort under the weight of her eyes. Before they could react, Seraphina calmly placed her bag down, grabbed the limp snake, and strode toward the door. "She's coming!" Seth hissed, practically shrinking into himself. Instead of confronting them, Seraphina walked past without a word, baffling the group. Everyone was left scratching their heads. "Wasn't she going to give Ryder and his crew a piece of her mind?" "Yeah, right. Like she'd actually have the guts to take on Ryder," someone scoffed. "Wait... you don't think she's planning to report them with that snake in hand, do you?" another chimed in, half-joking. Nobody could figure out what she was doing, leaving the entire room buzzing with speculation. Meanwhile, Linara and her friends watched from afar, their expressions ranging from amused to unimpressed. "Well, that was underwhelming," Linara muttered, folding her arms. "Ryder's so pathetic. Using cheap tricks like this? And on her, of all people? Doesn't he realize she's from the slums? She's probably dealt with worse things than a snake," Kelly added with a shake of her head. Abigail shrugged. "I was expecting something good."