"I... was slacking off," Eliza casually brushed off the question, hoping to end the conversation. But the moment those words left her mouth, she felt the air behind her go colder. That gaze—already sharp—had turned freezing. Ding-ding— The bell rang. Eliza let out a breath of relief. She stood up, shoved her workbook into her bag, and used the bathroom as an excuse to slip out of the classroom. Behind her, Nolan watched her leave. He got up. "Nolan, wait for me!" Henry called, thinking they were headed to the restroom together. But instead of following, Nolan picked up Eliza’s workbook from her desk and flipped through it with detached curiosity. "Hey! That’s her stuff—how can you just—"Henry shut up the moment Nolan gave him a look. Right. My bad. If Nolan wanted to look at something, he didn’t need permission. He wasn’t exactly the polite type. Nolan studied the problem sets and notes carefully scribbled along the margins. After a few moments, he tossed the workbook back onto her desk without a word. … During P.E. The whole school had come down for exercises. Class Six, as usual, shuffled into place at the very back. It was already fall, and the weather had turned chilly. Eliza pulled her sleeves up over her wrists. With her ponytail bouncing and her smaller frame, she was quickly lost among the tall boys in the lineup. They naturally ran faster, and Eliza had to push herself to keep up. "Didn’t think you could run this well," Henry grinned, slowing his pace to jog beside her. As class rep for sports, Henry had top-tier stamina. He’d been planning to hold back for Eliza’s sake—but to his surprise, she ran like a pro. "It’s nothing. I’ve just done a lot of running." In the past, Naomi often made sure to leave school just ahead of her—taking the family car and leaving Eliza to walk home alone. Afraid of missing dinner, Eliza would often run all the way home. If she got home too late, Naomi would tell their parents she'd been out goofing off. Behind them, Zayden—leading Class One—watched Eliza laugh and talk with Henry. Something twisted in his chest. Naomi noticed. "Zayden, it looks like Eliza’s getting along with Class Six really well." Zayden’s brow furrowed slightly."Right? She never acted like that with us," someone else added. "But with those Class Six guys? Suddenly she’s Miss Social." "Guess she just likes hanging with boys. Remember how hard she used to chase Zayden?" "Ugh, talk about downward spiral. Eliza belongs with those lowlifes in Class Six. Just don’t bring that stink back to our class." Their sneers rang out loud and clear. Because Class One and Class Six were running close together, the mocking wasn’t hard to hear. Henry heard every word. He stopped running and turned around, eyes narrowed at the group behind them. "Say that again. I dare you." With Henry coming to a halt, the rest of Class Six followed suit. Eliza immediately grabbed his arm. "Ignore them! Don’t start anything." "'We'? Eliza, you’ve been in Class Six for a day, and it’s already we now?"Zayden’s voice dripped with sarcasm, his eyes full of contempt. Eliza frowned. "Zayden, don’t stir things up." Naomi put on her usual wounded act. "Eliza, why are you defending Class Six? Don’t forget—you’re coming back to us eventually." Zayden’s voice turned colder. "So what if I am stirring things up? Eliza, you chose to go to Class Six. You dragged your name—and ours—through the mud." "Yeah, we must be cursed to have someone like you. Volunteering to go to Class Six? What, you think they’re better than us?" Class One students always thought highly of themselves. Comparing them to Class Six was an insult. "Eliza, stop hanging around these punks. They’re not good people." "You little—" Henry raised a fist. Eliza jumped in front of him. If it escalated, the punishment would definitely fall on Class Six—not Class One. "What now? Trying to start something?" Colton and Lewis stepped forward. Just the sight of them made some Class One kids back off. Especially when Nolan joined them. The Nolan. The one who’d done time. Even Naomi clammed up, stealing a worried glance at Zayden. Because the confrontation had stalled both groups, the PE teacher blew his whistle and jogged over. "Move it! What are you all standing around for? Run!" As the teacher approached, Henry pointed a finger at Zayden and the rest of Class One. "Next time, don’t talk to us like you’re better than we are. Who the hell do you think you are?" Colton glared at them. "Whoever was trashing Class Six—don’t run after school. I’ll find you."Then, turning back, Colton did something unexpected. He looked at Eliza. "You. Run with me in the front." Eliza blinked in confusion. Lewis smiled gently. "Come with us. It'll keep them from messing with you." "...Thanks." Eliza moved forward with them. But as she passed Nolan, he suddenly grabbed her wrist. Her skin prickled with goosebumps. Nolan gave her a cold glance. "You. Run with me." She had no choice but to fall in line beside him. These tall guys each took two strides for every one of hers. At first, she kept pace—but she soon started to struggle. Nolan must’ve noticed, because he gradually slowed down. Only then could Eliza catch her breath. "Why did you agree to switch tests?"One sentence from Nolan made her heart stop. He knows? Her breath hitched—and she nearly stumbled.