No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Noelle thought of Justin Parham, the transfer student from Yasnia they were talking about. He was one of the rich kids from Tuxbridge. She'd heard rumors that he had caused trouble at his previous school and was now laying low here. He was a flashy person known for driving luxury cars, wearing designer clothing, and his affinity for gaming.

In Noelle's previous life, Xenia had stolen her win in the gaming championship. Because of that, Justin had fallen for Xenia, and they eventually ended up dating.

Smiling, Noelle stuffed the letters under her desk without even opening them. She also didn't bother bringing up Justin asking for her number

Xenia couldn't hide her jealousy. She asked, "Noelle, aren't you going to take a look at them?"

"It's nothing new to me." Noelle used to get letters back in elementary school, too. That was before her parents' accident and Xenia's appearance.

Noelle's indifferent tone stung Xenia, who felt that the former was being too smug.

Envy clouded Xenia's eyes. She recalled the submissive lamb Noelle used to be, confused about why she had changed so much. She couldn't help worrying that Noelle would really steal Justin from her.

When school was over, Noelle packed her bag and left immediately. Xenia hesitated for a while before eventually sneaking to Noelle's desk and taking away all the letters.

Meanwhile, Noelle was headed to the infirmary. She was planning to surprise Cedric, but he

was nowhere to be found.

Taking out her phone, she texted him, "My results are out! I got tenth place! I think I have a real shot at Yole University now."

She was overjoyed and couldn't wait to share her excitement with him. She happily awaited his reply when someone else's voice broke out.

"I heard you did very well this time, Noelle. Congratulations.

11

Noelle lifted her head to see Frank standing before her. Her smile instantly vanished. "It's no big deal."

Frank handed her a gift box. "I picked this out to congratulate you. Didn't you used to say that you like this jewelry brand?"

Noelle glanced at the necklace inside the box. She wondered if this was supposed to make up for the emerald necklace he'd given away.

Just then, Xenia walked over. She spotted the necklace and stiffened. "What a beautiful

necklace! You should try it on, Noelle," she muttered bitterly.noveldrama

Noelle barely looked at it. "I don't like it."

Frank's smile faltered. Stiffly, he told her, "I'll change it to something you like. Tell me what kind you want." He had bought this necklace after she refused to accept the previous emerald necklace. He had been confident that this new one would do. Noelle could clearly tell that he was trying to make things up to her. However, a simple necklace wasn't going to erase the pain she'd endured.

Xenia was surprised by Frank's shift in attitude and wondered if he was trying to reconcile with Noelle. This scenario was far different from what she'd planned.

She hastily chimed in, "Noelle, it's not Frank's fault for not knowing what girls like. That's just how he is. I'm so jealous of you!"

Annoyed, Noelle snapped, "Then, you should try making it into the top ten." Inwardly, she just wanted Xenia to drop her innocent facade.

Tears immediately welled up in Xenia's eyes. "I didn't do so well this time because of Gwen. I would've done better otherwise."

Frank comforted her awkwardly. "I know it wasn't your fault. Come on. Get in the car. I'll take both of you out for a meal to celebrate." He could feel a headache setting in and was eager to change the subject.

Xenia's stiffened. She wondered what was there to celebrate when she hadn't performed well This meal was clearly meant for Noelle.

Displeased, she asked pointedly, "Noelle, how did you improve so much? Do you have a secret trick?"

"The only trick is to focus on studying instead of gaming," Noelle replied flatly.

The tears in Xenia's eyes finally spilled over. "B-But you even received so many love letters."

Hearing this, Frank demanded, "What's this about?"

Xenia quickly explained, "Noelle's really popular in school now. Even students from other schools are trying to get her number."

Frank frowned as Cedric came to mind. He warned Noelle, "You're still too young. Your only priority right now is your education. Don't let other things distract you."