Chapter 10 So You Like Me That Much
Naomi’s face dropped the moment she heard the news.
This was a city–level mathpetition. How was Eliza supposed to help her cheat?
If she embarrassed herself at that level, her days of being the teacher’s pet and vice ss rep would be over.
Eliza, unfazed, headed upstairs.
She wasn’t surprised at all that their mother had sided with Naomi–again.
+8 Pearls
In fact, the teacher had already spoken to her that afternoon. The change in nomination was made with Eliza’s consent
But Naomi didn’t know that.
“Eliza! You have toe up with something! I can’t go to the mathpetition!”
<b>Naomi </b>rushed up to the attic.
Though she usually hated the cramped, stuffy space, she bent down and lowered herself just to plead with Eliza.
If people found out she’d cheated on past exams and then bombed the citypetition, her reputation as the perfect student would be destroyed.
“I can’t do anything.” Eliza sighed theatrically. “Mom already called the <b>school</b>.”
Naomi cursed under her breath. “<b>It’s </b>all Mom’s fault. She just had to stick her nose in. So annoying!”
Eliza looked at her, her heart sinking.
The kind of motherly <b>love </b><b>she </b>had longed for all her life meant so little to Naomi.
“Eliza. you’ve got to help me. You <b>don’t </b>want me to be humiliated in front of everyone, right?”
Naomi looked at her with wide, pleading eyes.
With thepetition only a month away and math being her worst subject, even passing was a stretch–let alone cing
“I want to help you, but..”
“But whatt”
“I’m transferring to another ss. I probably won’t be able to.”
“What? You’re transferring?”
Naomi froze.
Why would Eliza suddenly transfer<b>? </b>
Eliza shook her <b>head</b>. “The teacher said my scores were too low thest two times<b>, </b>so I’m being moved to ss <b>Six.</b>”
“ss Six? That’s the worst ss in the school. The homeroom teacher used to like you–why would they send you <b>there</b>?”
Naomi looked at her skeptically.
<b>ss </b>Six <b>was </b>full of rich kids <b>who </b>didn’t care about schoolzy <b>troublemakers </b>who lived off their families‘ money.
All the other sses looked <b>down </b>on them, especially those from ss One.
“The homeroom teacher said if I do well on the next monthly exam, Ill be transferred back. So don’t worry.”
“But… <b>how </b>are you going to help me cheat <b>during </b>the next exam if we’re not in <b>the </b>same <b>room</b><b>?</b>”
Naomi began to panic.
837 AM
Chapter 10 So You Like Me That Much
If Eliza couldn’t help her with the monthly exams, and she had to face the citypetition too, she was finished,
+8 Pearls
“Rx, Eliza said, patting her hand. “We’ll still <b>swap </b>papers. The teacher made me ss rep in ss Six. I’ll have chances to switch tests when the teachers aren’t looking.”
<b>Naomi </b>let out a breath of relief. “<b>That’s </b>good.. That’s good.”
“But.. the citypetition is <b>a </b>different story,” Eliza added, frowning on purpose. “It’s too formal. There’s no way to cheat”
Naomi bit her lip, then lit up with an idea. “Then how about this–on the day of thepetition, you can go in my ce. Just use my name.”
She looked at Eliza with a hopeful smile. <b>“</b>You’ve always wanted to enter the citypetition, and math is your strong suit. You can’t officiallypete, but if you go as me, everyone wins.”
Elizaughed inwardly
That was exactly how Naomi had manipted her in their past life.
<b>Naomi </b>had stolen all the credit, reaped all the glory, and used the win to get into her dream university abroad–under Eliza’s
name.
The memory still twisted like a knife in her chest.
But outwardly, she just smiled, squeezed <b>Naomi’s </b>hand, and said, “That’s a great idea.”
The next morning-
Eliza arrived at school before sunrise.
The building was nearly empty. When she flipped on the lights to the ssroom, she found Zayden already there, standing by the <b>window </b>
He leaned against it in his usualzy posture, school jacket draped loosely over his shoulders. His gazended on her with a look that said, I knew you’d show up this <b>early</b>.
But to Eliza, his act seemed childish.
So childish that she couldn’t help but reflect on just how blind she must’ve been in her past life–to fall so hard for s
like him.
She ignored his stare and walked to her desk to start packing up her <b>things </b>
<b>someone </b>
She needed to get all her personal belongings together before early ss began–she’d be moving to ss Six today.
Zayden finally called her name.
She didn’t respond, only sped up her packing.
His brow <b>furrowed</b>. Then he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.
The sudden movement caused her notebook to fall, and several photographs spilled out onto <b>the </b>floor.
Zayden froze.
In every photo–whether it was from <b>a </b>school sports meet, award ceremony, or volunteer <b>event</b>–there <b>was </b>one thing inmon: him
All of them were pictures of him.
“That’s me…”
Eliza instinctively reached down to collect the pictures, but Zayden <b>beat </b>her to it.
37 AM
Chapter 10 So You Like Me That Much
+ Pearis
He picked them up slowly, his eyes glinting with amusement as he flipped through them. Then, raising a brow, he held them
out in front of her.
“So, you like me this much?”
Eliza’s face darkened.
That was the foolish me from my past life.
Now? Even just being looked at by Zayden made her sick.
“<b>Here</b>” Zayden held out the photos.
Without a word, Eliza snatched them back–and tore them into shreds right in front of him.
“Thanks. Just garbage.”
She dumped the pieces into the ssroom trash can, without sparing him a nce.
Zayden’s smile vanished as he watched her coldly <b>gather </b>up thest of her things and pull out a workbook.
He sneered. “Give it up. There’s no way you’ll ever beat Naomi.”
Eliza’s pen paused in her hand.
Zayden continued in an even voice, “Naomi scored 690 on thest monthly exam. Do you even know what that means? With a score like that, <b>she </b>could get into the best school in Westbrook. And you? You were more than 120 points behind her”