Chapter 4The Valedictorian’s "Reformed" Bad Girl

The news of Julian's upcoming fight with the vocational school quickly spread through the class.

A girl said to Chloe, "Chloe, be careful. Julian is getting into fights with other guys for you. A certain someone is probably dying of jealousy."

Both of them turned to look at me.

I was busy doing practice problems.

I muttered to myself, "The magnesium stole my zinc... Mg + ZnSO4 = MgSO4 + Zn."

The girl scoffed. "Look at her, pretending to study. She's probably dreaming about confessing to Julian right now."

Chloe glanced toward Noah's desk.

Noah was looking at me too, but he quickly turned his head back.

His gaze was deep and unreadable.

Chloe bit her lip and said loudly, "I don't care who Julian fights. Don't associate me with him."

The girl finally shut up.

I studied seriously for an entire day.

I filled half a notebook.

But I had fallen so far behind that trying to catch up made my brain feel like it was going to explode.

So, after the last bell rang, I snuck up to the roof alone to memorize SAT vocabulary words.

But I accidentally fell asleep while reading.

By the time I woke up, the sky was dark.

When I went back to the classroom for evening study hall, both Chloe and Noah were gone.

I had a bad feeling and quickly asked Tyler, "Where are they?"

"Oh, Chloe left with Julian."

"I'm asking about Noah!"

"Noah? No idea! Since when do you care about him? But actually, after Julian and Chloe left, I didn't see him either."

Crap!

I dropped my SAT prep book, spun around, and sprinted out of the school.

When I finally reached the abandoned warehouse district, relying on my memory from my past life...

The two sides were already in a brutal brawl.

I stood outside the crowd, frantically searching for Noah.

Chad saw me, a smug smile twisting his bruised face.

"Julian, look who's here! I told you, how could Maya actually stay at school and study while you're out here fighting?"

Julian's eyes fell on me. He sneered, "Maya, stop f*cking clinging to me. I don't have time to protect you right now!"

He threw a punch at a guy who was trying to grab Chloe.

But the 200-pound guy didn't even budge. Instead, he grabbed Julian by the collar and hoisted him into the air.

Chloe screamed in terror.

Just then, I spotted Noah grappling with someone a short distance away. I pushed through the crowd and ran toward him.

As I ran past Julian, he strained his neck and yelled, "Maya, I don't need your..."

Before he could finish, I brushed past him and threw my arms around Noah from behind.

"Noah, watch out!"

A fist was flying toward Noah's head. He quickly spun around, shielding me in his arms, and kicked the attacker away.

Julian's words died in his throat, his eyes wide with absolute disbelief.

In that moment of distraction, the 200-pound guy slammed Julian brutally onto the concrete.

He let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain.

I yelled, "Noah, run!"

Noah understood. He grabbed my hand, and we sprinted away.

The guys from the vocational school chased us relentlessly.

Noah and I dashed into an alleyway.

There was a narrow, hidden nook off the main path.

We ducked inside.

But the space was incredibly tight. We had to press our bodies tightly together just to fit.

If I nodded my head even slightly, I'd probably kiss Noah's chin.

Noah's breathing drifted against my ear. In that tense, quiet moment, it was both ticklish and overwhelmingly distracting.

I gritted my teeth. "Can you breathe a little quieter?"

Noah suddenly chuckled. "Maya, you're pressing into me."

I looked down. My chest was pressed firmly against him.

My face flushed red.

I suddenly remembered my character setting in this novel—the brainless, D-cup "fallen" popular girl.

"Shut up!"

It was a long time before the footsteps outside finally faded away.

Noah and I stepped out of the alley.

"Are you hurt?" Noah asked.

I shook my head, then immediately started scolding him. "Are you an idiot? Those guys were fighting over Chloe to show off. Why did you get involved?!"

"Weren't you there for Julian..."

"I don't give a crap about their drama! I fell asleep on the roof studying vocabulary. Did you think I was here to help Julian?"

I reached out, grabbed Noah by the chin, and inspected his face. Thankfully, there was only one small cut.

"You idiot. Didn't you think about what happens if a straight-A student like you gets a police record?"

Noah obediently let me inspect his face, but his eyes were glued to me. "Maya, are you worried about me?"

"Duh! You're a perfect student. Your future is bright, you have limitless potential. You're nothing like us!"

Noah pressed his lips together and stayed silent, letting me drag him to a pharmacy.

I bought antiseptic and cotton swabs, carefully cleaning his cut.

Afraid of hurting him, I leaned in close, gently blowing on the wound.

The moment I stood back up, Noah, who had been completely silent, suddenly called my name.

"Maya..."

"Hmm?"

"You don't like 'good students.' So, I won't be a good student anymore, okay?"

Noah sat on the steps outside the pharmacy, looking up at me very seriously.

"Don't you dare!" I was shocked he even had that thought. "Being a good student is amazing! The teachers and classmates like you, you can get into a top Ivy League school, find a great job, make a ton of money..."

"But you think I'm boring."

Noah cut me off, his thick, raven-black eyelashes lowering. "You couldn't even stand sitting next to me in class."