Chapter 10 So You Like Me That Much
Naomi’s face dropped the moment she heard the news.
This was a city–level math competition. 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 class rep would be over.
Eliza, unfazed, headed upstairs.
She wasn’t surprised at all that their mother had sided with Naomi–again.
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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 to come up with something! I can’t go to the math competition!”
Naomi 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 city competition, her reputation as the perfect student would be destroyed.
“I can’t do anything.” Eliza sighed theatrically. “Mom already called the school.”
Naomi cursed under her breath. “It’s 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 love she had longed for all her life meant so little to Naomi.
“Eliza. you’ve got to help me. You don’t want me to be humiliated in front of everyone, right?”
Naomi looked at her with wide, pleading eyes.
With the competition only a month away and math being her worst subject, even passing was a stretch–let alone placing
“I want to help you, but..”
“But whatt”
“I’m transferring to another class. I probably won’t be able to.”
“What? You’re transferring?”
Naomi froze.
Why would Eliza suddenly transfer?
Eliza shook her head. “The teacher said my scores were too low the last two times, so I’m being moved to Class Six.”
“Class Six? That’s the worst class in the school. The homeroom teacher used to like you–why would they send you there?”
Naomi looked at her skeptically.
Class Six was full of rich kids who didn’t care about school–lazy troublemakers who lived off their families‘ money.
All the other classes looked down on them, especially those from Class One.
“The homeroom teacher said if I do well on the next monthly exam, Ill be transferred back. So don’t worry.”
“But… how are you going to help me cheat during the next exam if we’re not in the same room?”
Naomi began to panic.
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Chapter 10 So You Like Me That Much
If Eliza couldn’t help her with the monthly exams, and she had to face the city competition too, she was finished,
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“Relax, Eliza said, patting her hand. “We’ll still swap papers. The teacher made me class rep in Class Six. I’ll have chances to switch tests when the teachers aren’t looking.”
Naomi let out a breath of relief. “That’s good.. That’s good.”
“But.. the city competition is a 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 the competition, you can go in my place. Just use my name.”
She looked at Eliza with a hopeful smile. “You’ve always wanted to enter the city competition, and math is your strong suit. You can’t officially compete, but if you go as me, everyone wins.”
Eliza laughed inwardly
That was exactly how Naomi had manipulated her in their past life.
Naomi 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 Naomi’s 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 classroom, she found Zayden already there, standing by the window
He leaned against it in his usual lazy posture, school jacket draped loosely over his shoulders. His gaze landed on her with a look that said, I knew you’d show up this early.
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 things
someone
She needed to get all her personal belongings together before early class began–she’d be moving to Class Six today.
Zayden finally called her name.
She didn’t respond, only sped up her packing.
His brow furrowed. Then he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.
The sudden movement caused her notebook to fall, and several photographs spilled out onto the floor.
Zayden froze.
In every photo–whether it was from a school sports meet, award ceremony, or volunteer event–there was one thing in common: him
All of them were pictures of him.
“That’s me…”
Eliza instinctively reached down to collect the pictures, but Zayden beat her to it.
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Chapter 10 So You Like Me That Much
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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.
“Here” 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 classroom trash can, without sparing him a glance.
Zayden’s smile vanished as he watched her coldly gather up the last 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 the last monthly exam. Do you even know what that means? With a score like that, she could get into the best school in Westbrook. And you? You were more than 120 points behind her”
