Autumn James smiled and patted Summer Lin on the head. "It's fine, I can go by myself."
Summer frowned a little. "Are you sure you can handle it alone? I heard the people in the Liberal Arts A Class aren't exactly easy to deal with."
Before Autumn could say anything in response, Summer had already made up her mind.
"Jason Wells, Adam Cooper—come help! Help Autumn move her things from the Liberal Arts class!"
Jason and Adam, the same two who had been joking around earlier, were more than happy to help.
"Got it!"
So the little group—carrying an empty desk—marched upstairs in full force.
The Liberal Arts A Class was on the fourth floor, while the Science A Class was on the first.
Their energetic footsteps echoed through the stairwell, drawing curious stares from students in the hallway basking in the sunlight.
People watched them go, whispering among themselves, wondering what was going on—until the group stopped at the door of the Liberal Arts A Class.
Summer was at the front.
She politely knocked on the door before entering.
All eyes turned to her. She explained the situation briefly, then waved her hand without waiting for approval.
Jason and Adam got the signal—they carried the empty desk in and started moving out the one that belonged to Autumn.
By the time they were done swapping the desks—
"Wait!!" the class monitor finally snapped out of his daze. "What are you doing?!"
Summer blinked, looking genuinely puzzled.
"I already explained. Autumn James has transferred to our class. Naturally, she needs to move her things too."
Her words dropped like a stone into still water, instantly stirring up a wave of chatter.
"No way, so the rumor's true? Autumn James really transferred to the Science Class?"
"And not just any class—A Class!"
"If even the Science Class monitor came, it has to be true."
"Oh my god, how did she even manage that?"
"I heard the Science A Class is super united. With someone like her coming in as an outsider, I doubt it'll go smoothly..." One student even shook their head dramatically.
The Liberal Arts Class monitor, Eric Shaw, frowned. "Hold on a second—we haven't received any notice about this."
He was at least reasonable.
Autumn stepped forward and kept her tone calm. "Ms Nicole will come by soon to make the official announcement. Class is about to start, so I should get going."
"You wouldn't want both of our classes to fall behind because of this, would you?"
Eric adjusted his glasses, hesitating.
After thinking it over, he realized it wasn't such a big deal—a missing desk wouldn't even be noticeable to most teachers.
He was about to agree when a soft, sugary voice rang out.
"Autumn, you're really transferring to the Science Class?"
The tone was sweet as honey, but her words carried just the right amount of emotional guilt.
"Congratulations, Autumn! But now that you're joining Science Class, are you just going to forget about us in the Liberal Arts? What if the teacher takes attendance later and notices someone missing? Wouldn't that make it the monitor's fault?"
"Our monitor's always been so responsible. You wouldn't want to get him in trouble, right?"
Anna Hawthorne's voice was gentle, but her tone—pretending to care for everyone's sake—was full of subtle manipulation.
Of course she was doing it on purpose. She knew Autumn had actually managed to transfer, but how could she let her have it easy?
She just had to stir things up.
After Anna spoke, others joined in—more to watch the drama than to help.
"She's right. If the teacher finds out, Eric's gonna get in trouble."
"Yeah, it's kind of funny, honestly. Autumn just barges in with a few Science A Class people to pack her things—who knows if she's even really transferred?"
With everyone talking at once, Eric's hesitation hardened into suspicion.
Anna was right—if he made the wrong call, he'd be the one held responsible.
So he grabbed onto the desk and said firmly, "You're not leaving until the teacher gets here."
Autumn almost laughed out loud. Since when had Eric turned into such a stubborn fool?
Summer gave him a blank look for a moment, then subtly signaled Adam to fetch the Liberal Arts class teacher.
Adam caught on immediately. He and Jason both loosened their grip on the desk at the same time.
The entire weight dropped onto Eric alone—who, lacking strength, almost toppled over before the desk finally landed on the ground with a thud.
A few students stifled laughter. A grown man who couldn't even lift a small desk—it was almost pitiful.
Anna's eyes flashed with contempt as she glanced at Autumn.
Oh, Autumn James—guess you'll have to blame Eric for this mess. He's too timid to stand his ground, swayed by whoever talks the loudest.
Summer stepped forward, stopping right in front of Anna.
Everyone knew Anna—she was the "genius girl" of their year, who had skipped two grades. She should still be in middle school, yet here she was in her second year of high school.
Summer had once been curious about her, even looking forward to competing someday.
But now? She was completely disappointed.
This wasn't a prodigy—it was just an immature girl who didn't know when to stop talking.
"Little girl," Summer said coolly, "you shouldn't say things you don't understand. I'm the monitor of Science A Class. Everyone here knows that. If you have a problem, you can come to me later, alright?"
Anna froze, stunned that the attention had suddenly turned on her.
She instinctively took a few steps back, her eyes glistening like she was about to cry.
Then she looked pitifully at Autumn. "Autumn, are you just going to let her talk to me like that?"
Autumn had been silent until now, but dying once had made her temper far less patient than before.
When someone provoked her—girl or guy—she had no problem slapping back, hard.
And Anna was practically throwing herself in her face.
"What exactly did she say to you?" Autumn asked calmly, crossing her arms and leaning against the hallway railing.
Sunlight spilled over her blue-and-white school uniform, and her high ponytail shimmered in the light. She looked both sharp and effortlessly beautiful.
"She didn't insult you, didn't hit you—she just stated the truth. So what are you even upset about?"
Autumn spoke confidently, her gaze steady, her voice neither sharp nor soft—just clear and direct.
Anna froze, caught off guard.
Wasn't Autumn supposed to be the quiet, apologetic type? Why wasn't she acting that way now?
Before Anna could even think of what to say, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking down the hall toward them.
Her expression shifted instantly. She lowered her head, stepping back, her voice trembling just enough to sound pitiful.
"I'm sorry, Autumn. I was wrong. Summer didn't say anything bad about me, and I wasn't really upset. I shouldn't have tried to stop you from taking your things."
Autumn: What now? What's this little act supposed to be?
Everyone else looked equally confused.
Sure, Anna always acted sweet and delicate—but something about this just felt off.
Then came a sharp, authoritative voice from behind her.
"Autumn James, what are you doing now?"
The newcomer strode up beside Anna, positioning himself protectively in front of her—like a human shield.