Time passed in a sh, and over half a month had gone by. During this period, Zinnia hadn’t encountered Betty. Today, Betty was back, but Zinnia didn’t give it much thought.


    Zinnia sat down at her desk, feeling the emptiness beside her–her deskmate hadn’te to school today. “Where’s Lydia today?” Zinnia asked, poking the back of the seat in front of her with her pen to get Ethan’s


    attention.


    “Lydia took the day off. She should be back tomorrow,” Ethan replied casually. Lydia often skipped school, but since she always ranked among the top three in their grade, neither the teachers nor the school ever made a big deal about it.


    “She took the day off? Did something happen?” Zinnia frowned slightly. Lydia loved studying so much; it was unusual for her to miss school.


    “Lydia skips school sometimes. You’ll get used to it,” Ethan said with a dismissive wave of his hand. The ssmates were all ustomed to it.


    “Alright then.” Zinnia nodded, but the empty seat beside her still made her feel uneasy. She pulled out her phone. <fndcf9> Updates are released by find?novel</fndcf9>


    Opening Lydia’s contact, Zinnia hesitated for a moment before typing just two words: [Hey, Lydia.] In the end, she decided to send a peeking bunny emoji instead. Almost immediately, the chat showed that Lydia was typing.


    [Zinnia, I have something to take care of today, so I couldn’te. If you have any questions about the homework, I’ll send you a voice messageter.] Lydia replied quickly.


    [Lydia<i>, </i>if something’s going on, don’t keep it from us.] Zinnia typed back, pursing her lips. She hadn’t contacted Lydia because of homework; she was genuinely worried something might have happened.


    [Alright.] Lydia replied, adding a bunny–patting–head emoji.


    Seeing the bunny emoji patting her head, Zinnia felt her ears turn hot. It was just a virtual image, but she couldn’t help imagining her usually cool and distant Lydia sending it with a straight face.


    She couldn’t figure out how Lydia felt when she sent that emoji.


    What Zinnia didn’t know was that on the other side of the screen, Lydia’s ears were also a bit red. She stared at the cute bunny emoji Zinnia had sent, her pale lips pressing together slightly.


    Zinnia soon put down her phone and pulled out her homework. Senior year moved fast; by now, everything depended on self–discipline. Teachers rarely checked assignments; if she didn’t push herself, no one could really help her.


    Although Zinnia didn’t have a natural talent for studying and didn’t especially like doing homework, she still tried her best, waging her own war against endless assignments.


    <b>***** </b>


    E55 vouchers


    “Zinnia, looks like it’s just us for lunch today. Lydia’s not around,” Maisie said as she approached Zinnia around noon, inviting her to eat together.


    “So, what do you think, Zinnia? Should we go out to eat or stay in the cafeteria?” Maisie asked, casually linking her arm with Zinnia’s as they walked.


    “Let’s just go to the cafeteria,” Zinnia replied. She thought, ‘Why do they cram all the science sses into Tuesday mornings? My brain’s totally fried.‘ She didn’t feel like leaving campus and preferred to keep things simple.


    “Alright, let’s go to the cafeteria. The food there is decent, and they also have desserts. We can get something sweetter,” Maisie said with a cheerful grin.


    For Maisie, thepany was more important than the food. As long as she was with Zinnia, everything was fine. The two walked side by side towards the cafeteria. Along the way, several students recognized Zinnia and couldn’t help stealing nces at her.


    After a few weeks of settling in, Zinnia had grown used to the attention. Some girls had even started giving her little treats–cookies, choctes, candies–saying they wanted to cheer her up.


    As Zinnia and Maisie stepped out of the hallway, ready to head downstairs, two girls appeared from above–it was Betty and Anne.


    Betty still looked pale, likely still shaken by the online drama. Anne, holding onto her arm, was softly urging her to eat somethingter.


    “Move,” Betty snapped, her cold eyes fixed on Zinnia. The false sweetness had disappeared, reced by a sharp, unwavering re. She wasn’t even pretending to be nice anymore.


    After the online incident, their rtionshippletely fell apart. Any hope for peaceful coexistence, as Maelis might have wished for, was simply out of the question.


    Betty stared, hands tightening at her sides. She had truly underestimated that little wretch. Zinnia not only charmed the Lynn family but also struck back fiercely. Betty thought, ‘Truly, it’s the quiet dogs that bite the hardest.


    ‘If my father hadn’t stepped in, who knows how long she would have been stuck in that mess?‘ Zinnia, who always seemned so dull and naive at home, actually turned out to be much more cunning than she appeared.


    Maisie said, “Well, what if we don’t move? What’s Ms. Betty Shaw gonna do? Can’t keep up that sweet and graceful act anymore? Not even a polite greeting for Zinnia? Guess the ‘good sister‘ mask is slipping. What a pity.


    “With such a cold stare at Zinnia, nning to trap her again?” Maisie slipped one hand in her pocket, lifting her brows slightly as she gazed up at them from one step below, her presence calm yet unshaken.


    “Why are <i>you </i>being so pushy, Maisie? The online drama is old news. What’s the point of dragging it out?” Anne interjected, a hint of frustration coloring her usually gentle expression.


    Betty shot Maisie a cold look. “What, are you gonna tell me where I can look now?”


    The Shaw and Jenkins families were on equal footing, so Betty wasn’t intimidated by her. After everything


    <b>13:12 </b><b>Sat</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>20


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    55 vouchers


    that had happened online, there was no chance of them ever being friends. With that in mind, Betty saw no reason to hold back.


    Anne cast a nce at Betty, whose expression had be even darker. She sighed silently. None of her advice had reached Betty, who still harbored resentment towards Zinnia.


    “Your re is revolting. What if it scares Zinnia?” Maisie retorted without hesitation.


    One nce at Betty’s face, and Maisie could tell that Betty had been seething with anger in the past few days. Her words were biting, and her true feelings were no longer concealed. Maisie snorted inwardly.


    “Are you Zinnia’spdog now? You son of bitch. What’s she offering you that makes you cling to her so desperately,” Betty sneered, her gaze full of disdain.


    “Better this than siding with a scheming, heartless fake like you,” Maisie chuckled softly, then spoke louder, her words sharp and unflinching, slicing right through the tension in the air.


    Other students who wereing down the stairs paused, attracted by themotion. They gathered around, clearly more interested in the drama than in their lunch.


    “Betty, stop.” Zinnia’s face turned cold.


    “What, don’t you want me to call Maisie your-” Betty smirked and leaned close to Zinnia, her voice dripping with mockery.


    But before she could utter the word pdog,” a loud p resounded, shattering the tense silence. The onlookers instinctively covered their own faces and stared at Zinnia in shock.


    “Zinnia, how dare you hit me!” Betty shrieked, her voice trembling with disbelief.