Chapter 6: On Her Own

Everyone glared at me with contempt.

"Neck mole—does she think we can’t count?"

"Didn’t the class queen say Jamie always stole money? Some people never change."

The class officer’s mouth curled into a smirk.

I knew right then—it was the class officer who switched the slips while talking to me.

"Alright, alright," the class officer said, pretending to be regretful. "Jamie, you drew stay here. No cheating. Everyone else, let’s go to the mansion."

I clenched my fist and lunged forward.

"It was you! You switched my slip!"

The PE officer grabbed my arm hard.

"Are you nuts? Throwing a tantrum won’t change anything. You say the class officer switched it, so it must be true? Liar. Honestly, you’d be better off dead."

His grip bruised my wrist, but I could only bite my lip and stay silent.

The class officer chuckled.

Before leaving, she stood in the doorway, light behind her, and mouthed: "Good luck, Jamie. You’re on your own now."

They left. The church felt instantly hollow.

The others left behind looked scared and lost.

"What do we do… Can we still see the heir?"

I dusted off my jeans and stood up slowly.

Everyone was gone.

Finally… No more pretending.

The English class rep reached out, trying to stop me.

"Jamie, where are you going? We should stick together."

The others sneered.

"Why bother? Someone like her deserves whatever she gets."

The English rep shrugged and let go.

I stepped out of the church and into the streets.

Kids zipped past on battered scooters, and a busker played off-key guitar by the corner bodega. The city smelled like asphalt, hot dogs, and possibility.

On the first night here, I’d walked these streets too. Back then, the river glowed with floating lanterns, the class queen danced on a riverboat, and the night market buzzed with life.

Now, in the bright sun, the crowds never seemed to thin. This city didn’t sleep.

I watched kids chase each other around an overflowing trash can, the smell of frying onions and hot dogs drifting from a vendor’s cart. Every detail was sharp—almost too real after the musty church.

With a plan forming in my mind, I finally relaxed. I spoke to the system:

"Exchange all 5 points for gold."

The system replied:

"You currently have 8 points. After exchange, you’ll have only 3 points left, so you can only survive 3 more days. Continue?"

"Yes."

What’s the rush? The game’s just getting started.

I felt the weight of the gold in my pocket and the sun on my back. Screw them. In every American game, the underdog gets one shot—and I’m not out yet.