Chapter 2: The Girl Who Won’t Back Down

It was break time, and the classroom was buzzing. When my classmates saw me, they all turned to stare. I dragged the bag to my seat, following my memory.

Their whispers prickled against my skin, but I kept my chin up. No more hiding.

“That seat’s taken!” A tall boy was sitting on my desk.

That was my deskmate, Marcus Evans—the class bully who loved picking on me. My desk drawer was already stuffed with his junk: a Game Boy, snacks, trading cards, and random comic books…

His sneakers were propped on my books, like he owned the place. I stared him down.

"Well, I’m back, and I’m here to study!" I couldn’t be bothered to argue with a brat like him. "Move your stuff."

I said it with a calm I didn’t feel. I was tired of being pushed around.

"With your grades, what’s the point? You can’t even get into a community college! Don’t bother!"

He smirked, his friends snickering behind him. I caught a whiff of stale chips and cheap cologne.

"What’s with that bag? You look like you belong picking up cans. Go home already!"

Everyone laughed along.

Their laughter was sharp and mean, but I kept my eyes steady, letting it roll off me like rain.

"See, I told you she cheated on the entrance exam. Tenth in the whole county? She acts all high and mighty, but now she’s at the bottom! Hahaha!"

The words stung, but I refused to show it. I’d heard worse from people who were supposed to love me.

"Bam—" I slammed the bag on the desk and glared at everyone laughing. Seeing me, usually so timid, suddenly lose it, they were stunned.

The sound echoed, cutting through the laughter. For a second, the room was silent. I liked that sound—a warning shot.

I dumped all his stuff out of my drawer, pulled up my chair, and started unpacking my books. "Marcus, you can pay your way into college, but I can’t. So don’t mess with my studying—I don’t have time for your lame bullying."

My voice was low, but my hands shook a little as I stacked my books. I could feel the shift in the air—maybe they’d think twice before messing with me now.

Marcus was stunned, his face going bright red. No one else knew he paid to get into high school—I only found out later in my last life, from Nathaniel, his buddy.

I saw the fear flicker in his eyes. Bullies always crumble when you know their secrets.

"What are you talking about!"

He tried to bluster, but I could tell he was rattled.

I didn’t spell it out, but he definitely got the message. His bravado faded fast.

Just then, our English teacher walked in and the room quieted down.

The hush was immediate. Ms. Sheridan had that effect—her heels clicking on the tile, eyes sharp as tacks.

Ms. Sheridan, our English teacher, was infamous for being strict. The tension was thick—clearly, our English mock test scores were lower than the other class’s.

You could feel the dread in the air, like a thunderstorm about to break. I gripped my pen tight.

"This test was so easy you could get 80 points with your eyes closed. Some of you only managed 40! If I sprinkled crackers on the answer sheet and let a squirrel pick them, it’d do better than some of you!" She slammed the tests on the desk. "Now, write out last night’s vocabulary. Miss one, copy it a hundred times. I need two people at the board!"

She didn’t play favorites. I respected that. The room tensed, everyone shrinking in their seats.

Marcus, seeing the bright red 40 on my test, volunteered me. "Teacher, Maya Brooks says she can do it!" He shot me a challenging grin.

I smirked to myself—he was still going easy on me.

He thought he was clever, but I was done playing nice.

Ms. Sheridan was already annoyed with my grades. "Fine, Maya, you go. Since you’re last, if you get any wrong, copy them 200 times!"

I swallowed, but nodded. This was my shot to prove myself.

"Teacher, Marcus wants to try too." I smiled at Marcus.

He froze, not expecting me to fight back so quickly.

I could see his bravado falter. I almost felt sorry for him—almost.

We went up to the board together. At first, I didn’t write anything, and Marcus got cocky. "Can’t do it? Might as well go copy 200 times now, save yourself the trouble."

He leaned in, trying to rattle me. I just smiled, letting him think he’d won.

Honestly, high school English vocab was nothing for someone who’d memorized the GRE word list. Plus, I realized the teacher was reading from Unit 4, in order. Coincidentally, before my accident, I’d just tutored a kid on these words.

I tapped my foot, waiting for her to finish, my mind already three steps ahead.

"Marcus, bet I can write them all after the teacher finishes?"

"Yeah right! If you can, I’ll copy them standing on my head!"

A ripple of laughter ran through the class. I grinned, feeling the old fire spark inside me.

"Quiet!" Ms. Sheridan snapped at us and kept reading.

The room stilled, everyone watching, waiting for me to mess up.

Marcus missed several words after I interrupted him, leaving blanks.

I could see his hand shaking. It was almost too easy.

"You serious about that bet?" I raised my voice. "A real man keeps his word—everyone heard you!"

He glared, but didn’t answer. I could feel the class leaning in, hungry for drama.

"Just do it already!"

"I’m waiting for the teacher to finish."

"Maya!" Ms. Sheridan was about to scold me, but then saw me writing at lightning speed, even faster than she could read. The class gasped in amazement.

The chalk flew across the board. I didn’t even have to think—my hand moved on its own.

Marcus grabbed my wrist, searching my pockets. "You’re cheating!"

He was desperate, but I just shook him off.

"Marcus! Stop!" Ms. Sheridan intervened. "I was watching—she wrote them herself. Maya, I didn’t expect you to memorize the whole unit in order. Good. Next time, don’t get a 40. Marcus, you missed five—go copy them after class."

The class buzzed with whispers. For once, I felt the weight lift off my shoulders. Maybe I could do this after all.

I paid close attention for the rest of class. Near the end, Ms. Sheridan tossed a piece of chalk at the window seat.

The thunk startled everyone. I followed her gaze.

That was Ben Lockwood, known as the King of Sleep. Since starting at this school, people only ever saw the back of his head. But the school didn’t dare say a word—wouldn’t want to risk upsetting the Lockwood family, who’d funded the new gym.

His reputation was legendary. I’d heard the rumors—never seen him up close until now.

In my last life, Ben and I barely crossed paths, except once when I was working secretly at a diner and he helped me out of a tough spot. I ran off, afraid Nathaniel would get jealous.

He’d been a mystery then—quiet, withdrawn, but kind. I always wondered what could’ve happened if we’d talked more.

After class, I dragged my bag over and sat next to Ben. I needed a new deskmate—Marcus was too much.

I plopped down with a thud, glancing sideways to gauge his reaction.

Maybe I made too much noise, because Ben opened his eyes. His skin was pale, eyes drowsy, and his whole expression said "not impressed."

He looked at me like I’d disturbed his hibernation. I tried not to laugh.

"Ben, I don’t want to sit with Marcus. Mind if I sit here?" I said as I quickly unpacked my books.

My voice was soft, but I tried to sound friendly. I didn’t want to push my luck.

“You’re already settled in, and now you ask?” His voice was low and rough, still half-asleep.

I grinned, shrugging. “I knew you wouldn’t mind.” I laid on a little charm and nudged his arm.

His pale ears turned red. He moved away from my hand and turned his face aside, still sounding cold: "Just don’t wake me up."

I hid my smile, relieved he didn’t kick me out.

Two girls in front turned and glared at me, gossiping.

Their eyes narrowed, lips pursed. I could almost hear the rumor mill starting up.

"Oh my god, Ben actually agreed!"

"How come she gets to just sit there? If it’s that easy, I’d have done it myself!"

"Yeah, go tell the teacher she’s switching seats!"

I cleared my throat. "Sure, but did you hear Mrs. Hall’s paying my tuition?"

I tossed the line out casually, knowing how quickly gossip could turn.

Rumors travel fast—one line and they thought Mrs. Hall favored me. They didn’t dare say another word, and I got some peace and quiet.

The chatter died down. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

Meanwhile, the head buried in his arms beside me shook slightly, a deep, muffled laugh barely audible.

I grinned. Maybe Ben wasn’t so cold after all.