No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)

Lucas couldn't believe that Noelle had him isolated like this.

When Noelle saw Lucas appear, she wasn't surprised. "Isn't Xenia always out all night with you guys?"

Xenia's eyes turned red with grievance. "Noelle, how could you say that?"

"Noelle, stop talking nonsense. Xenia is my sister! You should apologize to her right now!" Lucas snapped.

Noelle looked at him coldly. "She's the one who started talking nonsense. I'm just repeating

what I've learned from her."

Xenia's voice wavered with a sob. "I-I didn't mean it that way. You misunderstood me."

Lucas, who usually kept his temper in check, suddenly lost control. "Noelle, just look at yourself. What have you become? Are you really going to deny spending last night with the school doctor? Everyone knows it's true!" Noelle looked at him silently.

As soon as the words left Lucas' mouth, he regretted them, but with so many people watching, he said nothing to clarify.

Noelle found the situation laughable. "Even if it's true, what does it have to do with you?" She turned and walked toward her classroom.

"Stop right there! What do you mean it has nothing to do with us? You're getting so full of yourself just because you won a repechage match. Who do you think you are?"

Noelle let out a cold chuckle without even looking back. She sat at her desk, completely ignoring the commotion outside.

Watching her aloofness, Lucas felt a surge of rage building inside him. Yet, he dared not escalate things further. After all, he was still being shut out and shouldn't even be at the school.

Seeing this, Xenia deliberately added, "Lucas, it's my fault. I shouldn't have.asked Noelle about it. I just didn't want her to do something impulsive out of anger."

"I know. You're only looking out for her, yet she doesn't appreciate it," he grumbled. He was frustrated. "Noelle's attitude is terrible. She doesn't respect anyone anymore. She's completely changed. What does she want us to do to make her happy?"

A hint of mockery flashed in Xenia's eyes. Lucas only realized then that Noelle had already started distancing herself from them. This worked entirely in her favor.

She quickly shifted the topic. "What about the school doctor? What's your plan with him?"

"I'll make him pay for this," Lucas said coldly. He immediately went to Bruce's office. He needed to make sure that this issue was dealt with.

Once Xenia achieved her goal, she returned to the classroom. As she passed Noelle's desk, she whispered, "Lucas went to see Mr. York."

Just as she was about to stand up, her Elsian teacher, Avery Gilmore, walked in andnoveldrama

announced, "Class is starting."

With no other choice, Noelle sat back down. She found it hard to focus during the lesson. After some time, the class finally ended. As soon as the bell rang, she stepped out to call Cedric, feeling a twinge of worry. Cedric answered, "What's wrong?"

"Lucas went to see Mr. York. You might run into trouble because of it. But don't worry. I'll explain everything," she explained.

"Kiddo, stay out of adult matters," Cedric replied arrogantly.

Noelle was momentarily stunned. After all, Cedric was the aloof type who always kept things to himself. Yet, she inexplicably trusted his words.

After hanging up, Noelle returned to her seat and continued studying. She would soon be free with just over a month left before the college entrance exam.

• When school was out, Noelle packed her bag before heading to the infirmary.

Just as she exited the classroom, she saw Frank waiting by the door, holding an oversized stuffed bear. The sight of that froze her in place.

Frank walked up to her. "Noelle, your performance in the repechage was outstanding. I got you a gift. Congratulations! I'm looking forward to your performance in the finals." Noelle was stunned by his words.