Just then, Craig stepped forward.
"I think that's enough," he said coldly, his voice calm but sharp enough to slice the tension.
"What are you doing?"
Craig's inner voice hissed at him.
"Trying to play hero now? After everything you've done?"
A smirk curled in his mind's eye.
"Don't forget… you're just like him."
Snapping back to the moment, Craig noticed Guano freeze. Her eyes widened, cheeks flushing as she quickly withdrew her hand—gripping her chest where her heart pounded uncontrollably.
"Count yourself lucky, trash," she muttered bitterly, throwing a jealous glare at Jennifer before storming off.
Craig returned to his seat silently.
"I'm not playing hero. And I'm not like him," he thought with quiet defiance.
"I just… I want to carve my own path. To be free from all of them."
The thought weighed heavy, dark, and painful—but it was the only hope he had left.
Just then, the classroom door opened, drawing everyone's attention.
"It's Poco," someone mumbled as the student stepped in—a pink-haired, mischievous-looking guy with a band-aid on his nose and a playful glint in his eyes. He winked charmingly at the class.
"What's up, y'all?"
Poco waved casually as several students greeted him with excitement.
"Oh man, sorry Jenny—I was busy, you know how it is," he said with a grin, winking at her as he strolled to his seat.
He sat down with ease, crossing his legs on top of his desk like he owned the place.
Jennifer watched him quietly—cold, calm, and slightly irrational in her irritation.
"Oh, right! By the way… where's the new student?"
Poco looked around, suddenly remembering he was supposed to welcome the new male cadet as the male class representative.
"Don't worry, he's fine," Jennifer replied coolly as she walked over to the female side of the class and took her seat.
"I already did your job."
Poco chuckled awkwardly, then began scanning the room until his eyes landed on Craig—seated quietly, detached from the class energy.
"He looks… pretty average to be a rich kid," Poco thought, observing Craig's distant expression.
"Then again, judging a book by its cover is always a mistake."
Just then, the classroom door opened once more. The teacher stepped in, and the class officially began.
***********
A few hours later, everyone headed out for after-class Physical Training (PT).
Standing in their PT uniforms, they began their run. Just then, Craig's gaze caught sight of Guano trying to catch up to him.
"I guess she's the first on the list," he thought coldly.
"But first, I need to shake her off."
Suddenly, his father's words echoed in his mind:
"Make sure you make a lot of secret friends, okay?"
To his surprise, Poco appeared beside him, snapping him out of his thoughts with a cheerful smile.
"Hey! I'm Poco, your class representative. Nice to meet you, Craig."
"Oh, hi. Nice to meet you too," Craig replied calmly as they continued running among the elite cadets.
They kept talking casually as Craig quietly studied him.
"He's the talkative type… mischievous and outgoing," Craig observed.
"Someone like him disappearing would cause a lot of fuss. I'd better stay away from him."
As the elite running group neared the finish line, Craig looked ahead—and saw a female cadet already standing there, having finished before them.
"When did she—?"
The murmurs started around them, a mix of admiration and jealousy.
"Oh man, she beat me again? What a shame," Poco sighed, dropping to the ground, winded.
Noticing Craig's slightly shocked expression, he grabbed him by the neck playfully and leaned in.
"That's one of our class's elite females," Poco whispered.
"Our number one cadet—Latifa Nakira."
Suddenly, a voice called out from nearby.
"Debate me."
"Why would I? After all, you're just a Jennifer simp," Poco shot back teasingly.
"Coming from you?" Jack retorted with a grin.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Poco asked, narrowing his eyes.
Jack squatted down beside him and whispered in his ear, "Are you aware of the rumor… about you and Jennifer being together?"
Poco looked stunned.
"Get outta here with that nonsense," he said, waving Jack off.
"But you're not denying it though, Class Rep," Jack teased, sticking his tongue out playfully.
"Can't believe our class rep hasn't heard the word on the street yet."
Jake added laughing.