Chapter 032

Chapter 32
Sophia stood with her teammates at the front of the assembly hall, and the sound of applause kept ringing in her ears.

She tried to keep her face neutral, but she could feel the warmth creeping up her cheeks. It was strange, standing here while the entire school cheered for them. 

She wasn't used to such treatment. Not for as long as she could remember. 

"...and thanks to their hard work, determination, and teamwork, NexGen has secured a historic victory that was once deemed impossible!" The principal declared, his voice filled with pride. "Let's give them another round of applause!" 

The clapping grew louder, and Sophia shifted on her feet, feeling a mix of embarrassment and pride. She looked at her teammates, and one of them looked very smug, Mia was beaming from ear to ear, and Evan simply nodded at the praise like he had been expecting it all along. 

Sophia, on the other hand, still wasn't sure how to handle the attention. Should she copy an expression from one of her teammates? She wondered.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face. And then, she spotted him. 

Caleb stood near the back, slightly taller than the people around him. He was grinning, standing behind Sean, and when their eyes met, he gave her a thumbs up and waggled his eyebrows.

Sophia felt her face heat up again as she tried to hold in her laugh. She quickly waved back, well with her hand down and he probably see the wave, but she was trying to play it cool. She knew that she probably looked a little flushed. 

"And lastly…” the principal continued speaking. “We must recognise the great talent and leadership that guided this team to victory. Sophia, please step forward." 

Sophia's stomach flipped. 

What?

She had barely lived through the first one, and now she was being singled out?
She hesitated, but Mia nudged her lightly.

“Get out there, idiot! Take your flowers!”

Taking a breath, Sophia stepped forward. 

A special round of applause erupted, and Sophia could only stand there, feeling both honoured and overwhelmed by it all. 

She had never thought of herself as a leader, not really. But standing there, she realised that she had done it. She had led them to victory. Her talents were finally being recognised and appreciated, and although she felt like running away from the assembly, it sort of felt good to be there. 
After the assembly, all the students went to their classes, and Sophia was relieved to finally be away from the spotlight. 

That relief didn't last very long. 

As soon as she got out into the hallway, Caleb appeared beside her, falling into step like he had been waiting for their first class to end. 

"So, party at my place after school.” He announced casually. 

Sophia blinked.

“That’s great for you. I hope you enjoy it.” Sophia said.

“Wait, what? Why?” Caleb looked bewildered.

“Why what?”

Caleb sighed.

“Party at my place today. A party. To celebrate your win. It will be great because you’re going to be there." 

Sophia stopped walking and turned back to him.

“Thank you, but I don't think that's a good idea." 

Caleb groaned dramatically.

“Come on, I planned this. It's not a huge thing, just our class and a few others. A simple celebration for defeating the undefeatable school. Isn’t that worth a good party?” 

Sophia folded her arms.

“And what if we hadn't won?" 

Caleb shrugged.

“I always knew that you would win. But if you hadn’t, no issues, then it would've been a “feel better after losing” party. That kind of thing.”

Sophia sighed, shaking her head with a small smile.

"You're unbelievable." 

"And yet, you still tolerate me." 

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help laughing.

"I don't think my mum would mind, so fine. I'll come. But I don’t drink alcohol." 

“Sheesh, I know already.” Caleb said before he threw a fist in the air like he had just won a battle. "Yes! This is going to be great." 



After school, Sophia followed Caleb to his house. 

The moment they arrived, she was impressed. She had never been to his place before, and it was well, bigger than she expected. The decorations were simple but nice, and the place was already filling up with some of their school mates chatting and laughing. 

"Wow.” She said, looking around. "I didn't think you'd actually put effort into this. I thought it would just be people drinking and eating whatever." 

Caleb placed a hand over his heart.

“I'm wounded, Sophia. Deeply. Why wouldn’t I put in a lot of effort for my best friend? I am a genius!" 

She smirked.

“Sure you are." 

Before he could reply, a voice interrupted them. 

"Sophia!" 

She turned to see Allison walking toward her, holding a drink in one hand and looking so cheerful. Caleb immediately got into a protective stance.

"Hello.” Sophia greeted cautiously. 

"I was just saying how amazing you were in the competition.” Allison said, smiling a little too widely. "You totally destroyed Firefly." 

Sophia frowned slightly.

“Uh, thanks? Why are you talking to me?”

Allison laughed.

“No need to be so tense. We're here to celebrate you, aren't we?" She extended her hand, giving Sophia the cup. “Drink? This isn’t alcohol, I promise.”

Sophia eyed her warily.

“No, thanks. I think I’m good.”

Allison shrugged.

“Weird. You still don’t trust me.” Allison took the cup and emptied all its contents into her mouth.

Sophia didn't reply, but something about the way Allison was acting made her uneasy. She watched as Allison turned to leave.

What was she up to? Or was she just here to party?

“She has some nerve.” Caleb said, glaring at Allison’s retreating figure. It had taken everything in him to not snatch that cup from Allison’s hand and pour it all over her clothes.

“Don’t mind her, let’s go on.” Sophia sighed. Allison had drained her of so much energy by just appearing.



Allison watched Sophia carefully, trying to figure out how to ruin her evening. People were going on to congratulate her and even asking her some questions before going back to their initial positions, and Sophia seemed to be having fun hanging out with Caleb and dancing solo.

Spiking her drink was the first idea that had come to mind, but she knew Sophia would be careful. She wasn't stupid enough to drink anything she hadn't poured herself. 

No, she needed a different plan. 

She turned to Trisha and Melanie, her closest friends.

“Okay, so any ideas?" 

Trisha smirked.

“Why do you want to sabotage her so badly?" 

Allison rolled her eyes.

“Because she thinks she's better than everyone else. Someone needs to tone her down a bit.”

Melanie, who had been quiet, sighed.

“Maybe because she actually lead a team and won? Seriously, Allison, what do you get out of this?" 

Allison ignored her.

“Come on, help me out here." 

Trisha shrugged.

“If spiking her drink won't work, then you need something else. Something that'll embarrass her enough to push her back into her shell.”

Allison tapped her fingers against the cup in her hand, deep in thought. She turned to her friends, and Melanie eventually rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Let’s go, Trisha.” Melanie said. The two friends left Allison in the room and got back a few minutes later.

Allison had a wicked smirk as she saw what Melanie held in her hands.

Sophia’s school back. She tossed it at Allison.

“That’s a weapon. Make sure you use wisely.”