Eyes red, she stammered. “I….. I just got distracted this time. It won’t happen again.”
Rhett chimed in, trying to save face. “What’s the big deal about scoring well on a test? Once you make it big in the gaming scene, win tournaments, and start earning real money–none of this will matter.”
Lorena silently agreed.
The homeroom teacher, however, was clearly annoyed. He hadn’t expected a parent to say something like that. He looked at Lorena. “You should be learning from Sadie–not making excuses.”
Lorena bit her lip hard, then turned and ran out of the office.
Rhett scowled at Sadie. “So you get one good score, and now you’re showing off in front of Lorena? She only fell behind because of her training for the esports team. You, who contributed nothing to that, have no right to act smug.”
Sadie lifted her gaze just slightly. “Did I say anything?”
Nathan spoke again, calm but firm, “From what I heard, it was the teacher who brought up those comments. Sadie never said a word. As a parent, you might want to check your bias.”
Rhett was momentarily speechless, then muttered stiffly, “I’m not biased. Sadie’s just always been like this.”
With that, he turned and walked out to chase after Lorena.
Sadie turned to Nathan. “Thank you.”
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“No need. You earned it. This is the result of your own hard work. Go ahead and head back to class–I’m going to meet with the teachers. Clearly, some things need to be addressed.”
Sadie left the office.
A few steps down the hall, she spotted Sean leaning against the wall, dressed in a white lab coat.
He looked relaxed, like he’d been waiting there for a while.
The moment their eyes met, Sadie’s heart skipped a beat.
Sean stood up, his voice calm and cool. “So? How did it go?”
“I won, obviously! The principal had me take a completely new test, and I actually scored higher than I did on the monthly exam.”
Sadie lifted her chin, a proud glint in her eyes.
It wasn’t until she saw Sean that her victory really felt complete–like the moment finally meant something.
He glanced at her, his voice steady and unhurried. “Did they apologize?”
Sadie blinked. ‘Is he talking about Lorena and Rhett?‘
She shook her head. “Only the scapegoats did. The ones pulling the strings? Not a word. But it doesn’t matter–I already slapped them in the face with the truth.”
She couldn’t help but smile. It still felt good.
A faint smile curved Sean’s refined features. “Come find me after
school.”
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With that, he turned and walked away.
Sadie noticed a few students coming down the hall and didn’t stop him. She simply turned and headed back to class.
The once–bustling classroom fell noticeably quieter when she walked in
Not long after, the homeroom teacher entered and publicly confirmed that Sadie’s results were legitimate–there had been no cheating involved.
Lorena lay slumped over her desk, completely deflated. Even the little cake she’d been so excited about earlier now sat untouched,
She needed to figure something out. There was no way she could let Sadie’s grades keep climbing like this.
How could Sadie possibly be better than her?
After school, Sadie went straight to the infirmary.
Sean was seated at his desk. When he looked over his shoulder and saw her, he asked, “Finished your homework?”
“The teacher wanted us to go over our mistakes–I’ve already done it.”
She hadn’t made many errors. The ones she did get wrong were on topics she hadn’t reviewed or fully grasped yet.
Sean nodded toward the computer next to him. “Hop on. Got a game
account?”
“I do, but I’d rather start fresh and make a new one.”
“Perfect. I’m using a new account too.”
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Clearly, he hadn’t planned on using his main to carry her.
Sadie logged in and quickly created a character, choosing a random username: Sady.
Once she was in–game, she turned to him. “What’s your username? Let’s add each other.”
She sneaked a glance at his screen–and froze. His username was IfTimeCould Rewind.
It looked very familiar.
In her previous life, her online crush had used that exact same name.
Sean raised an eyebrow. “What are you staring at? Accept my friend request.”
Sadie’s cheeks flushed. She quickly clicked accept, her heart racing a little as she stared at his in–game avatar.
But back then, she hadn’t met that person until much later…..
‘Maybe it’s just a coincidence?‘
She glanced at him again. “Why’d you pick that name?”
Sean paused, then answered casually without looking at her. “Just something random.”
Sadie nodded slowly. ‘Maybe it really is just a coincidence.‘
They entered the game together and headed to the beginner zone to run quests.
It didn’t take long for Sadie to notice: Sean definitely wasn’t new to the game. He was probably just using a fresh account to play with her, but
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she didn’t question it.
Still, the way he moved and played–it was uncannily familiar.
She finally couldn’t hold back. “Does your main account use the same name?”
“No.”
“Then… is this your first time using this name on a new account?”
Sean looked up and met her eyes. “Yeah. Why?”
Sadie quickly looked down, her face suddenly warm. “No reason.”
Now she was confused. ‘Could he really be the same person?‘
But the timeline didn’t add up.
In her previous life, she hadn’t met that online player until after the
revival tournament. He was the one who helped her improve, taught her the mechanics, and guided her all the way to the finals.
She never saw him in real life before she died. But she’d always been grateful–for how he helped her when she was homeless, alone, and lost.
The memory made her chest tighten.
She grew quiet.
Eventually, they finished the newbie quests and moved on to the next area–only to run into another party.
Sadie spotted the names and let out a low, amused scoff.
It was Rhett and Lorena.
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Sean narrowed his eyes slightly. “Want to go for it?”
“Go for what? We’re on fresh accounts, under–leveled and under- geared. If we charge in, it’s suicide.”
That was what she said–but her fingers were already twitching.
Sean smirked. “Let’s wait until they’re low on health. When the boss is almost dead–we swoop in and steal it.”
