As Serena made her way back to the classroom, she spotted Charlie engaged in a lively exchange with Lisa Hale, the Omega known for her mango-scented presence.

"Senior, I heard you cut your face... I bought you the best ointment that can even remove the possibility of leaving a mark on your face... My family owns the biggest pharmaceutical company in the country... So rest assured that this is very effective," Lisa chimed in, her smile radiant with genuine concern.

"U-uhm... Thank you, Lisa... I didn't know you were this thoughtful... I remember you giving me the middle finger when we first met... Hehe..." Charlie teased, her playful tone softening the moment.

"SENIORRR!! STOP REMINDING ME THAT! IT'S EMBARRASSING!" Lisa protested, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at the memory of their initial encounter.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding! But... really, thank you... I'll use these well!" Charlie reassured her, patting Lisa's head affectionately.

Lisa couldn't help but blush, her tough exterior melting away to reveal the endearing innocence beneath. Charlie, in turn, saw Lisa as a cute little sister... looks tough but very cute and innocent.

"S-stop treating me like a little girl... you're only a year older than me hmpp..." Lisa pouted, her attempts at indignation failing in the face of Charlie's teasing.

"Okay, okay! Miss Lisa is not a little girl..." Charlie continued to tease, their camaraderie evident in every playful exchange.

Overhearing their interaction, Serena couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness in her heart. She couldn't fathom how Charlie and Lisa had grown so close...

"Hmm... how did they become this close.." Serena muttered to herself, a hint of confusion clouding her thoughts as she placed a hand over her chest, trying to quell the inexplicable ache within.

Something in Serena wants to take Charlie away from Lisa. She hates the sight of Charlie laughing with another Omega that clearly has feelings for her. She walked towards them...

"Charlie, aren't you going back to class?" Serena's voice sliced through the air, sharp and cold.

Charlie felt a chill run down her spine at the tone, as if Serena's words were laced with a veiled threat, daring her to disobey.

Meanwhile, Lisa observed Serena closely, her thoughts racing as she tried to decipher Serena Sutherland's role in Charlie's life. She recalled Charlie's admiration for Serena, describing her as the most impressive Omega she knew. Yet, Serena's demeanor now seemed far from welcoming.

"Oh... yeah... the break is almost over! We have to get back now! Thank you again, Lisa," Charlie responded with a forced smile, eager to diffuse the tension hanging in the air.

As they turned to leave, Serena unexpectedly wrapped her arms around Charlie's arm, causing Charlie to startle at the sudden gesture. As they walked away, Serena's gaze locked with Lisa's, and in that silent exchange, neither Omega seemed willing to back down, their eyes b with unspoken challenge.

Back in their room, Charlie noticed Serena looking distressed, lost in thought. Concerned, she approached her.

"Hey, what are you thinking?" Charlie whispered into Serena's ear, her voice gentle and comforting.

Serena couldn't help but blush as Charlie's warm breath tickled her ear. "N-nothing... I was just thinking about this problem..." she replied, showing Charlie the math equation she had been struggling with: \(3x^2 + 5x - 7 = 0\).

"Hmm... this problem is really tricky... but there's an easy way to solve this... Want me to show you?" Charlie offered.

"Um," Serena nodded, grateful for Charlie's assistance.

"Okay!" Charlie exclaimed, pulling up a chair beside Serena so they could sit closer together.

"As for this equation, we can use the quadratic formula to solve it," Charlie explained, writing down the formula on a piece of paper. "See, it's \(x = \frac{{-b \pm \sqrt{{b^2 - 4ac}}}}{{2a}}\)."

As Charlie began to guide Serena through the steps, Serena found herself admiring her friend's patience and intelligence. Charlie's explanations were clear and concise, making the complex equation seem manageable.

Lost in thought, Serena couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Charlie furrowed her brows, puzzled. "Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing... I just didn't expect that I would ever ask for your help with this..." Serena admitted, her voice tinged with amusement.

Charlie understood, knowing well that the original Charlie didn't care much about her academics and that she only focused on bullying and looking pretty.

"Yeah, me too," she chuckled in agreement, sharing Serena's sentiment.

After class, Charlie approached Serena's desk as usual, her usual cheerful demeanor in place.

"Hey, let's go home?" Charlie asked, her voice carrying genuine warmth.

Serena hesitated, knowing she had an appointment with Uncle Robert, a detail she couldn't divulge to Charlie.

"You go home alone today... I'll be going to the library first..." Serena lied, trying to deflect Charlie's offer without revealing too much.

"I can go with you..." Charlie insisted, her concern evident in her tone.

"No, It's fine..." Serena started to reply, but Charlie interrupted.

"It's dangerous to go home alone at night... let me go with you..." Charlie persisted, her determination shining through.

"I said I'm fine... I can take care of myself... Just go," Serena asserted firmly, her tone leaving no room for further argument.

Hearing the change in Serena's voice, Charlie realized she may have been pushing too hard lately.

'Stupid, Charlie... you think you're close with her just because she became a little nice to you.... don't get ahead of yourself....' She chastised herself inwardly.

"O-okay... Take Care... I'll go now..." Charlie said, offering a forced smile before turning to leave, concealing her disappointment.

As Charlie walked away, Serena watched her with a twinge of guilt gnawing at her.

'Was I being mean?' she wondered, feeling a pang of regret for her curt response.

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