The 3C class was having their History Class, the most boring class of all subjects, out their vital force. Since it was Friday, the history teacher usually gives them seatwork. He told them to get a sheet of paper to write an essay about World War 2.

Ranee Wang opened her History book and began writing her thoughts about the topic. Ma Shujun forgot to bring her paper that she left in her other bag, so she asked Ranee for a piece of paper and Ranee was nice to give her without a complaint or feedback that she usually does when Xiaotang is pestering her. Although she was preparing herself anytime Xiaotang will tap her back to ask for a piece of paper or borrow her pen. She was thinking that Xiaotang will call her attention anytime soon.

Oddly, there was none.

Ranee felt weird that her day in class was peaceful. She shrugged at the thought and continued writing her essay. She was thinking that she should be glad that Xiaotang has learned her lesson to be a responsible student like she should be. It was a weird feeling that somehow she kind of misses the feeling that Xiaotang was pestering her, but then, she condemned herself for thinking something so strange.

The next class was English class, the English teacher asked the students to read the paragraph together. Then, she asked a volunteer to read the next paragraph by herself to the class. Su Shanshan volunteered like she always does. When she stood up and read the paragraph, she felt oddly weird when nobody was poking fun at her. Usually, Dai Meng tells her to sit down when the teacher calls her name. Dai Meng bullies her because she's irritating at times. Su Shanshan has an attitude that even if she doesn't know the answer she will still raise her hand and when her name is being called, that's the only time that she'll think of the answer; it usually consumes the subject's time. She was ready to hear mean feedback after she read the paragraph.

Oddly, there was none.

Shanshan felt weird that nobody was poking fun at her, not even once. She shrugged at the thought and continued listening to the lecture. She was thinking that she should be glad that she wasn't made fun of for once. It was a weird feeling but she was still grateful that her day is tranquil. She doesn't want to think about Dai Meng even for once. Dai Meng made it clear that she couldn't reciprocate her feelings like she thought it was possible like she usually sees on the TV or reads on social media and fanfiction.

Here comes Math Class, the teacher was lecturing in class about angles and tangents and how to solve them. The usual thing happened; the first row students were the ones participating in class. The teacher told them to answer the problem-solving. Everyone was quietly answering their books. It was quiet and peaceful but lowkey they were bracing themselves for the upcoming storm. Who knows what their mischievous classmates are going to do next.

Oddly, there was none.

The class ran smoothly without the teacher getting mad at his students for doing something foolish in class. It was a peculiar phenomenon, even the teacher noticed it. He was almost used to tearing, crumpling, and throwing things that were kind of therapeutic at times but also draws a red flag to his work-attitude. He shrugged it off and just be thankful that his blood pressure hasn't risen.

Song Xinran whispered to Dai Yanni who was sitting next to her left. "Isn't it odd that our teacher is calm?"

Dai Yanni knew it wasn't the teacher who was quite strange in class. The Math teacher is just merely a dormant bomb; he will just burst if provoked. Strangely, nobody was being folly in class, and even in the other classes, her classmates were being oddly silent. Too silent that it was unnatural for the 3C class to be behaving well. Dai Yanni looked behind her. She blinked a couple of times when she saw a lot of vacant seats.

Jenny Zeng isn't there.

Sun Rui isn't there.

Zhao Xiaotang isn't there either.

And there were a couple of people who weren't there.

Ma Shujun and Xinran noticed Dai Yanni was being agitated. Dai Yanni cupped her face as she was troubled. Ma Shujun was curious so she asked her. "What's wrong?"

"Something is not right here," Dai Yanni was fidgeting her fingers. She had a bad feeling in her guts that something wrong has happened.

"What do you mean?" Ma Shujun looked at her with a quizzical expression on her face. Xinran was also prying on the matter.

Dai Yanni didn't turn around to point; she used her thumb pointing behind her and then she bit her thumb's nail after, she was worried. Ma Shujun and Xinran looked behind them and realized there were a lot of empty seats.

"Ey, weird... Where's Yuyan?" Xinran said and their classroom was silent so her voice was audible to the class. It caught the teacher's attention.

It was a sensible question to be asked – Where is Yuyan?

The teacher put the chalk down to look at his class; he was baffled by what was happening. He just realized that there were a lot of students who aren't present. How could he not notice when it was obvious? Maybe he didn't care enough to mind his class.

The 3C class began to talk as they also looked around and noticed who were not in their seats.

"You're right, Yuyan isn't here."

"Ahhh, that explains everything."

"Dai Meng is not here too. No wonder nobody chided when Su Shanshan raised her hand."

Ranee Wang looked behind her and Xiaotang wasn't there. No wonder her day was peaceful. "Zhao Xiaotang isn't here too."

"Sunrui too," Ma Shujun said.

Luna Qing noticed her hair wasn't braided by Bee Bee Huang. Usually, when it's Math Class, Bee Bee braids her hair out of boredom. "Bee Bee isn't here too."

"Where is Jenny? It's weird, she doesn't miss any class. It's just not her."

"Ooh wow, I just realized who are not here: Lin Fan, Lu Keran, Yuyan, Sunrui, and Xiaotang."

Han Dong was looking around and noticed Nai Wan and Xie Keyin were missing too. She called Sun Meinan's attention and asked their whereabouts, but Sun Meinan shrugged, pretending that she doesn't know where they are. But she knew where they were at. She was supposed to come with them because she wanted to see the thrill when Yuyan told them about the situation. Xie Keyin told her to stay, so she wouldn't be in trouble and they also need an update about the situation in the classroom in case everyone will notice that they were gone.

Of course, everyone noticed!

The class was unusually quiet and problem-free. It was also obvious when a lot of them were gone.

How dumb of them to think that nobody would notice their absence, Sun Meinan thought.

"Seriously, where the hell are they?" A classmate voiced out her thoughts. Not that she cares but it was just unusual for her that they didn't piss off their Math teacher. The class became noisy from the chattering as they were searching for their classmates' presence. Nobody knows where they are, but they knew they were in big trouble for cutting classes.

Dai Yanni held her smartphone inside her pocket, she was thinking to message Xiaotang but she was concerned she might get scolded by the teacher, so she restrained herself from using the phone. She's thinking of Xiaotang, she keeps reminding her to keep away from trouble.

But here she is.

At the basketball court where there are no other people around to save them from being bullied by the students of North Jade.

Xiaotang's right brow was beginning to swell; her right eye was hard to see from the blood oozing from being scraped when she was punched by the butch leader. When she heard the butch was taunting Lin Fan, she stood up and faced her. Even though it was hard to see because of her injury, she couldn't miss noticing how unpleasantly looking the butch's face is. She looks like an overgrown potato burrowed under the soil for a long time that it didn't have enough photosynthesis. If the butch was kind, then maybe the gods can forgive the sins she had made on this Earth, since the butch was crude and ugly at the same time that everything of her is unforgivable. The heavens wouldn't receive her if how the Catholics would say it. "Were you even vaccinated?" She sneered at the quick-tempered butch, the latter punched her again but this time Xiaotang shielded herself from the heavy blow.

"XIAOTANG!" Lin Fan and Lu Keran shouted, they were scared Xiaotang will receive another beat. Moreover, the North Jade students will gang them up and beat them; they were just waiting for a signal from their leader.

Lu Keran stood up to reason. "Please stop hurting my friends! You want me right? Then come at me, just...just don't hurt them!" She pleaded, but of course, her begging wouldn't stop the North Jades from harassing them.

The North Jade's leader was going to signal her gang to beat Lu Keran, but she stopped and turned around when she heard a holler coming from behind.

"HEY -FACE!"

Everyone looked at the person who was yelling, they were surprised to know who it was.

"Yeah, that's right! Y'all better look at the visuals of Qingchun Youni All-Girls High School!" Yuyan bragged, pounding the baseball bat on the ground to intimidate the bullies.

Lin Fan burst into tears when she saw Yuyan wasn't alone. She brought Dai Meng, Sunrui, Jenny Zeng, Bee Bee Huang, Nai Wan, Xie Keyin, Feng Rouhang, Fei Qinyuan, and Eliwa Xu. They were wearing their school's varsity jackets. They all lined up, standing coolly and intimidatingly. Although not all of them are fighters like Fei Qinyuan and Dai Meng who are in the Martial Arts Club. Yuyan, Nai Wan, Jenny Zeng, and Rouhang brought baseball bats for defense, and they outnumbered the North Jades. It was 8 versus 10 plus Xiaotang, Lin Fan, and Lu Keran if they're still able to fight.

Xiaotang pressed her hands on her head, she was glad the backups were there to save them from the trouble; she thought it was over for them. Lu Keran's lost courage fired up, she clenched her fists feeling thankful when she saw Yuyan showed up and brought their friends with her. "Where the hell were you?!" Lu Keran chided her for being late; she had thought Yuyan had bailed on her.

"Didn't I tell you to wait for me?" Yuyan said, pointing her bat at the North Jade students. "I know these pricks, they never play fair that's why I rallied up our friends for backup in case the game doesn't go well," She pounded the baseball bat on the ground again.

"I didn't come along to just talk," Dai Meng fiercely stepped forward, putting her hands inside her pocket.

"Me neither, I was thinking this will be a good beating practice," Fei Qinyuan remarked as she was stretching her arms. She was ready to take them down and chop them like how she chops the watermelon in half with her bare hand. She counted their opponents, thinking of how she could defend herself if she was the one being ganged up by them. "Wow, you were ganging up three people, how pity is that?" Fei Qinyuan snickered looking at the North Jade students who were readying their knuckles.

Some of the North Jade students were picking up their brass knuckles and a student has a knife with her. It was scarier to engage in a fight with the North Jade students since one of them has a deadly weapon. Although Qingchun Youni students were many and they were the few, but their leader was unbothered by being outnumbered. "Oh? Why am I scared of petty girls from... what school, again?" She scoffed.

Jenny is a coward when it comes to this kind of confrontation, but this time she was courageous enough to speak up. "You're talking to a prestigious private school!" After she said that she hid behind Yuyan in case she gets beaten up for saying her thoughts.

Xiaotang, Lin Fan, and Lu Keran were surprised by how they were able to convince Jenny Zeng to tag along with them; it was puzzling. Xiaotang squinted to see who the other girls were; she was surprised to see Feng Rouhang and Eliwa Xu with them. Were they really going to fight or, are they only there to cheer for them? She didn't want them to get involved and get hurt. She was relieved a little when she saw Eliwa holding a smartphone to only take a video. She thought it was better than joining the fight, but she's still worried about Rouhang. She's sure she'll join since she's holding a baseball bat.

"So what if you came from a ing private school?! That doesn't scare us!" The North Jade's leader was boosting her gang's morale, so they won't back from the fight.

Dai Meng glanced at her friends who were chortling; it's funny that the rival still doesn't get it so she wanted to point out to make it clear. "We're rich kids from an upper middle class," She took out her right hand from her pocket and pointed at Xiaotang. "That girl you beat up over there, that's Zhao Xiaotang," She put back her hand inside her pocket. "You should be scared of her. She's the richest among us. Her dad can put you to jail, y'know?" Dai Meng raised her brow. It was a fact that they should be wary of. The North Jade students were slowly stepping back from them; they were more scared of being in prison rather than getting into a fight. They didn't know who they were messing with.

"Eliwa, did you record this one? Make sure you focus on their faces," Yuyan said as she tapped the baseball bat on the ground to create an intimidating noise.

"Yup, I got it!" Eliwa replied. When they saw Eliwa recording them, they immediately ran away even the leader flee from the scene. Bee Bee pretended to chase them but it turned out she was just batting on the ground for the effect of scaring them. She growled as if she was the one who scared them off.

And when they were gone, Jenny hugged Yuyan as she was so nervous from the scene. "Waaaah!! Yuyan that was scary! I'm never doing that again!" She whined, tugging Yuyan's clothes. She thought there was going to be a rumble happening, but she was glad that nothing happened.

"Get a hold of yourself, geez! We didn't get into a fight." Yuyan scowled at Jenny who was being so dramatic. She regretted bringing her if she knew she was just going to whine.

"You stupid Yuyan! That was still scary!" Jenny burst into tears because of nervousness, she has never been in this kind of situation before.

"Oh, that was it?" Xie Keyin furrowed her brows, she expected there was going to be a fight.

"As if you can throw punches," Nai Wan scoffed at Xie Keyin who just grinned. She knew Xie Keyin was pretending she could fight them off. They are not used to this kind of ruckus but if a friend is in danger, they wouldn't think twice to help them.

Rouhang approached Lu Keran and gave her a pack of tissue to wipe the blood on her nose. "We're you punched?" She asked.

Lu Keran used the tissue to wipe her bloody nose. "Nah, I just got hit by a ball."

"Wow, that bad?"

"She spiked the ball so hard if I knew she was a volleyball player we could have played volleyball instead of basketball." Lu Keran quipped.

Bee Bee pulled Lin Fan up as the latter was in tears. "I thought you'll be seeing us at a funeral!" Lin Fan said as she hugged Bee Bee.

"There, there, you're still alive and breathing," Bee Bee patted Lin Fan's back to comfort her. Thank goodness they were just on time, or else, the casualties could be worse.

Sunrui handed Xiaotang a hand towel to wipe the blood from her face. "Aiyamaya, your face." She was concerned when she saw the scrape on the side of her brow. It pained her to see her friend in that state. She just hoped they had come sooner, maybe, these could have avoided what had happened.

"I know I look ugly," Xiaotang wiped the flood, it stung a little when the cloth touched the wound.

"What now?" Sunrui asked her friends that it was over. She knew they have other things to worry about.

"Detention," Yuyan answered.

Everyone expected it as they all knew the consequences of their action. They already knew what they signed up for when Yuyan told them about the situation. They agreed because a friend needed help and nobody should be left behind. They might get scolded and get into detention next Monday, but they thought it was alright as long as they'll get detention together.

After all, a homie is a homie.

Later that day everyone went home to their houses. Xiaotang was nervous to ring the doorbell. She wasn't ready to show her face which looks awful. The bleeding had already stopped. Her right eye was swollen from the scrape on her brow when she received a heavy punch.

She gathered her courage before pressing the doorbell.