Blair could see the confusion in Elijah's eyes, but she didn't care. She quickly looked away, tossed the used sanitizing wipe into the trash, and flipped open her textbook.
Elijah sat down too. He opened his book, his brows slightly furrowed. He had to figure out who it was.
The first class of the evening study was mathematics. Josh Grant, their math teacher in his early fifties, walked into the room with a cheerful spring in his step, carrying his lesson plans.
He looked directly at his favorite student, Elijah, and asked, "Elijah, how did you solve that problem?"
Before Elijah could even respond, everyone in class turned toward him with wide-eyed admiration.
"Whoa, he really cracked the problem that's been on the board for over a month! Elijah's incredible. No wonder he's always at the top of the class," someone said.
"Straight-up math genius," someone else added.
"Elijah's literally my idol," another chimed in.
Blair leaned back in her seat in the last row, casually twirling a pen in her hand as her eyes settled on the straight line of Elijah's back.
"Sorry, Mr. Grant," Elijah said coolly, cutting through the chatter. "I wasn't the one who solved it."
Josh froze, then suddenly looked excited. "It wasn't you? Then who was it?" He thought, Could there be another hidden math prodigy in this class?
Elijah shook his head. "I don't know either."
Josh's gaze swept across the room. "Whoever it was, raise your hand."
Class 15 was the top-tier class. All the strongest math students in the grade were concentrated here. If it wasn't Elijah, it had to be someone else in this room. Josh looked around, full of anticipation. But no one raised their hand.
"None of you?" Josh's tone dipped in disappointment. "Could it really have been a lower-grade student? That'd be humiliating. A problem the senior class couldn't solve was solved by a younger student? That's just embarrassing."
Noticing the disappointment on Josh's face, Blair stopped twirling her pen. She propped up her chin with one hand, the diamond stud in her right ear catching the light.
Her gaze lazily swept over to Josh, then drifted toward Elijah's back. She knew she should've raised her hand. But even if she did, no one would believe her.
She thought, Bottom of the class solving a problem the top student couldn't crack? Sounds like a bad joke.
That math problem was so difficult, even a student from one of the most prestigious universities might not have been able to solve it.
Blair had only managed to do it thanks to everything she'd learned during her time hopping through different worlds. With all her skills maxed out, it was a breeze. That was why raising her hand now was not appropriate.
There were just over three months left until the SATs. She planned to improve gradually, climbing a few spots in the rankings each time. That way, no one would get suspicious. If her SAT scores turned out great then, people might actually believe it.
Josh looked a little disappointed, but he quickly pulled himself together, flipping through his notes as he reviewed the key points.
"This type of problem is bound to be on the SAT. Even if it's not identical, it'll be the same format. Anyone still confused?"
Blair kept twirling her pen, looking as relaxed as ever.
The evening study ended at ten. Instead of heading straight back to the dorm, Blair made her way to the school's bakery and bought herself a gorgeous little cake that cost her sixty-five dollars.
Today was her eighteenth birthday. After today, she was legally an adult. No one remembered it, but that didn't matter to her. She could celebrate by herself. No one loved her, and that was fine by her—she'd love herself.
She sat by the garden bed on campus, lit a candle, took the first bite of cake, and softly whispered, "Happy birthday."
Blair had a sweet tooth. It didn't take long before most of the cake was gone.
She tilted her head slightly, glancing at the person who had been standing behind her for quite some time.
"You need something?" she asked Elijah.
Since he stayed quiet, she pretended not to notice—until now. Blair sensed Elijah approaching the moment he got close. She was about to head back to the dorm, so she finally broke the silence.
It wasn't until then that Elijah said, his tone cool as ever, "Did you go to the Math Lab this afternoon?"
Blair turned slightly at the sound of his voice, facing Elijah. She was sitting while he stood, and she tilted her head up to look at him.
The orange glow of the streetlamp cast a soft halo over Elijah's sharp, handsome features, wrapping him in a faint golden light.
She thought, Yeah, he's definitely good-looking. He's called the school's heartthrob for a reason. When it comes to looks, he doesn't disappoint.
"So what?" Blair nodded.
Elijah asked, getting straight to the point. "What were you doing there?"
Blair let out a crooked smile, looking a little cocky. "I went to see my fiancé. Got a problem with that?"
The light hit the diamond stud on her ear, scattering into a soft gleam. Elijah couldn't make out her full expression. He frowned slightly.
"Did you see who solved that math problem?"
Blair paused for a beat, then shook her head. "No."
Elijah pressed further. "So it wasn't you?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he figured he'd lost it. Blair ranked dead last in the class and close to the bottom in the entire grade.
Every time she took a test, she tanked the class average—especially in math. She couldn't even guess the multiple-choice questions right. She failed every time, barely getting anything correct. Their math teacher, Josh, practically lost his mind grading her tests every time. If it weren't for Brody being such a patient advisory teacher, Blair would've been kicked out of Class 15 ages ago.
Elijah thought, I must be out of my damn mind to even ask if she solved it.
But when he checked the hallway cameras today, it turned out only three people had gone in—Blair, Amelia, and Skyler. There were no cameras inside the classroom.
Blair scooped up another bite of cake, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "What do you think?"
Elijah stayed quiet for a few seconds, then turned and walked off.
Blair watched his straight-backed figure with a light chuckle. "You don't even believe it yourself. So why bother asking?"
She didn't know if Elijah heard that last part, but his pace definitely picked up.
After finishing the cake, Blair tossed the box into the trash can and stood up, stretching with a satisfied sigh. The motion lifted her oversized uniform shirt, revealing the curve of her slim waist, her smooth, tender skin catching the light.
Blair's figure and skin were flawless, but always hidden beneath the loose uniform, unnoticed by everyone.
When she returned to Room 316, the lights were on, but the room was empty. On the bed across from hers, a school uniform jacket was tossed carelessly on the blankets.
Blair picked up on the sound of running water from the bathroom and figured her roommate was showering. She hesitated for a second. It was her first day living here, and she might as well be friendly and say hi.
So the moment she heard someone stepping out, she looked over without thinking—and immediately froze.
The guy stepped out of the steam-filled bathroom, tall and lean. His damp hair was slicked back effortlessly, his sculpted nose framed by a pair of gold-rimmed glasses that shaded a pair of striking eyes.
He'd just washed his hair, and droplets still clung to his strands, tracing down his striking features before sliding over his toned chest.
She sat by the garden bed on campus, lit a candle, took the first bite of cake, and softly whispered, "Happy birthday"
Blair had a sweet tooth. It didn't take long before most of the cake was gone.
She tilted her head slightly, glancing at the person who had been standing behind her for quite some time. You need something?" she asked Elijah.