Chapter 115

Charlotte stood up, gripping her water bottle and leaning on the table with one hand. She kept her eyes lowered, quietly sipping her milk.
She looked so calm, so cool, that the whole room seemed to freeze.
She didn’t say a word, but somehow, just standing there, she made everyone uneasy.
“Is Charlotte about to fight back?” someone whispered.
A guy in the crowd folded his arms, grinning like he was settling in for a show. “If she’s gonna mess with Dennis, she’s got no idea what’s coming.”
Everyone knew Dennis was smart but ruthless. He was the kind of person who would do anything to get his way.
People remembered the time Shirley cheated on that physics test and stole first place from Olivia. Dennis, who had always followed Olivia around like a lovesick puppy, decided he had to step up for her. That’s how he and Shirley became enemies.
Honestly, Shirley only survived it because she was tough. Anyone else would have crumbled.
Now, Charlotte just took the water bottle and finished her milk, totally unbothered. Nancy, never one to miss drama, leaned over and smirked. “Dennis, she isn’t scared of you at all.”
Dennis had been spoiled his whole life. He wasn’t used to anyone looking down on him, let alone some girl from the countryside who kept picking on Olivia. He’d wanted to put her in her place for a while now.
“Hey, country girl. If you know what’s good for you, get lost and send Shirley over. Otherwise, I’ll deal with both of you.”
People glanced at Charlotte, faces full of pity. Of all the people to annoy, she had to go after Dennis.
Even when Dennis messed up, the school never did anything because of his dad.
But Charlotte?
First her family dumped her, now she was about to get kicked out of school. With everything falling apart, you’d think she’d know to keep her head down, not make things worse.
Some people just can’t help making trouble for themselves.
“Charlotte.”
Shirley, who still remembered what Dennis had put her through, didn’t want Charlotte getting dragged in. She
Med gently at Charlotte’s
sleeve, her face pale “I have another copy. Just give him this one
“Watch closely,” Charlotte cut her off, lifting Shirley’s chin with the water bottle. Her eyes were icy as she stared at Shirley and spoke slowly.
Shirley fell silent, staring at her in confusion.
“Today I’m going to teach you two things.” Charlotte finished her milk, tossed the empty carton into the trash with a perfect shot, and her voice rang out, crisp and cold.
“First: Don’t start trouble, but don’t let anyone walk over you.”
She arched an eyebrow, spinning the water bottle in her hand.
People in the crowd looked around, confused. Was she serious? Usually in a situation like this, you fight or you back down. What was she even talking about?
“If you let people bully you for too long and never push back, you’ll just end up broken… or worse,” Charlotte continued, her voice low and icy.
“Shirley, you’re not the first and you But honestly, you
won’t be the
might be the one who gets hurt the most.”

The way she said it made everyone shudder. She wasn’t wrong. Dennis had bullied plenty of people, but Shirley always got it the worst.
“I
Shirley looked away, her face almost colorless. She knew what Charlotte meant. It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried to fight back it was just pointless She could never win against Dennis
While the two of them talked, Dennis lost his patience. He muttered a curse, looking cocky and mean. “Yeah, I’m picking on you. So what? What are you gonna do about
it?”
He’d already heard the rumors about Charlotte getting kicked out of the Main family. She didn’t have anyone now.