Nolan? Volunteering?
Nolan crouched down without even glancing up. “Lie down.”
Elena quietly sat on the mat.
Nolan rolled his wrist once before pinning her ankles down firmly.
Henry, the PE monitor, began the countdown.
Elena moved swiftly. She kept going until she hit the maximum score.
Only then did Nolan speak, his voice calm: “You’re the one who locked her in.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.
Elena nearly lost her rhythm from the shock.
The sixty seconds ended right then.
The students around them started calling out their scores.
But Nolan’s gaze never left Elena, as though he could see straight through her.
“Nolan, how many did Elena get?” Henry walked over, record book in hand.
Nolan didn’t take his eyes off her. “Fifty-three.”
“Nice! Perfect score!”
Henry jotted it down and walked off.
Elena’s heart was racing.
She remembered how, in her previous life, Nolan had become the ruler of Haicheng with ruthless force.
Even Zayden had never measured up to him.
Was his mind already this sharp as a teenager?
“I… don’t really understand. Locked who in?” Elena looked at him with innocent confusion.
She played it well.
Nolan finally looked away. “Think about how you plan to end this after class.”
Someone had been locked up. If this turned into a bigger deal, the school would definitely punish Elena.
The bell rang.
PE testing was officially over.
“All right, Class One and Class Six, return the equipment,” the teacher announced.
Zayden ordered a few classmates to collect everything.
Nolan glanced at Elena again. Her expression remained completely calm, not a trace of panic.
“Nolan! Let’s go!”
Henry and Colton were already carrying equipment, with Lewis hauling one of the mats.
Nolan said nothing and joined them as they headed toward the equipment room.
Outside the storage room-
Zayden had just reached the door when he noticed the key sticking out of the lock.
He froze.
That was his key.
Sarah had asked for it earlier, and he’d handed it over without a second thought.
Why was it still here?
Zayden quickly unlocked the door.
Inside, Sarah was curled up alone, looking completely disheveled.
“Sarah?”
He froze in shock.
Sarah lifted her head in a panic the moment the door opened. She scrambled over and threw herself into Zayden’s arms. “Zayden!”
Tears streamed down her face.
The students nearby were stunned.
“Sarah? What were you doing in the equipment room?”
“Yeah, and why do you look like you’ve been through a war…?”
Sarah’s clothes were covered in dust from the equipment room. Her whole body looked like it had been dragged through grime.
“Who locked you in here?” Zayden’s face darkened.
This was a physical exam day-an important one. Who would pull such a cruel stunt now of all times?
“It… it was Elena! Elena locked me in there!”
Sarah sobbed uncontrollably.
Zayden’s expression turned even colder the moment he heard her accusation.
Just then, Elena arrived at the scene with Henry and the others.
Every gaze shifted to her.
Especially Zayden’s-his eyes held nothing but icy suspicion. “Elena, did you lock Sarah in the equipment room?”
Elena looked at Sarah, who was crying miserably in his arms, and asked with genuine confusion, “What? I locked Sarah in the equipment room? Zayden, what are you even talking about?”
“Elena! I already apologized to you at lunch! Why would you do this to me? I missed my PE exam! What about my SATs now?!”
Sarah glared at her with hatred.
She couldn’t believe Elena had gone this far.
“This key-weren’t you the one who left it in the door?”
Zayden stepped closer, eyes locked on Elena.
Elena answered calmly, “I was.”
A collective gasp ran through the crowd.
So… was she admitting it?
“If it was you, what more is there to say?”
Zayden’s voice was like frost. “Elena, I never thought you could be this cruel! Sarah is your sister. You actually locked her in there and made her miss the exam!”
“It’s true that I put the key in the door. But I didn’t lock anyone in.”
Elena remained composed. “I was running late and headed downstairs to help move equipment. When I got to the door, it was already locked. I found the key on the ground and assumed someone had dropped it. Every PE monitor has one, and so do the teachers-I didn’t know whose it was. So I just put it in the lock. What’s so wrong about that?”
Her explanation was seamless.
Even the others around her began exchanging uncertain glances.
Henry stepped forward and shielded her. “Elena’s not a PE monitor. She doesn’t have a key. Think about it-how could she lock anyone in? And didn’t you hear her? The door was already locked when she got there! If anyone locked someone in there, it wasn’t her. Do I really need to spell out who might have hidden inside and tried to pin it on someone else?”
“You’re lying! I’m telling the truth!” Sarah’s face turned pale as she noticed the uncertain looks people were giving her.
There were whispers all around.
“Elena doesn’t even have a key. How could it be her?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t make sense…”
“Why would Sarah say that then? Something’s not right here…”
…
Sarah stood frozen.
Why wasn’t anyone believing her?
“Sarah, think carefully. Are you sure it was Elena?” Even Zayden, who usually sided with her, was starting to doubt her.
Sarah yanked her hand from his. “It was Elena! Why won’t any of you believe me?!”
“Elena even spoke up for you in class when the teacher got mad. She tried to find you. Sarah, I know you don’t like PE, but this was an important exam. You shouldn’t have slacked off.”
Zayden’s words hit Sarah like a lightning bolt.
She had been locked in that room-she’d screamed until her voice gave out and no one heard her.
Why wouldn’t anyone believe her?
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