Chapter 8

The more Stephen talked, the more Mindy realized something was off. Toward the end, even her expression became a little unreadable. While Stephen used to be a bit of a wild child, he was never this unruly. He even had the nerve to joke around with her! But at the end of the day, Stephen and Bailey hadn't crossed any sort of line in their interactions, and she couldn't do anything to him. So what if Bailey was most likely bound for Harvard or Yale? Mindy couldn't possibly talk Stephen into taking a leave of absence and studying at home over some groundless rumors. That made no sense. "That's enough. You've gotten bolder, kid. You even had the gall to crack jokes with me," Mindy snapped while rolling her eyes at Stephen. "Well, I'll deal with Ms. Stoker for now. You better do a good job during the upcoming mock exam. If your grades take a nosedive, it doesn't matter whether or not you and Bailey are dating. I'm still going to have a word with your mother about you," Mindy said. Chuckling, Stephen said, "Since you put it that way, Ms. Hayes, I'll have to show you just what I can do during the mock exam. I'll stop pretending. Truth be told, I'm good enough to get into Harvard and Yale too." "Oh, stop with your nonsense," Mindy said, rolling her eyes once more. "You think I don't know what you're capable of? I'll be happy if you just get into one of the top-tier universities." She waved him off, commanding him to get back to class. … As soon as Stephen got back to his seat, Zachary asked, "Stephen, why did Mindy Hellspawn call you into the office?" All students were into fantasy stories at some point, and thanks to Mindy's strict, no-nonsense persona, she received the moniker of Mindy Hellspawn. Stephen had a serious look on his face. "Ms. Hayes told me that the four horsemen of the apocalypse are about to arrive. I need to prepare myself to join in some kind of mission to save the world." Considering the story he was spinning, it was obvious he didn't want to tell the truth. Zachary didn't bother pressing him. "How prepared are you for the exam tomorrow, Stephen?" Zachary asked. He was more concerned about the exam that was happening tomorrow—especially since he had made a bet with Stephen. Whoever scored higher would become the godfather of the other. Frowning, Stephen said, "Zachary, should I call you brave or reckless? The four horsemen of the apocalypse are upon us, and yet you're still concerned about a measly exam! Shouldn't you be worried about the fate of the human species?" "Oh, stop. You're getting more and more ridiculous." Zachary rolled his eyes and went back to his books. Being a gullible, simple-minded teenage boy, he had a competitive streak. He certainly didn't want to have to address Stephen as his godfather. … Soon, it was the next day. The final mock exam before the SATs had finally begun. Bright and early that morning, Stephen dropped by the Howards' diner to have some food before heading to school with Zachary. As soon as he entered the classroom, he sensed the change in the atmosphere. Everyone seemed nervous yet eager at the same time. Being students, they all wanted to prove themselves through the exams. It was the final mock exam before the SATs, and the entire city would be taking the exam together. Even the school took this exam seriously and created specific exam halls for it. The first exam hall was for the geniuses who were getting into top-tier universities, including some like Bailey who were aiming for Harvard and Yale. The second exam hall held a mix of those who could get into top-tier universities or decent state universities. Both Stephen and Zachary didn't have the grades to get into the second exam hall either. Zachary was assigned to the third while Stephen ended up in the fourth. As Stephen walked toward the exam hall with his pencil case, he gave the increasingly nervous Zachary a tap on the back. "Stop fidgeting so much, Zachary. Do your best and get a good score. That'll boost your confidence for the SATs." "What's this? This is a miracle. You're actually saying something nice, Stephen." "I'm just afraid you'll have a breakdown when you see how much worse you did compared to me." "Hah! You think I don't know what your grades are? You do worse than me nine out of ten times, okay?" Stephen chuckled and said nothing. He was fine with letting Zachary feel good about himself one last time. Alas, once the results came out, he would be leaving Zachary in the dust. All the students were heading to the exam halls together. As they walked, somehow, Natasha and Stephen ended up walking side by side. She threw him a look before scoffing and turning her head away. Her grades were a lot better than both Stephen's and Zachary's. She'd been assigned to the second exam hall. In the previous life, she did pretty well on the SATs and got into Paramount School of Economics and Finance, a good state university. After seeing what happened, Ryder sped up until he was basically walking beside Natasha. He also had the potential to get into a good state university and had been assigned to the second exam hall as well. Once it was time for the group to split up, Ryder shot Stephen a taunting look filled with condescension. Alas, such was the sense of superiority high schoolers felt—a simple and often foolish pride based on one's grades. Stephen ignored it, of course. Upon entering the exam hall, he swiftly composed himself to deal with the first exam since his rebirth. As the bell rang, the invigilator started handing out the exam paper. The first exam was language. Stephen uncapped his pen and started completing the exam paper. Language required a solid foundation. There was no chance of someone making drastic improvements within a short period. Stephen was an average student when it came to language. He usually got about two-thirds of the full score. After completing what he could, he figured he could score around two-thirds, or possibly a bit more this time. However, he was confident that by the time he got to the SATs, he would get at least 75%. After all, he could remember the essay question. It was impossible to compare answers for the language exam. There was no point in exchanging notes either. Even the worst performing student could somehow fill the exam paper with a lengthy answer. The students were more concerned about the math exam taking place in the afternoon. Mindy's stern "talking-to" did work to an extent. During lunch, Stephen dared not eat with Bailey. Instead, he and Zachary went out to one of the eateries near school. After heading in, they took their seats. Stephen was just about to place his order when Zachary elbowed him. Stephen also sensed a cold gaze fixed on him. He looked up and saw an icy-faced Natasha sitting somewhere to his right. She was with Wendy and Ryder. Once Stephen noticed Natasha, she immediately turned her head to the other side and scoffed. Stephen was secretly amused. Even as someone who'd lived twice now, he couldn't understand how Natasha's mind worked. She was the one toying with him. She stomped on his dignity, using it to prove her own charms. Since that was the case, why was she the one feeling hurt and upset about him ignoring her? He couldn't get why, and he couldn't be bothered to figure it out either. After his rebirth, he made up his mind not to have anything to do with Natasha anymore. Perhaps one could glean new insights when rereading an old story, but the outcome would remain the same. Possibly due to Stephen's presence, Natasha stopped eating after a few bites. She threw her cutlery down with a loud thud. Being the foolish lap dog he was, Ryder immediately glared at Stephen before attempting to console Natasha. Ignoring him, Natasha remained silent with a cold expression. This was just the way she was. The nicer a person was to her, the less she cared about them. On the other hand, Stephen had spent three years trying to woo her. And yet, he had abruptly called it quits—and more importantly, he stuck to it. That cut her deep, making her feel strongly aggrieved. Even the corners of her eyes started turning red. In the end, Wendy couldn't take it anymore. She sat up and approached Stephen and Zachary's table. Keeping her voice down, she said, "Stephen, what's going on between you and Nat?" Stephen shrugged. "You were there that day, Wendy. Wasn't I clear enough? I already said I'm going to act like I don't know her." "Just because Nat teased you? Haven't you stopped to consider why Nat teases you and not someone else?" Naturally, Wendy sided with Natasha. After saying a few words to absolve Natasha of any wrongdoing, she started trying to advise Stephen. "It proves that Nat does care about you. Once you guys graduate from high school and move on to college, you might have a shot with her." Stephen guffawed. "Oh, my. By your logic, it sounds like I should be honored that she stomped on my dignity to prove her charm." Wendy stiffened. "I-I didn't mean—" Cutting her off with a wave of his hand, Stephen said, "Don't bother. That's precisely what you meant."