Reborn To Ruin Her Rivals - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

The boys in the class were trembling with fear, all thinking, 'Has Arielle lost her mind? How dare she order James around?
'If she angers James, that's more than she can handle.
'Sure, Arielle could fight, but James is even stronger, and he has more than a dozen sidekicks backing him up.
'If a fight really broke out, Arielle wouldn't stand a chance.'
James's sidekicks clenched their fists, cracking their knuckles as they eyed such a brazen woman, itching for a fight.
They glared at her with vicious expressions, ready to teach this arrogant woman a lesson she wouldn't forget.
To them, chivalry was a joke. There were no rules against hitting women.
They beat whoever deserved it.
James narrowed his eyes, shooting a sidelong glance at the girl in front of him.
With a lazy air, he took two steps back, pulled his right hand out of his pocket, and with a careless flick, tossed his jacket over his shoulder.
Then he sauntered over to an empty seat, pulled the chair out, slumped into it, one leg dangling, the other bent at the knee.
He radiated a disheveled sort of sex appeal, all careless ease and indifference.
James's bewildering move once again left everyone stunned.
They wondered in disbelief, 'Why didn't he just grab her and toss her out?
'How could he actually let her be his deskmate?
'And even let her get away with being so rude to him?'
His sidekicks were completely floored.
They glanced between their seated boss and the unfazed girl, utterly bewildered.
They thought, 'Hold up! Since when does the boss go soft on girls?'
Olivia, Sophia, and the others were still in shock.
They thought, 'She just totally ignored James. How could he possibly let that slide?
'Is it because she's pretty? He can't bring himself to hit her?
'No way! Absolutely impossible!
'That's James we're talking about, the guy who never gives any girl a second glance.
'What the...'
On the podium, Luna breathed a sigh of relief and thought, 'Thankfully, no fight has broken out.'
With that, she slipped her phone back into her bag, opened her textbook, and announced, "Let's begin class."
Morning classes were over at last.
The whole school was buzzing about one thing today, James and his new deskmate, Arielle.
Small groups of boys headed to the cafeteria, arms slung over each other's shoulders, buzzing about what went down in Class 1.
Arielle walked into the cafeteria alone.
She was now the center of attention at Peterborough High School.
Everywhere she went, all eyes were on her.
Unfazed by the curious stares, she walked her own path, minded her own business, and ate her meal.
Arielle headed to Cafeteria No.3.
She queued up in an orderly line and swiped her meal card.
The cafeteria was packed, and her arrival drew quite a few curious glances from the crowd.
Small groups of students clustered together, gossiping about her. When Perla and her friends overheard the praises being showered on her, they were absolutely seething.
In front of Arielle, a group of students had surrounded a scrawny-looking boy.
The boy looked embarrassed, resentful, and helpless as they shoved him around.
One of the boys blocked his way and sneered, "Get the fuck out of here, you broke-ass loser! What are you doing here? Go back to the free meal zone on the first floor!" He refused to let him swipe his meal card.
"Look at this broke poser! Since when do scholarship trash get to eat here? Know your place, loser," a girl sneered.
One of the bullies sneered, "Move it, Andrew! We're trying to eat here. The first floor is where you belong. Just looking at you is ruining my appetite."
One of the bullies sneered, "Look at your pathetic, broke-ass self! Get the hell back to the first floor where you belong!
"Know your place, trash. Get lost now, or I'll make you regret it.
"Look at this free-meal beggar daring to come up to the third floor! Now I've seen everything.
"Get lost!"
Faced with the crowd's jeering and pointing fingers, Andrew Cobb clenched his fists. He thought, 'I want to fight back, but I can't afford the consequences.'
He'd worked tirelessly to get into Peterborough High School. Finally, his tuition and living expenses were covered, and he even received a monthly stipend of about 17 hundred dollars.
For someone from a family like his, it was nothing short of a godsend.
The free meal zone on the first floor was strictly rationed, one serving per person, and no takeout allowed.
Wanting his dad to have something better for once, and having heard the food on the third floor was especially delicious, he decided to splurge and bring a takeout meal home for his parents.
"You guys go first," Andrew said meekly, stepping aside to let the others pass.
He waited until they had all gotten their food before approaching the serving counter himself.
Seeing the appetizing dishes, a faint smile appeared on Andrew's gaunt face. "Madam, I'd like a serving of pulled pork, some fish, and shrimp, please."
He packed the food into a lunch box and was about to leave.
Just as he was about to leave, the same group of bullies blocked his path again.
The boy extended his hand, looking down his nose at Andrew with a predatory smirk. "Yo, this meal must've cost a lot. Where'd you get that kind of money? Perfect, I'm craving shrimp, hand it over."
"It's mine! Why should I give it to you?" For once, Andrew retorted with rare defiance, clutching the lunchbox and quickly hiding it behind his back.
Andrew was a top student, and teachers often held him up as an example. Over time, the underachievers grew resentful and dumped all their frustration on him.
These students came from families that were of medium size in Theoria City. Still, they were worlds apart from Andrew's impoverished background.
They harassed him without restraint. Whenever they were upset, he became their target.
Andrew endured it all, terrified that angering them would get him expelled, and with that, he'd lose his only shot at an education.
Andrew's family was struggling. His mother was ill and couldn't work, and they needed a few hundred dollars each month for her medication. His father worked as a day laborer on construction sites, barely making ends meet to support the family.
But fate had other plans.
Two years ago, his father fell from a high-rise while working. He survived, but was left in a vegetative state.
That happened just as Andrew had been admitted to Peterborough High School.
He considered dropping out to work.
But his mother refused, "For families like ours, education is the only way out."
She told him to focus on his studies while she stayed home to care for his father.
The 1700 dollars they received each month was just enough to get by.
Today was his father's birthday, so Andrew went to the third-floor cafeteria to pack some good food for him.
Seeing Andrew dare to resist only infuriated the boys, who stormed over to grab his lunchbox.
Someone as small as Andrew was no match for five strong bullies.
In no time, they wrestled the lunchbox away.
One of them made a show of dumping the entire meal into the trash right in front of Andrew, making sure he saw every second of it.
He jeered, "Seriously? I thought it'd be something good. What a waste of my time. This lunchbox looks filthy anyway, let me help you clean it out."
Two of them pinned Andrew in place, each grabbing one of his arms as he begged helplessly, "Please don't! I'm begging you, please don't do this!"
Their laughter only grew louder at his pleas.
Not a single soul in the cafeteria intervened. They watched with cold detachment, as if it were none of their business.
Some kept eating as if nothing was happening, some craned their necks to gawk, a few dashed off to report to a teacher, others whispered among themselves, while a handful looked on with sympathy, but did nothing.
These guys were bottom-of-the-class thugs who loved bullying anyone weaker than themselves.
A few tables away, Arielle set down her fork, grabbed a napkin, and wiped her mouth.
She stood up. Without warning, she picked up her tray and strode toward them.
Stopping in front of the laughing boy, she flipped the tray upside down onto his head.
In one fluid motion, she kicked the two holding Andrew, snatched her tray back, and smashed it against the other two.
All five got what they deserved.
It all happened in a flash.
In under five seconds, all five were down.