That was when Mrs. Dent, the class teacher, strode in.

Her face dropped when she saw the bikinis, and she leaped up to snatch them out of Susie's hands. "Where did you get these?! Do you even understand what would happen if you put these on in Aram?!"

Susie was caught by surprise at first, but she soon hugged Mrs. Dent's arm while pouting. "No, Mrs. Dent, you got the wrong idea. Everyone's so tired from lab work, so I'm encouraging them by giving them bikinis."

Ken promptly nodded. "That's right! We just want everyone to get excited. See? They're all motivated now!"

"That's right!" The girls chirped noisily in agreement. "We're in Aram, but the thought of Tropico motivates us!"

"Exactly!" one of the boys said, glaring sideways at me pointedly while adding sarcastically, "Unlike someone here who's only ever a buzzkill. Because of her, no one's in the mood to finish up the project!"

I snorted—their excuse was certainly flawless.

After all, the school had arranged for a free trip to Tropico to reward us should our project prove a success.

Seeing that they were all saying the same thing, the crease on Mrs. Dent's brow eased, but she said, "For safety's sake, Quinn will take custody of all the swimwear. She will hand everything out when we actually arrive in Tropico."

Patting me on the shoulder, Mrs. Dent then smiled, "I'll always have peace of mind when I leave things to you."

However, when she left to take a call, the silent conference room erupted into chaos again.

"Damn it!" the class jock bellowed as he flung his bottle on the floor, pointing at me as he growled, "I'm going to the beach, whether you like it or not! Just try and take my swimming trunks from me!"

On the other hand, the girls sprawled over the table and sighed. "No… Our beach photos… No more showing off to those hunks on Instagram…"

Ken's friend surrounded him right then. "Are we just going to give up, man? Your girl… Why don't you talk to her?"

"Oh, calm down and just think for a second!" Susie shrieked, glaring at me pointedly. "Why would Mrs. Dent suddenly show up now? Someone must have ratted us out!"

Hearing that, Ken kicked down a chair. "It has to be her! Just like last time!"

I could only laugh in wry amusement.

There was this one time when Ken called his classmates to start a fight with actual gangsters because they had teased Susie a little.

If I hadn't warned Mrs. Dent and their parents, they would still be in the hospital right now.

To think that kindness was treated as sin…

Nonetheless, the class was in an uproar, and I could feel everyone staring daggers at me, ready to tear me into pieces in a moment.

I stumbled backward to distance myself, only to find myself cornered against the wall.

Ken leaped up and grabbed my hair, pulling so hard it felt like my scalp was being ripped apart.

"You bitch! You ratted us out, didn't you?!" he bellowed.

I clawed at his arm even as I started to black out from the pain, when he suddenly let go.

I lost my balance and felt him kicking me squarely on the hip, sending me crashing painfully on the floor.

My cheeks burned as they scraped against the concrete floor, and I could feel something wet and warm flowing down my chin, but I had no idea if that was blood or tears.

I shook my head repeatedly, crying myself hoarse. "No, I didn't say anything! And I'd never steal your clothes!"

However, the whole class was hollering at me all at once, and I felt a sneaker stomping on my hand, the pebbles in the soles cutting into my skin.

Even as I threatened to pass out, I tried to push the foot away by instinct, only for Ken to stomp on my hand harder. "You're fighting back?! Just look at this bitch! It's just like the last time she ratted out!"

"Come on, just her hand?" Susie gloated as she dropped to a crouch, grabbing my collar. "Why don't we take an early graduation photo and play it on loop during her wedding?"

Everyone laughed maliciously right then, while I struggled, refusing to let them win!

Two other girls seized my shoulders with a vice-like grip, while another grabbed my hair.

I could hear my clothes being ripped apart audibly, and everyone was cheering and whistling even as I felt the cool air in the room on my skin.

A camera shutter flashed repeatedly, so blinding that I couldn't open my eyes.

With the corner of my eye, I could see Susie leaning intimately against Ken's shoulder, both of them smiling savagely.

Ken was even adjusting his camera angle, aiming it straight at my cleavage.

However, just before he took the photo, Mrs. Dent entered again, snapping impatiently, "What are all of you standing around for? There's still another important forum tomorrow. Go to bed!"

The class quickly formed a line to block me from view, with Ken clasping my mouth firmly in his palm.

As for Mrs. Dent, she looked around but turned to leave as she found nothing strange.

Ken only let go when Mrs. Dent's footsteps faded into the distance, while I dropped limply to the ground, my tears falling uncontrollably.

Susie grabbed my face right then, her nails digging into my chin.

"Just look at you," she breathed venomously into my ear with her sickly sweet voice and shoved me away in disguise. "Do you understand now? Ken has only ever loved me—you're just a tool used to flirt with me. Hell, he was treating you like a dog just to please me!"

I wiped the blood off my cheek, only finding the situation laughably ironic as I watched Susie strut off smugly.

Ken had no father and only managed to get into our school and pay the tuition fee thanks to his mother's meager salary as a janitor.

Considering how difficult it already was to get him in, if the school and the parents found out he and Susie were revealed to be responsible for this diplomatic incident in Aram, I certainly looked forward to what would become of them!

-

The next morning, Ken gathered the whole class again and distributed the swimwear again.

When they were done, I was once again at the center of attention, as Susie was fiddling with a bottle of sunscreen while flashing an innocent smile at me. "Come on, we'll all be enjoying the sun soon… But I'm so sorry I forgot someone's bikini, so just sit tight like a good doggie!"

"Exactly!" The girl beside her quickly echoed. "She'll be working the whole time while we're sunbathing and taking nice photos. But all her work is still our work in the end… Just the thought makes me happy!"

As the class cheered, a boy was smacking the table dramatically while laughing and pointing at me. "I'd hang myself if my class hated me this much! What even is the point of your existence?"

My nails were digging into my palms as I clenched my trembling knuckles, stung by the class' sickening behavior.

I narrowed my eyes—the audacity they had to mock me for it!

Over the last few days, I was the one who had worked overnight, reviewing and tabulating data and writing reports. During the forums where Mrs. Dent was present, they would only mime all my work as if they had done it!

One of the girls complained for my sake, "I think we're going too far…"

"Too far?!" Susie's lackeys promptly shrieked in retort. "So it's not going too far when she steals Ken from Susie?! This is just payback with interest! Someone like her would never become Ken's girlfriend if she didn't cling to him all the time!"

I snorted. "Heh."

How hilarious, when it was Ken who kneeled under the rain outside my house for 24 hours, begging me to date him.

He managed to trick my parents into footing the bill for his tuition too, and suddenly, I was now the one who had stolen him from Susie?

Back in the day, Susie had sent her clique after me.

They would flush my textbooks down the toilet, put chalk into my drink, and even burn my hair with lighters.

And when the boys saw me, they would jeer, "Look! It's the pig who gives herself too much credit!"

As for Ken, he refused to defend me even though he was supposed to be my boyfriend.

If anything, he loved it when I was being bullied, as it meant Susie, his beloved goddess, still cared about him.

From the very start, I was a tool in their love game.

Susie waved her hands impatiently just then. "That's enough! Let's stop wasting our time on that jinx! Let's go already—I can't wait to bare my skin and enjoy the sun!"

I sneered icily, watching as they hurried to the bus and squeezed their way into it.

'Go ahead, enjoy yourselves as much as you can! Let's see if you're all still laughing soon!'

However, no sooner had they left when Mrs. Dent entered.

Seeing the empty conference room, her face dropped. "Where did everyone go?! I've repeatedly told them that we're having a forum at this time!"

I hung my head as I mumbled tearfully, "Sorry, Mrs. Dent… Susie and Ken led everyone to the beach… I couldn't stop them…"

As I sniffed, I quietly rolled up my sleeves, revealing the swelling and bruises on my arms. "They beat me up… to take the bikinis… It hurts so much…"

Mrs. Dent slammed her palm on the table, her face ashen as she bellowed, "Incorrigible! I've always borne with Ken and Susie for their poor grades, and now, they won't even listen to me!

"How would I explain myself to their parents if things go bad?! Those two brats!"

Pacing around anxiously, she suddenly stopped. "How long have they gone?"

I pursed my lips. "A-Almost three hours now…"

Mrs. Dent's face turned pale. "No! The mayor usually patrols the beach with the guidance patrol! Quick, we need to go!"

We quickly dressed modestly, making sure there were no laws violated whatsoever before driving straight to the beach.

When we finally arrived, the scene that greeted us left us dumbfounded!