Sure enough, after hearing Katie's confession, a look of deep disappointment washed over Ms. Sharon's face.
You have to remember, when Katie first arrived at the school, Ms. Sharon was the first person to show her any kindness. Throughout her studies and daily life, Ms. Sharon had looked out for her constantly. For instance, Katie joining the Mathletes was entirely Ms. Sharon's doing.
Right now, Ms. Sharon's state of mind could be summed up simply: the more you give, the harder you get hurt.
On the flip side, having spoken her truth, Katie looked like a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders. But the moment she saw the look on Ms. Sharon's face, her expression froze.
Knowing she hadn't been forgiven, Katie didn't dare ask for anything more. She turned around, whispered a quiet "I'm sorry," closed her eyes, and let herself fall backward.
"You okay?" Mike asked, catching the girl in his arms. Seeing she was shaken, his tone was concerned.
Seeing that Mike didn't hate her for what she'd done made Katie feel a little lighter. But when she glanced back at Ms. Sharon, who still wore that look of disappointment, her heart sank again.
Not knowing how to fix things with her teacher, Katie just shook her head in confusion.
---
Meanwhile, the trust-building game continued. As students climbed onto the table one by one to speak their minds, the cheers from the crowd never stopped. In this atmosphere where emotion was trumping logic, the rifts that had formed between the students began to heal.
Eventually, Karen and Gretchen climbed up on the table, too. Both of them tactfully mentioned Regina.
If Regina were willing to get up on that stage right now and boldly speak her "truth," there was a good chance she could win back the friendship of her two crew members.
But right until the game ended, Regina chose to stand on the sidelines, watching coldly.
The game wasn't mandatory. Naturally, those with secrets they couldn't share or those with clear consciences didn't bother going up.
Once no one else was stepping up to the table, Tim stepped forward to gather everyone again. "I saw a lot of you having fun with this exercise, and it achieved exactly what I wanted. That's great."
Tim's words drew knowing smiles from the crowd. His expression then turned a bit more serious. "I hope the drama ends here. And please, keep what happened in this room confidential."
Seeing everyone nod, Tim smiled. "Alright, you're dismissed. Have a great weekend."
After the trust fall game, the students felt a lot closer to Tim, the dean. On their way out, many went out of their way to say goodbye to him, their eyes darting back and forth between him and Ms. Sharon.
The subtext was clear: they were silently encouraging Tim to go pursue his own happiness.
By the time the group walked out of the auditorium, the rest of the school had already cleared out.
"Katie, wait for me by the school gate for a bit. I'll be there soon," Mike said to Katie, watching the direction Regina had gone.
"Oh, okay," Katie replied. She was still dwelling on the Ms. Sharon situation and didn't notice the strange look on Mike's face.
Mike had confirmed that Regina was still targeting him, and now, he had locked onto her. If you do bad things in his territory, you get punished.
---
On the other side of campus, Regina seemed to be waiting for Mike. When she realized he was following her, she took a winding route that eventually led to the school rooftop.
"So, how do you plan to explain yourself this time?" Mike asked teasingly as he approached Regina, who was standing near the edge of the roof.
"This is the last time..." The sunset glowed on Regina's face, highlighting a flush on her cheeks.
"What?" Mike looked at her relieved expression, not quite catching her meaning.
But a second later, Mike watched as Regina dropped to her knees in front of him.
"What are you doing?" Mike was startled, though he had a vague idea of her intentions.
"Isn't this what you wanted?" Regina looked up with a complicated expression, glared at him, and began her performance.
---
Half an hour later.
Mike stood in the cold rooftop breeze, yet he was sweating.
As a gentleman, there was no reason for Mike to refuse her chosen method of apology. In fact, considering Regina's previous behavior, once Mike took control of the situation, he didn't exactly focus on being gentle.
Another ten minutes passed before Mike's mood settled down.
[Charm +25]
[Flexibility +5]
...
[Constitution (Main) +1]
[Voice +10]
After tallying up the glowing orbs he just absorbed, Mike looked at Regina, who was wiping the corner of her mouth across from him. "Talk to me. What exactly do you want?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that right now?" Regina replied, her voice raspy and her face still flushed.
After putting in that much effort, Regina felt she deserved to have the upper hand.
Looking at the faint smile on her face, Mike couldn't bring himself to be cold-hearted immediately.
He thought for a moment and said, "We'll consider the matter settled. Just don't come after me or Katie again..."
Short of using physical force, this was the best solution Mike could come up with. As for using gossip or public opinion to attack her? He couldn't be bothered to stoop that low.
Seeing Mike turn to leave, Regina called out, "Wait."
"What? Is there something else?" Mike stopped.
Even though they had just been intimate, in Mike's heart, a woman like Regina still couldn't compare to Katie and the others.
"I want back into The Plastics," Regina stated her demand.
"That's your business, nothing to do with me," Mike said.
"As long as you agree..." Regina smiled, then added, "Also, next time you get the urge, you can come find me anytime."
Judging by her expression, she seemed to have completely let go. And honestly, it was hard to say who took advantage of whom during this rooftop session.
Given Regina's behavior before and after, Mike had reason to suspect she had been eyeing him for a while.
After taking one last serious look at Regina, Mike turned and walked off the roof.
If she wasn't so manipulative, she wouldn't be a bad person to interact with. After all, there's a reason the "Queen Bee" is so popular; she has her unique qualities.
At the very least, in Mike's opinion, she definitely had a natural talent for playing a certain instrument.
---
By the time Mike reached the school gate, nearly an hour had passed.
"Mike, you're finally here. I thought..." Katie, who had been feeling anxious, saw Mike and immediately threw herself into his arms.
Waiting alone for an hour gave Katie plenty of time to overthink. Part of her was terrified that Mike had found out what she did and abandoned her.
"You thought what?" Mike asked.
"Nothing..." Katie crinkled her nose and said, "Let's go home."
Katie's parents had been gone for a week, and they were due back tomorrow, so the couple didn't have much freedom left.
Feeling emotionally pent up, Katie decided she wanted to go wild tonight.