Chapter 81: There you are!

Throughout the day, Patricia didn’t return to class but went home early to rest. Penny already expected that, so she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, Penny focused on the task for the day.

Strangely, her classmates were more forthcoming about her. Some approached her during recess, asking her if she wanted to join them. It was the same during lunch and afternoon siesta. Penny had to use all the excuses she could to refuse the invitation. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to take it to the heart.

When classes were over, Penny languidly arranged her things in her drawers and her bag. She let other students leave first because she was small and didn’t want to squeeze her way through the crowd. As she did so, she noticed a figure standing in front of her desk.

"Hmm?" a hum escaped her as she looked up at the person. Deep lines appeared between Penny’s brows when she saw Ginnie. "Ginnie?"

Penny remembered her from her past life, but before Penny could get to know her, Ginnie transferred to another school. From what she heard, Ginnie’s family had to move away.

"You know me?" Ginnie blurted out in surprise.

"Mhm. You’re the top student in our class, are you not?" Penny smiled, only to notice the meek smile Ginnie sported. ’Is she ashamed of being top 1?’

Penny mentally brushed it off. "Why are you here?"

"Uhm... about the group project... do you... do you want... to... partner up with... me?" Ginnie fumbled with her sentence as if she was trying to find the right words in between.

It almost reminded how Penny used to talk in the past, which annoyed everyone. She often stuttered too.

"You still don’t have a team? That’s weird." Penny furrowed her brows. ’Considering she’s the top of our class, our classmates should be lining up to team up with her.’

Her classmates even asked Penny if they wanted to team up with them. However, she already had a prospective partner, so she refused the kind invitation. Now that she thought about it, everyone was quick to point a finger at Ginnie for this morning’s drama. Penny wasn’t dull not to get a grasp of the situation.

’Did she leave school in my previous life because she’s being picked on? Considering she’s a scholar, her life is probably not that great in this school of the rich.’ A shallow breath slipped past Penny’s lips.

If there were students who were being picked on despite coming from a wealthy family, it was worse for those who didn’t have enough financial backup. Some students simply rely on nepotism so much that it was sickening.

"Sure!" Penny smiled, making Ginnie’s brows rise.

"You — you — agree?"

"Mhm!"

Ginnie’s gloomy face brightened up, as if she finally saw a sliver of hope peeking through her cloudy days. "Then, should we discuss it tomorrow during lunch?"

"Sure."

"Okay!" Ginnie bobbed her head, making her short hair bounce.

Having said that, Penny grabbed her bag and stood from her seat. She stopped when she saw Ginnie still looking at her.

"Is there anything else?"

Ginnie bit her inner bottom lips as hesitation flickered across her eyes. "Uhm... nothing." She smiled and shook her head.

Penny blinked innocently before she said, "Should we split the parts on our way out?"

"That’s — that — that’s okay with — with you?" Ginnie’s excitement caused her to stutter more, but Penny didn’t point it out and just nodded. "Okay! I — I’ll just — my bag."

"Okay." Penny smiled and sighed faintly, watching Ginnie clumsily run back to her desk to take her bag and books.

Perhaps it was because Penny also stuttered in the past that she had a soft spot for Ginnie. Being a hero was not Penny’s plan. She simply wanted to have a peaceful life before she accepted Professor Singh’s apprentice offer. Hence, making friends was also not in her plans since she was leaving, anyway.

Even so, being nice would do her no harm.

"Let — let’s go?" Ginnie returned with a forced grin, hugging a few books with a huge bag on her back.

"Ginnie, are you going to take your books home?" asked Penny. "Aren’t they heavy?"

Ginnie forced a smile and shook her head. She once left her books and notes in her drawers, and the next day, they were glued together. The books in the school were expensive, so she felt safer if she carried them home.

"Let me help then."

"It’s okay!" Ginnie drew a step back, smiling. "I can carry them on my own." how could she let Penny carry her books?

Even though they were both scholar students, Ginnie didn’t dare think they were equal.

Penny wanted to insist, but seeing how Ginnie was clasping the books securely, she didn’t force it.

Having said that, the two of them walked side by side out of the building. Since Ginnie seemed to forget why they decided to walk out together, Penny took it upon herself to bring up the project and split the topics they would cover.

There were still a few students in the hallway, busy gossiping or doing their own thing. But when they reached outside the building, deep lines appeared on Ginnie and Penny’s foreheads.

Normally, during this time, students were already headed to the pickup point of the building and only a small number would be outside the building to walk. But now, the students flocked outside the building.

"What’s going on?" Penny murmured and cast Ginnie a look. Ginnie shrugged.

Having no idea of what was happening or what happened, Penny and Ginnie relied on the hushed comments from some students around.

"Oh, he’s so handsome..."

"What is the top 2 from the star section doing outside our building?"

"Did he have a girlfriend here?"

"I’m making this photo as my wallpaper."

’The top 2 from the star section?’ Penny glanced up as she recalled the name on the star section list on the main bulletin. She shrugged and faced Ginnie. "Ginnie, let’s take that route."

At this point, Penny understood that these students wouldn’t leave until the school "celebrity" left. She had no intention of joining the fuss because she missed her pets a lot. It was a long day, and she simply wanted to shower her pets with some love.

But just as Penny and Ginnie were taking the side route, she heard a soft yet playful voice.

"There you are!"