"She really is a genius. At least, my dad and the others think so."
Sloane refused to admit the jealousy gnawing at her heart.
She didn't know Claire all that well.
But she had gone out of her way to look into her background.
What she learned was that Claire had been exceptional since childhood, heavily groomed as the eldest daughter of the James family.
Unfortunately, during her senior year of high school, the truth about her identity came to light.
Her brother brought the biological heiress right into her coming-of-age ceremony, turning Claire into the biggest laughingstock in Apex.
After that, she was kicked out to live with her biological family while the real heiress returned to the James estate.
Even at school, Claire faced relentless mockery, but none of it ever affected her grades.
It proved just how unbreakable her willpower was.
A person like that, who was also a genius, would thrive in both good times and bad.
Given Sloane's wealthy and privileged upbringing, it made no sense for her to be jealous of someone like that.
But who told Claire to steal her thunder?
Claire had even earned her grandfather's approval and praise-something Sloane had always desperately craved but could never achieve.
The jealousy slowly seeped into her heart, staining it like drops of black ink.
Sloane knew her own thoughts were ugly, but she couldn't help it; she simply couldn't control her emotions.
"I think you're incredibly outstanding too," Meiko said, offering her immediate validation.
"Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Others might think Claire is amazing, but to me, my friend Sloane is the most outstanding one of all."
Those words were exactly what Sloane needed to hear.
"You really are the best, Meiko."
Her foul mood lifted significantly thanks to the flattery.
Since Claire was going to act so aloof and unapproachable, Sloane wasn't going to lower herself to try and win her over anymore.
As long as they stayed out of each other's way, she wouldn't provoke the girl.
Meiko continued showering her with compliments, cementing her status as Sloane's new best friend.
Even when her roommates warned her that Meiko was a foreigner and advised against getting too close, Sloane refused to listen.
In her eyes, Meiko had already surpassed Julia and Whitney in importance.
With Sloane playing matchmaker, Julia and Whitney quickly got acquainted with Meiko as well.
"Do you know that Taro guy, Meiko?"
Julia brought him up out of the blue.
A strange look flashed through
's eyes. "We went to the
Meiko's
school know of him, but we aren't close
"Taro apparently saw a ghost in the cafeteria."
"He hasn't shown up to class lately. I wonder how he's doing."
Julia was digging for firsthand gossip so she could share it with Claire later.
Ever since they had teamed up to scare
living daylights out of
, she felt their bond bel
someon
deepened Conterft belongs to. FindNovel.net
Doing bad things together really was a great way to build a friendship.
"I think he's getting medical help. His mental state has been pretty fragile lately."
Honestly, Meiko didn't believe in ghosts at all.
Did anyone seriously think Lilith's spirit had crossed the ocean to haunt him in Solenia?
If Taro was this terrified, it was clearly just because he was a coward.
Or maybe he was incompetent and using this as an excuse to hide.
Meiko had absolutely zero respect for people like him.
She was certain he was nothing but a spineless wimp.
Taro?
He was currently huddled under his blankets, shivering uncontrollably every single
day.
He couldn't understand why he kept having nightmares about Lilith.
That Solenian girl was terrifying!
Why else would he be seeing Lilith's ghost?
"Do you think Taro will go back to Sundara?"
"I noticed he seemed really into
Sofëmian girls before, furting heavily quite a few of them
.net Sw
"Now that he's suddenly sick, I've heard a lot of classmates gossiping about him."