Her first reason for doing this was to avoid dragging the school and its people into trouble. By withdrawing, she’d give the school a way to explain things to society and parents, so they wouldn’t be stuck because of her. With such a clean break, the school wouldn’t have to worry about her influence anymore.

Second, she genuinely wanted to escape for a while—not living here, not seeing people who upset her, not dealing with headaches. She needed a fresh start, so she planned to move to the capital. Her savings were enough to take Tamika, Jaylene, and Jaylene’s grandmother to live there. Though sudden, this decision came after deep thought.

The phone stayed silent for ages before a voice finally spoke: “…Why do this? What about your college entrance exam? Apologizing isn’t hard—just swallow your pride. You’ll learn once you’re out in the world: being able to say sorry is a gift. Listen to your teacher, apologize nicely, and this all disappears.”

“Think—you could top the province with your grades. Have you considered what this means for your exam? You’re young, so acting rashly is normal. But think about yourself: with the exam so close, getting expelled means you might miss it. You’d regret that forever.”

The teacher sounded genuinely concerned, and Alarieka knew it wasn’t just about the school’s reputation. But her mind was made up. So she said: “Let it be. I’ll contact you later about my student records.”

The voice turned stern: “Alarieka, think hard. Our school’s nationally famous. If you quit, you’ll have nowhere to cry.”

Alarieka hummed: “That’s it.”

“….Fine. I’m done with you.”

The call cut off instantly. Alarieka scrolled through her call logs and texts. Ms. Wyatt and Ms. Wright, unable to reach her, had flooded her inbox.

[Alarieka, are you insane? Delete it now!]

[Delete this the second you see it! I already smoothed things over with Seaside Resort’s organizers. How could you post this without asking me?]

[Alarieka, please don’t. Listen to me—delete it properly. I’ll take all the blame.]

[Alarieka, answer! You’ll really get expelled like this. Do you even care about the exam anymore?]

[Did you never plan to follow the school’s orders? You always have your own plans. Tell me—what else are you going to do?]

After reading every message in silence, Alarieka called Ms. Wyatt first.

Ms. Wyatt picked up immediately. Alarieka heard her voice the moment the line connected: “Alarieka, delete that post. Now.”

Alarieka said: “Ms. Wyatt, I’m sorry.”

“Ms. Wyatt,” Alarieka whispered, “I went to your place today and heard you all in a meeting.”

Paloma fell silent for a long moment. When she spoke again, her voice suddenly sounded weary: “What did you hear?”

Alarieka’s fingers lightly tapped her clothes: “Ms. Wyatt, I don’t want to see you all bearing pressure for me. That’s not your burden. But rest assured, I have my own plans. I’ve already decided what to do next. I’ll be fine.”

Paloma’s voice grew hoarse: “I know you always have your own mind. Given the situation, I suppose nothing I say will make you delete that post, will it? So now I just want to know your plan. May I?”

Alarieka replied: “Ms. Wyatt, I’ll tell you once I’m settled. Is that alright?”

Paloma seemed to sigh: “Alarieka, remember you’re still a high school student. You don’t need to shoulder everything alone. If you face something unbearable, come find me immediately. I’ll help however I can. Understand?”

Alarieka’s lips trembled.

“I understand…”

After hanging up, Alarieka called Ms. Wright. Unsurprisingly, Ms. Wright rattled off a torrent of words. The main point was demanding Alarieka delete the post immediately, return to school for discussions, and avoid expulsion.