Hayley sat in the back of the classroom, staring blankly at the front as the professor rambled on about research methods. Her mind, however, was elsewhere.

Who was that man? Why was he injured? Was he really injured?

No matter how hard she tried to focus, all she could think about was the guy crouched under the tree.

It’s not like I would take one of his kidneys if he accepted my assistance. He was so rude, Hayley thought to herself. But he looked like he needed help... Maybe he was drunk, or maybe something else is going on. Maybe he's hiding something.

She couldn’t shake the thought of him. Handsome, aloof, and clearly not a regular student—there was something off about him. He must be some rich guy from SOT or something, she reasoned. Probably too good for this campus.

Hayley smirked, finally convincing herself that she had cracked the case. He was probably drunk—ahhh, that makes perfect sense.

"You're smiling creepily," Emily murmured softly, jotting down notes and pulling Hayley back to the class.

"Nah, I’m just thinking about something," Hayley replied nonchalantly, brushing off the discomfort she felt in her chest.

"Your nightmares?" Emily asked, concern in her voice. Her wide eyes searched Hayley’s face with a mix of confusion and sympathy.

And Emily wasn’t wrong. Last night's nightmares had become even more intense. Hayley could still feel the icy chill of the white-clad woman sitting on her bed, her back turned to Hayley, chanting in a voice that couldn’t belong to just one person. The growl seemed to vibrate through her body, leaving her unable to sleep the rest of the night.

Why is she visiting me so often now? Last semester wasn’t this bad. Hayley frowned as the questions swirled in her mind. Is it because of work pressure? Am I going into depression or something? Stress-induced symptoms?

"So," Emily whispered, nudging Hayley slightly. "Are you going to tell me what happened last night, or are we just going to pretend you didn’t scream yourself awake again?"

Hayley gave a nervous chuckle and shrugged it off. "You know how it is. Just... another bad dream. I’ll be fine."

Emily’s skeptical gaze lingered, but before she could say anything else, the door to the classroom creaked open. The sound was barely noticeable, but the way everyone suddenly grew silent gave it away.

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The dean entered.

It wasn’t hard to spot him—he was the one wearing his pants way too high, almost to his chest. His pot-bellied figure waddled across the front of the classroom, struggling to hold his dignity together. Hayley couldn't help but stifle a snicker at the sight of his absurdly high-waisted pants. She quickly glanced down at her desk, pretending to focus on her notebook. The dean’s arrival was never a good sign. Everyone in the class knew that when the dean showed up, there was always an important—and likely annoying—announcement to follow.

"Ah, good afternoon, everyone," the dean’s voice boomed. "I won’t keep you long, but I have an important announcement!"

Hayley groaned inwardly. What now?

The dean cleared his throat, his belly jiggling slightly. "Starting this semester, all students will be required to enroll in a Physical Education course. This Saturday, you will go to the university gym and choose a sport or martial art to learn, and every Saturday, you will practice it. It will be mandatory, and yes, this will count towards the end-of-year sports event."

The room went silent for a moment before the groans began. Emily, sitting beside Hayley, rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Are you serious?" Emily muttered under her breath, glaring at the dean. "Classes were bad enough, now PE? Is this really necessary?"

Hayley glanced over at her friend. Emily was obviously annoyed, arms crossed over her chest. Hayley couldn’t help but agree. Physical education, especially at this point in the semester, felt like one more thing she didn’t need to deal with. Between nightmares and everything else, the last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself in front of a class full of strangers while running laps.

"And there’s one more thing!" The dean continued, oblivious to the collective sighs around the room. "The sport you will choose, make sure you learn it well." He looked frustrated , with his brows furrowed together and disappointment evident in his eyes "For the past 6 years our bloc has not own a single prize. It's a shame for both you and us. I will not allow any of you to sit in the final exams if we don't bag the best bloc trophy this year" He threatened with narrow eyes and core anticipation" Remember, these sports will be taken into account for your grades!"

"Fantastic," Emily muttered sarcastically.

"Why?" Hayley whispered back, looking around the room. "What’s the point? I don’t even play sports."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Right, like you’re going to make it through without causing a scene. This semester’s going to be a disaster."

As the dean wrapped up the announcement, the entire class seemed to settle into an uncomfortable silence. It wasn’t just the mandatory PE class that got everyone riled up; it was the fact that now everyone was going to be required to participate in a big sports event.

But Veronica, of course, was undeterred by the news. Her attention wasn’t on the dean at all. Instead, she was whispering excitedly to her friend Mai, her eyes wide with enthusiasm. "You hear that?" Veronica practically squealed. "The new sports teacher is supposed to be a total hotshot! I heard he’s gorgeous. I just have to be around him."

Mai, the quietest of Veronica’s group, barely looked up from her phone. She had sharp features, and her eyes—small and menacing—narrowed slightly as she listened to Veronica talk. Mai didn’t seem all that impressed, but Veronica didn’t mind. She was practically vibrating with excitement.

Zara, sitting next to Mai, couldn’t help but chime in. "Ugh, I bet you just want to impress him, huh?" she scoffed, flicking her neon green hair over her shoulder. "It’s not like you’re going to actually learn anything in PE."

Veronica grinned, her eyes glittering. "Of course, I want to impress him. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be around a guy who looks that good?"

Zara rolled her eyes, but she seemed oddly interested. "Yeah, well, let’s see how well you can keep up in those heels."

Meanwhile, Archie—who was sitting next to them—let out a bubbly laugh, not really getting the tension in the conversation. "Oh! I think PE will be fun! We get to run around and throw balls! Maybe I’ll make some new friends."

The group exchanged glances, and even though they didn’t say it aloud, it was obvious they didn’t share the same enthusiasm for PE as Archie did.

As Hayley looked around, she couldn’t help but feel a little out of place. Veronica and her friends were already planning their next moves, while she just wanted to get through the semester without drawing too much attention to herself. But with the new PE class on the horizon, that was probably going to be impossible.