When Gwyn woke up the next day she felt great. Her fatigue from her late night run was gone and her hand wasn’t desperately hurting anymore.
She had expected that she would be spending the early hours of the day in a half-dead trance. The fact she wasn’t right now was good as today was a dreaded gym day after all.
Winterfield’s School for Girls took its physical health seriously. Many of its significant donors had ties to the National Sports Federation, which right now had the stated agenda to increase the nation’s prestige in sports.
So the student body was subjected to a twice weekly full day of fitness, firstly general exercises in the morning followed by sports clubs in the afternoon. Gwyn had been forced to join the track and field club by a bubbly Marion despite being awful at it.
Gwyn usually dreaded these days, she wasn’t unfit but definitely not in the same category as most of her athletic classmates.
However, today she felt different.
Perhaps it was her morning energy but she didn’t have the same aches and pains she frequently did.
Putting it out of her mind she made her way over to the state of the art gymnasium situated at the back of the school grounds. The school had spared no expense, it looked more like a world championship stadium than a high-school gym and it had everything imaginable.
Inside the vast entry hall she found her friends waiting for her just outside the changing rooms.
“Huh? You don’t look like a zombie today.” she was teased by Tatiana immediately upon arriving which put a pout on her lips.
“I guess I just woke up on the right side of the bed today.”
“The right side of the bed would have been on my…Ow ow stop grabbing my ear.” Marion’s amorous remark was interrupted as she was dragged into the changing room by a furious Tatiana.
Cécilia and Gwyn just watched fondly before likewise heading inside to join them.
The school provided a set of gym clothes each month made out of whatever high-tech fabric that was the latest and greatest that the scientists could come up with. A tight sports top and bike shorts that were made from breathable fabric clad their bodies while a pair of high-performance sneakers went onto her feet.
Marion and Cécilia beat the rest of the class in terms of athleticism, the two girls had bodies built for and by exercise. No matter how much she tried Gwyn could never gain the muscles these too sported.
On the other hand both Tatiana and Gwyn had won the genetic lottery in terms of bust size but it had the downside of making any sort of sport far more difficult, even the specifically designed tops seemed to struggle to hold Gwyn’s breasts in place.
If there was one thing that Gwyn won at in their group, it was in bust size.
The group hurried to stretch and begin running so as to not provoke the bear-like woman that was their Gym teacher. Mrs Beckhelden was a former world record holder in numerous divisions and the current coach of the nation’s top athletes.
She was also the no nonsense type of teacher and took slacking off during her classes as a personal insult.
Regardless of her personal hindrances her body provided she found herself running a lot more fluidly today. For some reason her sneakered feet struck the track with a defitness she wasn’t expecting thus allowing her to keep pace with Tatiana for once.
Normally she’d end up at the back of the group after just a few laps and subsequently lapped by her faster classmates.
Perhaps that wouldn’t happen today.
As she was slipping into a healthy rhythm something strange overtook her vision, shocking her enough that she was sent sprawling on a twisted ankle.
Body stats updated- please check your status to confirm.
A screen of text blocked her vision as she rolled on the ground clutching a bleeding nose, she had impacted the hard track face first. She was thankful she wasn’t wearing her glasses right now, else she’d be picking glass out of her eyes as well.
“Gwyn!” Tatiana cried out in concern as she stopped next to Gwyn’s crumpled form.
“Miss Morven, what appears to be the issue here?” An irritated Mrs Beckhelden asked as she approached the pair.
Gwyn knew the gym teacher didn’t care for her much, she was the problem child of the class.
“I..I twisted my ankle, coach.” Gwyn knew from experience that Mrs Beckhelden would only accept being called coach during class, she was very particular about it and wouldn’t hesitate to send disobedient student’s around on more laps.
Gwyn had hesitated to bring up the message as she didn’t think anyone would believe her, she didn’t even believe it herself.
The annoyed coach just sighed as she pinched her nose before addressing Tatiana “Miss Rygiel please take Miss Morven to the nurse’s office.”
“Yes coach!” Tatiana chirped happily.
She seemed to be more excited about escorting Gwyn to the nurse than Gwyn did about leaving the gym early. Out of the corner of her eye she did spot both Marion and Cécilia continuing their laps but they were shooting their own looks of concern at her and ones of suspicion at Tatiana.
As she was hobbling away with one arm over the shoulder of her beaming friend, she waved to the others to reassure them that she was mostly fine.
----------------------------------------
The school’s infirmary was just as lavish as the rest of the buildings, it looked more like a full hospital to Gwyn. A whole host of competent doctors and nurses were on staff to treat all manner of illness or injury that the well connected and influential girls would ever sustain.
After being inspected she had her foot wrapped by a cute nurse whose name tag read Nurse Hopeful, it was a weird name but Gwyn was too shy to ask.
Tatiana had rushed into the adjoining bathroom as she had suddenly realized that she was noticeably sweaty. Gwyn didn’t know what the problem was as she was just as sweaty.
However while she was gone it was a good time to check out the strange message that had appeared in her vision before.
“Open Status?”
At her timid query a semi-transparent screen appeared before her just like one of the school’s holograms.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Gwynnestri Morven Class None Body 11 Mind 13 Charm 18 Education 12 Social Standing 11
Gwyn had absolutely no idea what any of that meant besides the obvious, she had the distinct impression that she was being called stupid and unfit.
She could however extrapolate from her own social standing that 10 was probably the average, she thought this because her parents’ were only just famous enough to put her above average in society. Far below the others in the school.
So perhaps 20 was the upper bounds?
Before she could investigate the status screen further Tatiana reentered from the bathroom. With a hasty thought to not let her see it, the screen vanished before Tatiana looked at Gwyn.
Tatiana said something that Gwyn didn’t register as she was far too focused on the next screen that had suddenly appeared before her.
Tatiana Rygiel
Class Underworld’s Princess Body 13 Mind 18 Charm 14 Education 18 Social Standing 20
If she wasn’t so shocked by the sudden appearance and the strange class Tatiana had she’d be outraged by the difference in stats. It made sense given her background but it was still hurtful.
Just as she was about to ask Tatiana to repeat herself as she had missed what she was saying, the door to the private room burst open and her two other friends tumbled in. Once they had recovered they began shouting accusations of impropriety at an offended Tatiana.
Gwyn couldn’t pay attention to that either as two more screens appeared before her, one after the other.
Cécilia Aubert Class Bloodrose Assassin Body 18 Mind 14 Charm 11 Education 15 Social Standing 14
Marion Spencer Class Spy of a Thousand Faces Body 16 Mind 12 Charm 17 Education 16 Social Standing 17
What the heck was going on?
Why was her system telling her that her only friends were a criminal princess, an assassin and a spy?
It seemed rather ridiculous to her, it couldn’t be true. She would have noticed something like that going on behind her back, after all they were just school girls.
Maybe she should just ask?
No, she’d just look stupid, plus without the orb she had no way to prove it.
She didn’t want to alienate her only friends over this dumb system. Could she even trust what it was saying? After all it was saying she had a charm of 18, which is far too unlikely to be true.
“She’s not responding! You broke her! I bet you tripped her as well!” Marion accused Tatiana.
The bickering pair clashed again in another argument over Gwyn, she knew they tended to compete over everything but it was a little grating when it was over her friendship.
“She didn’t trip me, I fell over my own clumsy feet.” Gwyn reassured Marion and Cécilia.
She didn’t want them fighting each other because of her, they tended to find enough reasons on their own without her throwing more fuel on the fire.
“You’re not clumsy at all!” all three hurriedly chimed in as they saw her teary eyes.
Those tears were mainly from the pain her nose was in but it felt nice to be comforted by her friends so she kept that to herself.
As she watched her friends try and one up each other to compliment her she decided not to believe the strange system completely, how could these three goofballs be such strange classes?
She’d believe them over some random words that meant nothing to her and if they were whatever it was saying they were she’d wait until they told her themselves.
She quietly giggled at her friends' antics which cheered them up immensely.
“Are you girls still coming over for my birthday on the weekend?” Gwyn cautiously asked the others.
Unlike the eighteenth birthday parties she had attended for the other three, as they were older than her, her’s was only going to be the four of them. Tatiana’s had been exceedingly shocking as she had invited thousands of people to her family’s estate.
“Absolutely!” All three gave their affirmations to her considerable relief.
“Are your parents coming?” Cécilia asked her delicately.
“No, they said they were busy.” she softly replied.
Gwyn guessed that they were traveling around trying to garner interest in their next literary works. They’d probably just send a gift she didn’t want or need again. The trio of girls shared a look of sympathy before seeking to comfort Gwyn once more.
“Don’t worry you’ll have us,” Tatiana boasted “are sure you don’t want to invite anyone else?”
“Who would I even invite? I don’t know or like anyone else at this dumb school.” Gwyn sulked as she held back her real tears this time.
“Who needs anyone else! I’m all the woman you’d ever need!” Marion flirtatiously declared in an attempt to cheer the morose Gwyn up.
It mostly worked as instead of crying she now was blushing as the blonde pressed her still sweaty and sports attire clad body up against Gwyn’s own. She could practical feel every packed muscle in the athlete’s abdomen against her arm
Just as Tatiana was about to angrily haul Marion off of the bed her phone began ringing. She scowled Marion’s way before answering “hello?”
Gwyn couldn’t hear what was being said on the other end but was able to catch Tatiana’s answers “Yes daddy,” a pause “I’ll handle it,” another pause “hu ha,” a third “yup,” a final pause before she said “It’ll be done.” and hung up.
“What was that about?” Gwyn asked curiously.
“A little bit of business I need to take care of down at the club.” Tatiana calmly answered her query.
Tatiana then gave a meaningful look towards the other two.
“Oh I best get going too, I need to pick up some packages for my mother.” “uh, I have to get something from somewhere."
Two judgemental stares and a confused one were thrown Marion’s way after she gave such a vague excuse.
“Ok?” Gwyn replied a bit confused.
Sure they weren’t obligated to tell her their every move but it was kind of strange they all had to leave at the same time.
“Will you be alright?"
Tatiana had gestured towards Gwyn's still slightly swollen ankle, it had gone down a lot thanks to the ice pack placed upon it but it still stung.
Gwyn smiled brightly at her concern “I’ll be fine in a few minutes, you three can go and take care of your business.”
As they left she wondered what they really were going to do, the three were terrible liars.