Breaking Free: Love & Rebellion at Blackthorn Academy.-Chapter 64: SPARKLE.

They were standing at the edge of the pool, arms crossed, expressions blank.

"Should we just drown and die?" Hua Rong asked solemnly, her eyes fixed on the still, shimmering water.

"Yes," Bai Xinchen replied with the same level of dead seriousness. "We have to. There's no other way."

Both of them stood up straighter, as if preparing themselves for the tragic act.

Just then, Zhou Yifen emerged from the pool, water dripping from his hair, a soaked white shirt clinging to his body, exposing his lean frame underneath. He glanced at the two dramatically poised figures with clear irritation.

"You two," he said, brushing water from his eyes, "go die somewhere else. You're ruining the view."

They both turned to glare at him like offended ghosts.

"Can't we even die in peace?" Bai Xinchen muttered.

"You heartless man," Hua Rong added with a pitiful scowl, arms still crossed.

Zhou Yifen rolled his eyes, tossing his wet towel over one shoulder. But as he glanced at her again, something flickered in his gaze. She'd changed.

There was something about Hua Rong lately—livelier, bolder. Even if you tried to ignore her, you couldn't. Her presence had become louder, brighter, impossible to dismiss.

It had started the day she became a prefect.

And whether they liked it or not... it seemed the whole academy was beginning to notice

ust as the three stood there in their dramatic misery, Lin Zeyan came sprinting toward them, his voice echoing across the poolside.

"Guys! Let's go! They're calling everyone to the hall!"

Hua Rong sighed, throwing her head back. "Look at that—even our death scene is getting interrupted."

Zhou Yifen, now completely out of the water and towel-drying his hair, shot her a sideways glance. "Even if you dove in headfirst, this pool's too shallow. You'd break your nose before you drowned."

"That's your concern?!" she snapped, stomping one foot like a frustrated child.

Bai Xinchen snorted and took off toward Lin Zeyan. "Let's go, buddy!"

"I'm not your buddy!" Lin Zeyan barked, already jogging backward to avoid the incoming hug.

"Get back here!" Bai Xinchen chased after him like a golden retriever on a mission.

With a half-laugh, half-sigh, Hua Rong picked up her shoes and ran after them. "Wait up, you idiots!"

Zhou Yifen watched her go—hair bouncing, voice rising, eyes bright with a spark she didn't have before. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

There she goes again, he thought.

The girl who once barely spoke is now making her presence louder than half the school.

And somehow, no one could ignore it anymore.

.....

A few more students wandered into the hall — Wuhao Li, Xu Lingwei, and Zhou Yifen, who was still wringing water out of his wet hair, muttering something under his breath about dying from embarrassment.

On the stage, Jiayi clapped her hands twice. "Hey! Students! Sorry for calling you out at a time like this," she said with a strained smile.

Most of the crowd barely paid attention. Some leaned against the walls lazily, a few others chatted in low voices. There was a shuffle of sneakers against the wooden floor, a rustle of jackets as people shifted restlessly.

Hua Rong pushed her way closer to the stage and whispered, "Is everything alright?""I'm fine," Jiayi said quickly, flashing a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "But can you please help? Make them stand straight in a line? At least look like they're listening!"

Hua Rong thought for a moment, then cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "EVERYONE! LINE UP!"

Predictably, no one budged. A few students even snickered.

"Line up she says," someone muttered sarcastically from the back."This isn't military school," another laughed, loud enough for others to hear.

Hua Rong puffed her cheeks in frustration just as a group entered noisily — Wuhao Li tossing a towel over his head, Xu Lingwei shoving his hands deep into his pockets, and Zhou Yifen still shirtless under a half-zipped jacket.

Jiayi took a breath and decided to start anyway.

"I know this isn't the best timing," she said, raising her voice over the scattered chatter. "But before tomorrow's announcement, I need to share something important."

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it," someone called out lazily.

Jiayi exhaled sharply through her nose, holding onto her patience by a thread. "Fine. As you all know, the competition is coming up in a week, and all of you have already submitted your names—"

"We were forced to!"A boy from the left side yelled, drawing laughter.

"Most of us didn't even want to participate!" another added, arms crossed, his tone dripping with annoyance.

Jiayi nodded understandingly, her smile tight. "Fine. But listen carefully: Headmaster Jian no longer wants you all to fail. This time, he's choosing only the most capable students."

A small ripple went through the hall.

"Did the old man finally fix his brain or what?" someone joked, causing a few low chuckles.

Jiayi actually let out a small, genuine laugh. "Hey, don't think of him like that. If he really hated you all, there were plenty of ways to discipline you—ways that weren't... as nice."

A few students exchanged glances.Someone whispered, "She's got a point..."Another muttered, "Tch, still a pain though."

Jiayi tilted her head and continued, more gently now. "You know, Headmaster Jian was the perfect student back in his time. Disciplined, adored by teachers, always following the rules."The hall quieted, just a little.

"But," she added meaningfully, "he wasn't loved by everyone. Troublemakers made his life miserable all through high school. Bullied him. Mocked him. Maybe... that's why he's strict with you all. Because he knows what undisciplined behavior can turn into."

For a moment, a heavy silence hung in the air.

A paper ball hit the back of someone's head, but even the boy who threw it didn't laugh afterward.

Jiayi's gaze swept across them — faces filled with mixed emotions — some embarrassed, some defensive, some just confused.

"I don't know what kind of students you were at your old schools," she said, voice a little softer. "Maybe you were the stars. Maybe you were the headaches. But here, at Blackthorn Academy..." she let her voice drop slightly, "you haven't exactly shone."

A few heads dipped. Someone scratched their neck awkwardly. Hua Rong bit her lip and looked away.

"So tomorrow," Jiayi continued, her voice trembling just slightly, "when the announcement is made, I hope you'll remember one thing — don't blame Headmaster Jian. Don't pour your anger onto him because of the mistakes you made yourselves.Show him that you're not a burden.Show him that you are students.Students worth fighting for."

She held their gaze a moment longer, letting the words settle like dust over the restless room.

Without waiting for applause, without expecting it, Jiayi gave a small nod and turned to leave.

As she walked down the side steps, a few whispered to each other:

"Was she... serious?""Is Jian really that kind of guy?""Man... I thought he just hated our guts."

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Jiayi didn't stop to listen. But inside her chest, something twisted painfully.

If only... if only she'd treated a few of her old students differently back then...Maybe they wouldn't have graduated carrying bitterness.Maybe they'd visit sometimes.Maybe they'd smile when they saw her, instead of pretending not to know her.

But it didn't matter now.

The past was a shadow.The present—the students standing stubbornly and awkwardly before her—that was what mattered.

The hall went silent for a moment, some students looking down awkwardly, others exchanging guilty smiles.

Hua Rong, standing near the front, crossed her arms and tilted her head. Maybe... he's not the villain we always make him out to be after all.

Behind her, Zhou Yifen shook the water out of his hair like a wet dog, splattering Wuhao Li and getting smacked in return.

"Idiot," Wuhao muttered, wiping his sleeve.

Jiayi watched them all with a soft laugh under her breath. Troublemakers or not... they were still her students.