"Hiss…"
The crowd gasped all at once. They had come expecting entertainment, prepared to watch Harper Quinn embarrass herself again. Instead, the moment she lifted her head, the hallway fell into an unnatural silence.
The girl standing beneath the fluorescent lights no longer looked like the quiet, forgettable student they were used to. Her aura had shifted—no, exploded.
Her small, porcelain-white face was bare of makeup, clean as morning frost. The brim of her gray cap cast a cool shadow across her features, making her eyes look razor-sharp and distant. Even the subtle curve of her smile carried something unsettling—too calm, too cold, almost dangerously alluring.
A beauty that intimidated rather than comforted.
No one understood how she changed overnight, but one thing was suddenly clear:
This was not the old Harper Quinn.
Mia Lee, who had been brimming with false courage, took a step forward anyway. She was used to mocking Harper when the whole class laughed along. Today, she didn't realize she was walking straight into a lion's jaws.
"Harper Quinn, what did you just say?" Mia snapped, voice trembling though she tried to hide it. "You, who dragged down the entire class's results, still have the nerve to talk back to me?"
Her voice rose, desperate for support.
"Let me tell you the truth—our class can't hold its head up because of useless people like you. If you had any self-awareness, you'd get out of here right now."
The hallway buzzed with whispers. Everyone knew Mia only used the nickname "Harper U-Eight" behind Harper's back. Saying it out loud… that was new.
Harper's expression didn't twitch, but her eyes went colder, like frost cracking along glass.
Ugly Eight.
Useless.
She repeated the insults in her head, letting each word fall like a stone into a frozen lake. Then she tilted her head, her smile widening—not warm, but sharp enough to cut.
"So that's what you think of me?" she murmured. "Ugly. Useless."
She stepped closer, her voice soft but terrifying.
"Is there no mirror in this classroom, Mia? Or do you simply never look at yourself before judging someone else?"
Mia blinked, taken aback. "Wh-What are you—"
"You want to mock me with your looks," Harper said, her tone dripping with a cold amusement, "yet your confidence is built on nothing but makeup."
Before Mia could react, Harper reached for the paper cup on the nearby water dispenser.
The audience held their breath.
Harper didn't hesitate.
She took two slow steps toward Mia—
—and poured the entire cup over Mia's face.
Water dripped down Mia's chin, her mascara melting immediately. She let out a choking sound, sputtering.
"Har—Harper! You—you actually—!"
Harper didn't give her a chance to finish. She reached over to the makeup table beside a startled makeup artist and grabbed makeup remover wipes.
"I'll borrow these."
"M-Miss—"
"I'll return them," Harper said calmly, already wiping the soaked wipe across Mia's face.
Mia screamed, trying to pull away, but Harper held her firm by the chin for one brutal second—long enough.
When Harper stepped back, the cotton pad in her hand was smeared with thick foundation, red lipstick, and several layers of contour.
The face Mia was covering?
Not pretty.
Her real skin looked dull under the bright school lights, yellow and patchy. Uneven spots dotted her cheeks, and without eyeliner, her eyes looked small and sunken.
Harper lifted the wipe between two fingers like it was contaminated.
"Tsk," she said. "So this is the real Mia Lee."
She tossed the used wipes directly into the trash. "Good thing I didn't touch your actual face. I'd hate to break out just because of you."
"AHHH!" Mia finally shrieked, hands flying to her face. "Don't look at me! Don't look!"
But it was too late.
The entire hallway leaned in.
"Oh my god—"
"What happened to her skin?"
"That's… seriously scary."
"I thought she was pretty, but this… this is nightmare material."
"She looks like a rotten peach!"
Someone even whispered,
"If she lived in ancient times, she'd be executed for frightening a noble."
Laughter erupted.
The visual blow was too strong.
The humiliation was total.
Mia trembled, her shoulders shaking as tears flooded her eyes. She backed into the wall, wishing she could disappear into it.
"You guys… stop looking…" she pleaded, voice cracking.
Harper brushed invisible dust from her sleeves and sighed.
"It seems your intelligence is as low as your self-awareness," Harper said. "Didn't you think about the consequences before provoking me?"
The hall fell silent again.
Harper didn't raise her voice—not once. She didn't need to. Her calmness was more terrifying than shouting could ever be.
From the back of the crowd, Jade Quinn watched with raised brows.
This was the girl everyone bullied?
This was the girl teachers thought was timid?
This was the girl who always sat in the corner without speaking?
Jade smirked slightly.
Interesting.
She leaned back against the wall, arms folded, letting the scene play out. She had no reason to step in. Mia brought this upon herself.
A few students turned to Jade, whispering nervously.
"Jade, did you know Harper could be like this?"
"Wasn't she always quiet?"
"Did something happen to her?"
Jade shrugged. "If you push someone too far, eventually they push back."
Harper flicked her gaze briefly toward Jade. Their eyes met for one moment—sharp intelligence meeting calm indifference.
A silent acknowledgment passed between them.
Then Harper turned back to Mia, delivering the final blow:
"Next time you want to insult someone, remember you need two things to do it properly—brains and beauty."
She glanced down at Mia's tear-streaked, makeup-free face.
"You have neither."
The hallway erupted again.
Mia collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, her hands still covering her face.
Harper stepped away without another word, her aura chilling enough to freeze the air around her. Students parted instinctively, giving her a clear path.
Nobody dared to look down on her now.
Nobody dared to call her "U-Eight."
Nobody dared to provoke her.
Harper Quinn had transformed—from a bullied girl into someone untouchable.
Jade watched her walk past, a slow smile curling on her lips.
"Welcome to the top," Jade murmured quietly.
Harper didn't hear her, but Jade already knew.
This girl wasn't done.
Not even close.
---