Classroom A

With both hands in his pockets, Ivan entered the classroom accompanied by his homeroom teacher. The homeroom teacher continued to gaze at him, her lips pressed into an awkward smile.

The woman was wondering why it took Ivan so late to return to school. She was a little worried that the boy might not be able to keep up with the rest of the class, even though the senior certificate exam was still several months away.

And besides, it is unlikely for a great school like Rao High School to admit a final year student. Not especially into Classroom A! This new student background must be a little more powerful.

“Ivan, right? Do not hesitate to ask me anything if you have any difficulty” Miss Clara, the teacher, voiced out as she reached the front of Classroom A. 

Ivan nodded, a tight smile on his lips. It was obvious to him already that the woman was staring at him more intently than normal.

“I will introduce you to your classmates now. They are all nice people, be nice to them, okay?”

Ivan gave another nod, then followed Miss Clara inside.

As they stepped in, the students in the class all raised their heads, curiosity etched into their features.

“Good morning students. We have a new student joining us today. Please introduce yourself, Ivan” Miss Clara said, grinning ear to ear at the student who doesn’t even seem interested in her.

Their eyes are on Ivan as they are wondering how he managed to get admitted into Classroom A, the class of ‘geniuses’.

Ivan looked around the students, clearing his throat as he prepared to speak. His gaze landed on a brown-haired boy who was sitting in the middle row. As their gazes met, the boy widened in surprise, having not expected to see Ivan.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Ivan Langland. Nice to meet you all.”

With even greater scowls at Ivan, none of the students responded. Miss Clara gave Ivan an awkward shoulder pat and gestured to a vacant spot. “You should sit there, Ivan and get to know your classmates. If you need anything or you need help with some work you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask me, okay?”

Ivan nodded and walked to the empty seat. After that, Miss Clara left.

As soon as she left, Ivan glanced at the brown-haired guy again, a smirk on his lips. The fact that he is in the same class as his stepbrother is pretty bizarre.

“Which family are you from? Are you related to Freddie Langland? How did you get into classroom A? Who are you?”

Ivan frowned at the sudden questions, his eyes meeting with the girl in front of him. The girl was dressed quite lavishly with heavy makeup and extravagant hair. Except for the school uniform, she dressed absolutely nothing like a student.

“Are you deaf?” The girl snapped when she didn’t receive a response from Ivan. “How the h*ll did you get admitted to classroom A?”

Ivan had encountered a great deal of rudeness in his life, but this girl stood out above the rest. He hadn't even been sitting for five minutes and she is already attempting to embarrass him.

Ivan was about to reply when a voice interrupted him.

“Daphne, he is new and doesn’t know who you are? I will enlighten him and give him advice.” The voice uttered slowly and timidly.

Ivan looked and saw the girl he had helped earlier. Before he could understand what was going on, the girl pulled his hand, begging him to come along with her. With no choice, Ivan followed her.

As they went out, Daphne let out a laugh. “Seems like Sofia won't be the only loser here. We have another loser!” She looked over at the brown-haired boy, smiling like a mischievous child. “Are you guys related, Freddie? You have the same surname.”

Freddie grinned as he turned to look. “Maybe, maybe not.”But in truth, his stomach was already churning in irritation. Didn’t his Mother promise that Ivan would never come back?

For what reason was the loser back, and looking better than ever? 

His mind had really become a mess.

Meanwhile, the girl who pulled Ivan finally stopped in front of an abandoned classroom.

Without looking at Ivan, she introduced herself. “Thanks for your help earlier, my name is Sofia. I’m only doing this because you helped me out earlier. In Classroom A, you must exercise extreme caution” The final sentence was spoken in a whisper, as if she was worried that if she said it aloud, something would come after her and hurt her.

"In the class, there are certain people you should never mess with. Like that girl earlier, Daphne. Her father is an assemblyman and he is the one who built the school's exclusive swimming pool. She is wicked and would always do anything to get on your nerves.”

Ivan listened to Sofia and nearly burst into laughter. He is not going to mess with anyone but no one should mess with him either. He sensed right away that something was not quite right in classroom A as soon as he walked in.

Sofia explained a few more students Ivan should keep his distance from.

“And Freddie, he is actually a very nice person. He is friends with everyone” Sofia explained, her cheeks flushing in redness. 

“You mean Freddie Langland?”Ivan asked with a little levity in his tone.

“Yes,” Sofia responded. "I assume you two are related? Freddie mentioned a long time ago that he has a brother.”

Ivan was shocked to hear Sofia mentioning Freddie—the same boy who had frequently gotten him into trouble.

Ivan chose not to respond to the question. He was too lazy to answer any question related to the boy.

"Keep in mind everything I told you, and act upon it. And if you see anyone being bullied, do not interfere like you did in the morning. You would have a successful school year without any problems if you heed to my words.”

Sofia was relieved that she had at least been able to impart some helpful knowledge about this class to someone, so even though Ivan still did not fully grasp what Classroom A meant, Ivan would not have to go through what she went through.

Many of the classroom A students were already gathered at the entrance when they arrived, their eyes bulging with annoyance at the sight of Ivan. Their arms were folded and they were whispering among one another.

"It makes sense why he appears so unremarkable. I can't believe he is related to Freddie.”

“How did he even get admitted to classroom A? A loser like him who used to fail simple arithmetic back in middle school?”

“So you mean he attended middle school here? Unbelievable!”

“He barely arrived some minutes ago, there is no way he was tested!”

Miss Clara eventually arrived, her eyes displaying her weariness. She approached the students to speak with them.

"Miss Clara, how was he allowed to enter class A without taking the required tests? Is that how it should be done? Or would you like me to report you to my father?" Daphne asked, a hint of rudeness in her tone.

She is the daughter of Assemblyman West, and anyone who mistreats her will suffer the consequences from the West family.

"Daphne, just calm down," said Miss Clara. Her voice made it quite clear that she was a little scared. "How about we all enter the classroom and have a conversation first? We can't solve anything if you guys are not calm.”

Ivan knew what Sofia meant when she said that classroom A is not your average classroom just by looking at this display. It is basically a class where students exhibit more power than the teachers.

As they all went back to their seats with reluctance, Miss Clara cleared her voice to speak. She is unaware of the reason behind the principal's request that she admit Ivan into Classroom A without administering a test.

In Rao High school, your grades and wealth defines the classroom you belong to.

“This decision isn't something I came up with. The Principal asked me to do something and I won't ever disobey him. Why don’t you all get to know Ivan before judging him?”

The students had already begun to sneer at Miss Clara before she had even finished speaking.

“Clara” Daphne called out. "He is a loser who does not come from a rich family like mine; tell me why the principal asked for him to be admitted to class A." 

Miss Clara was already at the verge of losing her mind. She was also extremely cautious because she did not want to make a mistake that would result in her losing her job. 

“Let me see how he deserves to be in this classroom with me. Let him take the classroom A test” Daphne stood up from her seat, her eyes cold and calculative. 

“Yes, let him take the test.”

“How could he be in this class without taking a test?”

The other students spoke up as well, expressing agreement with Daphne's remarks in particular.

Miss Clara found herself in a difficult situation since she was unable to defy the Principal and the haughty daughter of Assemblyman West.

“What are you all making a fuss about?” 

She was about to say something when she heard the voice of the boy she was trying to save from Daphne’s and classroom A cruelty. 

“You want me to take the test? Okay, I will” Ivan got up from his chair and made his way over to where the teacher was standing. “Miss Clara, I will take the test.”

Freddie almost laughed out loud in his seat when he saw his step-brother’s confidence. The boy who knew nothing wanted to take Classroom A test? What a loser! 

“Well, isn't that good? At least, he would be out of here after he fails” Freddie said to himself, joy filling in his heart. He couldn’t wait to tell his mother about all that happened in the school before.

“But I have a condition” Daphne raised up her hand, a cunning smile on her lips. 

Ivan looked at her and smiled. “Let’s hear it out.”

“The original test score is 100%” She stated. “If you score above 95%, you will stay in classroom A but if you score below, you will have to stay in classroom F.” 

Miss Clara’s eyes nearly popped out at Daphne’s condition and as she was about to retort back, she heard Ivan answer.

“Deal. And if I scored higher, you will kneel in front of the whole school for thirty minutes.” 

Daphne laughed, clearly taken aback by the boy's request. “Deal, loser. Deal.” Freddie had never been wrong about someone, this boy would definitely be a loser.

“Then let’s go, Miss Clara.” 

Miss Clara could only pity the boy and cry in her heart. Ivan was about to go to Class F, the only worst class in Rao High School.