Chapter 3 : The Most Idle One in Class

Stephen had always been the type not to hit a smiling face. After a few more conversations initiated by Scott, the two quickly became familiar with each other.

Just as Scott was telling Stephen about the best places to eat and have fun in Vertex City, Albert tapped Stephen''s desk with the end of his pen. He coldly looked at Scott, who seemed likely to chatter away for the entire class if not stopped, and pointed to the book on Stephen''s desk.

"Turn around and read, or you''ll be the one going down."

Scott had always been one of the bottom students in Class 1, often narrowly avoiding the 50th place. Hearing Albert speak to him in that tone, Scott felt certain he would be 51st in the next exam. He let out a low groan, turned his head, and obediently started reading his book.

Unable to resist, he glanced at Stephen and was shocked to see him with one earbud in, staring out the window in a daze. His jaw nearly dropped.

Ignoring Albert''s earlier words, Scott turned towards the window and asked Stephen why he wasn''t reading.

Stephen pulled his backpack out from the drawer and opened it in front of Scott. Inside, there was only a black phone and a few unopened candy boxes. Any random student''s backpack in the class would have more stuff than Stephen''s.

"Why didn''t you bring any books?"

Stephen looked at him as if he were an idiot and pointed to his own clothes. He was the only one in the class not wearing a uniform.

"I just transferred today. Kelvin Wilson said I could get my books tomorrow. I thought I could just check in and leave, so I didn''t bring any books."

Stephen''s skin was very fair, almost glowing in the sunlight. His eyelids were thin, and his eyes were large and round, making him look pitiful when he spoke. Feeling sorry for him, Scott pulled out a workbook from his desk and placed it in front of Stephen.

"Here, you can borrow this. We have a weekly test tomorrow, and if you do poorly, the teacher will go crazy."

Stephen glanced at the "3000 High School Math Problems" book in front of him but didn''t reach for it. He shook his head at Scott and said he didn''t want to read it.

He then pointed to the clock above the blackboard. "Class is almost over. There''s no point in starting now."

Scott''s mouth twitched. He felt this new transfer student was hopeless. They had already been studying the sophomore curriculum for half a month. Even the regular classes couldn''t keep up with the pace of Class 1 and Class 2, and Stephen wasn''t even looking at his books.

Scott wanted to say something to save Stephen''s already doomed grades, but the boy next to him nudged him with his elbow.

"Stop talking. The class monitor has looked at you at least 20 times this period. If you turn around again, you''ll be spending tonight''s study session in Kelvin''s office."

Scott cursed under his breath and looked up to see the class monitor glaring at him through her black-framed glasses. She made a zipping motion across her lips, and Scott mimicked her, sitting properly at his desk.

However, he didn''t take back the math workbook. Whether Stephen wanted it or not, Scott still wanted to help the new student. Even the regular students at their school thought their class was intense, and he didn''t want the new student to be traumatized right away.