36 A Challenge
Noah's eyes locked onto Mark. His voice was cold and controlled, but there was venom behind his words. "I don't have time to play games with you, Mark. Stop talking shit, or I'll show you exactly what you deserve."
Mark, confident with his goons flanking him, scoffed and laughed mockingly. "You can't touch me, Noah. Hah! You're just all bark, no bite."
But Noah had enough. His patience, already thin, snapped like a taut string. With slow, deliberate steps, he walked toward Mark, the tension in the air growing with each step. Before anyone could react, Noah grabbed Mark by the collar with one hand and effortlessly lifted him off the ground. The sheer display of strength shocked everyone. Mark, who wasn't exactly small—around 200 pounds lean—flailed helplessly in Noah's grip.
Mark's face twisted in fear and disbelief. "Let go of me! Now!" he sputtered, his bravado crumbling.
Layla watching this, didn't know what to feel. Mark was meant to be the cool, strong kid that everyone wanted to be his girlfriend. Every time he challenges Noah, he loses and gets humiliated. And it was quite embarrassing, he started to give her what she calls "The Ick."
The other students gasped in shock, watching the scene unfold. Even Mark's goons hesitated, clearly unsure of what to do in the face of Noah's raw power.
At that moment, Noah's mind buzzed with the familiar sound of the system.
[Ding! Ultimate Choice System Activated]
Option 1: Beat up Mark in front of everyone.
[Reward: Disqualified from the mock exam, 2-week suspension from school]
Option 2: Ignore Mark. Let the dog bark; it can never bite anyway.
[Reward: A strong dog leash, $100]
Option 3: Challenge Mark in the mock exam and win.
[Reward: Basic Idol Skills, +5 Charm]
Noah's grip on Mark tightened as the choices flashed in his mind. The room fell silent, waiting for his next move.
Though the temptation of option 1 was strong—Noah could almost taste the satisfaction of putting Mark in his place physically—he knew better. It wasn't just about him. His mom, his dad, they didn't deserve to bear the consequences of his anger. His dad already had too much on his shoulders, and getting suspended would only add to their worries.
Taking a deep breath, Noah made his decision. Option 3.
[Ding! +5 Charm Rewarded]
With a calm but dangerous look in his eyes, Noah said. "Fine, Mark. You want to prove something? Let's settle this with the mock exam."
Mark smirked smugly. "Oh? What's your plan now, Noah? Gonna try to cheat your way through?"
Noah didn't flinch. "No cheating. If you score higher than me, I'll do something better. I'll call you 'Dad' every time I see you. I'll even run around the school shouting, 'Mark is my dad!'"
The crowd gasped. Mark's eyes widened in disbelief. "And if you lose?" he asked, now curious.
"If you lose," Noah said, a smirk forming on his lips, "you'll do the same. Call me 'Dad' and run around the school saying, 'Noah is my dad.' Deal?"
Mark scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You've just given me the easiest win of my life! There's no way you've changed this much without cheating."
The students around them whispered, excitement buzzing through the group. Everyone knew that Noah's transformation from bottom of the class to top performer seemed almost supernatural, and many doubted its authenticity.
Except a few who Noah taught in the group study session with Aiden, in the library. The girl was also there, she wanted to say that Noah didn't cheat, but she was too scared of Mark and his goons targeting her.
"Deal," Mark said with a confident grin.
Noah let go of Mark's collar, and Mark stumbled back slightly, still trying to look unfazed by the show of strength. "Everyone here's a witness," Noah said, addressing the students gathered around.
Just as the tension reached its peak, a teacher entered the hall, and the murmurs died down. "Everyone inside, the exam is starting in a minute," the teacher announced.
Mark shot Noah one last glare before strutting into the hall. Noah followed behind him, his focus already shifting toward the upcoming challenge. The first test was mathematics, a one-hour and forty-five-minute exam. Just before the exam started, Aiden rushed in, a bit late but still making it in time. As he slid into his seat, he shot Noah a quick glance and mouthed, Good luck. Noah gave him a nod in return, a brief moment of encouragement passing between them before they both turned their attention to the test.
The teacher's voice echoed through the room, "Test begins... now!"
Noah immediately flipped open his test booklet, the rustling of pages breaking the tense silence in the hall. With rapid efficiency, he began answering each question. His pen moved across the paper with purpose, as though each problem was already solved in his mind. He breezed through the exam, answering every question in less than two minutes each.
Within 10 minutes, he had already reached the last page.
Mark, hearing the constant flipping of pages beside him, shot a glance in Noah's direction. His eyes narrowed as he noticed that Noah was almost done.
"You can't cheat here, Thompson," Mark muttered under his breath, sneering to himself.
"No wonder you can't figure anything out." He chuckled quietly, confident that Noah was just bluffing his way through.
But just two minutes later, Noah raised his hand.
The teacher approached, slightly confused. "Do you need help?"
Noah shook his head. "No, I'm done."
"Done? Done with what, Noah? You need to try your best. You can't give up so quickly; I'm sure you can answer something." The teacher's tone was both surprised and concerned.
Noah smiled lightly and repeated, "No, I mean I finished the exam. I answered everything."
The teacher blinked in disbelief but took Noah's test. He scanned through it quickly, noticing that every single question was filled in.
"He really did answer everything..." But the teacher couldn't believe that Noah had done it properly in such little time, thinking he might have rushed or scribbled random answers.
Mark, watching Noah from across the room, couldn't hear what was being said, but he assumed Noah was leaving because he had given up. "Pathetic," Mark thought, smirking to himself.
The teacher, still stunned, collected Noah's test and allowed him to leave. As Noah exited the hall, a few students noticed, including Lily.
She glanced up from her own test, watching him leave. She had studied with Noah before, and she knew he wasn't a cheater. He was simply brilliant at math.
"I wonder how well he did..." she thought, before refocusing on her own exam.