Chapter 1013

"Oh?" Juniper dragged out the syllable, clearly amused. "And what else did you chat about?"

Janet was as honest as they come, so she blurted out, "Melvin also said... if Mr. Schwartz ever dared to cheat on you, he'd have him beaten so badly he'd never be able to touch another woman for the rest of his life, mmph—"

Before she could finish, Queenie hastily slapped a hand over Janet's mouth, struggling to hold back her laughter. "Janet, you really have some nerve, talking about making Juniper a widow."

"Melvin said it!" Janet lowered her head, nervously picking at her fingers. "Not me!"

"Honest to a fault," Hattie gave her a thumbs-up, barely able to contain her own grin. "The race is starting," Queenie called out, and everyone's attention snapped back to the field.

With a loud *BANG*, the runners on the track exploded off the starting blocks. Surrounded by overwhelming cheers, they sprinted toward the finish line.

"Go Sheryl!"

"Come on, Sheryl!"

"Ahhh, Sheryl won!"

"Sheryl is so multi-talented! She's top of the med program, winning gold in track, and an absolute beast at tennis."

"I heard Juniper from the Computer Science department is challenging Sheryl to a tennis match. Who do you guys think will win?"

"Is that even a question?" A girl holding Sheryl's jacket sneered loudly. "I just know Sheryl is a member of the International Tennis Association. If she hadn't chosen to go into medicine, she probably could've been a world champion by now."

"If I were that CS girl, I'd know my place and back out. Embarrassing yourself publicly is just pathetic."

The underlying message was clear: Juniper was way out of her league and destined to lose.

Juniper listened to the chatter in silence, casually chewing on her spicy jerky sticks. She couldn't care less about their petty remarks.

With the sprint finished, Sheryl collected her gold medal and strutted back like a peacock. As she passed Juniper, she intentionally called out, "Good luck in your race too, Juniper."

"Why are you so obsessed with my business?" Juniper slowly lifted her gaze a hint of annoyance flashing in her eyes. She spoke with a lazy drawl If a garbage truck drove past the school gates, would you insist on doing a taste test?"

Sheryl's face turned beet red. Furious, she stomped away.

"Pfft." Hattie, Queenie, and Janet exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

Their Goddess was truly gifted with

both brains and brawn. And with that kind of attitude... anyone who

dared to try and steal her man must have brain damage!

"Juniper, it's almost your turn," Janet said excitedly. "We'll hold your jacket and wait for you at the finish line."

"Be careful."

"Don't push yourself too hard. I asked around about those medals, and you can buy them online for like two bucks."

"Got it." Juniper shoved her hands in her pockets and gave them a reassuring look. Then, she leisurely strolled toward the track.

The long-distance race was ten kilometers. It was entirely a test of endurance. In past years, very few students ever managed to finish the whole thing. Even if they did it took forever.

Everyone was already betting on who would be the first to drop out this year.

As the gossip flowed, all eyes naturally gravitated toward Juniper, staring intently at

her.

She looked like a delicate porcelain doll. Surely she wouldn't last more than a few meters.

*BANG!*

The starting pistol fired, and the runners scrambled forward. The students in the bleachers craned their necks to watch.

"Where's Goddess?" The CS freshmen scoured the pack for Juniper.

"Right there." A male student stood on his tiptoes and pointed to the absolute rear of the group. "Goddess is in dead last."

Everyone: ???