Song Yanyan's POV:
Class! Yeah, I'm not exactly a fan of this whole school scene, but what choice do I have now that I'm inhabiting this new body? No way am I gonna be a nobody like the old Yanyan. I've got rich parents in this life, so you better believe I plan on representing to the fullest.
Sliding into my seat, I flash a bright smile at the bespectacled girl next to me. "Morning, gorgeous!" I greet her.
She shyly lifts her head, surprised. "M-Morning, Yanyan. You seem...different today?"
"Really?" I smirk. "Must be this killer new makeup look I'm rocking. Suits me, don't you think?"
The girl nods eagerly. "It does! You look so much more confident."
"Don't you worry, babe, I'll be sharing all my tips and tricks," I assure her with a wink. "We'll have you turning heads in no time."
"You'd really do that for me?" She lowers her voice, insecure. "I'm just so terrible with makeup..."
I shake my head. "Why are you hiding that pretty face behind those coke-bottle glasses, anyway? Have you tried contacts?"
"My eyes are just...lazy, I guess," she chuckles softly.
Before I can respond, that all-too-familiar smarmy voice cuts in. "Well, well, if it isn't the two ugly ducklings of the class, gabbing away."
I bristle as Zhao Ming, this school's resident bully jackass, sizes us up with a sneer. From Yanyan's memories, I know this prick has tormented us relentlessly, even though practically every girl here has had a crush on his admittedly handsome mug.
"You might have a handsome face," I retort, refusing to be cowed, "but your heart is one ugly son of a bitch."
A hush falls over the classroom - clearly no one expected the typically meek Yanyan to snap back at the all-mighty Zhao Ming. But that timid doormat is gone, and this new, bolder me isn't taking anybody's crap.
I feel Yang Lixia nudge me urgently, but I'm on a roll. Leaning in conspiratorially, I raise my voice just enough to ensure Zhao hears every word.
"What? The guy's an obvious bully waiting to happen," I scoff loudly. "Maybe we'll all be seeing his ugly mug splashed across the news one day as a serial killer. Wouldn't surprise me - folks like him with ugly hearts never end up amounting to anything good."
There, I smirk triumphantly as the stunned silence stretches on. If Zhao Ming wants to be the class tough guy, then he's just met his match - this new Yanyan's got a sassy mouth on her, and she's not afraid to use it.
Let the fun and games begin.
"What did you just say?" Zhao Ming seethes, his face flushing red as he storms over to our desks.
I don't even flinch, standing up to meet his fiery glare head-on with my arms defiantly crossed over my chest. "Oh, you not only have an ugly heart, but you're deaf too?" I smirk. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me at all."
"You..." he snarls, clearly furious but struggling to find the words.
"Watch your tongue there, pretty boy," I cut him off sharply. "Wouldn't want to have to rearrange that face with this big hand of mine."
I can practically see the vein throbbing in his forehead as his fist clenches, like he's about to try slapping some sense into me. As if. I'm Amber Lockhart, a straight-up hood girl - no one disrespects me by calling me a bitch and gets away with it.
Sure enough, Zhao Ming rears his hand back, aiming to deliver a stinging slap. But I'm too quick, snatching his wrist out of the air with a mocking chuckle that only fuels his rage further. The whole class has gone dead silent now, watching the heated confrontation unfold with bated breath.
"Your parents never teach you never to lay a hand on a woman?" I spit out the rebuke, giving his arm a hard shove that sends him stumbling backwards a few steps, struggling to regain his balance.
His next strike comes swinging in the form of a wild haymaker. But I beat him to the punch - literally - with a solid right cross that catches him square in the nose. A sickening crunch echoes through the room as his head whips back, blood immediately gushing from his nostrils.
"What?! You just hit me?!" Zhao Ming cries out in utter disbelief, one hand clutching his broken, gushing nose.
"Well, duh," I roll my eyes. "If you hit me, I'm gonna retaliate. That's how it works out on the streets."
Silence hangs heavy in the air as the stunned bully gapes at me, face reddening further - if he were a cartoon character, smoke would be billowing from his ears right about now.
Finally, he manages to spit out, "You'll regret this, you crazy bitch!"
"Bring it on, boy," I taunt, planting my hands on my hips. "I'll be waiting right here to teach you the manners your parents obviously failed to instill a long time ago. Namely, how to be a decent human being."
With that parting shot, I spin on my heel and flounce back over to my desk as Zhao Ming stomps out of the room, shoulders quivering with impotent rage and humiliation.
The second he's gone, the entire class erupts into raucous cheers and applause. Seems like everyone's been just waiting for someone to finally stand up to the school bully.
My deskmate Yang Lixia leans in, looking torn between awe and concern. "Yanyan, what if he reports you to the principal? You just got out of his office this morning after that choking incident..."
"Pfft, not a chance," I shake my head confidently. "Boys like Zhao Ming are too proud to admit getting their asses handed to them by a girl. He'll try taking this up privately to save what's left of his rep."
I know entitled punks like him all too well from my days in the Chicago hood. Their egos are too fragile to let a public beat-down like this go. He'll definitely retaliate, try getting a little payback to reclaim his alpha status.
But I'll be ready and waiting for whatever he dishes out. I'm done being a cowering doormat - it's my turn to run this school, and every bully and bystander is about to learn that the hard way.
Soon, a teacher arrives to resume the lesson, but as I try to follow along, it becomes glaringly obvious just how far behind academically this body's former inhabitant had fallen. Most of the concepts being taught seem utterly foreign to me.
I do my best to listen attentively and furiously scribble down notes, determined not to let this setback deter me. Yes, I said I hated school, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. I'll buckle down and learn everything I can over the next three months leading up to exams. From the memories, I know Song Yanyan was once a straight-A student, and I aim to get her back on that path.
So much to relearn in so little time. Looks like I'll be spending my nights and weekends buried in textbooks if I want any hope of passing and eventually making it to college. It won't be easy, but I'm up for the challenge.
As the lecture drones on, I notice Yang Lixia growing increasingly frustrated with a math equation she's attempting. Well, math just so happens to be my strong suit. "That's not how it's done, you know," I lean over and whisper.
Lixia's head pops up, eyes widening slightly. "Really? But I've been practicing at home and I just can't seem to get it right."
I snatch her pen and walk her through the proper steps to solve the problem. "Try this method instead."
She follows along, brows furrowing in concentration before her face lights up in understanding. "Wow, Yanyan! Thank you, I never thought to approach it that way before."
"Student Yanyan!"
The stern voice of Miss Deng, our teacher, cuts through our hushed conversation. "What are you two discussing over there during my lecture?"
Lixia and I freeze, instantly falling silent. Miss Deng frowns sternly. "Well, since you both seem to think you're too clever to pay attention, why don't you come up and solve this equation on the board for us?"
My eyes flick up to the massive chalkboard, studying the problem briefly. Easy peasy. I rise from my seat and stride confidently up to the board, working through each step with practiced ease until the full solution is displayed.
I spin back around, hands on my hips, and Miss Deng can only gape, dumbfounded, glancing between me, the board, and her book. After a prolonged silence, she finally breaks into a bemused smile, giving me a slow clap of reluctant approval.
"Well done, Student Yanyan," she concedes. Turning to address the rest of the murmuring class, she gestures broadly. "This is how you properly solve the equation. Take notes, everyone."
As I saunter back to my desk, I can feel the weight of many incredulous stares burning into me - none more so than our class representative, Guo Ying. Her narrowed eyes practically smolder with jealousy and...is that a hint of suspicion too?
Whatever. I couldn't care less what that try-hard teacher's pet thinks of me. The new Song Yanyan doesn't have time for petty jealousies. I'm too busy working on my biggest ambition of all - reinventing myself from mocked loser to the elite academy's latest academic queen.
Let the stares and whispers commence. They'll all see soon enough that I'm not to be slept on anymore.