It had been almost a week and Winter still couldn't get what her mom had said out of her head, "What did she mean?" It hadn't made any sense. Winter didn't have any particular skills or talents that would set her apart from the rest, other than her looks and ability to observe. She chewed on her pencil. "Winter? Are you ok? You've been zoning out a lot." Mandy worriedly studied her. "I'm fine. Just thinking." Layla stared at her nails, "You know you can tell us if something's bothering you. We're your friends." Winter smiled to show her thanks for their concern. Friends. She'd never had them. Her mother always had them packing their bags before Winter had the chance to make any meaningful connections.
"We have P.E. next period," Layla said. "I don't want to go. Coach Russo runs that class, she's the worst." Mandy sighed, tying her hair up in a braid. "It's a joint class today, since Mrs. Scrimen isn't here." Winter watched as Mandy looked at Layla. "A joint class? With who?" Layla yawned, "Class eight." Mandy shot up, slamming her hands on the desks and startling some of the students around them, "We have a joint class with Star's potential?" Winter tied her hair and stood up. "Star's potential?" Layla and Mandy started heading towards the gym with Winter in tow. "Yeah. Sam's class. The students in the class do whatever he says, sucking up to him cause of his influence," Mandy rambled. "But the kids in Star's potential are usually practically geniuses. If you're placed in that class it's like being given a free pass to do whatever you want." Winter cracked her knuckles as she realized that there was a hierarchy at this school and sitting on the throne, was Sam Tudor.
Winter, Mandy and Layla made it to the gym in time to hear coach Russo yelling, "Okay ladies, gather 'round!" Winter observed the classes quickly huddling towards the front. Star's potential didn't mix with class five's students. While Sam Tudor stood in the center yet somehow still apart from the rest. Winter heard Mandy mumble something under her breath. Layla laughed. Coach Russo's eyes flitted over to where Winter and her friends stood. "Scott. Nicholas. Something funny?" Both classes' attention turned to them. Coach Russo's eyes lingered on Winter as Mandy and Layla shook their heads. "Who's this? I've never seen her in my class before." Winter walked a few steps forward, and raised her chin "My name is Winter Knight." Coach Russo's face sported an ugly grin, "Alright Knight, give me fifty." Winter's gaze did not falter as she watched the wheels turn in Coach Russo's head. "Fifty what?" Coach Russo's crossed her arms as a bulging vein throbbed on her neck, "Fifty laps." "Around you? That'll take forever." A murmur filled the gym and Winter felt all the attention on her. Coach Russo scoffed, "Around the track. Outside, smart mouth. Now." Winter smiled sweetly, "That's a lot easier." The murmur leveled up, at Winter's challenge to tumultuous racket.
Winter's breathing was heavy and her head was swimming as she completed the forty third lap. "She's really doing fifty laps?" "Who is that?" "That's Winter Knight, the transfer student from class five." "A new student?" "She's really pretty." "Pretty hot if you ask me." Winter tuned out the noise and pushed herself to finish the final laps. Winter panted, "I'm so thirsty. I really shouldn't have skipped breakfast." Winter finished six more laps before she tripped. Mandy and Layla rushed over to her from where they were watching. "Winter are you okay?" Layla held out a hand to her. "I'm fine. Let me just finish this last lap." Winter winced as she tried to get up and felt a hot pain shoot up her leg. Winter smiled through the pain as she got up and started running again. She felt something warm moving down her leg underneath her gym pants, but she ignored it as she finished the final lap. Coach Russo turned away at Winter's blatant defiance and yelled at the rest of the class, "Alright princesses, it's your turn. I want to see sweat, blood, and tears." Mandy glared at Coach Russo's back and muttered to them, "See I told you guys that she was the worst." Layla giggled. Winter smiled at them and then said, "I'm going to go to the bathroom." Layla watched her. "Are you okay?" Winter brushed off the concern smoothly, "Don't worry, I'm fine." Winter watched Mandy tug on Layla's arm, "Let's go throw the ball." Winter masked her pain as well as she could until she was out of the gym and in the hallway.