Chapter 99
Tennis Chib members callied to support each other, and Elie was
“Thank you all for coming to help she said, clearly touched.
“Hey, wrir all
tay gratefial.
we’re all part of the same club. When someone needs help, we all chip in—it’s no big ideal.”
⠀ “Excly! We mishd’ve been here even earlier if we’d known sooner.
Elsie nodded appreciatively, barely able to express how much their support meant to her. But her deepest thanks went to Eliana, who had thought everything through with remarkable foresight
Stella glanced at Eliana with admiration. “El, you’ve thought of everything Without everyone here, we’d have lost today”
Thana shot her a confident wink “Losing? Not a chang
After all, i was Eliana who’d arranged for the barbecue stand, which meant she could also call in a favor and ask Mr and Mrs Morris to pack up and leave at any time. Without that stand, the dance clubs would have no easy sounce of free water bottles for their collection.
Father, the dance club had managed to grab two batches of bottles, just enough to edge into the lead. But Eliana had held onto her trump card Knowing more Tennis Club members would arrive soon. She’d let the dance clubs savor their lead for now, their smiles would quickly fade.
Lily dragged over a trash bin and ripped it spilling water bottles onto the ground. The dance club members dashed forward, but the Tennis Clube was quicker. They had honed their speed and reflexes all those hours of practice, giving them a clear edge.
The Tennis Club reached the bottles first, stuffing them into bags as the dance club looked on, clearly frustrated. A few Tennis Club members couldn’t resist tossing out smug comments.
“With speed like that, why are they even bothering? They should throw in the towel”
“They couldn’t even catch up if they were being handed free food!”
Laughter broke out among the Tennis Club.
The dance club girls whipped around, shooting them annoyed glares.
“What are you staring at Never seen a real athleie before? one of the Tennis boys quipped with a grin.
“Oh, please—we ve seen
we’ve seen athletes, just not anyone this full of himself!” a dance club girl retorted, rolling her eyes. “Let’s go, girls
The dance club gathered to regroup, hoping for better luck on the next round. But each time Lily dumped more bottles, the Tennis Club swept in and claimed them. Some guys stomped the bottles flat before tossing them into bags, leaving the dancers no chance.
After two more rounds, Elana’s pile of bottles had once again surged past Yulla’s. Yulila watched belplessly, practically hopping in frustration as she saw her team falling further behind.
“What are we going to do At this rate, we’ll lose, and only half an hour is left Willow exchanged a look with Wendy.
Physically, the girls couldn’t match the guys strength and speed, and going head–to–head would only leave them empty–handed again and again.
Willow’s eyes lit up as an idea sparked. Lowering her voice, she whispered, “Come here. I’ve got a plan…”
Stella was busy counting bottles when she saw them huddling and muttering in low voices. She didn’t need to hear the details to know they were plotting sumrithing
Eli, they’re probably cooking up some scheme again,” she said, glancing sideways.
Elana looked in Willow’s direction and shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Whatever they try, we’ll handle it as it comes. Bottles matter here–as long as we collect enough, Else’s boyfriend can get that penalty lifted.”
Willow wouldn’t just sit back and accept losing without a fight; that much was certain.
Elsie overheard Eliana’s calm assurance and turned to her, her face filled with gratitude. “Eliana, don’t hesitate to ask if you ever need my help. do everything I can, no matter what.”
Eliana smiled faintly and replied casually. Didn’t you already help me last time, Elsie? No need to overthink about it.”
Despite her words, Elsie couldn’t shake the feeling that the scales were far from balanced. The investigation during the Campus
Belle Competition
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Chapter 99
had technically been her responsibility. Yet, what Eliana had done today–organizing the stand at the school gates and rallying the club members to help–far outweighed her effort. Elie knew this was a favor she couldn’t leave unpaid in the future.
Ten minutes later, Lily arrived with another batch of bottles. The dance club girls charged forward before the bottles hit the ground. This time, they weren’t rushing for the bottles but for the Tennis Club boys.
A portion of the dance club ran straight at the boys, throwing their arms around them and shouting at the top of their lungs, Harassment Help. they’re harassing ust
The Tennis boys froze in shock, caught off guard by the bold tactic. In that brief moment of confusion, the rest of the dance club darted forward, scooping up as many bottles as possible before running off,
By the time the Tennis boys snapped out of it, more than half the bottles had already disappeared.
“That has to be Willow’s dirty little trick!” Stella exclaimed, outraged.
I can’t believe they’d
stoop
low
w just to win a game. It’s despicable one of the boys muttered angrily.
Eliana lowered her lashes thoughtfully. It was a ruthless tactic–but also undeniably compelling
“Stella, how many boules do we have now?” Eliana asked.
“One hundred and five,” Stella replied, checking their count.
They were still in the lead, surpassing their previous record. On the other hand, the dance club had managed to collect about ninety. With only thirty minutes left. Lily would likely only have time to deliver one more round, maybe two if they were lucky
Just then, Lily approached. “Eliana, we’re running low on water bottles, and there aren’t many students left now. I’ll bring everything we have left in one final batch”
This announcement raised the stakes. The final round would contain far more bottles than before, maybe even double the usual amount. If the dance club managed to grab most of them, they’d easily take the lead.
Stella clenched her fit. “That means we can’t let them win the final round. If they get the boules, we’re done fort”
Elie frowned, considering the situation. “If they block the boys again, and we retaliate physically, it’ll ruin our reputation. There’s no coming back.
It was a tricky problem. But Eliana stayed calm, her tone sharp and decisive. “The final round will come down to speed. They’ll have to split their forces even if they try blocking us. We’ll do the same–send some people to keep them occupied and the rest will focus on grabbing bottles. It’s all about who get more.”
Stella nodded firmly. “That’s our best shot. I know we can beat them“,
As time passed, the barbecue stand began packing up, signaling the showdown. last batch Victory or defeat would be decided at this moment
dance club members, catching on, braced themselves for the
Chce the stand was closed. Lily wheeled over the final load of bottles. As she approached the school gates, everyone termed, waiting to make their move. In an instant, they all sprinted toward the gate!
The dance club members relaunched their tactic, throwing themselves into blocking the Tennis Club boy, some even grabbing onto them to hold them back. Anticipating this, the Tennis Club guys leaned in focusing on dodging and maneuvering to keep them distracted
Bottles scattered onto the ground, rolling in all directions
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