Chapter 25

Her voice was ridiculously loud. Before Anna could even react, the whole room went silent, all eyes landing on her like laser beams. Every look was mixed with this weird, hard-to-pin-down vibe. Anna's face instantly turned red, super guilty looking. She hurriedly scrunched up the paper on the table and denied it fast: "Don't talk nonsense. I didn't do anything." "Then why you crumpling it up, huh? Show us the sheet!" A few girls gathered around, grinning like they'd found buried treasure. One of them even turned to Sophia, who had a face mask on, and teased, "Your Majesty! May I have your royal permission to mess with your little Annie a bit?" Sophia was Anna's closest friend and known for being fiercely protective, but even so, the girls kept their tone playful so nothing would be misunderstood. "Sophia!" Surrounded with nowhere to run, Anna's eyes lit up with hope as she looked at Sophia like a kicked puppy, begging for help. But Sophia just raised her chin, completely heartless. "Pe