c48

Rais POV

Harmonie opened her eyes suddenly. She had just had a nightmare.

She sat up and froze. Despite the apparent lack of reaction on her face, her nightmare had shaken her to the core.

Her nightmares were mostly about her childhood. 

'Not now.'

She looked at the time on the watch on her wrist, '4:45. It's almost time to wake up... '

She lay back down, her eyes fixed on the floor of the bed above her since she was on the bottom bed of the bunk bed.

An idea suddenly popped into her head, and she sat up slightly, reaching under the mattress for her diary and pen. Then she picked up a lamp that was next to her pillow.

She adjusted the headlamp's power. So that she would light the room as little as possible but still be bright enough to see what she was writing.

She placed the headlamp on her forehead, and she tied the strap behind her head. She then opened her notebook, pen in hand, leg crossed.

× This is the third day of training.

On day 0, the day of the climb, we finished first, and Chloé's team finished second, but in the end, they won because we had several injured, and they only had one 'injured'.

At the end of the first day, we had a lot of pain. Too long to explain.

Day 2 was the same, but we ate well.

And today, day 3, I'm getting used to the pace of work.

The reason I've started writing is that I feel haunted at this point. Each time I close my eyes, bits and pieces of my childhood come back to me.

 Since I've regained my 'memory', I'm a bit afraid of myself. I'm afraid to let go. I have a strong will. But I'm losing it more and more. I won't be able to hold out any longer.

I'm afraid that I won't be able to control myself and that I will hurt the people around me. And when that fear gets stronger, thoughts I don't want to have come to me.

 I feel like I'm fighting a never-ending battle.

And I feel mentally weaker and weaker. When I am exhausted, sleep is the only thing that gives me peace and rest, but now that my mind has no rest, I feel increasingly frustrated.

And I think we can feel it in training. Chloé asked me yesterday during sparring what was wrong with me.

I asked her why, and she said that I was more aggressive than usual.

I didn't really understand what she meant by "more aggressive" at the time; although her words were very clear, my mind didn't register it.

It was at the end of my last fight yesterday that I understood. People asked me what got into me, but I was stunned myself.

I don't know what happened.

It was like I'd blacked out and I just felt so angry. Against whom, I don't know, but... no, maybe I avoid wanting to know.

Whoever fought with me can no longer train.

The thoughts are coming back to me, but I'd rather stop here and not write them down. Writing them down would make it all too concrete. ×

Harmonie stopped writing and closed the notebook. She turned off the light, put the pen and notebook back where they belonged, and lay down on her back.

She remained in the dark, her eyes open.

 'After giving it some thought, it seems like Adélaïde is willing to accept others. Probably because she knows she's well taken care of and safe.

She and Cassandra can't keep their hands off each other...' A smile formed on Harmonie's face, but it froze and vanished without a trace.

'Let's not think about that...' A thought had crossed her mind, hence the disappearance of her smile.

'Let's think about other things...'

'Chloe and Sylvia are no longer at odds...'

'She seems to be blossoming, I hope it will continue and that memories of the past will no longer torment her...'

'And Sylvia... I hope she tells Chloe the truth before it's too late...'

'Cassidy is hiding the fact that she has someone in her life...'

'Unfortunately for her, she didn't make the right choice. If she dares to tell us about her relationship, I'll let her know. When the time comes, I'll know. Maybe... '

'Corine...' Harmonie's smile appeared slightly, but so did the tears. A tear escaped her eye.

She looked at her watch: 04:55.

And I decided to get some fresh air.

....

"Hm... It's cold." Harmonie said in a quiet voice.

 She was on the track. She'd already trotted a lap and was finishing her warm-ups.

05: 04

"I have 10 minutes to run..." She zipped up her tracksuit and put on her wireless running headphones.

She pressed her phone down, put it back on the holder on her bicep, and looked straight ahead.

"It's doable." She began her run.

....

× It's a bit difficult at the moment, I'm too aggressive. I don't listen to myself anymore. It's frustrating.

Training is hard as always, but I manage to keep up, but it's the team training that's complicated. I want to do my best for my teammates, but it's proving to be difficult.

.... ×

Harmonie, tears in her eyes, "I can't leave..."

× The situation has gotten worse, what I feared has happened. I've lost control.

They said I had to stay another week.

Chloe could go back to school to help Corine with the organization, and I have to stay here.

...

I need to see my psychiatrist again. I... I can't take it anymore.

I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread. I'm trying, but I just want to give up sometimes.

...

I've hurt the psychiatrist; I have to stay in isolation. Just until my condition stabilizes, apparently.

...

And another scar.

I feel like I have to survive, but It is so hard. I just want to give up everything and forget my pain but I know it is impossible.

I have so many people waiting for me, I can't give up...

...

The violence inside me doesn't seem to want to calm down.

It is so painful to support this much rage for one person.

...

I'm supposed to be free on Friday.

...

It's so annoying to be sane one moment and lose control the next.

It is tiring me... ×

...

"Argh!!!"

Two people wearing black polo shirts and trellis pants looked at each other.

"Doesn't look like it's getting any better..." one of them said worriedly as he heard the screams coming from the isolation cell.

The other person pressed her nose to calm the tension she was feeling. She said, 'I think we'll need to talk to our boss about this. Fuck!"

...

× I did it. They agreed to let me out for Senior Day on Friday.

I've already missed the organization of the event, the freshman day on Tuesday, the sophomore day on Wednesday, and the junior day today. But luckily we were able to watch the replay of the games that were made for the classes that couldn't come to the day dedicated to another grade.

I've been told that we'll leave in the evening, we'll do the zip line descent then drive to the meeting point to catch the helicopter, and then it will drop us off at the hotel not far from my school where I'll sleep and surprise them.

....

We finally arrived at the hotel, but the helicopter couldn't land on a helipad, so we went down with the net.

Yes, I'm afraid of heights, but somehow I'm able to concentrate on my mission, so it doesn't limit me. I just have to be in a 'hyper-focus mode'. It is kind of weird to explain clearly this state. I just know that I am more focused.

I'm going to get some sleep. ×

...

Harmonie woke up with a start. She sat up.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!" She whispered in panic.

She began to scream silently so as not to disturb anyone. Not only that, but she was feeling all tensed up.

...

She was in the cold shower. She sat there without moving.

Furthermore, she only decided to move when her hands were completely clammy.

...

She put on a black sweatpants, a black T-shirt and a white hoodie, a white jacket, white and black sneakers.

 And a black cap and mask.

She joined the instructors who would be watching her all day.

...

Draw for first games :

12th grade 2 vs. 12th grade 5

12th grade 1 vs. 12th grade 3

12th grade 4 vs. 12th grade 6

SPORT : 

-Badminton

-Volleyball

-Relay race

-Handball

-Futsal

Winner:

Badminton: First team to 15 points wins.

 Team: Mixed

Relay: First to cross the finish line.

 Team: Mixed

 Handball: Match of 10 minutes.

 Team: mixed

Futsal: Match of 10 minutes.

 Team: Boys

 Volleyball: 15-point match.

 Team: Girls.

Harmonie closed the app, figuring she'd get more information at school.

She finally arrived at the school, but there weren't many people on the schoolyards.

After asking, she was told that the first games were starting.

Classes 2 and 5 of the 12th grades were facing each other in the first gym.

1 and 3 were playing in the second gym.

4 and 6 in the third gym.

Harmonie went to the third gym because that was where her class was.

She entered the unlocked gym and sat down on the benches.

'Oh, futsal.' She quickly recognized some of the boys from her class on the green team.

 She had arrived near the end of the game because 2 minutes later the referee blew his whistle.

Over the whispering of her classmates, she understood that they would have to take penalties because neither team had scored.

Then she lost herself in her thoughts and only reacted when someone touched her and took her cap, but the person had the reflex to move away from her quickly.

Harmonie looked up and saw Chloé and the rest of the gang in front of her.

 She smiled slightly as if the killing intent earlier hadn't come from her.

She stood and opened her arms. Despite their surprise, the girls didn't reject her hug.

Then Corine said seriously, "We have to go, the game is about to start."

The girls nodded and followed her. And Chloé put on her cap. Harmonie took off her mask and put it away.

"By the way, who won the penalty kick? I didn't follow."

"Seriously, H," Cassidy said, shaking his head.

Harmonie grimaced, "Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight. So who won?"

"You're stirring the pot, H," Chloe said, laughing out loud.

Cassidy rolled her eyes and walked in front of her friends.

Corine turned to the other two and said to Harmonie, "We lost 3-4."

"Oh, that's why she's sulking," she said, pointing at Cassidy, who was walking ahead of them.

"By the way, Corine, who won the other games?" Chloé asked, putting her hands behind her head.

"You look very happy today," Corine remarked, then added, "The Senior 2 class was beaten by the Senior 5 class, 1-0. The Senior 1 class beat the Senior 3 class, 2-0."

"Oh, we're the only ones with a draw," Chloé remarked.

"How many minutes are the games anyway, Corine?" Harmonie asked.

"About ten minutes, so the other sports can take place."

"Oh, right. Well, let's pick up the pace if we don't want to miss the first game of the finals."

They finally arrived at Gym Number 1 for their class's handball game.

In Gym 2, the Futsal final had already started.

Senior 5 took on Senior 1.

 -GYM 1-

Harmonie saw an empty seat and started to sit down, but Chloé stopped her, "Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'm going to sit down?"

 Chloé laughed, "You are completely lost, ma baby. Haven't you noticed that the fan bleacher seating is divided by class?"

"Why?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Because the benches in the gym allow it. Here, it's for the senior 4 class, ours is over there." She said, pointing to her class benches.

She recognized some members of her class, along with some other freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.

She nodded and followed Chloé. The handball teams were ready.

Cassidy was already sitting in the fourth row. Harmonie turned her head and saw Corine, accompanied by the student vice president, chatting away with a walkie-talkie in her hand.

Then she began to concentrate on the game that had been going on for a few minutes.

"There's something I don't understand. Class 4 won their futsal match, so they must be doing their finals, so why are we playing them in handball right now?"

Cassidy looked at her and then ignored her, rolling her eyes and then averting her eyes to her game.

 "Cassidy, stop it. Seriously, what's with the attitude you have since earlier?" Chloe said.

Chloe.

Harmonie had a small knowing smile, then said, "Leave it. She's just too into games."

"I hope so for her sake. Because her attitude has been unbearable the last few days." Chloe said, looking at the person in question without hiding.

"And to answer your question H, each class has different teams for each game, so everyone gets to play a little. The Senior 4 Futsal team isn't actually playing, and if you haven't noticed, some of the team members are on the class 4 fan bench."

"The futsal final will be played first by classes 5 and 1 in gym 2, while senior classes 2 and 3 will play each other in gym 3 while we take on class 4 since the handball and futsal games have the same duration."

"In fact, Corine said it was done that way because the afternoon is for the rewards giving. And to allow each class to encourage their teams. We have this kind of puzzle. I don't really know how they do the rest, but apparently, everything is organized so that everything goes according to plan, according to Corine.

Harmonie nodded and finally concentrated on the game.

A few minutes later, a loud chorus of disapproval could be heard. Chloe grimaced, "Ouch, that's got to hurt."

"Do you think he can keep going?" Harmonie asked, looking at her limping classmate.

"I hope so, he's the one who can lead the others the best, no wonder he's the captain of our team," Chloé replied.

"And above all, he's the one who scored the most goals," Cassidy said grimly.

The captain continued to play, and then the referee blew his whistle and Harmonie's class jumped for joy, they were going to the final.

They'll get a medal anyway, no matter what the result.

The score was 6 to 5 for Harmonie's class.

 "Fortunately, they held their defense despite Bryan's injury," Corine says, coming over to her friends.

" All right, as for futsal, senior 1 won 1 to 0 against senior 5, senior 5 has to face senior 4 for the next futsal match." Said Corine first as she watched her vice president bring her class to Gym 2.

She looked back at her class, who looked at her, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed, feeling her face start to heat up, but she pulled herself together and continued, "In handball, senior 2 lost to senior 3, 7: 0." She saw her classmates' eyes widen in shock.

"So while classes 5 and 4 are up against each other in futsal, we're going to play against 3... who just arrived..." Corine said as she looked at the gym entrance, the others followed her gaze and saw one of the student council members enter with her class, a walkie-talkie in hand and a tablet like Corine's.

"Okay, those of you who need to go to the bathroom, go quickly, and the rest of you, put your sports bibs back on," Bryan said to his team, pushing up his glasses with the tip of his finger.

Harmonie looked at him and said quietly, "Are you sure you want to keep going?"

Bryan looked at her, and he said with a grin, "You know me, I'm stubborn, I don't feel like giving up."

"Okay." Then she turned back to Corine and said, "Don't you have a sport cooling spay?"

 Corine looked up and she said to one of her classmates, "Alexa, can you hand me the first aid bag?

 The girl stood up and handed her the bag, Corine thanked her and handed the bag to Harmonie.

Harmonie took it, rose from her seat, and said to Bryan, "Sit down. Pointing to her former seat. Bryan complied.

Harmonie helped him take off his shoe by squatting on one knee, and she also took off Bryan's sock, she examined Bryan's foot without saying a word and sprayed the cold spray on his foot for a few moments then put his sock and shoe back on.

Then, after putting the bomb away, she stood up and applied hydroalcoholic gel to her hands.

 "Listen, as soon as it gets bad, you're out," Harmonie said, then held out her hand to help him up and sat down, completely ignoring the others after that.

...

Frowning, Harmonie stood up and walked over to Corine.

"Do you have a whistle?" she asked Corine quietly.

 Corine looked at her strangely but handed her the whistle around her neck.

Harmonie looked at the whistle for a moment, then raised her head, put the whistle to her lips, and whistled without hesitation.

They all stopped and turned their heads toward Harmonie. That didn't frighten her, her gaze was only on one person.

"Get out of there before I get mad at you because I swear you're not going to like it, and it's probably going to make your condition worse," Harmonie said simply, controlling her rising temper.

Bryan lowered his head and limped off the playground, Chloé went to help him.

Some were surprised, since he'd seemed fine before Harmonie's interruption.

Harmonie went over to her comrades, looked at them, and asked, pointing at Bryan with her head, "Who wants to replace him?"

 No one answered, Harmonie looked at Chloé, and she shook her head, "I can't, I've got the relay race and the volleyball match after that."

Harmonie frowned and looked at her classmates.

"You'll just have to go," Bryan said suddenly, looking at her, and the others nodded.

"You, shut up and go to the infirmary so she can give you an ice pack." said coldly Harmonie

Bryan smiled nervously, Harmonie ignored him and she then asked, "Do you have a sports bib?"

....

 "Ezra, give it to Sandra quickly," Harmonie said fast as she made her way to the front.

...

"Try Mathias!" She says again.

"It's okay, Mathias, stay in the game."

" Well done, Celia, get back to your posts quickly."

...

Chloé, Corine, and Cassidy watched the handball team with a little choc, it was different from her competitive side at the volleyball game with them.

She looked more like she was cheering for her team, which worked very well.

...

Harmonie's class jumped for joy when the referee blew the final whistle.

Harmonie went over to the referee to apologize for what she had done earlier. He took it well and they shook hands.

'I had planned not to yell, that's why I used the whistle, but in the end, I raised my voice enormously during the game.'

She went back to her class.

Corine looked at her tablet, finished communicating with the other student council members, and then returned to her class.

 "So in futsal, senior 4 beat senior 5 in penalty kicks, 2-1, since they'd tied. So now senior 1 and senior 4 will play each other in futsal, and since this is the last game of the finals, we can all go and watch the game in gym 2." She quickly wrote something in her notebook, then looked up.

"Well, let's go quickly. Senior 3 already beat us to it." The others also noticed the absence of the other class.

"Tom, help Bryan move," Corine said. Bryan had decided to come back to support his team despite his injury.

...

"Go Alexia! Yeahh!" Cassidy yelled, sounding completely into the game.

"You can do it, Charlotte, keep your head up!" Chloé shouted in turn, but Corine, Harmonie, and a few other people knew it was to taunt Cassidy.

So it was no surprise when Cassidy glared at Chloé.

...

"Yeahh !!!" Senior 1, some people from the other classes, and especially Cassidy, screamed when Senior 1 scored a goal before the end of the game. The stress they'd been building up had finally subsided because somehow they all knew that if they made it to the penalty kicks, Senior 4 would win.

Harmonie, who was standing next to Corine, watched the action on the field with a keen eye. 'They are not being discreet at all with this hidden relationship of theirs.'

She noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye and saw that Corine was holding a megaphone.

Corine looked at Harmonie and Harmonie understood what Corine wanted from her. She covered her ears and nodded.

"So, we're going to continue with the handball games. Senior 2 and 3 played against each other and the same for 6 and 4, Senior 3 and 6 won their matches. So they played each other and senior 6 won."

Student Vice President Eva took over, "The handball teams of seniors 1 and 5 must now face each other, get ready."

...

9:40

The match between Class 3 and Class 5 began after Class 5 won its previous match against Class 1.

9:50

 The match ended with Class 3 defeating Class 5.

"Come on, Harmonie, we need to get into position." Said Emma, one of the members of the handball team.

Harmonie was really quite lazy about playing again, but she held out her arm to Emma.

Emma rolled her eyes but took Harmonie's wrist to the court.

She left Harmonie in her position, and then went to reposition herself.

 Harmonie looked around a bit and was struck in the face by a sports bib. Of course, she noticed the object coming towards her, but she didn't want to react, as it posed no danger.

She then picked it up and thanked Célia, who had thrown the sports bib at her. And she put it on as she continued to look around.

 She looked at everyone's positions, whether on her own team or the opposing team.

The referee came over and gave her the ball. It was her team that had kicked off.

Harmonie had a slight grin on her face that quickly disappeared, "Mathias, come here," she said, lifting her head.

She put her hand over her mouth and said in a low whisper, "I'm going to pass to you, and you're going to go forward, but without turning around, you're going to give me a pass backward. Basically, you are making a feint to break through to the other team. And then you have to continue your run, I need you up in front."

Then Harmonie removed her hand from her mouth and asked, "You pretty much got it?"

Matthias nodded.

10:00

The match between the seniors 6 and 7 started.

Harmonie passed to Matthias who, as expected, dribbled the ball forward, then passed back after seeing Harmonie's move out of the corner of his eye and continued forward.

After receiving the ball, Harmonie faked a pass to her defender and suddenly fired a shot from long range.

Since the goals were all close to the wall, we only heard the sound of the ball hitting the wall, and the whole Senior 6 class jumped for joy. The ball was in the net.

"Oh, it went in," Harmonie said, turning back to Celia. Then she held out her hands to her teammates who were coming toward her to stop them, and quickly went to the referee to tell him that she was leaving the field to make a substitution.

Many couldn't understand why Harmonie was heading for her class bench.

Harmonie took off the sports bib she was wearing and handed it to one of her classmates, whom she took aside for a quick chat and then pushed lightly towards the field.

"What did you say to him?" Chloe asked Harmonie, who had sat down next to her.

"I told him to tell the others that I had the volleyball match later and that I didn't want to get hurt because I expect to win every volleyball match. And that the team was strong without me."

She turned her head towards the other team's goalkeeper, Chloe did the same, "Oh!" Chloe exclaimed, Corine and Cassidy did the same but didn't understand.

"Why did he choose to be the goalkeeper?"

 Harmonie shrugged and then said, "I don't know, but it's very silly of them. He's probably a football or handball goalkeeper, hence their stupid decision to choose him."

"I don't get it," said Cassidy, and the others listening to the conversation were wondering the same thing.

"It's simple, the guy was injured -"

"But he looks good," Cassidy interrupted doubtfully.

"Let me finish first," Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

"The guy's healed physically, but not mentally. What do we unconsciously tend to do after we've had an injury, be it minor or even more so if it's major?"

"We tend to pay even more attention to where we hurt ourselves," Harmonie replied, her gaze fixed on the match.

"Right, so my impression is that the goalkeeper has an injury to his right leg-"

"Knee," Harmonie said.

"Oh, so it's the knee. Okay, so he injured his right knee. And even though it's healed. He's clearly showing unconscious signs of hesitation in the way he moves. Okay, so the whole mystery is that if our team is going for the bottom side of the net, he's going to have a hard time stopping the ball."

"Bingo," Chloe said as she saw Mathias doing exactly what she'd just said.

"Did you tell Léon that?" Chloe asked as she continued to watch the game, but Harmonie knew she was talking to herself.

"No, I didn't. We have an advantage anyway, since Senior 5 has played before, and we haven't."

They watched the game in silence until the last minute. Finally, the referee blew his whistle. And everyone behind Harmonie and Chloé jumped for joy.

"We're the first! Woo-hoo!!!" Chloe exclaimed, Cassidy jumping up and down beside her.

Harmonie walked over to her team members, a small smile on her face at their enthusiasm.

Seeing her coming, the others gave her a group hug in the middle and started jumping up and down with joy.

 Unfortunately, the celebration had to be cut short because it was time for the relay race. All the classes met on the 500-meter track.

Those who were going to participate in the race went to change.

Harmonie took her class aside, "Well, basically I thought we'd put at least 4 people every 100 meters to follow the person running a little bit and cheer them on."

"That's not a bad idea, but I think the other classes are going to want to do the same thing, and it's going to be a little cumbersome." Said one of Harmonie's classmates.

"You're not wrong," says Harmonie, scratching her left eyebrow with her index finger, "so what does the class have planned to encourage them?"

"We were just thinking about cheering them on from the benches."

"Oh, okay, I hope you'll be cheering passionately for the volleyball game. I admit, I haven't paid too much attention to what you've been saying or doing to encourage the others who were playing during the previous games."

"But I think that since the team is made up of girls who have already played in the game or, like Chloé, will have run a race. It would be good to encourage us all along the way because everyone is starting to feel tired and hungry."

"Let's encourage those who are running as much as we can because it's freezing too, so we have to do our best and cheer them on as much as we can, especially if we lose - and I hope we don't - we still have to congratulate them for wanting to run in this cold." Harmonie pulled up the hood of her jacket as the wind began to blow a little.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Okay, hands out in front," Harmonie said as she saw Chloé, who was wearing shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt, blowing into her hands to warm herself up and then looking at Corine as if to indicate that it was up to her to do so.

When Chloé joined them, Corinne took a deep breath and said aloud,

"Senior 6!"

" It's us!!!" The class replied.

" Senior 6!"

" It's us!!!"

"Who's the best?!"

"We are the best!!!"

"I didn't hear you! Who's the best?!!"

"We are the best!!!!"

"Yeahhh!!!"

After throwing their hands in the air, they separated and each took their position.

Harmonie noticed the obvious embarrassment on Corinne's face and stroked her head as if to congratulate her.

...

"Guys?" Corinne called to her class. Seeing that she had the attention of her class, she continued.

"The teachers said it wasn't a bad idea, Harmonie's idea, to have four people every 100 meters to encourage the others and run with them for a few meters."

Everyone was amazed. Harmonie smiled slightly, 'She's cute. She really went to talk to the teacher about it.'

"But how is that going to happen?" One of Corine's classmates, whom she recognized as Mathias, who had played handball with Harmonie, asked.

" Well, actually to avoid overcrowding. There'll be one person from each team, every 100 meters, and every time there's a baton change, there'll be new people from other classes cheering them on."

She lowered her head and began to write with the stylus, "First the first four classes will run, then senior 5, ours, seniors 1 and 2, and finally seniors 3, 4, 5, and ours."

Then she raised her head and looked at the other classes, "Besides, the teachers said that the chosen ones have to encourage everyone. It's all about fair play."

"Well, it takes two volunteers." She said and showed us what she'd written.

Seniors classes

1, 2, 3, 4 - 1st runner

5, 6, 1, 2 - 2nd runner

3, 4, 5, 6 - 3rd runner

 Cassidy decided to volunteer and so did James.

"All right. Dave, Lance, and Chloe go ahead and the others, we'll join the others on the bleachers."

Harmonie followed the others and saw Sylvia with the daycare kids, all wearing bandanas around their necks that represented the color of each team, and next to them were the teachers. Some of the children were in the arms of their parents.

She looked for Adélaïde but didn't see her among the children. Then she realized that the little girl was in the arms of Cassandra, who had initially been hidden by one of her colleagues.

Cassandra turned as if she felt a gaze on her, and their eyes met. There was joy in her eyes, but Harmonie suddenly turned her head away and sat down.

 Cassandra tried to meet Harmonie's gaze again, but to no avail; she seemed determined to keep her eyes on the field.

After the baton had been passed to Chloé, she still had 2 classes ahead of her, but that didn't stop her from giving it her all.

As she ran, she didn't even notice where she stood in comparison to the others - all she could think about was giving her all and then thinking about it later.

For their part, the spectators were jumping for joy at Chloé's masterful comeback. She was beginning to put some distance between herself and her opponents.

Meanwhile, Harmonie was completely lost in thought. Although she had followed the race closely at first, her thoughts took over.

'Soon I will be the result...'

'I have to be mentally ready...'

'I'm really very tired...'

'I just want to take a break...'

'My thoughts are doing the opposite, they have no off switch...'

Harmonie suddenly felt someone shake her - it was Cassidy, since Chloe had crossed the finish line first.

 But Harmonie's first reaction was anger, Cassidy's scream of pain was what woke her from her state, and she let go of her hand immediately.

Cassidy rubbed her wrist with a grimace on her face, her wrist was red, showing the strength of Harmonie's grip.

Harmonie's eyes widened, and she apologized, her face full of regret, sadness, and embarrassment.

Cassidy froze in shock; it was the first time in a long time she'd seen so much raw emotion from Harmonie.

Eventually, two people, a man, and a woman, dressed in all-black sports uniforms, came to take Harmonie aside. The woman also wore a pair of glasses. Cassidy thought it was probably her bodyguard.

"Are you okay?" Chloe asked, looking at the wrist and then at Harmonie, her eyebrows furrowed.

Cassidy nodded darkly, "Yeah."

Then she sighed and added quietly while massaging her wrist, "I messed up a little by surprising her."

"Go spray yourself with the can of cold spray, instead of continuing to massage yourself."

Cassidy nodded and went to Corine to get the can of cold spray.

 Meanwhile, Chloé had not taken her eyes off Harmonie and her two instructors.

 Surely their job was to keep an eye on Harmonie.

Chloe began to wonder what had caused Harmonie to be in the same mental state she'd been in three years ago. What had triggered her relapse if not her failing memory?

 ...

Chloe looked at Harmonie, who was wearing the pink t-shirt and pink sweatpants she'd given her. She thought it looked good on her, despite her closed expression, especially with the motifs of a well-known children's cartoon that Adelaide loved to watch. In fact, she thought her niece was obsessed with the cartoon.

Cassidy next door was dying of laughter as she stared at Harmonie. She was obviously laughing at her.

Chloe smiled and joked, "Don't you think it looks good on her? I have good taste, huh?"

Cassidy nodded in agreement, then wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes, then quickly caught her breath and said, "Actually, it does suit her, but it's..."

 She burst into another fit of giggles and said through her laughter, "It's her face... The look on her face...hahaha".

She suddenly stopped laughing and Chloe looked at her questioningly. She followed her gaze, raised an eyebrow, and looked back at Cassidy.

Her face had a quizzical expression. She didn't quite understand what was happening to her. Cassidy was looking at someone in particular, but Chloé didn't know who, since the girls on the other team were all talking to each other and no one was looking her way.

But Chloe didn't dwell on that for long, because just then she turned her head to look for someone, probably Sylvia, missing the eye contact between Cassidy and one of the girls from the other team.

Sylvia's eyes met Chloe's and she smiled stupidly. Sylvia smiled back and then turned her attention back to the children.

For her part, Cassandra, with Adelaide in her arms, had her eyes fixed on Harmonie.

Although Harmonie seemed to have her head elsewhere, Cassandra thought the clothes they were wearing made her look very cute. 

Cassandra's eyebrows furrowed as she remembered what Chloe had said about her and Harmonie having to talk.

It was something she feared very much. She knew that she and Harmonie had moved too fast. They had skipped some necessary steps.

They should have explained themselves before they got together. But she couldn't help getting closer to Harmonie. Harmonie was the oxygen that fed her flame. 

She loved her so much that sometimes she wondered if she wasn't giving Harmonie her personal space.

She was afraid to talk to Harmonie, and it was only recently that she understood the reason for that fear. She was afraid of losing Harmonie, and this fear grew so strong that it gave her nightmares.

She relived the moment when Harmonie had left three years ago before coming back, and then saw her leave again, but this time with no way to get back to her in her nightmares.

Moreover, she had become so attached to the little girl that not having her around would be hell for her. She was very attached to her little family. So if it was for the good of her little family, she was willing to talk, and she knew it would do her good.

The questions would be answered and the unsaid would be known. She wanted to talk to her that very night. She didn't want to waste any more time.

She's afraid of the answers to her questions, she's afraid of what she'll be told, and she's afraid that what she's about to tell Harmonie will drive them apart with no possibility of reuniting. 

But she's willing to find the courage for herself, for her daughter, and her relationship with Harmonie.

The match between the 6 all-girl teams had started, and the gym was organized so that there were three volleyball courts. This meant that all 6 teams could compete at the same time, with at least two referees on each court to monitor the game.

The first team to score 15 points won the match, and each team consisted of 5 people. 

In the Class 6 group was Célia, who had played volleyball with Harmonie.

First match

- Senior 5 vs. Senior 6

 Winner: Seniors (15:3)

- Senior 1 vs. Senior 3

 Winner: Senior 1 (15:10)

- Senior 2 vs. Senior 4

 Winner: Seniors 2 (15:12)

Second match

- Senior 2 vs. Senior 6 

 Winner: Senior 6 (15:6)

- Senior 1 vs. Senior 6

 Winner: Senior 6 (15:5)

- Senior 1 vs. Senior 2

 Winner: Senior 2 (15:12)

Next came the badminton competition, formed by a girl and a boy, with the same 15-point rule as in the volleyball matches.

RESULTS

1st: Senior 6 (Harmonie - Mathias)

2nd: Senior 4 (Diane - Cameron)

3rd: Senior 2 (Karen - Charles)

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"Wow, Senior 6 is really on fire today."

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"Damn, the girls did some sick shit for us in the games."

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"Corine and Harmonie were on fire today."

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"Did you see the sick gesture the blonde (Chloé) made at the last moment? And to think that she and her team had won the race just a few minutes before. They've got incredible stamina. I couldn't do it."

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"She's a really smart setter, Cassidy."

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"Celia looks like she's at the end of her life, but she was crazy on the court. Whether she was playing volleyball or handball."

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"Every time during the games, whoever was up against Mathias' team ended up running left and right with the windshield washer technique that Harmonie uses, haha. She doesn't look tired even after all the matches.

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"I really liked Mathias' saves. He's not only helping us win handball with the others, we're also winning badminton. We're the best."

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Corine calls her class together: "Well, let's have our cheer."

"Senior 6!"

"It's us!!!" The class responded.

" Senior 6!"

"It's us!!!"

"Who's the best?!"

"We are the best!!!"

"I didn't hear you! Who's the best?!!"

"We are the best!!!"

" Yeahhh!!!"

They raised their hands in the air and began to jump and sing.

...

12:30 P.M.

It was time for everyone to eat. The students were allowed to take their trays and eat outside, not in the canteen.

 "Corine, we need to ask the team to take care of setting up the podium," the student vice president said to her president.

"You can take care of that, I have to check the medals for later," Corine said, typing on her computer.

A sandwich appeared in front of her and she gasped slightly. She looked at Harmonie, who had another sandwich in her hand and was finishing it.

"You have to eat."

"Thanks, but not right now, okay? I have to check on something."

Harmonie handed her the sandwich again, so Corine took it, and then Harmonie took her tablet and read what was on it.

"Medals? Ah, we're getting medals?" She looked up at Corine who nodded, Harmonie grinned slightly when she saw that Corine was eating, then turned her attention back to the tablet. 

"I can take care of it if you want?" Harmonie said, continuing to read what was on the tablet.

"Hm... Okay," she took a bunch of keys out of her pocket and handed them to Harmonie, "Here they are to open the door to the room."

Corine and her vice-president watched Harmonie leave, "She doesn't have a crush on you, does she?" Eva asked Corine.

"What are you talking about?" 

"There's a rumor going around that something is going on between you and her. She's really nice to you."

"Ah, but she's nice to everyone," Corine said, frowning.

"Yes, but she's not the type to smile too much with the others. Even with Chloé, you'd think they were a couple when they first came over, she sometimes keeps her face closed, but as soon as she sees you, she has a smile on her face. And even if she's not necessarily smiling, you can see her eyes light up when she sees you. That's why there's a rumor going around that you guys are together.

Corine remained silent, pensive. Eva looked at her. Corine noticed and asked, 

"What is it?" 

"Well, you haven't told me if the rumor is true or not."

"Oh no, it's not true, but I can understand why people get that impression. I was just thinking about something."

"So, does she have a crush on you?"

"No, it's a little more complicated than that. She's more protective of me than the other two."

"Why is that?"

"It's complicated, and it's kind of personal," she says with a shrug, "You should go. The podium is waiting."

...

The Senior 6 class, who had won more competitions, had more medals than the others. And they even got the trophies, which they gave to Corine, Harmonie's idea.

For a long time, they celebrated their victory with the other classes.

The parents were also present at the award ceremony for the Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior classes. It was an event that will remain in everyone's memory.