As the barrier lowered, Erica stepped out of the ring, rolling her shoulders, the exhaustion settling in.
Then—cheers erupted.
Her classmates from 1C rushed forward, grinning and whooping, some slapping her back, others pumping fists in the air.
"Holy shit, Erica, you actually won!"
"That was insane! You dried him up like an old sponge!"
"1C REPRESENT!"
Even a few students from 1B and 1D murmured in appreciation. A victory from 1C was unheard of.
And yet—she had done it.
Among the crowd, her closest friends gathered around.
A girl with short, fiery red hair—Melissa—grinned and threw an arm around her shoulders. "That was sick, Erica! You wrecked him!"
Beside her, a tall, lanky boy with glasses—Reggie—adjusted his frames, smirking. "I bet none of them thought a 1C student would even make it past the first round."
Erica exhaled, her lips twitching into a smirk. "Guess they'll have to rethink their rankings."