Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism
Chapter 67 The Uncertainty Of The Universe - We Are The Dark Horse Of The Year

Zelena removed a thumbtack from the sole of her shoe.

As she stared at the thumbtack in her hand, anger filled her eyes.

If there was a thumbtack inside her shoe, it would mean that Violeta must have known about the thumbtacks she had placed in their sneakers.

This was Violeta's way of getting back at her.

That awful woman!

Zelena threw the thumbtack on the ground. However, she accidentally stepped on it and drew blood. It wasn't too serious, but it caused enough pain for her to need a tetanus shot.

After everyone returned to school, Nolan organized a group outing to eat fried chicken and barbecue.

They arrived at the restaurant and ordered a large amount of drumsticks.

Each person had a small grill in front of them, slathered with oil. The delicious pork belly sizzled inside.

Everyone was happy after winning the competition, so they ordered beer. The oversized beer mugs were filled to the brim and the ice cubes emitted a cool mist. The atmosphere was lively with laughter and cheers.

Violeta was thrilled to be a part of this large group.

Sitting together with so many people and celebrating the achievements they had all worked hard for was something she had never dared to imagine in her previous life.

As she was eating her fried chicken, Kaylee wanted to get some sauce.

"Vio, what do you want?"

"Salad dressing."

"Okay." Kaylee then turned to Nolan and asked, "Nolan, what do you want? I'll bring it over for you."

Without even looking up, Violeta casually said, "Just give him some mayonnaise."

Coincidentally, Nolan looked up and smiled warmly at Kaylee. "Mayonnaise, thank you."

Both of them spoke almost at the same time and they both paused abruptly.

Violeta slowly raised her gaze and glanced at Nolan, who also looked towards her.

A smile spread across Kaylee's lips. "I'll go get it!"

After that, she hurried away.

Nolan asked, "How did you know I like mayonnaise?"

Violeta did not say anything.

How could she not know?

She had a crush on him in her previous life, so naturally, she remembered his preferences in her heart.

His favorite food, color, taste...

She had engraved them in her mind during her best four years of college, so how could she forget?

"Just a guess."

Violeta replied lightly, her expression unchanged. After that, she lowered her head to continue eating barbecue. Nolan continued to gaze at her until Violeta completely ignored him. After that, he slowly withdrew his gaze. After a while, Kaylee came back with the dipping sauce and everyone continued to eat and drink, chatting and laughing. After finishing the meal, everyone went their separate ways.

After winning the league, Violeta was treated like a treasure when she returned home!

Irene and Anton, who were not young anymore, led the cheers and set off fireworks.

Niall praised, "Our future Olympic athlete, Vio!"

Violeta said, "Stop teasing me!"

Irene said, "He wouldn't dare to tease you. He's only telling the truth! Our Vio is the best!"

Anton laughed. "Hahaha, well said, well said!"

As they walked into the living room together, Violeta suddenly remembered something and asked Irene, "Mom, are you having a performance at your theater soon?"

"Yeah, there will be a rehearsal for a new play called 'The Magpie Feast' at the beginning of next month. I will also be playing a supporting role for the newcomers. Are you interested, Vio?"

Before the competition, Violeta had mentioned that she wanted to take Kaylee to the theater.

So, she came to ask Irene for this.

"Mom, can you give me a few tickets? I want to take my friends to see the play, is that okay?"

Irene immediately agreed, "Of course, you can!"

"Thank you, Mom!"

"However, the tickets for the public have been sold out for a long time. I'll give you a few insider tickets. They all have amazing seats."

"Great!"

Ever since the cheerleaders from the dance club were expelled on their way to the league, the animosity between the dance club and the tennis club had deepened, and their relationship had reached an irreparable point.

Zelena was absent for two days because she stepped on a thumbtack.

Violeta managed to get a few exclusive tickets for the Millennium Grand Theater at the beginning of next month and made plans with Zoren, Kaylee, and a few others to watch the play together.

At noon, Violeta and Kaylee went to the cafeteria to eat and ran into some members of the dance club. Naturally, they received a few disdainful glances.

Violeta had long become immune to these glances. She would be fine as long as they didn't cause any trouble.

Kaylee was furious and stabbed several holes in the egg with her fork in front of Violeta.

"Those dance club people are so infuriating!"

Violeta calmly sipped her soup. "Anger is detrimental to one's well-being."

Kaylee said, "Vio, aren't you angry? They give us dirty looks every time they see us. I want to gouge out their eyeballs so badly!"

Give us dirty looks?

In her previous life, Violeta was framed by Zelena and became a target of ridicule in the entertainment industry.

Apart from the dirty looks, Violeta was even pelted with eggs by Zelena's fans when she made a brief appearance backstage for playing a minor role in the promotional drama.

So, dirty looks meant nothing to her.

Violeta's retaliation was only directed at Zelena, as she was the mastermind behind the scenes.

The others were just victims instigated by Zelena, although there might be a few individuals who were just as cunning as Zelena.

"Kay, we will always be judged by others as long as we're alive. Even in death, we won't be spared from criticism. So, let's just take their indifference and mockery as applause and encouragement." After hearing Violeta's words, Kaylee suddenly stopped what she was doing.

"Vio, it's so strange that you have such a strong spirit. Aren't we the same age?"

Violeta smiled faintly. "Let's eat quickly. You're about to turn the eggs into a honeycomb!"

Kaylee nodded. "Okay."

"Oh, the dance club will definitely try to outdo us again in the Moon Festival. That's the only area where they can surpass us."

"Moon Festival?"

Kaylee nodded. "Senior told me that they have already started designing the venue."

While the tennis club won trophies outside of school, the dance club would compete for reputation within the school.

Every year, the dance club would outshine the tennis club by a large margin during the major festivals organized by Toland University.

Since most members of the tennis club were financially well-off, no one wanted to perform on stage or prepare a program with great care.

So, they would just go through the motions and end up in a miserable defeat every year.

On the other hand, the dance club considered these festivals as important days to showcase their talents, so they would diligently prepare for them every year.

Combined with their outstanding dance performances that were enough to captivate everyone's attention, they naturally always took the first place.

Violeta had also heard about the dance club's dominant position in the various campus festivals at Toland University. She took a sip of soup and said, "So you mean we're going to lose this year too?" Kaylee shrugged. "Well, there's nothing we can do. We really can't compare to them. We can't just go on stage and play a game of tennis. That would be too absurd."

Violeta imagined the scene of playing tennis on stage.

Indeed, it would be absurd.

She laughed and said, "It's still early, so the outcome is uncertain. I bet we'll be the dark horse this year."