After her rebirth

In the dead of night, the phone's ring cut through the silence like a knife. Katniss was out cold, and without a second thought, she hung up. But the damn phone kept ringing, messing with her sleep and pissing her off. Eyes still shut, she hit the answer button.

Desmond's voice came through, pissed as hell. "Katniss, what the hell? You hang up on me?"

Katniss scowled, snapping back, "Desmond, seriously? It's the middle of the night! What do you want?"

Desmond, breathing heavily, shot back, "You gotta go back to school tomorrow and cede your exam spot to Clara! Or else, you're gonna regret it!"

Hearing this, Katniss's eyes flashed cold. No way she was letting them win. "Desmond, you lost your mind? The exam spot? Not happening. I'm not backing down."

Desmond, sounding all smug, said, "This is from the Manners family too." Katniss could hear dishes clinking in the background, like they were having dinner.

Then Oliver's voice chimed in, "Just give your spot to Clara. You owe her for putting her in the hospital. She shouldn't suffer, and you can always apply next year." Katniss shot back, "No way! Keep dreaming!"

Oliver, now fuming, barked, "Katniss, what's with the attitude? Got no manners?"

Nathan grabbed the phone, mocking, "What's up, Katniss? Throwing a fit again? You're so spoiled, you shouldn't talk to your parents like this. Without the Manners family, you're nothing." Elodie tried to calm things down, "Everyone, chill. Katniss, just apologize to Dad and Nathan, and this will be over."

Katniss wasn't having it. "No way! Over my dead body." She hung up with a snap.

The Manners family was left staring at each other, stunned. They didn't expect Katniss to be so cold.

The next morning, Katniss was up and out to school after breakfast. The old school building still had that historic vibe, with a golden plaque above the gate reading "Nexus Nova College." Katniss got to school earlier than usual. Only a few students were around, some girls with earphones in, looking all trendy.

After chilling in the classroom for a bit, Juniper Davis walked over. Katniss put down her book and stood up to greet her.

"Katniss, you good now? I wanted to visit, but my family was moving, so I got held up. Don't be mad," Juniper said, holding Katniss's hand, looking both happy and guilty. Juniper had sharp features and a tall frame, a real beauty.

"I'm good. Come on, let's hit up Caleb's office," Katniss said.

She needed to transfer the spot before Desmond could pull any moves, or it'd be too late.

Katniss knew Juniper, who was all about public speaking, had always wanted to apply but missed the boat, and it bummed her out for ages.

"Sure, you just got back to school, you should say hey to Caleb," Juniper said, tagging along with Katniss to the advisor's office and giving the door a polite knock.

"Come in," came the voice from inside. Caleb put down his book, waiting for them to spill. Katniss looked at Caleb and said, "Caleb, I wanna give my English speech spot to Juniper." Caleb looked at her, eyebrows raised. "You sure? Once you change it, there's no going back." Juniper was just as puzzled. Katniss hadn't mentioned this before, and it was out of the blue!

"Katniss, this is your shot. Why give it to me?" Juniper said, holding Katniss's hand, then quickly turned to Caleb, "Caleb, she's just recovered from being sick. She's not thinking straight. Don't change it." But Katniss knew exactly what she was doing. She was done being Clara's pawn. This time, she was handing the opportunity to her friend Juniper.

"Katniss, what's up with you? You fought for this spot. Why the sudden change?" Juniper asked, eyes full of confusion.

Katniss smiled softly and said, "Juniper, I know you've always dreamed of this. I just wanna help you get it."

Juniper was both shocked and touched, holding Katniss's hand with tears in her eyes. "Katniss, you're amazing! I'll make the most of this!"

"I've made up my mind. I want Juniper to have the spot," Katniss told Caleb firmly.

To her, letting Juniper give the speech wasn't just an opportunity; it was the right thing to do.

In her past life, Clara had snatched the speech spot from her, taking $8,000 and going abroad as an exchange student. She had hogged all the glory!

This time, no way Clara was getting the spot. Katniss knew the risks, but she wasn't scared.

Of course, Katniss had her own reasons. She and Juniper were tight, and she knew Juniper worked hard and was stoked about the speech. Katniss believed she'd crush it better than Clara.

Plus, Katniss had a little plan. The Davis family wasn't small potatoes; they had clout. No matter how powerful the Boleyn family was, they couldn't snatch the spot from them.

In no time, the spot was changed. Caleb handed it over, asking, "It's done. Anything else?"

"I plan to transfer to the medical department," Katniss said. Caleb looked a bit worried, reminding her that transferring required passing an exam.

Switching to the medical department was no joke. Many students found it too tough and ended up going back to their original majors, which messed with their studies. But Katniss was set on transferring, and it definitely shocked everyone around her.