Chapter 27
Rhett spoke up immediately, irritation all over his face, “There’s
no need to investigate. Sadie clearly cheated–that’s the only
explanation for her score. If she won’t apologize and admit it,
she should be punished.“”
‘She needs to be taught a lesson.
‘I’ve already spoken to the teacher on her behalf, pushed for
leniency–and this is how she repays me?
‘Fine. I am done helping her. She clearly doesn’t care.
Nathan Reese turned to Sadie with a calm, kind look. “There’s
actually a very simple way to clear this up. We’ll give you a
fresh set of questions and have you complete them under full
supervision. Would you be willing to take the test?”
Sadie looked straight at him. “I’m willing.”
Her voice was steady. “But I have one condition–if I prove I
didn’t cheat, then the people who falsely accused me… they
should have to apologize in public. Agreed?”
Rhett scoffed. “Fine. Let’s see what kind of score you can
actually get.”
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The homeroom teacher handed Sadie a test packet. “I’ll be timing
you.”
Sadie sat down, picked up her pen, and began working through
the exam.
The office fell completely silent. Everyone stood nearby,
watching her closely.
The homeroom teacher, positioned closest, soon found himself
surprised. As he observed Sadie solving the math problems, he
realized she was answering with speed and precision. This test
was harder than the former exam, but she was nailing nearly
every question.
Time ticked by, minute after minute.
Outside, Lorena, curious about what was going on, peeked into
the office. When she saw Sadie sitting there taking a test, she
instantly had a bad feeling.
She walked over to Rhett. “Rhett, what’s happening? Wait–are
they making Sadie retake the test?”
Rhett gave a low, derisive snort. “That’s right. She refuses to
admit she cheated, so now we’re going to make sure she loses in
front of everyone.”
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Lorena immediately went over to Sadie. “Sadie, don’t be
stubborn. We all believe you. You don’t have to push yourself
like this.”
Sadie didn’t respond. She didn’t even look up. She wasn’t about
to let Lorena mess with her focus.
Seeing that her words weren’t landing, Lorena bit her lip and
looked back at Rhett. “She’s still mad at me…”
Rhett frowned. “Sadie, Lorena is talking to you. Are you deaf?”
Sadie finally glanced up. “I’m in the middle of a test. Isn’t that
obvious?”
Rhett was momentarily speechless.
“Lorena is trying to help you save face. You should take the
chance before you embarrass yourself even more.”
The homeroom teacher stepped in, clearly losing patience.
“Lorena, let’s not interrupt. Let her finish the test first–anything
else can wait.”
He had seen enough to know: Sadie was doing well. And most
likely, she hadn’t cheated at all.
Lorena gave a sweet, innocent smile. “Of course. I didn’t mean
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anything by it.”
But deep down, she couldn’t stand the thought of Sadie proving
herself.
She couldn’t accept Sadie being better than her–and she
certainly wasn’t going to let it happen.
Still, she stayed put, watching anxiously. ‘She can’t actually do
well on this test… right?”
But the way Sadie had been changing lately made her feel
uneasy in a way she couldn’t explain.
Time was up.
The teacher immediately collected the test and brought in other
faculty to help grade it quickly.
Sadie stayed seated, calm and composed.
Even when she saw Lorena standing next to Rhett, she didn’t
feel anything–not anger, not bitterness.
Turned out, once you stopped caring, you stopped getting hurt.
The homeroom teacher spoke, his voice tinged with excitement,
“We have the results.”
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Lorena looked over, filled with venomous hope–Please let her
crash and burn.
Rhett added flatly, “If she bombed, let’s not say the score out
loud. No need to embarrass the whole family.””
“No,” the teacher said firmly. “Sadie did exceptionally well. This
test was harder than the former exam–and she scored even
higher.”
