Chapter 17
I was surprised when the Principal mentioned the accusations. I looked at Lucas and Sophie, my expression calm and composed. Lucas, however, was visibly uncomfortable. As an elder brother, he’s always been used to being above Lina. Now, asking him to apologize felt harder than killing him.
Sophie quickly said, “Lina, when did you become so skilled? You studied secretly at home, and we didn’t know. Lucas came to school for you as soon as he heard about the cheating accusation. He really does care about
you.”
After Sophie gave Lucas a way out, he coldly retorted, “Sophie, stop that. Certain ingrates won’t understand.”
Lucas seemed pleased with Sophie’s actions. This is how a sister should act.*
I smiled faintly.“Yes, Lucas came to school immediately, and then what?He told the teacher I cheated. Then he shifted to wolf and forced me to write a letter of apology, and made me apologize in front of the whole school. Was that his idea of caring?”
Sophie was speechless. She shut the mindlink in case Lucas found she was lying.
Lucas, enraged, shouted, “Lina, you secretly studied without telling us, making me wrongly accuse you of cheating. Yes, your score improved, but was that necessary?”
The Principal spoke again, addressing the teacher, “Who initially accused Lina Ashford of cheating? Bring them forward to apologize.”
The teacher summoned the two classmates. Unaware of the situation, they smugly said, “Teacher, we said Lina cheated to get good scores, and now, is the investigation complete?”
The teacher nodded. “Yes, the investigation confirms Lina didn’t cheat. Apologize to her immediately.”
Shock registered on their faces. Lina hadn’t cheated? How was that possible?
Sophie immediately played the good Samaritan.“Lina didn’t cheat. I told you not to spread rumors, and now you must apologize to her.”
This cleverly absolved her of any wrongdoing.
The classmates reluctantly apologized. “We’re sorry, we were wrong to gossip.”
The teacher turned to me.“Do
have you
any
further requests?”
I shook my head.“No.”
The teacher said with relief, “Lina has been very diligent lately, unlike Sophie Quinn, whose scores dropped significantly.”
Sophie felt humiliated, especially since I had achieved such success. It was a disgrace.
Sophie, eyes welling up, stammered, “I… I just lost some time. I won’t let it happen again.”
Lucas also felt embarrassed. “What’s the use of good grades? Becoming famous through gaming and earning lots of money is far more important than these scores.”
Sophie agreed.
The teacher was exasperated by the parents‘ attitude. He turned to Sophie.“You should learn from Lina.”
Sophie bit her lip and ran out of the office. Lucas sensed her crying in bond.
Lucas glared at me angrily. “Is one good score worth showing off in front of Sophie? She was busy with the gaming team, hence the poor scores. You, who didn’t put in any effort, have no right to boast.”
I raised an eyebrow.“Did I boast?”
The Principal intervened, “I clearly heard the teacher say those things, not Lina. Parents shouldn’t be so biased.”
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