Chapter 20
The bambood cradled Nomaner how many times Selena afreshed the page nothing would load Frostration enewed at
it as she debated whether to swallow her pride and check the lesin hund for the wors
heard
Just then. Annie and Noelle walked throunds the door, holding hands, looking unerly tuned as they whimpered to each other
“What are you two talking about Selena got up with a mile Who go first place this time I was about to check the form but it crashed Dot tell me the class president took the top sport
Noelle hesitated, her expression unreadable
Annie, however, blurted it out without danking Selena, can you believe it! The top scorer is your ter There’s no way that’s real. She must have cheated–either that or she got the answers beforehand. It’s just to starty
“What?” Selena’s voice shot up in disbelief.
Both Annie and Noelle flinched, startled by her reaction.
“This has to be a mistake! Selena shouted. The warmth in her expression vanished, replaced by something sharp and twisted–so unlike her usual gentle demeanor.
Annie and Noelle exchanged uneasy glances. For the first time, Selena felt like a stranger to them
But just as quickly, Selena smoothed her expression, regaining her composure. She said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you guys. I was just… surprised. You two go on in–I’m heading to the bulletin board to check for myself”
With that, Selena turned and walked out of the classroom.
Noelle tugged on Annie’s sleeve, lowering her voice. “Did you see her face just now? That was scary. She looked like a wicked witch from a fairy tale.”
Annie hesitated but shook her head. “Come on, we’re her friends. We shouldn’t doubt her over a single expression”
Noelle thought about it for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
The hallway near the bulletin board was packed. Selena couldn’t squeeze through the crowd, but then she spotted Mateo pushing his way out.
Immediately, Selena called out, “Hey, Mateo!”
Mateo’s dark expression eased slightly when he saw her. “Selena”
“You must’ve done really well, right?” Selena flashed him a bright smile.
Mateo’s face tensed. His mood was visibly sour.
From the side, Joshua strolled over, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Well, well, Who would ve thought? Our almighty Mateo didn’t even make it into the top ten this time. What a shame.”
A murmur spread through the crowd. “Wait, what? No way!” someone exclaimed. “Mateo’s always in the top ten! How drop this time?”
Joshua, then who got first?” another student asked.
Joshua’s lips curled into a smirk, full of pride. “Of course, it’s Hailey!”
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Chapter 20
“Hailey Dalton?” the student asked agai
“Yeah,” Joshua replied.
“That’s impossible” Selena’s voice was sharp, her eyes wide with disbelief. “She’s never been that good. How could she be
Joshua shot her a glare. “If you don’t believe it, go check for yourself.”
Selena shoved her way through the crowd until she reached the front. The names of the top three scorers were always displayed prominently. Her gaze locked onto the biggest, boldest name at the top. Ist Place–Hailey Dalton.
Selena rubbed her eyes and looked again. The name was still there. Hailey had really taken first place.
Selena couldn’t believe that. Her eyes darted downward. 2nd Place–Casey Medrano.
Behind every name lay a total score. Casey, who always ranked first, surprisingly scored nearly ten points less than Hailey.
With a score like this, if Hailey remained consistent, every top university would be fighting to recruit her.
Selena’s mind reeled. She muttered, “No way. She’s from some nowhere–town school. There’s no way she’s this good. She must have cheated!”
Biting her lip. Selena forced herself to stay composed and turned back to Mateo with a sympathetic smile. “It’s okay. Mateo.
this.” It’s just one test. And it’s only a practice exam, so don’t be discouraged. You’ve got
Selena’s words seemed to soothe his frustration a little. Mateo nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. With your support, I know I’ll do
better next time.”
Selena lowered her gaze, feigning a shy blush.
Just then, Hailey walked through the school gates.
Joshua spotted her immediately, his voice booming as he sprinted over. “Hailey! You got first place! That’s insane
Instantly, all heads turned toward her.
Hailey moved
th effortless grace, her steps light and unhurried. Her hair was swept into a casual ponytail, framing a face that was both strikingly beautiful and untouchably aloof. The quiet confidence in her demeanor made people hesitate to approach.
But when she heard what Joshua said, Hailey smiled. Soft, warm, breathtaking. It was enough to leave half the crowd momentarily stunned–including Mateo.
Selena noticed, a flicker of jealousy flashing in her eyes. She masked it with a sweet, delicate voice. “Wow, Hailey! First place! That’s amazing. But… wasn’t your old school’s curriculum not that strong? How did you improve so fast?”
Selena’s tone was innocent, almost admiring. But the implication was clear. Then whispers started up immediately.
“It can’t be that she cheated to get the first place, can it?”
“I think it’s possible. Even Selena said that the teaching in her previous school was subpar. How could her grades be so good?
“She is close to Joshua. Maybe Joshua got her the test answers in advance!”
“I think this score is somewhat fake
“This whole thing feels shady.
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Chapter 20
Joshua scoffed, his voice sharp as a blade. “Are you guys idiots? Do you seriously think Hailey needs to cheat? She aced the hardest math problems–do you even know what you’re talking about?”
Joshua had a sharp tongue and wouldn’t refrain from criticizing just because someone was a girl. In no time, the faces of several girls who were gossiping turned crimson red.
“Joshua, you don’t have to be such a jerk about it!” one of them snapped, eyes welling up with tears.
Joshua sneered. ‘Oh, so it’s fine when you guys accuse Hailey of cheating, but when I call you out for being brainless, suddenly it’s too much? You’re all just letting Selena manipulate you, and you don’t even see it.”
The girl’s face burned red, her frustration turning to tears.
“Enough, Joshua,” Hailey said, sparing the girl a glance. Then she turned to Selena. “If you think my score is fake, report it to the teachers. I’m sure they’ll handle it properly.”
With that. Hailey turned to Mateo and asked, “Remember our bet?”
Suddenly, silence fell over the crowd. All eyes landed on Mateo. His face turned extremely ugly.
Before he could respond, Selena interjected quickly, her voice soft and coaxing. “Why don’t we wait until the teachers verify everything first? Then we can talk about the bet.”
Hailey arched a brow, unconcerned. “Suit yourself.”
With that, Hailey turned and walked away, completely unbothered.
Selena watched her go, rage simmering beneath her skin. She muttered, ‘She should be ashamed. She should be insecure. ‘But instead, she’s acting like she actually deserves this! Like she’s above all of us! Why! Why! This test score can’t be real. It has to be a lie. And I’ll prove it.
