Work hard?
Eleanor felt her head throb just thinking about it. Even if she dumped all the knowledge in the world straight into Charlotte’s brain, there just wasn’t enough time for her to process it all. But what was done was done. All she could do now was help Charlotte as much as possible, then go beg Mr. Baker for a little mercy.
“Starting this afternoon, you’ll come to my office every day,” Eleanor said. “I’ll give you three hours of one-on-one physics tutoring.”
Three hours?
Charlotte’s eyelashes fluttered. That sounded like pure torture.
“Ms. Adams, I already found a tutor,” Charlotte said quietly. “I wasn’t feeling well last time, but I promise I’ll be fine for the next test.”
When they left the teacher’s office, the sweet, obedient look on Charlotte’s face disappeared. Her eyes turned cold.
Andrew had just gotten an earful from Eleanor and hurried to catch up with her.
“Hey, big shot.”
Charlotte turned slightly, her eyes cool and sharp as she looked at him. “What did you just call me?”
Her gaze could cut right through someone.
“Charlotte?” Andrew’s voice stumbled for a second. She didn’t seem bothered by it, though, so he fell in step beside her. “Bald Lee is notorious for holding grudges,” he said lightly. “If he tries to kick you out, just tell me and I’ll...”
“You’ll make sure I stay?” Charlotte’s lips curled into a small, knowing smile.
Andrew’s cheeks turned pink. “I’ll just mention my brother’s name,” he mumbled. Anthony’s name always worked better than a fistfight.
Anthony...
Charlotte looked up at the wide, blue sky. The corners of her mouth lifted just a little. “Alright,” she said softly.
When she smiled, her lips curved like a crescent moon. She looked warm and beautiful, the kind of smile that made people want to get closer. Andrew found himself staring, a little dazed. He couldn’t imagine how someone with such an innocent face could be so good at stirring up trouble.
News about Charlotte’s wild promise to score second in the grade spread across school in no time. It shot straight to the top of the Vanguard High School forum.
The headline was brutal. [Last Place Student Claims She’ll Take Second. Is This a Moral Crisis or Just a Mental One?]
The comments section blew up.
First comment: [If I hadn’t spent all my allowance, I’d buy her a mirror so she could take a good look at herself.]
Second comment: [How does she have the guts? Does she really think the top students at Vanguard are like those in her little country school?]
Third comment: [As the current number two, I feel personally attacked and a little scared. Charlotte, please go easy on me!]
Fourth comment: [There’s one week until the next test. If Charlotte really gets second, I’ll livestream myself eating crap for everyone to see.]
Fifth comment: [You better stick to your word!]
Sixth comment: [Honestly, Charlotte seems pretty smart. Maybe she’ll really pull it off?]
Seventh comment: [Who are you fooling? Is this Charlotte’s burner account? Say it on your main!]
Eighth comment: [Charlotte must be delusional. Are you the same?]
The thread kept going, with more and more people piling on.
Delusional?
In a quiet corner, Shirley scrolled through the nasty comments. Her fingers shook and her face turned bright red.
“This is too much,” she whispered, jaw clenched. “How can they say things like that?”
She was just about to stand up for Charlotte when she sensed someone nearby. Looking up, she saw a shadow fall across her desk.