Chapter 2

Jayla's eyes instantly welled up, and tears spilled down her cheeks. She looked every bit the victim, as though she'd just been publicly humiliated.

Samuel exploded. Without a second thought, he stormed over and shoved me hard. "Ellie, did you really have to humiliate Jayla in front of everyone?"

I ignored him completely and turned to Mr. Sanford.

"Mr. Sanford, our class collected over a thousand dollars in class funds. We were supposed to be buying pencils from a reputable brand with strict quality control. A defect like disappearing marks should've been impossible. There's definitely something wrong here, and I want a full investigation."

The moment those words left my mouth, Jayla staggered. The color drained from her face, and tears immediately welled in her eyes.

"Ellie, what are you trying to say?" she sobbed. "Just because my family isn't well off, you've decided I stole the class funds? I worked so hard for everyone. How can you accuse me of something like that? That's so unfair..."

The harder she cried, the more her shoulders shook. Her face turned ghostly pale, looking as though she might faint at any second.

Samuel's expression changed instantly. He rushed over and steadied her before she could fall, his eyes filled with concern.

After making sure she was alright, he whirled around to face me, fury blazing in his eyes. Then he slapped me across the face.

The sharp crack echoed through the private room, leaving everyone frozen.

I pressed a hand to my burning cheek, my heart sinking.

Even now, he was still desperately protecting the person responsible for all of this. What he didn't know was that the pencil had been in his possession from the very beginning. He was the one who'd turned in a blank exam.

"You owe Jayla an apology!" he shouted. "How can you be so malicious? Apologize to kind, innocent Jayla right now!"

Even Mr. Sanford frowned at me. "Ellie, that was out of line. Jayla comes from a struggling family, and she still volunteered to help the class. You shouldn't make accusations like that."

The classmates immediately chimed in, criticizing me and calling me narrow-minded, saying I'd deliberately made things difficult for the class president.

Just as everyone turned against me and the room became completely one-sided, the private room door slowly opened.

My mom, Melissa Harris, walked in, pushing a cart with a beautifully decorated cake piled high with fresh fruit and intricate sugar decorations. She'd specially ordered it to celebrate the end of senior year.

Several other parents followed behind her, all there to celebrate with their children. Smiling, they congratulated us and wished us bright futures.

The unexpected interruption instantly silenced the room. My classmates exchanged confused looks, unsure how to react.

Samuel was the first to recover.

"Mrs. Harris, instead of wasting time on all this pointless fuss, maybe you should spend it teaching your daughter some manners. Just because you're the head of the parent committee doesn't give her the right to bully people."

Beside him, his father, David Ashley, frowned. "Watch how you speak to your elders. Where are your manners?"

Samuel refused to back down. "I'm telling the truth! If she can do something like this, why shouldn't people talk about it?"

My mom stood there, completely bewildered. "There has to be some misunderstanding. This is supposed to be a celebration. Why is everyone arguing?"

Before anyone else could answer, Jayla walked over, sniffling. She lowered her head before my mother. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Harris. This is all my fault. I was careless when I bought the pencils, and that's why Ellie turned in a blank exam. It's entirely my responsibility. Please don't blame Ellie."

The moment my mother heard the words "blank exam," the smile on her face vanished.

"Ellie, what happened? What do you mean, a blank exam? Tell me the truth."