Chapter 54
“I
“Instead of worrying about other people, why don’t you spend your time working through a few more practice exams? Maybe then you won’t drag down the whole class in the next test.”
Shirley tried to explain herself, but she was cut off again. She just couldn’t figure out what to say to make them believe her. Deep down, she knew she’d let Charlotte down. Her lip trembled as she bit down, trying to hold back tears that shimmered in
her eyes.
Seeing Shirley’s round little face with tears clinging to her lashes, Charlotte felt very familiar. She remembered being just as helpless once, with no one to believe her either. Charlotte gave Shirley’s shoulder a gentle pat and forced a small smile. “It’s okay.”
“Okay?” The moment Charlotte spoke, Mr. Lee’s temper snapped. “You brought a snake onto campus, it bit another student, and you disrupted class. That’s a serious offense. I’m reporting you to the administration and recommending expulsion.”
He’d never wanted someone like Charlotte at Vanguard High, and now that he finally had an excuse, he wasn’t going to let it slip by.
Expulsion? The word hung in the air. Students nearby stared in disbelief. The whole thing was still so unclear. No one even knew for sure if Charlotte had brought the snake in the first place. Wasn’t kicking her out just like that a bit much? But Mr. Lee was notorious for holding grudges, and he’d been at the school long enough that even the principal usually let him have his way. If he wanted someone gone, they usually ended up gone.
“Pack up your things and leave. Now.” Mr. Lee glared at Charlotte and jabbed his finger toward the school gates.
“Mr. Lee ”
“Unless you want to go with her?” he snapped, cutting Shirley off before she could finish. It was obvious he had it out for both of them. In his eyes, they were just a pair of hopeless cases.
“Shirley Charlotte gently patted her shoulder again and slipped a fork into her hand. “Go eat your cake.”
What? Shirley still had tears clinging to her eyelashes. She was worried sick about Charlotte getting expelled, and all Charlotte wanted her to do was eat cake?
Charlotte stood up slowly and
walked over to Mr. Lee. She was
almost five-foot-eight, tall and
poised. Next to her, Mr. Lee, whonet
barely scraped five-foot-seven and was thickset with a broad face, suddenly seemed a lot smaller.
Charlotte took a bite of her cake, carefully set her fork down, and then looked up at him, her eyes cold. Her voice was soft but sharp. “Do you really think you own the school? You think you can just tell me to leave?”
Her calm defiance caught everyone off guard. The room buzzed with
attention, especially from the students in Class C. Mr. Lee had always favored the top students in Class A and never missed a chance to put down the rest. Most of them had resented him for ages, but none of them ever dared speak up. No one expected the quiet Charlotte to stand up like this. Suddenly, every eye was on her. Watching Mr. Lee, for once, lose his cool was almost exhilarating.
In all his years teaching, no student had ever dared to talk back to him in front of everyone like this. Mr. Lee’s face went dark, his voice laced with contempt. “Just because the principal recommended your you. think I can’t get you kicked out?”
Charlotte just looked at him, her lips curved into a lazy, almost bored smile. “I’m just
telling the truth. You don’t actually have that kind of power over me.”
The room went completely silent. The tension was thick enough to feel. Charlotte really had some nerve.