Chapter 160
Eleanor pressed her lips together, her face tight with worry. This time, the girl was really in trouble.
At the very last second, Charlotte finished her test. She tossed her pen right into Shirley’s pencil case, her movements calm and precise, then walked out of the room with barely a glance at anyone.
“I’m heading back to class,” she said, her voice flat.
The moment she left, everyone’s attention snapped to her test paper. It was flipped open, and both of the big questions on the last page were completely blank. The page looked untouched, even cleaner than her own face.
“No wonder she ran out so fast. Maybe she went somewhere to cry?” Nancy leaned in, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Olivia didn’t say anything, but she was practically glowing inside. She couldn’t tell if Charlotte was just stubborn or really clueless, bragging about getting second place in the whole grade when this was all she could manage.
“Why do you even care?” Parrish stepped forward, shooting Nancy a cold glare. “You sure talk a lot for someone who looks like that.”
Nancy’s face twisted in anger. “You-”
“If you say one more thing about Charlotte, I’ll flatten you,” Parrish shot back, then joined Andrew. “Come on, Andrew. Let’s go.”
Andrew got up, shooting Olivia and Nancy a look so icy it could’ve frozen the room. Olivia was about to say hi, but the way he looked at her made her words stick in her throat.
After a few steps, Andrew paused and turned around. “Shirley, are you coming?”
“Me?” Shirley blinked in surprise. She’d honestly thought no one besides Charlotte would ever talk to her again. She never expected Andrew and Parrish to invite her along.
“Coming!” Shirley grabbed her bag, hurrying after them, careful not to fall behind.
Watching the three of them chatting as they left, Olivia felt a rush of jealousy and disgust. Was Andrew blind or what? Shirley’s family was dirt poor. Why would he hang around with her?
“Don’t let it bother you, Olivia,” Nancy
said softly, slipping her arm through Olivia’s “She’s just tagging along with
Hence Charlotte’s
gene, we’ll deal with her.”
That’s right. When the scores came out tomorrow, Charlotte would have to leave the school for good. The thought finally made Olivia feel a little better. She picked up her stuff and left.
Back in the classroom, Charlotte sat quietly through evening study. Her head was pounding, and she didn’t say a word. Everyone just assumed she was upset about flunking the test Andrew Parrish, and Shirley were too nervous to bother her so they kept their distance.
As soon as the bell rang, Charlotte stood up, grabbed her bag, and hurried out.
“Do you think she’s really off somewhere crying?” Andrew muttered, propping his foot on the chair and raking a hand through his hair. “Tomorrow I’m going to ask Anthony for help.”
At the school gate, Charlotte spotted the familiar Bugatti right away. Anthony was waiting for her, just like always.
He saw her coming and smiled, meeting her halfway.
“Did you run at the way here?” he asked, taking in her messy hair and uneven breathing. He bent down, gently brushing the bait from her forehead with his fingers. His voice was low and soft. “Don’t rushnext time, Lottie. I’ll always be right here waiting for you.”