Back to My Worst Birthday and Starting Anew
Chapter 58 To Succeed
ར རཱ65%2
+8 Pearls
Each sarcastic comment, every mocking laugh, was now Charmaine’s reckoning.
Outside, the sun shone brightly, casting a golden glow on Charmaine’s face as she focused deeply on the test. Her pale skin and refined features stood out, giving her an almost ethereal look. The laughter that once ridiculed her began to change.
“Hold up. How did I never notice? Charmaine’s actually pretty.”
“Yeah, she is. She doesn’t even have a beauty mark yet. If she’d stayed in freshman year, Leah wouldn’t be the class beauty now.”
“Totally. Charmaine’s way prettier. Leah’s not even in her league.”
“Do you think she actually knows what she’s doing? She barely looked at the questions before starting to write. Even if she’s guessing, it’s not that easy, right?”
“Who knows? Maybe she prepared before coming back. I mean, why else would she risk looking stupid?”
“If Charmaine’s back, how’s Leah going to stay on top? No way she’s still the queen bee now, and don’t forget, she used to copy Charmaine’s designs.”
Celeste shot them a glare. “Leah’s doing this for her family. You guys wouldn’t understand that.”
Celeste’s family was well–off and influential, and she was used to being the dominant force in the grade. Her words silenced the others. They exchanged uneasy glances but stayed quiet, too intimidated to argue.
Celeste, feeling victorious, turned to Leah. “Leah, don’t listen to them. They’re just dazzled by Charmaine’s looks.”
Leah smiled weakly, clearly forcing the expression. “I’m fine, Celeste.”
Inside, though, Leah was seething.
How dare they say Charmaine was prettier than her?
Were they all blind?
Forty minutes later, Charmaine set her pen down and looked up at the teacher.
The teacher raised an eyebrow. “Charmaine, you’re done?”
“Yep.”
The room went silent.
She was done already? Charmaine wasn’t holding back.
The teacher walked over, picked up the paper, and began reviewing it.
As she checked each answer, her brow furrowed more deeply.
After a moment, she called up the students who had picked the questions. “You chose the questions, so you’ll grade them.”
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Chapter 58 To Succeed
+8 Pearls
A group of top students crowded around the paper, and finally, Celeste walked over, taking her time, as if completely unbothered.
Veronica looked at her. “Aren’t you going to grade it, Celeste?”
Celeste stood up with quiet confidence, slowly making her way toward the crowd. She muttered under her breath, “There’s no way she got more than a few right. Whether I go or not doesn’t really change anything.”
“She got this one right!”
“She got mine correct too!”
“Wait–she got 14 out of 15 right?”
At the sound of the students‘ astonished exclamations, Celeste’s brow furrowed. She pushed her way through the group, snatching the test paper from their hands. “What are you saying?” she demanded.
A few moments passed, and the expression on her face shifted from frustration to disbelief. She reached the final question–the one she had chosen.
It was blank, not a single mark on it. Charmaine hadn’t even bothered to write a word.
The realization hit Celeste like a slap in the face. Charmaine was mocking her.
Even without answering that last question, Charmaine had passed the test.
Fury boiled within her. Celeste shoved the paper back down, her gaze burning with hatred as she glared at Charmaine.
Charmaine met her gaze, completely unfazed, raising a single eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”
She didn’t even seem to care. Her calm, almost indifferent demeanor only added to Celeste’s rage.
Grinding her teeth, Celeste spat, “What’s there to be so proud of?”
Charmaine simply shrugged. “Why shouldn’t I be? I didn’t copy my answers from someone else.”
Leah’s heart skipped a beat at the words, the truth of them landing like a punch to her gut.
Celeste stomped back to her seat, furious beyond measure.
The room fell into an uneasy silence before the teacher announced Charmaine’s official return to the class.
The students shuffled back to their seats, and the lesson resumed, though it felt like torture to Leah and her friends.
Finally, the bell rang, and Leah wasted no time. She was heading straight for Bennett. He had some explaining to do.
Suddenly, a voice called her name.
Leah froze, her stomach dropping. It was Charmaine’s voice, the one she knew too well–the voice she couldn’t stand.
She turned, her body tensing as Charmaine approached with a look of calm superiority, arms crossed. Each step Charmaine took felt like a weight on Leah’s chest.
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Chapter 58 To Succeed
+8 Pearls
Leah’s face disgusted her. The memories of her crimes made Charmaine’s blood boil, and for a moment, all she wanted to do was tear everything apart.
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