Janet merely smiled without saying anything. She patted on Gordon's shoulder and uttered, "Let's return to our class. I'm bored."
Gordon was rendered speechless. Isn't she worried about her results at all? Even though the school bell was ringing, the students were still discussing the results of their trial exams.
Abby, who was seated next to her, tugged on her sleeves and shyly asked, "Janet, why is your result not revealed on the notice board?"
She asked carefully, afraid of hurting Janet's pride as a teenage girl.
While looking at Abby asking in a cautious manner, Janet couldn't suppress the urge to tease her. She propped her chin on her hand with a raised eyebrow, saying, "Girl, you did well this time. Keep up the good work!"
Abby shyly lowered her head as she felt that she was being teased.
Just when they were chatting and laughing, the class teacher, Mr. Smith, knocked on the door. He glanced at Janet and uttered, "Miss Janet, please come to my office for a moment."
Upon hearing that, Janet removed her earphones and walked out of the classroom. All of the students gazed at her as they were puzzled.
"Maybe the new student has scored zero marks. Her name wasn't listed on the notice board…"
"Perhaps she was called out to be told about this in private. Otherwise, it would hurt her self-esteem."
"What sort of self-esteem does she have? She even shamelessly said that she can become the top 5 in our grade. It's clear that she's only embarrassing herself."
Upon hearing the students' discussion, the corner of Emily's lips curled upward into a smile of irony. Does she even have any self-esteem? She's so shameless, so why should the school be afraid of hurting her pride?
Janet followed the class teacher, Mr. Smith, all the way to his office.
He intended to protect her pride, so he told her his intention when there was nobody else in the office. "Janet, how do you think you did in the exam?"
When she heard his question, she smiled. "I think that I can get at least over 400 marks." Her chin was slightly raised and her clear eyes gleamed with confidence, making him nearly believe the nonsense that she said.
"Janet, I'm trying to save your reputation. If you really don't feel any guilt about your results at all, I'll announce it in class."
With an eyebrow raised, she parted her red lips. "Just announce it. Why shouldn't you announce it?"
Mr. Smith had never seen that side of her, considering that she used to be timid and bashful, but she now seemed more attractive. "Alright. You will have to bear the consequences of this incident."
He was also upset by the incident. After all, she was a student from his class. If words about a student cheating in examination were leaked out, it would be a disgrace to his profession as a teacher after many years. It would be fine if it was just cheating, but she actually managed to earn the first place through that method—it was something so serious that he couldn't turn a blind eye to.
When she returned to Class A, all the students looked at her.
Abby cautiously asked, "Janet, why did the teacher look for you?"
Gordon leaned closer to them as well, eagerly waiting for her reply.
Janet's red lips quirked up with sluggish eyes. "You will all know in a little while."
At that moment, the class teacher walked up to the stage. "The results of the trial exams have been released. I believe that all of you have seen your results, but the first place has been left blank." As he was speaking, he subconsciously glanced at Janet before he raised the report card and read it aloud, "The student who has received the first place is Miss Janet Jackson. Her total score is 440 marks—Spanish at 144 marks, English at 150 marks and Mathematics at 146 marks."
Upon hearing that, all the students were dumbfounded.
Gordon, who wasn't properly seated on his chair, nearly fell. "What the heck!"
Everyone couldn't believe their ears. This village girl actually ranked first in our class? No, she ranked first in our grade?
As he saw that nobody responded, Mr. Smith continued with his words. "Janet, come on up to take your report card."
Right after he said that, Emily stood up and yelled, "That's impossible!"
*
Emily immediately spoke after standing up, "Mr. Smith, is there a mistake? How could Janet possibly get first place? Besides, did she receive full marks for English? That's impossible!"
Upon hearing Emily's comment, the students in the classroom kicked up a fuss too.
"That's right; how could Janet possibly get first place?"
"I don't believe that—it's already a miracle if she passes the exam."
"Well, she must have cheated!"
"Those who cheated would be expelled from Star High School."
Everybody in the classroom shot Janet despicable looks and they started to mock her.
"Janet… How did this happen?" Abby asked her in a quiet voice.
When she looked up at Janet, her eyes were shining brightly with confidence and assurance.
"Shut up, everybody!"
Gordon was utterly annoyed with the constant chatter of his classmates, which sounded like birds chirping. "Mr. Smith has yet to comment. Who are you guys to blindly speculate?"
Everybody immediately fell silent because it was the first time Gordon lost his cool in the classroom.
Respectable!
Mr. Smith was in an awkward situation upon facing such an issue because he wasn't sure how to handle it.
He frowned while reassuring Emily, "You should take your seat first!"
Emily was adamant because she was confident that her classmates were on her side. "Mr. Smith, I don't believe that Janet has received full marks for her French test! Previously, during our French class, I was the one who solved a question for her. Naturally, as the class monitor, I trust all my classmates. Therefore, it doesn't mean that she cheated… Could there be an error with the names?"
Mr. Smith was stunned into silence for a moment, but he did not have evidence to prove that Janet was cheating. Hence, he could only maintain his principles and morals as a teacher to provide her with the dignity she deserved and patiently advised, "Dear students, a village education doesn't necessarily mean that it'd be any lesser than an education in Sandfort City. I hope everyone here would treat a child from the village with fairness."
"Mr. Smith, I don't think it's plausible too," Janet broke the silence after hesitantly biting her lip. Her comment had shocked everybody in class.
Mr. Smith looked at her. "Janet, what is happening? Didn't you say that you took the exam on your own earlier in the office?"
She had been holding back for the entire day. Now that she finally had the chance to speak, she abruptly stood up. "Mr. Smith, I'd like to clarify something. Why is my Spanish only 144 and how could I have scored a mere 146 for Math? There must be a mistake!"
She was shocked to her core when she learned about her results. Did I only score 146 for Mathematics? Have I wasted all my efforts to learn Math in Markovia?
There was an uproar among the students in class. Janet is such a shameless person! She cheated, but she's demanding for full marks!
He was also rendered speechless by her response, so he clapped while instructing the class, "Enough is enough! Please be quiet! You will all know your mistakes once you receive your test papers in the afternoon."
Soon enough, he instructed Emily to hand the result slips to the class. Then, he allowed everybody to rearrange their seats, according to their placement within the class.
Therefore, being in the first place gave Janet the right to be the first to choose her seat.
However, she did not switch and instead remained seated.
Abby was utterly grateful for her decision. "Janet, you have such good results, so why would you sit with me?"
Janet raised her brow before teasing her, "Girl, I'm nowhere as capable as you are. In all honesty, my results are mediocre, at best. I was just lucky with this test."
However, she regretted once she sat down. Why did I choose the second last person? I could have Gordon seated at the front… It is much more carefree in the last row. Wouldn't it be nicer to enjoy the scenery in its entirety? It's such a pity…
The class ended soon later but nobody regained their composure.
The students were immersed in their emotions that revolved around the results of the trial exam. Some were upset while some seemed in shock and some looked delighted, but most of them were suspicious of Janet… How could anyone score full marks in French???
The news spread like wildfire. As the French teacher for Class A, Miss Lilian was in utter disbelief and decided to snatch the first place for Emily by collecting evidence to expel Janet out of Star High School.
"I heard that the village girl from A Class received first place for her grade. Did you notice Emily's dark expression? It's hilarious!"
"Anyway, I support Emily."
"She must have cheated!"
The entire Star High School student body was embroiled in the gossip.
On the other side, the subject of interest—Janet—was lazily taking an afternoon nap.
"Janet," Gordon and Abby called her with a flat expression while staring at her in a daze. They both asked simultaneously, "Did you answer the test yourself?"
The test papers had already been handed out.
They were both looking at the beautiful writing across the test paper while staring at the essay which had a near perfect score. Her logic and train of thoughts in writing was on par with that of a writer.
Abby's chubby chin sagged. "Well… Janet, your writing is outstanding."
"Huh?" Janet looked up slightly before giving a casual answer. "In all honesty, I used to be horrible at writing essays in the past. My score used to be almost zero each time."
Gordon and Abby were at a loss for words when they heard that. The two of them were in a daze for the longest time. Their hands shook while holding onto Janet's test papers. "In that case, how did you score such high marks this time?"
Janet's red lips curled into a smile while her cheeks were flushed due to her sleep. "I saw the answers in my dreams the night before the exam, so it's a mere coincidence."
Gordon and Abby were rendered speechless once again—and exchanged glances in silence.
At that moment, there were quite a number of people who were gathered in the school's meeting room—the French teacher, Miss Lilian, Mr. Smith, the principal, and Emily from Class A were present.
"Sir." Emily started to voice her thoughts while sounding unsatisfied. "What do you plan to do regarding the cheating in our school?"
The principal was righteous with his speech. "The Star High School will never cover up for students who cheat. Once they have been discovered, they will be immediately expelled."
"Sir, the new student in our school, Janet Jackson—I'm sure you know about her. However, she went overboard this time. She earned the first place by cheating in the test! This is such a humiliation!"
The principal scowled while glancing at Mr. Smith when he heard that. "Is it true about Janet's results?"
Mr. Smith wore a dark expression while shaking his head because he never expected Emily to kick up a fuss in front of the principal. "I'm not sure."
Miss Lilian, the French teacher, added fuel to the flames. "Sir, Janet is my student, so I'm sure of her ability. Based on her usual performance, it's impossible for her to receive full marks in French. I think this matter warrants a thorough investigation."
The principal slightly frowned because cheating was not a minor offence. In order to verify the situation, he picked up his mobile phone to summon the teacher who was invigilating the exam.
Miss Lilian and Emily exchanged glances, looking delighted at the turn of events.
Mr. Smith seemed to be caught between a rock and a hard place. Although he could not have been particularly fond of Janet, the matter had happened in his class, so it was extremely embarrassing for him.
Within a few minutes, once the invigilator understood the current situation, she shared about the situation that day, "Sir, that child had left quite an impression, but she did not cheat."
"How is that possible?" Miss Lilian snorted in disdain while glancing at the principal. "Otherwise, how could she get first place in her grade as a student from the village?"
The principal was extremely annoyed with her constant barrage of questions and spat impatiently, "Miss Lilian, you keep saying that, but do you have any proof?"
Emily spoke gleefully, "The proof is in Janet's hands—her test paper! We'll know once we compare her test paper to the standard answer."