Chapter 316

In the past, when Penelope went first, some people would say she was just giving Anastasia a chance to review-maybe even going easy on her. But now, with Shirley making the same claim, it just sounded ridiculous.
How could Anastasia memorize so flawlessly just from a few spare minutes of review?
“Sure, I’ll go first,” Anastasia said coolly.
She began reciting again. Penelope and Shirley silently prayed she’d only memorized the beginning and would stumble before the end. But it quickly became clear Anastasia wasn’t about to give them that satisfaction.
Her clear, melodic voice carried all the way to the final word. She looked up at Penelope, a calm challenge in her eyes. “Your turn.”
All eyes turned to Penelope.
A wave of pressure hit her. What could she possibly have revised in those few minutes? And yet Anastasia had just delivered a flawless performance. The realization made Penelope even more anxious-her mind a jumbled mess, the textbook lines slipping further out of reach.
“Go ahead,” Anastasia said, folding her arms, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah, what’s the holdup?” someone in the crowd called out.
Penelope had no choice but to start, her voice shaky and uncertain. This time her stammering was even more obvious. She barely managed to get through half a page before coming to a halt, falling silent for a long, awkward moment.
“Why’d she stop?” Google seaʀᴄh.net
“Come on, keep going!”
“Don’t tell me she’s blanking
Whispers spread through the classroom.
Shirley’s face darkened, her glare fixed on Penelope. She muttered under her breath, “You’re the one who told me there was no way you’d lose. You said Anastasia wasn’t even close to your level!”
Now? Penelope was being thoroughly crushed.
“If you dare lose today, you’re finished!”
Penelope’s face had gone deathly pale, a sheen of cold sweat breaking out across her forehead. “I
Seeing her like this, Shirley’s expression grew even grimmer. It was painfully obvious Penelope was completely lost.
But admit defeat? Get down on her knees and bark like a dog for Anastasia? No way. Not in a million years.
Just as Mr. Jerome frowned, about to step in, Shirley suddenly called out, “Sir, Penelope’s not feeling well. She needs to go to the restroom.”
Mr. Jerome glanced at Penelope. She did look pale and shaky, clearly unwell. He sighed and nodded. “Go ahead.”
Without wasting a second, Shirley grabbed Penelope and hustled her out of the classroom. Their two sidekicks exchanged glances and slipped out after them. “She totally blanked on the rest, didn’t she? Now she’s just trying to run away!” “She can’t get out of this. Mr. Jerome’s still here.”
“Yeah, and if she leaves, that’s basically admitting defeat. She won’t escape the punishment.”
While a cloud of tension hung over Shirley’s group, things were quite different on Anastasia’s side. The mood was practically jubilant.
Maggie and the others beamed with pride at Anastasia, who remained calm and collected as ever.
They’d all worried she might lose, but it turned out Anastasia had been hiding her true strengths all along.
“Anastasia, you’d better tell us—when did you memorize everything?” Maggie demanded, grinning.
“Yeah, you told us you hadn’t even started yet!”
Anastasia blinked and smiled. “I said I hadn’t started memorizing recently. I never said I hadn’t done it before.”
If Penelope was allowed to study ahead, why couldn’t she?
The others caught on immediately. “Unbelievable! You totally tricked us. Do you
know how stressed we’ve been for the past three days?”
Anastasia just laughed as they playfully scolded her.
It was then that Penelope returned.
Anastasia immediately noticed the change. When Penelope had left, she was jittery and panicked, sweat beading on her face. Now, she looked composed-her confidence seemingly restored. She even met Anastasia’s gaze, flashing a self- assured smile that hadn’t been there before.