Rylie glanced briefly at her attire, then at the bright red sports car behind her, her brow lifting slightly in silent realization.

The description fit, the aura matched, and the dinner incident clearly pointed to that night when they had cheese fondue together. Once again, Rylie had unintentionally caused trouble for Melany.

She drew in a quiet breath, straightened her posture, and moved against the stream of students leaving the building. With practiced ease, she made her way through the familiar halls, heading straight for Gorman’s office.

Earlier that morning, before Rylie had even arrived on campus, the exam results had already been posted.

Students crowded around the ranking list, eager to see their scores.

The ranking list consisted of two sheets: one recording the scores of the top 100 students and the other listing those entering the Advanced Honors Class. At the announcement, Zaylee and her classmates had managed to secure a prime spot in front of the ranking list.

Back in her hometown, life had been suffocating, and her only escape was through academic excellence. She had devoted herself entirely to studying, aiming for top scores, and consistently ranked among the top three students.

Brightwood High, the most prestigious school in Crolens, presented an entirely different challenge. The problem-solving approaches were new, and the difficulty level was far higher than what she was used to. At first, she had stumbled, but with Letty’s guidance, she had gradually adapted. Except for the extra questions meant to determine who would enter the Advanced Honors Class, she had felt confident about the rest of the test.

As she stood among the crowd, Zaylee’s eyes locked on the first sheet, scanning it from the top downward.

Since starting high school, her name had always appeared near the top of the rankings, and with Letty’s tutoring this time, she was certain her position would not be low.

But as Zaylee scanned name after name from the top all the way to the fiftieth spot, her own was nowhere to be found. Instead, she saw Melany’s name ranked fiftieth!

Melany had made it into the top fifty!

Confusion and unease gnawed at Zaylee. Where was her own name?

If Melany, with only Rylie’s guidance, had managed to reach the top fifty, she refused to believe she could have performed worse.

Zaylee thought she must have overlooked it, so she stubbornly scanned the ranking list from the very top once again, refusing to believe she had placed so low. Her friend gently pulled her to the side and pointed directly at the second sheet, saying, “Zaylee, your name is here. Look—it’s in the ninety-ninth spot.”

Unlike the lively chatter surrounding the ranking list, Zaylee and her usual circle of sycophants stood frozen in silence.

Her score was only 550, barely scraping into the top 100. This was a far cry from the top-three placement her classmates had confidently expected from her. Zaylee stared at the number in disbelief. Based on her calculations, she had estimated at least 650 points—a score that should have easily secured her a spot in the top ten, even if entry into the Advanced Honors Class was uncertain. The result felt like a cruel blow, and as the truth sank in, the brightness on her face faded, leaving her expression dark and heavy with humiliation and frustration.

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