Chapter 218

Claire locked eyes with Carr. “Don’t tell me you only got your spot here by cheating. Otherwise, how could you not even follow the solution in front of you p>

Her words hit their mark. Carr let out a cold snort. “Fine, show me. I bet you didn’t really solve it p>

But as Carr looked over her work, something clicked in his mind. The logic just made sense. It felt like a lightbulb went off over his head.

So that’s how you do it.

He didn’t want to admit it, but Claire’s approach was spot on. Even without double- checking, he knew she had nailed it. Still, there was no way he could openly admit he’d lost to a girl.

His grip on the test paper tightened until his knuckles turned white. The sheet looked like it might tear any second.

The kids who’d been sitting with Carr were dying to see Claire’s answer.

“Come on, Carr, did Claire really get it right? Let us have a look p>

Everyone crowded around. Someone reached out-nobody could tell who started it —and tried to tug the test from Carr’s hands.

Carr wouldn’t let go. The paper ripped in two with a loud tear.

He snapped. “What the hell do you think you’re doing p>

The person who’d grabbed for the paper flinched and quickly apologized. “Sorry, I thought you were going to hand it over p>

“This is my test! Why would I just give it away?” Carr’s neck was so tense the veins stood out.

Norris watched, more disappointed than ever. First Carr bullied a girl, then spread nasty rumors about her, and now he was throwing a fit just because someone else solved a question he couldn’t.

If he couldn’t even control his emotions here, how could he handle the pressure of an international competition? He was just asking for trouble.

Norris cleared his throat. “I’ve already seen Claire’s answer. She’s correct p>

The whole room fell silent.

Carr’s face went red, his eyes shiny with anger and embarrassment. He couldn’t believe Claire actually got it right. No way, it had to be a fluke.

“Carr, since Claire solved the final problem, don’t you think you owe her an apology for your behavior earlier?” someone said.

“Slandering your classmate with baseless rumors is not okay,” Norris added, his tone serious.

Carr stared at the floor, pressure building. But he dug his heels in.

“She’s the one who’s suspicious! My mom always says if there’s no crack, the egg won’t get flies. Why is she the on one everyone’s talking about online? No one else is getting accused of cheating p>

He stayed stubborn, refusing to admit he was wrong.

The other students just stared, kind of disgusted by his attitude. He was supposed

to be a big guy, but couldn’t even say sorry when he messed up?

Norris’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe you should ask the people spreading lies, since when did the victim become the one at fault p>

He paused, voice even sharper. “Or is it that you think if you spread rumors about your classmate, you’ll force her to quit, so you can stand out and snag a spot for the international team p>

That was harsh, especially coming from a teacher. But after he said it, everyone

started eyeing Carr in a whole new way.

Carr dropped his head, eyes flickering nervously. He looked totally guilty. That was exactly what he’d been thinking.

“Wow, is Carr really that kind of person?” someone whispered.

“I mean, he’s been trying to turn everyone against Claire from the start. It was

obvious he just couldn’t stand her p>

“He probably just wants the

guaranteed spot for college. The

international competition isn’t even the big thing, but if he gets early *** admission, he can skip his last semester entirely p>

Claire narrowed her eyes, watching Carr with a look so much like Norris’s that it was

almost uncanny.