Chapter 177

It was over.
Finally, Charlotte’s turn came.
Watching Ronald parade around with that smug look on his face, Andrew’s nerves were shot. He glanced at Charlotte and whispered, “Charlotte, what did you get?” Charlotte’s eyes narrowed just a little, and she answered, cool as ever, “At least two digits.”
Seriously, she could joke at a time like this?
Ronald had never been able to stand the way Charlotte looked down on everyone, always acting like she was above it all. He lost it. “What, you bombed that badly and still want to stick around?”
“You’re really going to kick someone out without even a real explanation
Charlotte slowly looked up, her gaze icy as it landed on Ronald. “Is there something on my face that says ‘idiot,’ or did you just forget how to think?”
“Charlotte!” Ronald’s face went bright red, veins standing out on his forehead. He clenched his fists, breathing hard. “Fine, I’ll spell it out for you.”
He stormed over to his desk and grabbed a stack of tests. He picked out the one with the lowest score and slapped it down in front of everyone.
“Forty-eight! Forty-eight points!”
The bright red “48” on the page made Andrew go pale on the spot. Shirley rushed over, picked up the test, and counted the points again and again, like maybe the score would change if she just checked enough times.
Nope. Forty-eight. Not only had Charlotte missed the top two, she hadn’t even escaped last place. Forty-eight points. The lowest score in the whole grade.
“Charlotte Shirley looked at her, eyes filled with tears, her voice shaky with guilt. If she had just helped Charlotte go through those practice tests that night, maybe things would be different.
Eleanor didn’t look any better. She wanted to say something, anything, to defend Charlotte, but with grades like this, what could she even say?
“Now, are you finally ready to leave?” Ronald folded his arms, grinning as he turned to Mr. Baker. “Mr. Baker, I’ll let you take care of Charlotte’s withdrawal.”
Two exams in a row, both times dead last. And earlier, she’d been mouthing off in front of a bunch of teachers. Mr.
aker looked
Charlotte shaking his head. There was just no saving her.
“Charlotte, go pack your things. I’ll call your family to come get you,” Mr. Baker said. “Ms. Adams, call Steven, please.”
Sensing things were spiraling, Andrew bolted out of the office and sprinted back to Class C. He grabbed his phone, dialed Anthony, and called out, desperate, “Anthony!”
Back in the office, Charlotte still hadn’t moved.
Ronald frowned, annoyed. “Why are you still standing there?”
Charlotte raised her head just a little, a hint of a smirk at her lips. “I’ll leave if you want, but you should probably tell me whose test this is.”
Her words made Shirley, who’d been quietly wiping away tears, and Eleanor, who’d been staring at the floor, both look up in shock.
“What?” Eleanor asked.
“This test isn’t mine,” Charlotte said again, her voice steady.
Shirley hurried over, wiping her eyes
as she leaned in for another
the paper. Suddenly her eyes lit up. “I know Charlotte’s handwriting and this is way neater than hers?”
Charlotte gently tugged Shirley back, frowning. “No need to shout.”
“Sorry,” Shirley whispered, moving closer to her side.