Chapter 326

Olivia just stood there, totally stunned, the grade coordinator’s words bouncing around in her head. Charlotte is number one in the entire country.
The same Charlotte who almost fell asleep during the exam had managed to get such a crazy high score. Not just first place, but six points ahead of her.
“Eleanor, the way you fought so hard to keep this student was absolutely the right call.” The coordinator walked over to Eleanor with a look that practically glowed with approval. “The principal is thrilled that your class produced students like Charlotte and Shirley.”
He added, “They’ve already decided to reward you and all the teachers in Class C.” Eleanor was still in shock from the news that her class had the nation’s top student. Now, with this new surprise, she felt like her head was spinning.
“Thank you,” she said, still dazed.
“You really deserve it.” The coordinator smiled, putting his hands behind his back. “Have Charlotte and Shirley get ready to meet the grading teachers this afternoon.” He glanced over at Olivia, softening his tone. “Olivia, even if you didn’t get first, your results were still excellent.”
Olivia wanted to say thank you, to at least force a smile, but she couldn’t get the words out. She still couldn’t believe a girl with a disability had taken her top spot, stolen the glory and recognition she thought belonged to her.
She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, the sting keeping her from falling apart. All she could hope for now was that Nancy had already done something. She couldn’t stand the thought of Charlotte beating her again.
Once the coordinator left, the office came back to life. The other teachers crowded around Eleanor, holding their score sheets.
“Eleanor, Charlotte’s amazing! How did we never notice how talented she is?”
Someone pointed at Olivia’s test and said, “Olivia grew up in Cabinda and always had the best education, so her score isn’t a shock. But Charlotte’s different the just came back from the countryside
“You really lucked out, Eleanor.”
Eleanor felt her cheeks heat up. “I wasn’t thinking about it like that, but I honestly
never imagined Charlotte would do this well.” She really hadn’t expected it.
All this time, Ashley and Olivia stood off to the side, completely ignored. The longer it went on, the colder and more embarrassed they felt, twishing they could just disappear.
After a heavy silence, Ashley finally broke in with a tight, mocking smile. “Doesn’t anyone think it’s weird? Charlotte scored perfect on everything except Literature. She actually lost thirty points in that one subject. Ispt that a little too much of a coincidence?”
A 120 in Literature was nothing special, even for the regular classes at Vanguard High. No matter how lopsided someone’s strengths were, a gap that big didn’t make
sense.
“And,” Ashley went on, her voice a bit louder, “I heard a rumor that Charlotte knows one of the teachers who writes the exams. I mean, I’m not saying for sure
She let her words trail off, but everyone knew exactly what she meant. She was hinting that Charlotte had cheated, that her results weren’t real.
“Ashley,” Eleanor cut in, her voice firm, “as teachers, our job is to set an example. Throwing around accusations with no evidence is way out of line.”