07
Back at school, the midterm exam arrived as
L
scheduled. The moment I got the test paper, I
carefully wrote my name-
Rose Smith.
The questions weren’t too difficult. I thought
my name would once again hang in the top
three of the grade ranking.
When the results were announced, I
immediately ran to the list.
“First Place: Ethan Lee.”
I wasn’t surprised.
In my past life, I was always competing with
him for the top spot.
I certainly wasn’t as good as him now.
But the second place was-
Willow?
For a moment, I felt like I’d fallen into an icy
abyss.
How was that possible!
“Willow, you’re so amazing! Second in the
whole school again!”
“Yeah, you’re beautiful and smart. Your sister
is so dumb. If it weren’t for you pleading with
the teacher, your sister would have been
kicked out of the advanced class long ago.”
In the crowd, Willow walked gracefully amidst
the envious voices of her classmates. As she
passed me, she gave a slight smile.
Mocking, cold.
As if to say:
“This time, I’m the winner.”
But on the surface, she put on a concerned
expression: “Don’t say that about my sister, guys. She works very hard, often studying late
into the night. Her grades just aren’t good.”
This only elicited disdain:
“So what if she works hard? She’s still at the
bottom.”
“Exactly, Rose can’t even compare to one of
your fingers.”
Listening to thes around me, I understood
everything.
To ensure Willow’s smooth recommendation
to college, the Smith family had bribed the
school leaders to secretly switch our test
papers.
Despicable.
I clenched my fists tightly, afraid that I would
lose control and punch Willow’s smug,
hypocritical face.
I turned and strode towards the
administration office.
I wrote a letter detailing my situation and
dropped it into the principal’s mailbox.
I knew Principal Lewis was a conscientious
person who checked her mailbox every day.
She never showed favoritism.
Sure enough, the next day, I was called to the
principal’s office.
As soon as I entered, I saw Willow with red
<
eyes, leaning edly in my parents‘ arms.
My mom’s face was grim: “Rose has always
been unreasonable. This time, she must be
jealous of Willow’s good grades, so she made
up lies to frame her.”
My dad also snorted: “Before school started,
she was disobedient, talking back to her
mother. I thought it was just teenage
rebellion, but I didn’t expect Rose to slander
her own sister. She’s hopeless!”
