Chapter 18
The classroom fell dead silent.
Many eyes turned to Phoebe, struck by an odd thought, “This girl seems more deserving of the name Phoebe.’
Rosalie’s voice was indifferent, “I am Rosalie.”
Adrian waited a few seconds, but when she offered nothing more, he shrugged.
“All right, that’s it. Everyone, please get along and learn from each other. Now, Rosalie, find a seat…”
His eyes scanned the classroom, searching for a place for her.
Suddenly, a hand shot up.
Adrian paused, and asked, “Connor, what is it?”
Connor stood up and said, “Adrian, on behalf of the entire Advanced Class, we refuse to accept this ‘new classmate.”
Adrian curled a finger and rapped the podium, “Your reason.”
(15)
Connor darted a glance at Rosalie, then puffed out his chest, “This is an Advanced Class. We can’t let someone buy their way in and drag us down.”
“Is that all?”
Connor was taken aback by Adrian’s reaction and nodded blankly. “Yes.”
“Fair enough, I agree with you.” Adrian tapped the table and motioned with his chin. “Sit down.”
Not just Connor, but the entire class was perplexed by Adrian’s response.
What did this mean? Was he agreeing to kick Rosalie out of Advanced Class?
Adrian smiled and continued, “I oversaw and graded Rosalie’s placement test myself, and I’m the one who requested she be placed in Advanced Class. So rest assured.”
The moment these words fell, the atmosphere in the classroom turned abruptly strange.
Hadn’t they heard that the Spencer family’s adopted daughter was a country bumpkin who’d never been to school? How could her grades be good enough for this?
The point was… placement fest questions weren’t difficult. Any Advanced Class student could ace them with a perfect score.
So how had she earned Adrian’s approval?
Staring at Rosalie’s flawlessly pretty face, everyone indulged in wild speculation.
‘Was this adopted girl truly talented, or had she used her pretty look to sway Adrian?‘
“Rosalie, take the fifth–row seat.” Adrian pointed to an empty desk.
She nodded and headed over.
Just then, another hand shot up.
Adrian fought the urge to rub his temples. “Krista, what is it?”
The delicate girl named Krista Elliott stood. “Can Rosalie sit next to me? She doesn’t have textbooks yet, and there are boys on both sides of that seat–it’s inconvenient.”
Phoebe’s fingers clenched the book pages as she flipped through them.
Instantly, boys jeered, “Why’s it inconvenient? We can look after new classmates.”
“Exactly!”
“You’re so considerate.” Adrian didn’t hesitate. “Rosalie, sit next to Krista.”
Rosalie changed course and settled into the empty seat beside Krista.
1/2
3:06 PM
Chapter 18
Class began.
Phoebe stole a quiet glance, a sudden wave of uncase gripping her.
-6
She thought, ‘Rosalie is in Advanced Class now. What did Adrian really mean? Had she truly earned her place?‘
What was more unsettling was that Krista, Kareem’s biological sister, had volunteered to let Rosalie sit beside her.
Kareem and Hayden had just shown support for Rosalie not long ago, and Phoebe couldn’t help but overthink.
She kept thinking, ‘Could it be that, as Dad guessed, Mr. Merritt had taken a fancy to that country girl? Is there a hint of Mr. Merritt’s influence behind Rosalie’s admission to the Advanced Class?‘
+15
“Are all the guys in class blind? They actually think that country bumpkin’s pretty.” Tianna, sat behind Phoebe, complained, ‘And Krista, how could she make it?“”
Phoebe tilted her head slightly, smiling. “There’ll be a quiz when classes officially start. You’d better focus on the lesson. Your mom will scold you if your grades drop again.”
Tianna grew more irritated, thinking, ‘What’s going on with Rosalie? If I end up scoring lower than a village girl…
The very image was so horrifying that Tianna dared not dwell on it.
2/2
