A Lifetime Misplaced

Perhaps Avery Collins had always been certain I would take the fall for her. She'd probably rehearsed her lines in advance.

The moment Mr. Dorian Whitaker started questioning us, she blurted out instinctively, "Sir, please don't blame Logan Bennett—"

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at me. "What? You said I'm the mastermind?"

I answered firmly, "That's right. She was the one who asked me to steal the exam papers. My mom promised to pay for her college tuition if she finished in the top three this year."

Avery came from a rough background. Back when she still lived with her father, he'd come home drunk and beat both her and her mother.

Eventually, her parents divorced. Her mother brought her to Westbridge, which was why she'd transferred into our school during senior year.

On the very first day we became desk mates, she'd told me her entire story through tear-filled eyes.

At the time, I was deeply moved. Beneath that delicate, heart-wrenching face was a life filled with suffering. Every heroic fantasy in my teenage heart came rushing to the surface.

I swore I would protect her for the rest of my life. I brought her home for dinner regularly and spent nearly all my allowance on her.

After hearing about Avery's circumstances, my mother had felt sorry for her as well. That's what led to her making that promise.

The truth was, I knew my mother never intended it as a condition. She simply wanted to motivate Avery to work hard. Whether Avery finished first or last, my mother would have helped her attend college.

But Avery had taken the promise seriously. She was an excellent student, but not quite good enough to guarantee a top-three ranking, so she persuaded me to help her steal the exam papers.

Back then, I foolishly treated every word she said like gospel.

What I never expected was that the moment I got the papers, before I'd even had a chance to look at them, she took them straight to Caleb Morgan from the class next door.

I didn't think much of it because Avery had told me Caleb was an old classmate from middle school. According to her, his father used to beat him whenever he performed poorly on exams, and she only wanted to help him.

Because of Avery, I'd transformed from a carefree slacker into someone who actually studied. I'd worked harder than I ever had in my life, hoping to surprise her with my grades.

In the end, the two of them had treated me like a complete sucker.

This time, I wasn't going to keep indulging them.

While Avery was still standing there in shock, I continued, "And she wasn't the only one who saw the paper. Caleb Morgan from the class next door saw it too. If you don't believe me, give the three of us a different test right now and compare the results."

The instant the words left my mouth, tears began streaming down Avery's face. She trembled as she sobbed.

"Forget it, Mr. Whitaker. If Logan says I'm guilty, then I must be guilty. I'm just a transfer student with no money and no connections. Nobody was ever going to believe me anyway."

Then she turned and ran from the classroom in tears.