002 - Scholarship Threat

Scarlett's POV

I splashed cold water on my face again. The mirror showed me pale and shaky, mascara somehow still intact. Miracle.

Maya waited by the stairs. I just needed five seconds to breathe.

The bathroom door opened.

"About time." I grabbed a paper towel. "I thought you said—"

"Scarlett Hayes?"

I froze.

A girl I didn't know stood in the doorway. Blonde. Perfect uniform. One of them.

"Principal's office." She smiled like she enjoyed this. "Now."

My stomach dropped. "Why?"

"Didn't say. Just said to find you." She shrugged. "Guess you're in trouble."

She left before I could ask more.

Trouble. What kind of trouble? The punch thing? Ronan? My mind raced through every possible disaster as I walked the long hallway toward the main building.

Principal Langley's office sat at the end. Wooden doors. Brass nameplate. The kind of room where scholarships came to die.

I knocked.

"Enter."

She sat behind her massive desk, silver hair perfect, suit expensive. Two other people flanked her. Mrs. Voss, the scholarship coordinator. And a man I didn't recognize in a sharp gray suit.

"Sit down, Scarlett."

I sat. My hands found my lap. My back stayed straight.

"You know Mrs. Voss." Langley's voice was calm. Measured. The voice they used before delivering bad news. "This is Mr. Delgado from the Ethics Committee."

Ethics Committee.

My stomach dropped through the floor.

"Do you know why you're here?" Mr. Delgado asked.

"No, sir."

He slid a folder across the desk. Opened it. Inside were printouts. Test scores. Grade comparisons. My heart pounded so loud I could barely hear.

"Your academic record shows significant improvement this semester. Particularly in sciences." He tapped the paper. "Sixty percent average last year. Ninety-two percent this year. That's quite a jump."

"I studied harder."

"Did you?" Mrs. Voss's voice dripped with something ugly. "Or did you have help?"

The words hung there. Accusation without proof. Judgment without trial.

"I didn't cheat." My voice stayed steady. Miracle. "I worked for every point."

"Then explain this." Mr. Delgado pulled out another sheet. "An anonymous report was filed this morning. Claiming you accessed test answers before exams. Specifically naming three sources."

This morning.

"That's a lie."

"Is it?" Mrs. Voss leaned forward. "Because your sudden improvement coincides exactly with when your mother got sick. When you started missing classes. When you should have been falling behind, not excelling."

The implication hit like a slap.

"You think because my mom is sick, I must be cheating?"

"I think desperate people do desperate things."

I gripped the chair arms. "I didn't cheat. I've never cheated. You can check any test, any assignment—"

"We will." Mr. Delgado closed the folder. "Full investigation. Effective immediately."

"What does that mean?"

"Means your grades are frozen. Your scholarship is suspended pending review." Langley's voice stayed calm. Clinical. "You'll be on academic probation. No extracurriculars. No school events. You come to class and go home until this is resolved."

Suspended.

The word echoed in my skull.

"If the investigation finds you cheated," Mrs. Voss added, "your scholarship is revoked. You'll be expelled and required to repay all funds received this semester."

Repay. Thousands of dollars. Money I didn't have.

"You can't do this." My voice cracked. "I didn't do anything. Someone's lying."

"Then the investigation will prove that." Langley stood. "You're dismissed. Your first meeting with the review board is Monday. Bring any evidence you have."

I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

"That's all, Scarlett."

Somehow I stood. Somehow I walked to the door. My legs didn't feel like mine.

"One more thing." Mr. Delgado's voice stopped me. "If you confess now, we can be lenient. Reduced repayment. No expulsion."

I turned back.

Confess to something I didn't do.

"I didn't cheat." The words came out quiet. Steady. "And I'll prove it."

I walked out.

The hallway stretched forever. Students passed, laughing, living, not knowing my entire future just got ripped away.

Maya stood waiting by the lockers. She saw my face and went pale.

"Scarlett? What happened?"

I opened my mouth. Closed it. The words wouldn't come.

"Scar, you're scaring me."

"Someone reported me for cheating." The words felt fake coming out. "Anonymous. They suspended my scholarship pending investigation."

Maya's face crumpled. "What? That's insane. You don't cheat. You barely breathe near a test without stressing for weeks."

"I know."

"Who would do this?"

I shook my head. No idea. No clue. No enemies I knew about.

"Scarlett." Maya grabbed my arms. "Look at me. We'll fight this. You have proof. Old tests. Study notes. Teachers who saw you work."

"Maybe."

"No maybe. You didn't do this. That matters."

Her confidence should have helped. It didn't.

Because someone wanted me gone badly enough to lie. And I had no idea who or why.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Whispers followed me between classes. People knew. Of course they knew. News traveled fast at Westwood when a scholarship kid fell.

Cheater.

I heard it in the hallway. Behind hands. Behind smirks.

Should have known.

Probably never earned anything.

I kept walking. Kept my head down. Made it to last period without crying.

Almost made it.