Chapter 3

Mr. Potts approached me to comfort me after the scores were announced.

I nodded in response to his words, but my mind still felt sluggish. I robotically turned my head to the side and coincidentally met Alyssa's dark gaze.

A chill ran up my spine in that split second.

Alyssa lowered her voice and hissed, "I told you, didn't I? No matter how hard you try, I'll always trample you under my feet. 20 points—no more, no less. You should just accept your fate, Clara."

I gritted my teeth. My voice was shaking when I asked, "Why?"

A mocking smile stretched across Alyssa's lips. "Because someone like you doesn't deserve to exist on the same level as me. I can use these 20 points to toy with you and have you in the palm of my hand for the rest of my life if I want."

I barked out an indignant laugh. "You might be able to get away with it now, Alyssa, but don't think that you can keep your despicable tactics a secret for the rest of your life."

Alyssa suddenly raised her voice, sounding a little guilty when she exclaimed, "What are you talking about, Clara? How dare you make such baseless accusations against me just because you're not capable enough to become the champion of this math tournament?

"In fact, I can't believe a country bumpkin from the sticks like you has the audacity to call herself a math genius. How shameless!"

I had to give credit where it was due. Alyssa was certainly an expert when it came to turning the tables on the other person.

I was about to retort when a deafening bang sounded next to me.

Glen had slammed his hands against the table, glaring at me reproachfully.

"You're crossing the line, Clara. Aly managed to secure first place through her own hard work. You're the one who's been slacking off too much recently. Don't turn the situation around and accuse others of foul play when you're the one who dropped the ball."

Alyssa shot a gleeful look at me when Glen defended her. She stuck her nose into the air and rapped her knuckles against my table, saying, "Apologize to me right now for slandering me, Clara."

I barked out a laugh and asked, "And how exactly did I slander you? Are you admitting that what I said was true?"

"You!"

Alyssa's face turned a ruddy red. She looked like she had more to say, but I rolled my eyes at her and ignored both of them.

I had better things to do—like figuring out what was going on. I had been replaying the incident in my head the entire time. There must be some details that I had overlooked.

If Alyssa hadn't been copying my answers, could it be that she had the ability to read minds?

I absentmindedly brushed my fingers against something cool as I mulled over my thoughts. I looked down and saw that it was the necklace Glen had given me.

It was my birthday that day.

Glen had given me the necklace two days ago as an early birthday present. I had been thrilled at the time since he never gave me presents.

My heart throbbed.

Could there be something amiss with the necklace?

Why would Glen suddenly give me a present out of the blue when he never did so in the past? He had even repeatedly reminded me to wear it at all times, telling me to keep it on even when I took a shower.

My heart skipped a beat.

There must be something wrong with the necklace!

I hastily took it off and threw it in the trash.

There was no way that Alyssa would score 20 more points than me now.

…

I felt incredibly relaxed when I took the exam the next morning and promptly returned to the classroom after the exam was over.

As long as my scores were higher than Alyssa's for the second and third sections of the tournament, I was still confident that I had a good chance at winning the prize money.

However, I had a complete mental breakdown when Mr. Potts announced the scores for the second day, my straightened back immediately hunching.

Alyssa patted my shoulder. Her voice was filled with mockery when she exclaimed, "You absolute idiot, Clara! I already told you that I would always score 20 more points than you!"

Her laughter echoed in my ears.

My heart felt hollow, and I felt as if all the strength had fled my body.

I couldn't figure out what was happening no matter how hard I tried.

Since I couldn't get to the bottom of things, I decided that I would simply stop trying.

If I couldn't become the champion of the math tournament, I would make sure that Alyssa couldn't as well!