Chapter 4

With Bryan backing her up, Jenna became smug again. "Ruby, why are you still holding out? Just admit it already. Denying it won't help you. It'll only prove how shameless you are."

Fred put on his concerned look and stepped closer. "Study abroad spots are reserved for the best students in each department. Know your place and leave on your own. Don't make people who are close to you like us get humiliated along with you."

I looked at the man I had once supported with everything I had and smiled. "Fred, we're done. We're breaking up."

His face stiffened. Then, he forced a loving look. "Ruby, you made a mistake, but I won't abandon you over it. Apologize to Jenna and give her the spot. After Jenna and I come back from studying abroad, I'll still be with you."

His hypocrisy disgusted me, but my classmates praised his loyalty.

"Fred is so loyal! He has the heart of a saint if he's still willing to take her back!"

"Ruby, don't be so ungrateful! You deserve to be dumped if you're still causing trouble after everything he's done for you!"

After Bryan's testimony, Robin's remaining doubts disappeared. "Ruby, as your teacher, I'm willing to give you one chance to correct your mistakes. Admit what you did and give up the spot. I'll ask the university not to expel you. The choice is yours."

I looked around the room with an indifferent expression on my face and slowly said, "Since all of you think I cheated, Professor Brown can come up with new questions for Jenna and me right now. We'll answer at the same time. Whoever gets them right will prove who deserves to study abroad."

The color drained from Jenna's face, and she protested at once. "I refuse! You already stole the exam questions, so you must've memorized all of them. This isn't fair! You're trying to cheat again!"

I smiled. "You keep claiming I stole your chance to go abroad. Now that I'm willing to give you a chance to compete with me directly… Why are you hesitating? Are you worried everyone will find out you're just a pretty face who knows how to cry and steal other men?"

Jenna's face turned red. "Why would I be afraid of you?!"

She raised her head with confidence.

In her mind, she had earned her admission. How could she lose to someone Fred claimed had entered the university through luck?

Robin looked between us. "To keep this fair, I won't use anything from the exam."

Her first question came out quickly enough. It was a multiple choice question. I answered in less than five seconds.

The room fell silent.

The second question was true or false. I let Jenna answer first. She chose false and gave the wrong answer. Meanwhile, I gave the correct answer.

The crowd began to stir, but Fred shouted, "Professor! Ruby must've guessed right! Give them another one!"

The third was a calculation problem that required us to show our work. Jenna worked through it on the board. I did the math in my head for a few seconds and gave the answer.

Under everyone's doubtful stares, Jenna began to tremble. She looked at the crowd with pleading eyes. "Even if Ruby can solve these questions, that doesn't prove she didn't cheat on the exam."

"Who said Ruby cheated?"

A man stood in the doorway, his presence silencing the room.

"Why is the chancellor here?"

"All the fuss about the leaked exam questions must've reached the administration. He probably came to question Ruby himself."

As the students whispered, the chancellor Michael Green walked straight to me. "Ruby, I've heard everything. I'm sorry that you've been treated so unfairly."

Fred immediately rushed forward. "Sir, Ruby stole the exam questions from the department office. She has no right to represent the university abroad."

Michael looked at him as though he were staring at an idiot. "You're saying Ruby stole the questions?"

"Yes. The evidence is clear. She stole them so she could study abroad with me," Fred said.

The chancellor let out a quiet scoff. It wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it loudly.

"Do you know who wrote the questions for the study abroad exam?"

Everyone held their breath.

"Ruby did."