My Whole Class Can Hear My Scripted Thoughts

In the exam hall, everyone had their heads down, staring at the question booklet and answer sheet. They seemed focused, but no one was actually writing anything. They were just sitting there with their pencils frozen in their hands.

I took a quick look at the question and soon worked out the answer. Right before I filled in the answer sheet, however, I deliberately let a thought pass through my head.

[This is such an easy question. One look and it's obvious the answer is B.]

At the very next second, I heard a voice in my head.

[This may seem like an easy question, but it's a trap. A lot of people will pick B by mistake, but the correct answer is C.]

Immediately after, the sound of pencils scratching on paper filled the room. Many students were filling in their answers, and from the looks of it, they all chose C.

I kept my eyes fixed on Yvonne Goff's hand. She, the campus belle, sat diagonally in front of me. And sure enough, I saw her filling out the answer as B. After setting her pencil down, she smirked smugly.

Immediately, I lowered my head, my heart pounding.

In my previous life, this had been the very midterm exam that everyone in class, save for Yvonne and me, did terribly in. Once the results came out, my classmates began eyeing me with a strange sense of hostility.

A few days later, during a class meeting, they all voted to remove me from my position as class representative and unanimously chose Yvonne to replace me.

I hadn't understood why—until I was reborn. Now, I realized what was really going on. For some reason, my classmates could hear what were supposedly my thoughts, and Yvonne had the ability to change these thoughts to whatever she wanted.

Having discovered this, I stopped trying to answer the questions. Instead, I put my pencil down, clutched my stomach, and acted as if I were in pain.

When Ms. Clarke saw me raising my hand, she hastened over and quietly asked me what the matter was.

I weakly replied, "I don't feel well, Ms. Clarke. I think I need to go to the nurse's office. Can I defer taking the exam for a little while?"

The whole class immediately whipped their heads up and turned to look at me.

Ms. Clarke looked hesitant.

"Hmm… Is it serious? You're already halfway through the exam. Do you think you can just bear with it for a little longer? Except for special circumstances, it's usually required for students to apply for deferments in advance."

I pinched myself hard. The pain made my eyes well up and my cheeks flush.

"I really don't feel too good, Ms. Clarke. Is it really impossible for me to defer the exam?"

I'd used so much force that I couldn't help but wince mentally as well. [That hurts!]

But the next moment, something entirely different rang out in my head.

[This feels so good!]

My heart sank.

Unexpectedly, my classmates eyed me with scrutiny.

Meanwhile, after seeing the state I was in, Yvonne began to smirk maliciously. She leaned over and murmured into Ms. Clarke's ear. Although she made it seem like she was keeping her voice down, she spoke loud enough for the surrounding classmates to hear her.

All at once, they began sending me looks of derision and disgust. Even Ms. Clarke's expression was grim as she summoned me out of the exam hall.

Once we were outside, she studied me carefully again, looking as if she had something she wanted to say but couldn't find the words.

Clutching my abdomen, I said, "My period came unexpectedly, Ms. Clarke. I'm having terrible cramps right now, and since I didn't have any breakfast, my blood sugar level is a little low as well. I'm feeling rather light-headed. That's why I want to go to the nurse's office."

Since I was the class representative, Ms. Clarke knew me well enough to know that I was usually a diligent and responsible student. After hearing my explanation, she relented, but not before asking one last time, "Are you sure you can't just hold on for a bit longer? The exam ends in half an hour."

My mind went back to Yvonne, who was still inside, and I nodded my head firmly.

When I went back inside the exam hall, I could see the mix of disgust and cruel amusement in my classmates' eyes.