Chapter 3

When the bell for the last exam rang, I felt like I had secured every point I could.

As I stepped out of the classroom, I saw that Nicholas was once again standing at the end of the corridor. He glanced over at me, as though waiting for me to go over.

Previously, every time we finished our exams, I would immediately go to him and check my answers against his.

This time, though, I simply walked right past him.

My phone buzzed with a text from Shane. "Don't check your answers with others. Eat, sleep, and wait for the results to come out."

I replied, "Okay."

Behind me, Nicholas' gaze remained fixed on my phone for a very long time.

The results for our exams were released the next afternoon.

Our homeroom teacher entered with our score sheets. Raking her eyes across the class, she announced, "The first place in this physics exam is… Marissa Zinch."

The entire classroom instantly fell silent, while I stared at her in shock.

"282 marks out of 300. 40 marks higher than your previous score."

That threw everyone into an uproar.

"She scored higher than Nicholas?"

I instinctively looked at Nicholas, who was sitting in the front row. His hand hovered in mid-air as he froze, his face slowly darkening.

Sweat dampened my palms, even as a belated wave of exhilaration thrilled through me.

As it turned out, I really could do it.

Before I could bask in the joy, Hailey suddenly commented, "Marissa, you're so amazing! But didn't you only score a little over 240 previously?"

She hadn't spoken in a loud voice, but it was just enough that those sitting closest to her could hear.

Several of our classmates began whispering to each other, "She improved by 40 marks? Is that for real?"

"The papers this time were quite hard, weren't they?"

I ignored it all, my attention focused on my results sheet.

That afternoon, a new post suddenly popped up in the school's forum from an anonymous user. A photo of the final review guide on my desk had been uploaded, along with the caption, "No wonder she got 282 marks. The review guide's predictions were spot-on."

It wasn't long before our classmates were commenting on the post.

"This means she already knew the questions before sitting for the exams, doesn't it?"

"Could it be that her online tutor sold her the answers?"

My heart sank as I stared at my phone screen.

Hailey was quick to comment, "Everyone, stop saying such nonsense. I don't think Marissa is that sort of person."

A short while later, Nicholas messaged me. "You'd better tell me the truth before this matter gets blown out of proportion. Just how many subjects' answers did that tutor sell to you?"

My fingers trembled slightly as I typed out my response. "You think that I cheated too?"

His reply was immediate and matter-of-fact. "Marissa Zinch, you should be more than aware of just what level you're at academically. How could you expect me to believe that there isn't something fishy going on here?"

A wave of helplessness washed over me at those words, while the shaking in my fingers worsened.

I had been staying up late every night for the past month to work on mock questions, a fact that Nicholas clearly knew, yet he was the first to doubt me.

That afternoon, during self-study class, Nicholas came over and set his phone down in front of me.

"Marissa, stop being so stubborn. Just admit that that tutor of yours tricked you into buying the exam questions off of him. I'll go to our homeroom teacher in a bit and push all the blame onto that tutor."

I raised my head to look at Nicholas. "There's nothing to explain, as I didn't cheat."

Immediately, Nicholas' face darkened.

"Looks like you won't give up unless things get real serious, huh? Without me to vouch for you, do you seriously think the school will believe that you scored 282 all by yourself?"

I stared at him, suddenly seeing him as a complete stranger.

Beside him was Hailey, whose eyes reddened once again.

"Marissa, don't misunderstand Nicholas. He's just worried about you. After all, the results for the final mock exam are really important. If there really is a problem—"

I harshly cut her off. "Shut up!"

The entire classroom instantly fell silent.

Subsequently, I spread my error log and scratch paper across my desk.

"None of you bothered to ask me how I improved my grades. Instead, you only kept asking me whether I bought the answers."

Turning to look at Nicholas, I continued, "At the end of the day, it isn't that you all think that I cheated. It's that you, Nicholas Lund, can't accept that I was able to score higher than you even without your help."

Nicholas' expression changed, but before he could say anything, our homeroom teacher, Ms. Dwight, appeared at the classroom door.

In a low, serious voice, she said, "Marissa Zinch, please come with me. Someone reported you for knowing the test questions before the exam. The principal wishes to see you in his office so that you may clarify this issue."

Nicholas instantly stepped forward. "Ms. Dwight, I would like to go too."

When I looked back at him, he murmured to me, "I know your past level."

Those words seemed to stab into my heart like needles.

At that moment, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Shane had messaged me.

"Don't be scared. You really did put in the effort and worked hard."