Chapter 85
Alison’s breath caught in her throat, her heart racing. She was terrified of the consequences the summons might bring, but abo shocked by the wicked gleam in Aurora’s eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but found herself at a loss for words. In the end, she simply walked away, looking dazed and defeated.
As Alison’s retreating figure disappeared, the students from Class Ferowded around Aurora, curious. They had expected to see Aurora give Alison a good thrashing. “Professor Crawford, what did you say to her? She just left without a fuss”
Alison looked like a toothless tiger, all barked and with no bite. They wondered if she might be plotting something
In an instant, Aurora’s expression returned to normal. She brushed off their questions, saying, “She probably remembered how badly I beat her last time. Got cold feet and decided to bail,
With that, she stood up and closed the door. “Everyone, get back to your test papers. When you’re done, take out yesterday morning’s comprehensive science exam.
Summer heat crept in, and the incessant cicada chirps outside the window grated on everyone’s nerves.
Inside, the air conditioner hummed, pushing out cool air. In Class F, students hunched over their test papers, pens in hand. marking weak spots and areas for improvement. Even Jack, usually the most rebellious, had his head down and focused intently on his work
As days ticked by, a palpable tension settled over Mereida High School. The hallways were filled with students clutching notebooks, frantically reviewing vocabulary, and patching up gaps in their knowledge. Everyone was fighting for their
Inture.
“Aurora, you’ve gone too far! I won’t let you get away with this!” shrill female voice echoed through the empty corridor, the last words almost breaking into a screech.
At lunchtime, Aurora had been summoned to the administration office. The outburst came from Alison.
Aurora refused to drop the charges. At first, Jaxon wasn’t worried. He thought she’d come crawling back after facing some hardship out there. But Aurora never returned, not even a phone call.
William was getting impatient, so Jaxon reluctantly called Aurora But as soon as he explained why he was calling, she hung up. After that, he couldn’t reach her at all.
Jaxon didn’t know where she lived, and he was anger and return the money.
s too embarrassed to show his face at school. In the end, he had to swallow his
With no other options, a desperate William had to bring Nancy and Alison along to beg for mercy.
In the school office, he talked himself hoarse, but Aurora wouldn’t budge. She was immune to both soft and hard approaches, curtly ending the conversation by saying she had to study that afternoon.
Alison, filled with regret and fear, clung to the doorframe, shouting angrily at Aurora’s retreating figure.
Caught up in legal troubles, Alison couldn’t focus on her studies. In just a week, she had become a shadow of herself, losing weight rapidly and shedding hair by the handful,
The expensive lawyer William had hired said her actions wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny. The best he could do was try to get the judge to reduce her sentence, but there was no way she’d walk away scot–free.
Aurora paused in her steps. Through the wide–open door, she could see Nancy comforting a sobbing Alison, while William stood to the side, clearly agitated.
69%
Chapter 85
After a moment, Aurora turned and walked away. If you’ve made a mistake, you should face the consequences. What good does crying and making a scene do? she mused.
She had no connection to Alison and couldn’t recall ever provoking her. Yet Alison, like some kind of indestructible cockroach, constantly teamed up with Maura to cause trouble.
Aurora wasn’t Alison’s playmate. She had her own life to live. She had no time for these childish games of mud–slinging and retaliation.
As she rounded the corner, she bumped into Margaret, who was huffing and putting up the stairs with an enormous lunchbox.
“Rory!” Margaret’s face lit up at the sight of Aurora. She bounceover, eager to show off her treasure. “Rory, have you eaten yet? This is a special nutritious meal my dad had made for me. Its supposed to make you smarter!”
She generously offered, “I’ll share half with you!”
A gentle breeze carried the sweet scent of osmanthus flowers, helping to case Aurora’s tension. “Okay,” she agreed.
Margaret flashed a goofy grin, grabbed her hand, and they dashed back to Class F like they were flying
Days slipped by, and before they knew it, SAT day arrived. Alison hadn’t bothered her again during that time.
Mereida, famous as one of Valyria’s furnace cities, was already flexing its summer muscles in early June. The scorching sun beat down relentlessly, turning the outdoors into a giant sauna. Step outside, and you’d be drenched in sweat in seconds.
As the exam signal sounded, Mereida High School fell into a hush. Even the hallway monitors instinctively lightened their footsteps.
Aurora sat in a comfortably air–conditioned classroom, surrounded by fellow students all furiously scribbling away.
Outside, under the blazing sun, the royal poinciana trees blazed a fiery red. As dismissal time drew near, the crowd at Mereida High School’s main gate swelled.
Parents crowded the main entrance, their faces glistening with sweat as they clutched various cold items. Despite the heat that escaped their mouths with every word, not a single one budged. They were determined to see their children emerge.
This was day one of the SATs the culmination of over a decade’s worth of hard work and preparation.
As Aurora made her way through the throng exiting Mereida High School, she heard someone call her name, “Over here, Aurora!”
Aurora looked up to see Giles and Irene waving at her. “What are you guys doing here?” she asked, surprised.
Irene’s face was flushed with excitement and heat. “It’s your SAT day! We’re here to pick you up, of course
Giles had even taken the day off work for this.
Aurora’s eyes welled up with tears, touched by their concern. She opened the back door and got in.
In the car, Irene couldn’t stop chattering. “Ms. Whitaker, you must come over for dinner. I want my boy to meet Mereida’s top student. Maybe it’ll inspire him to bring home some top scores too!”
Giles chimed in, trying to lighten the mood, “Honey, Marcus is still years away from college. Isn’t it a bit early to be thinking about his SATS?”
“It’s never too early! Good education starts young” Irene insisted
14:35
Chapter 83
Aurora smiled and agreed, but her mind began to wander,
69%%%1
Since moving out of Crawford Manor, Jason hadn’t called once except to ask her to drop the lawsuit. Seeing other parents pick up their kids made her envious, though she’d never admit it
She was used to hiding her feelings, maintaining a mask of indifference. In the end, it was a stranger who remembered this significant day in her life.
That evening, after dinner at Giles house, Aurora went upstairs to review for tomorrow’s exam
Suddenly, the phone’s shrill cry cut through the silence.
Aurora glanced at the screen. It was Jaxon. On this particular day, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter of hope. “Dad,” she. answered, her voice tinged with hidden anticipation.
But his words stopped her cold. “Come home tomorrow morning. Your mother left something behind.”
Aurora’s mind raced. ‘Is he using Mom’s old watch to threaten me?‘ Her heart sank as confusion and worry etched across her face.
Tomorrow” she frowned. That’s the second day of the SATS. How can I go? I need to be there!
Jaxon cut her off impatiently. “I don’t want excuses. You’ve got one shot to get this thing back. If you’re not here in the morning, you lose it for good.”
With that, Jaxon hung up the phone. As the dial tone buzzed in her ear, a flicker of rage sparked in Aurora’s eyes.
宙
