Melinda's POV
Vanya's expression grew stern, and Fawn, seeing the situation, rushed over to help me up from the ground. "Melinda! What are you doing? Get up and come with me."
Fawn forcefully pulled me away, and I dared not meet Vanya's eyes.
I feared seeing through my disguise in her sharp gaze.
There, Fawn tugged at me, her face full of confusion as she asked, "Melinda, why did you just kneel to her?"
"I, I just... I was afraid she would cause trouble for you, so I wanted to talk to her privately," I feigned an extremely aggrieved look, hoping to dispel Fawn's doubts.
"Melinda, you... you're not deceiving us, are you?" Her eyes still held a trace of suspicion.
I felt my face freeze for a moment, but quickly recovered.
I said with a sense of grievance, "Fawn, how could I possibly deceive you? Why would you suddenly ask me that?"
My heart was pounding with anxiety, terrified she would see through my ruse.
Fawn said, "I'm just asking casually. Don't take it seriously."
Seeing me on the verge of tears, Fawn held my hand and affectionately said, "We three are besties. You must never deceive us."
"Of course, I would never deceive you," I nodded, while scheming in my mind how to continue hiding the truth from them.
"Let's go to class," Fawn pulled me to head upstairs. I stared at Fawn walking ahead, feeling a bit more wary.
I warned myself that before graduation, I must not let Fawn and Raven discover my lies. Otherwise, my college life would be ruined.
Upon reaching the upper floor, a crowd had gathered in front of my classroom. Raven was also in the crowd, looking around eagerly, but due to her short stature, she couldn't squeeze in.
"What's happening?" Fawn approached to inquire.
Raven said with a gossipy expression, "It's said that the director from the Ministry of Education is here. Everyone is watching."
"Director? What would the director be doing here?" Fawn's face was full of doubt.
My heart clenched, a sense of foreboding rising.
"Word is it's because of yesterday's bulletin board incident. The higher-ups sent someone to investigate." Raven's tone carried a hint of excitement, as if looking forward to some major event.
My heart plummeted.
Raven continued talking, "It must be that the higher-ups think Vanya lacks morals and doesn't deserve to study in our school, so they want to expel her!"
Fawn frowned, puzzled, and asked, "But in that case, shouldn't the director go to her class? Why is he here?"
Hearing this, Raven also sensed something was amiss. "Yeah, why would he come here? He should be downstairs."
For a moment, both their gazes fell on me.
Fearing their suspicion, I spoke up, "Could it be... could it be that we've offended Wilmot, and Wilmot sent someone to mess with us?"
I tried to deflect the situation, hoping to divert their attention.
They found my words plausible, worry spreading across their faces.
Raven said in frustration, "Oh no! Instead of getting that woman expelled, we've implicated ourselves!"
Fawn questioned, "Does Wilmot have that much power? To make the director twist the truth?"
I hastily explained, "I heard that Wilmot turned in a blank test paper during the exam, but the Hammond family pulled some strings, and he got in with just a word. It's not impossible for him to get the director to come after us."
Raven, hearing this, stamped her foot in anger. "What do we do now?"
I said, "While no one is looking, let's leave. It's better to skip class than be targeted here."
I was filled with fear, wanting to escape this place that could expose my secrets as soon as possible.
"Okay!" Raven was the first to agree.
But Fawn hesitated. "Isn't that a bit cowardly? We don't know the situation yet. Just leaving like this? We haven't done anything wrong. We have nothing to fear. They can't turn black into white in front of everyone, can they?"
Raven, hearing Fawn's words, also wavered.
I was frantic.
Staying here, if the director was investigating the person behind the bulletin board, I would be ruined.
"Rich and powerful people are not to be messed with. They have many tricks and might be able to twist the truth," I said, seeing they had no intention of leaving, feeling exasperated, cursing their foolishness in my heart.
"If you're not leaving, I am!"
I couldn't bear to stay here any longer. I had to find a way out of this dangerous situation.
I was eager to leave, but as soon as I prepared to go, I heard a classmate in front of the classroom shout, "Melinda. The principal is calling for you."
Upon hearing this, my heart tightened.
At that moment, the principal also came out and pointed at me, saying, "You, stop right there."