The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 171

“Cheating?”

The moment the question left the girl’s mouth, everyone in the classroom turned to look at the back row. Their gazes landed on Shirley, and the meaning was clear.

In their minds, Shirley was the only one who’d ever dared to cheat on a physics test. She’d joined Vanguard High’s A-Class after scoring first in the national physics competition. Maybe she wanted to protect her spot at the top, but she’d actually tried to cheat on one of Mr. Lee’s exams and got caught right in the act.

She’d argued her case, insisting she hadn’t cheated, but the formula book lying at her feet was definitely hers. After that, Shirley became the school’s go-to example of what not to do.

Now, with everyone staring at her, Shirley’s face darkened. She bit down on her lip, looking more and more upset.

“It wasn’t me. I didn’t cheat!” Her voice shook. “They’re just trying to blame me again!”

The same girl scoffed. “Nobody even said your name yet. Why are you so jumpy? Feeling guilty or something?”

Guilty? Shirley’s fists clenched as she jumped to her feet, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “I didn’t cheat. I never have.”

Not three years ago, not now.

She couldn’t help thinking about the time she’d been accused and punished by Ronald, forced to stammer through a thousand-word apology in front of the whole school. Her pride had been crushed, and just remembering it made her want to disappear.

“With your history, who knows if you cheated again just to look good…” the girl sneered, but Charlotte, who sat next to Shirley, cut her off by kicking her chair with a loud scrape.

“Everything you say is crap. Were you hiding when they passed out brains?”

The girl hadn’t expected Charlotte to actually come at her. Seeing the look on Charlotte’s face, she shrank back. “What… what do you want?”

Charlotte stopped in front of her, raising her eyebrows. Her voice was icy, almost bored. “You like to run your mouth so much. Aren’t you worried it’ll rot off one day?”

The girl drew in a sharp breath and couldn’t say a word.

“If you have a human face, try speaking like a human. It’s fine if your head’s empty. Just try not to let it fill up with water.”

Charlotte towered over her, radiating an energy that felt like a mountain pressing down. The girl could only nod over and over, too scared to do anything else.