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“No way. She wasn’t even in ss, and she nailed it? She just outshone Tiffany,” someone whispered.
“Wait, what? She disagreed with Tiffany. Does that mean Tiffany got it wrong?” another voice chimed in.
“No way. Tiffany’s a genius. She’s been into music forever, ys the piano and violin. There’s no way she messed up,” someone else argued.
Tiffany’s cheeks flushed hot, then drained of color, her fists clenched tight. ‘Seriously, how could this even happen?‘ she thought, panic and disbelief swirling inside.
‘How could Alicia possibly know all that stuff?‘ Tiffany wondered, trying to wrap her head around it.
Her parents had always said they weren’t nning to really nurture Alicia. Sending her to Pryce Academy was all for appearances—they just didn’t want people gossiping about how they mistreated their adopted daughter.
The real goal was to make it sound good, so when Alicia was old enough for a marriage alliance, she couldnd someone halfway decent for the family.
‘It’s impossible for Alicia to actually learn anything here, not with all the housework she’s forced to do at home, Tiffany thought, dismissing Alicia’s chances.
‘Why, though? Why on earth was Alicia able to answer the questions today?‘ Tiffany asked herself, frustrated and totally confused.
Tiffany wondered, her mind racing and suspicion gnawing at her, ‘Did she collude with the teacher to cheat?
‘But that’s impossible. Alicia is just an orphan–how could she possibly have the power to make Mrs. Clifford join in cheating with her?‘
Tiffany felt her thoughts spiraling; everything seemed to be slipping further and further out of her control.
Ever since Alicia walked out on the Lawrence family, things had started to unravel, one after another.
‘Where did it all start to go wrong?‘ Tiffany thought, anxiety bubbling up in her chest. She couldn’t figure it out, but seriously, she totally made a fool of herself today.
Nora gently tugged on Tiffany’s sleeve. “Tiffany, Mrs. Clifford actually said she answered really well. What happened?”
“How should I know?” Tiffany snapped at Nora. “Why’d you have to meddle? That’s why she got called on to
answer.”
Nora felt wronged. ‘Didn’t she give me that look?‘ she thought, feeling all the mend on her.
Back then, whenever Tiffany gave her that look, it always meant it was time for Alicia to get dragged into something embarrassing in front of everyone.
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‘What the heck, why am I getting thrown under the bus now? Nora thought,pletely baffled.
As they muttered and bickered, Alicia shot them a frostbitten look and curled her lips into a half–smile. From this moment on, she swore to herself–she’d never let Tiffany use her <b>as </b>a doormat again.
Once the pre–ss questions were over, Gloria dove into her lecture. Alicia paid full attention, taking notes with absolute focus–determined not to miss a single detail.
Meanwhile, Tiffany could barely take in a word; her mind was all over the ce. Something about Alicia just felt different now, and she couldn’t shake off this uneasy feeling gnawing inside her.
As the bell rang, everyone started packing up, ready to leave.
Gloria suddenly called out to Alicia, “Girl, hang back a sec.”
Hearing that, Tiffany shot Alicia a frosty re, gritted her teeth<b>, </b>and stomped out of the ssroom, simmering with resentment.
As soon as Tiffany stepped out, she heard two girls gossiping. “Mrs. Clifford actually kept Alicia after ss. Think she’s getting some private coaching?
“Man, I’d love to be a fly on that wall. I’m a music major, and Mrs. Clifford is the best in the business. If Alicia’s caught her eye, that girl’s going to go far.”
Another girl said, “Same here, I’m majoring in music too. Since Alicia’s got Mrs. Clifford backing her, maybe we should buddy up to her.
“If she’s getting special tutoring, maybe we can get her to lend us her notes. Wouldn’t hurt, right?”
“So, should we just wait here for her?” someone suggested.
Listening to those two, Tiffany could feel her blood boiling.
‘Damn Alicia, I’ve been grinding for three whole months, and with just one lucky break, Alicia’s suddenly got everyone wanting a piece of her?‘ Tiffany fumed to herself.
Back then, after every ss, it was always her people who flocked to her. Now, even if Alicia wasn’t surrounded yet, they were already hanging around, just waiting for Alicia.
Her rage hit a new peak. ‘Just wait, Alicia. I’ll make sure you never get back up again,‘ Tiffany vowed, her jealousy burning hotter than ever.
With an angry huff, Tiffany turned on her heel and stomped away.
Alicia could feel Tiffany’s re on her, but she wasn’t fazed by her anger<i>. </i>She paused calmly, waiting for Gloria to approach.
Gloria walked over and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Alicia Lawrence,” she replied.
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Gloria nodded. “Do you enjoy studying the history of music? And are you interested in musical instruments?<b>” </b>
Alicia nodded. “Yes, I am, Mrs. Clifford.”
“Can you do me a favor?” Gloria asked,
Alicia looked confused. “What kind of favor?”
Gloria said, “Could you help me clean up the music room?”
Alicia hesitated for a moment, but quickly nodded. “Okay.”
“Alright, so it’s set. You cane by tomorrow afternoon, after your sses? Around 4 PM?” Gloria asked.
Alicia smiled, “Actually, Mrs. Clifford, I don’t have any sses tomorrow afternoon.”
“Really?” Gloria blinked, a bit surprised. “Most students here cram their schedules so full–they want to try everything, you know, so they’ve got all kinds of stuff to talk about.
“Howe you’re not loading up on sses?”
Alicia let out a softugh. “I just know what I can handle. I only picked art, music, and acting for now. The rest I’ll look into when I’ve got the time. I’m really passionate about these three and want to dive deeper.”
“Great.” Gloria’s eyes sparkled even more. “Then I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” Alicia nodded, agreeing softly.
When Gloria left, Alicia walked out of the ssroom and spotted Sienna waiting for her.
Sienna dashed over, slipped her arm through Alicia’s, and grinned, “You didn’t catch it, did you? When Mrs. Clifford asked you to stay back, Tiffany looked so pissed when she stormed out.”
“I did see it,” Alicia replied.
“For real? She was sulking in front of the teacher? Isn’t she worried it’ll make her look bad?” Sienna said with a snicker.
Alicia chuckled, feeling a bit amused, “Mrs. Clifford didn’t even spare her a nce.”
Sienna paused for a moment, then burst outughing. “So, Mrs. Clifford just straight–up ignored her, huh?” <fn01c2> ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? Find1Novel</fn01c2>
Alicia nodded.
As they headed out of the building together, Sienna patted her stomach. “Let’s grab a meal at Dining Hall West. I’m starving.”
“You got it. Let’s really go big and get a lot,” Alicia grinned. “It’s on me today.”
Sienna gasped in delight. “Alicia, you’re amazing. Did you hit the jackpot or something? You know the food there is pricey.”
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“No worries, I’m just in a great mood today–let’s not stress about the money,” Alicia said, waving it off.
“But seriously? There’s no way we can finish much,” Sienna said, thinking it over. “Let’s just order some to start, and if we’re still hungry after, I’ll treat you to some coffee.”
“Sure.” Alicia nodded with a smile.
They made their way to Dining Hall West, but what greeted them inside was so unexpected that both Alicia and Sienna were left speechless.
The whole ce was packed, and there were two food carts set up–not the regr ones from the school. Each cart disyed the logo of Garden Nook Bistro, a famous restaurant from Riverdale.
AD