<b>Chapter </b>78


    ZA


    Tiffany finally felt at ease. She let out a light chuckle. “Nice work, Nora. You really nailed it


    “Don’t forget your promise. You have to keep it–I can’t be expelled from school, Nora said, her tone sharp and insistent. “Tiffany, I don’t want anything except that. As long as I’m not kicked out, fine. Otherwise…. I honestly have no idea what I might do.”


    “Fine, I heard you,” Tiffany said, clearly annoyed by Nora’s demanding attitude. She hung up immediately, without another word.


    Nora let out a deep breath, stumbling through campus like she was on autopilot. The school day was long over–everyone else was either home or in their dorms, leaving the ce almost deserted.


    She found a secluded spot beside a flower bed, sat down, and her mind instantly started reying all the mess she’d gotten herself into over the past three months.


    ‘What a joke, Nora thought bitterly. ‘I told myself I was helping my parents, but look at me now–I might not even graduate, and I barely helped at all.


    Most of the money Tiffany handed over ended up wasted on stuff she wanted: designer makeup, name–brand clothes–she even bought a beauty salon membership just to fake it for the crowd.


    Hanging out with Tiffany and her friends only turned her obsessive about keeping up. She had thought maybe if she stayed close to Tiffany, she could be one of those rich girls too.


    ‘A poor girl’s still just a poor girl, Nora thought, defeated. ‘I failed my parents, my grades are a disaster, and now I’m one step away from being expelled.’


    She buried her face in her hands and bawled her eyes out, crying so long that her throat turned hoarse. When there were no more tears left, she wiped her face, straightened up, and forced herself to head home.


    Meanwhile, the school forum was blowing up.


    Comment A: [Oh my god, Tiffany is really so pitiful! Seriously, which jerk snatched her photo from her phone and dumped them on the forum to make everyone think she did it? She totally got framed!]


    Comment B: [Ugh, I can’t even. That video of Tiffanypletely broke my heart. She looked so vulnerable. my heart was aching for her.]


    Comment C: [For real, that heartbreak vibe hit me so hard! If I ever find out who stole Tiffany’s photo and smeared her name, they’d better watch out.)


    Comment D: [Damn, I used to badmouth Tiffany before–I’m really sorry, Tiffany! I was way out of line.]


    The school hadn’t put out any announcements yet, so no one knew who actually posted the photo. Tons of students who’d trashed Tiffany before were logging on to apologize, and pretty much everybody was feeling sorry for her now.


    Tiffany scrolled through the forum, a sly smirk tugging at her lips. ‘Alicia, after all your plotting, all you managed to do was chase away one of myckeys,‘ she thought.


    ‘But sometimes even yourckeys can turn on you, Tiffany mused. Td better let Dad know about Nora, just in


    case.


    With that, she made her way to Hugh.


    Hugh nced at how Tiffany had handled everything, nodding with real approval. “You did a great job with


    this.”


    Tiffany said, “Dad, Nora already admitted to the school that she edited that photo herself and posted it. They’re most likely going to punish her, but nothing official has been announced yet. Could you help pull some strings so she can stay at school?”


    Hugh replied, “Of course. I’ll make a call. This is nothing.”


    Without a moment’s pause, Hugh called up Bruce right there in front of Tiffany. <fna4f1> ?????? ???? FindN()vel</fna4f1>


    Once the call went through, Hugh spoke in an authoritative, almostmanding tone. “Mr. Sherman, see to it that Nora at your school isn’t expelled. You can discipline her however else you want, but she stays”


    Bruce sounded uneasy. “Mr. Lawrence, I’m afraid that’s not possible.”


    Hugh was surprised by the rejection, frowning. Then it hit him–he hadn’t offered anything in exchange. Of course he’s not going to do me a favor for nothing, he thought.


    So Hugh said, “If you can make this happen, once President Lee retires, I’ll back you for the principal’s job.”


    Bruce hesitated for a moment, then replied, “Mr. Lawrence, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but this whole situation has exploded at school. Even President Lee is involved, and he’s made it clear–it has to be handled strictly by the book.”


    Hugh considered for a bit, then said, “Just bury the situation for now. Don’t post any public notices. Wipe everything from the forum. Once things quiet down, just let it slide. President Lee’s swamped with work anyway–there’s no way he can track every little thing, right?”


    Bruce instantly caught on and nodded quickly. “Alright, Mr. Lawrence, I’ll keep a lid on things for now.”


    Hugh grinned. “Smart thinking, Mr. Sherman. President Lee’s stepping down in a few months. If wey low until then and you snag his spot, trust me–nobody’s gonna remember any of this. Rx, I’ve got your back all the way to the top.


    Bruceughed, sounding a bit pleased. “Thanks a lot, Mr. Lawrence.”


    He was thinking, ‘Honestly, I’ve had my eyes on the principal’s job for years. Stuck as an administrator for over a decade–it’s about time I got a shot at moving up. I’ve put in the work, kept my nose clean all these years, but promotion just never came my way. What else could I do?


    ‘I’m getting on in years, and if I don’t grab this chance soon, who knows if I’ll ever get another?


    ‘Besides, this whole thing isn’t even a big deal. Nobody was really hurt. That student already admitted she was in the wrong, and her family is dirt poor anyway. Why not help her out while I can?‘


    *****


    CD


    The next day, Nora dragged herself to school, nerves on edge. She was terrified the school might drop the hammer on her today, and she had no clue if Tiffany had even talked to Hugh about it.


    Nora kept her head down the whole way, and as soon as she got to ss, she slumped into her seat.


    She didn’t dare look up at her ssmates, terrified that if the school made an announcement, everyone would point fingers, call her disgusting, say she was a bad person, and tell her she didn’t deserve to be a college student–maybe even demand she get kicked out.


    She hunkered down in her seat, nervously watching the ssroom door, just hoping she wouldn’t be calleri out–until Tiffany finally walked in.


    Only then did she dare to lift her head, her eyes locked on Tiffany, and wouldn’t look away.


    Tiffany caught Nora staring, sauntered right over, and gave her a superior little smile. “It’s done. You’re safe.”


    Those words were like heaven to Nora. ‘For real? It’s actually handled?‘ Relief hit her so hard she nearly started crying andughing at the same time. She’d spent the whole night freaking out, terrified she’d be ruined, but for Tiffany, sorting stuff out was as easy as breathing.


    “Having money really is magic,‘ Nora thought, feeling a stab of envy.


    From now on, if she just stuck with Tiffany, she’d score more cash and never have to worry about anything happening to her again.


    She straightened up, chin held high, and linked arms with Tiffany. “Tiffany, did you have breakfast yet? Want me to get you something?”


    Tiffany tucked a strand <i>of </i>hair behind her ear and said, “Let’s just eat at the main cafeteria.”


    Nora nodded, slipped her arm through Tiffany’s, and they made their way toward the ssroom door. As soon as they got there, they happened to bump into Alicia and Siennaing in.


    AD