Chapter 2

"Melanie, you can sit next to Nathan. That's the seat by the window," Esther said.

I walked over to the boy in glasses. He gave me a slight nod, expression unreadable.

As the bell rang, I was packing my books when a mocking voice sounded from the doorway. "Well, look who it is. Our Straight-A student, Melanie."

George leaned against the doorframe. A few guys were behind him, all sneering at me.

"George, is this the orphanage kid you were talking about?" jeered a guy with bleached hair. "She doesn't look like much to me."

I was about to snap back when Giselle ran over and grabbed my arm. "Melanie, come with me to the library. I need your help with homework," she said.

She tugged me along, and as we passed George, I caught a flash of anger in his eyes.

"Giselle," he said, grabbing her wrist, "weren't you supposed to have lunch with me?"

"I want to hang out with Melanie," she said, yanking her hand free. Then she hurried off with me.

Once out of the classroom, Giselle whispered, "Don't mind them. George's friends think they're better than everyone."

"You're not afraid of him?" I asked.

She bit her lip. "I used to be... a little. But now that I have you, I'm not scared anymore."

Her words warmed my heart. Maybe this new little sister would turn out to be the best part of this family.

During lunch break, I spotted Nathan Crowe in the library, absorbed in a book titled "Advanced Mathematics."

"You really like math, don't you?" I asked.

He looked up, adjusting his glasses. "Yeah. I heard you got perfect scores on your transfer test?"

"I got lucky," I said.

"It's not about luck," he said, closing the book. "I've done those problems. They're tough. Getting a perfect score is impressive."

I was about to reply when my phone buzzed. It was Mom's message. [Melanie, there's a family gathering tonight. Your dad wants to officially introduce you and Giselle to everyone. Try to get along with George.]

I stared at the words "get along" and chuckled.

George getting along with me was close to impossible.

"Did you hear? The new transfer only got into Class A because of the Larson family's connections."

"Seriously? But I heard she aced every subject on the transfer test."

"Please. You buy that story? She grew up in an orphanage. How smart could she be?"

On Monday morning, some gossip hit my ears as I passed the school gates. A group of girls huddled by the bulletin board, speaking extra loudly while sneaking glances at me.

I kept my face blank but laughed coldly inside. George worked fast. Just one weekend, and rumors had already spread everywhere.

In class, Nathan was already at his desk, working on a physics problem in three different ways.

"Morning," I said, dropping my bag. "Isn't the calculus method simpler?"

His pen paused. He looked up, surprise flickering behind his glasses. "You know calculus?"

"I know a bit," I said, smiling. "The orphanage library had pretty much every book. If you wanted to learn, you could."

His gaze lingered, and then he slid a sheet of paper to me. "I feel like there's a more efficient way."

I jotted a few formulas, and Nathan's eyes lit up. "That's it! This skips all the extra calculations."

As we discussed, a commotion rose at the classroom entrance. George swaggered in with his crew, voice dripping sarcasm. "Well, well, the class genius and her new desk mate. Melanie, I heard you got perfect scores. Or... did someone give you help?" he drawled.

The room instantly went dead quiet, every eye locked on me.

I calmly closed Nathan's notebook, stood, and met George's gaze. "So, are you doubting the school's fairness, or are you calling Ms. Lewis unprofessional?"

George's face shifted. "That's not what I meant—"

"If it's not that," I cut in, "then you must be doubting me."

"How smart could someone from an orphanage be?" he sneered. "Our syllabus isn't like public schools'."

I smiled, pulling out a stack of test papers. "Actually, Ms. Lewis asked me to post my transfer test papers on the bulletin board for anyone interested. They include the official answers and my step-by-step solutions. Feel free to critique."

The class buzzed with excitement. Students rushed to see, and then the murmuring started.

"Wow, I don't even understand the last question..."

"She solved it three ways!"

"Even Nathan struggled with this proof before..."

George's expression soured even more as he snatched the papers and flipped through them. Suddenly, he stopped cold.

"Is there a problem?" I asked.

He gritted his teeth and tossed them back. "How do we know you didn't write these out later?"

"George." Esther's icy voice sounded from the doorway. She stood holding lesson plans, looking stern. "Melanie's test was supervised by three teachers. The whole thing was caught on camera. Want to see the footage yourself?"

George flushed scarlet. "N-No, that's not necessary, Ms. Lewis."

"Then get back to your seat," Esther said, her tone softening as she turned to me. "Melanie, thanks for bringing those papers. There's a city-wide math competition next month. I want you to represent us."

I nodded. "I'd love to."

As I sat down, I noticed Nathan's lips twitch in a small smile. "Nice work," he murmured.

"Right back at you," I whispered. "The time you called out George was spot on."

He adjusted his glasses, staying quiet, but I definitely saw the amusement in his eyes.