Chapter 3

The next day, I took a deep breath and stepped into the classroom.

Sure enough, my desk had been shoved next to the trash can again.

It was covered in obscene scribbles, and there was even some nasty liquid on the stool.

Some of my classmates shot me smug looks, others sneered. Even the teacher who came in right after just glanced at me and said in a bored tone, "Anna, what are you standing there for? Class is about to start. Go clean up your desk."

Normally, I would grit my teeth and endure it, hoping it would blow over.

I was scared that if I made a scene, the school would kick me out, and then I would be forced to get a job.

With nobody backing me up, it was my weakness, but also my strength.

I didn't have to hold back. I could go all in.

The teacher called out to me again, but I ignored her. I marched right up to the girl who was laughing her head off and kicked her desk over with a loud crash.

The other students were about to rush over to help her, but I shouted, "Don't come any closer. I've already called the police.

"The classroom cameras are always rolling. Every single thing you did to me is recorded.

"This is bullying, and you're all going to have to answer for it legally."

Some classmates at the front scoffed at me.

One of them said, "Anna, your mom's a hostess, and you don't even know who your dad is, do you? Can't stand hearing the truth, huh?"

Another student said, "Yeah, if you've got nothing to hide, why are you freaking out? It's because what we said is the truth, right?"

Even the teacher looked annoyed with me.

She said, "Anna, we're all in the same class. They were just messing with you; why take it so seriously?

"Just tell the police you were joking around, that it was a false alarm.

"It's already been ten minutes because of you. If you don't want to learn, don't waste everyone else's time."

I pulled out my phone and turned on the screen; the call was still connected.

"Officer, you heard all that, right?" I said.

The officer on the other end said, his voice serious, "Don't worry, we've already sent someone to the school to look into it. They're in the security room right now."

When they saw I was dead serious, everyone turned pale and flashed me awkward, apologetic grins.

One classmate said, "Anna, we're all classmates; why'd you have to call the cops?

"We'll clean your desk right now, and we swear we won't mess with you again."

Some people still looked at me with disdain.

One of them said, "So what if you called the cops? Do you even know who my dad is?"

Too bad for him, the officer on the other end was all about justice and immediately warned him.

The officer said, "Listen, I don't care who your dad is. But I do know that bribing a police officer is an even bigger crime."

The guy scoffed, stomped his foot, and stormed out of the classroom.

In the end, the whole class got suspended for a week as punishment and had to cooperate with the investigation.

Some parents banded together, made a scene, and demanded the school expel me.

But I aced every exam. I was the school's best shot at getting someone into the top universities.

The school was banking on me to make a name for itself, so there was no way they let me go. They started dealing with the parents directly.

When I got home from school, I sat down in my chair and just started laughing. I laughed for a good half hour, until I was literally crying.

Ryan had no idea what was going on. He asked, "Why are you so happy?"

I said, "For the first time, I realized that standing up for myself actually makes a difference.

"Maybe things didn't turn out perfectly, but I still won. I conquered my fears."

Ryan grinned, cracked open a can of Coke, and raised it in a toast with me, our cans meeting in the air.

Ryan said, "Anna, this one's for you; here's to your do-or-die victory."