Chapter 4

I let out a cold laugh. "Oh, really? So the old hen tried to pass off her egg as a phoenix's. Too bad, after being spoiled for years, her grades still can't beat this country bumpkin right here."

Kara scoffed, "Keep dreaming. Gloria's always been top of our class—she's never lost her spot."

I shrugged. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Just then, the class monitor rushed in from the hallway, calling out excitedly, "Scores are out! Scores are out!" as he posted the results up on the wall.

Kara crossed her arms and gave me a smug look. "Scores are out, country bumpkin. Just wait—you'll see that someone like you is nothing but an ugly duckling compared to us."

I shrugged, not bothered at all. "Is that so?"

The crowd surged forward, with Kara pushing her way to the front. Before she could even see the names on the results sheet, a wave of gasps erupted from the crowd.

"Holy crap! A perfect score!"

"No way! Did I just see that right?"

"This test was brutal. Someone actually got a perfect score?"

Kara smirked, "Just as expected. Gloria crushed it. Even a test this hard couldn't stop her!"

But before Gloria could even start gloating, another wave of disbelief swept through the crowd. "It's not Gloria! Seriously, can you even read? The one with the perfect score is Chelsea!"

Gloria froze, her voice cracking as she shouted, "No way!"

That outburst totally shattered her whole sweet, gentle act, but Gloria didn't care about any of that right now. She shoved her way through the crowd, not caring how she looked, and there, at the very top of the results sheet, was Chelsea's name—100 out of 100.

Gloria muttered, ''No way... How could this happen? She's just some girl from the sticks. How could someone like her ace a test this tough?''

My classmates crowded around me, buzzing with excitement. "Chelsea, you're incredible! I couldn't even figure out the last question, and you actually managed to solve it?"

"Not just solved it. You nailed it! Holy crap!"

With everyone crowding around me, I felt a bit shy. I just gave a sheepish smile and scratched my head. "Well, I used to be a Riverbend student, after all."

"Oh, right! Riverbend uses their own exam, which is way tougher than our exam..."

"Chelsea's the real heiress, and she's crushing it too. Gloria might be in trouble now..."

My classmates were all chattering excitedly around me, while Gloria looked absolutely miserable, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Not wanting anyone to see her break down, she rushed out of the room before anyone could react.

Please, like this is even a challenge. Back in Riverbend, where everyone's fighting tooth and nail just to get ahead, I was always at the top of my class. This Kingsbury exam? Child's play.

My deskmate, who'd just been woken up from his nap, looked relieved and rubbed his eyes, staring at the results sheet in disbelief. "No way, the legend is actually sitting right next to me."

His hair was a total mess, sticking up like a bird's nest, but his eyes were clear and bright. "Hey, legend, I'm Oswald Atkinson. What's your name?"

I couldn't help but laugh and waved it off. "Chelsea Dean."

"Chelsea, you're a genius. Can you explain how you did that last question? Honestly, I was totally lost.."

Oswald was a bit of an airhead, totally clueless about all the drama and conflicts swirling around him. His whole world basically revolved around two things: math problems and sleeping.

Honestly, since I came to the capital, I've met all sorts of people, but spending time with Oswald is the most relaxing. Sure, everyone at this school comes from some fancy family, but Oswald doesn't have that snobby, high-and-mighty attitude. Instead, there was this clear-eyed innocence about him... almost childlike.

After a few chill days at school, I became an overnight sensation thanks to my grades. Nobody dared mess with me anymore, and after every class, my desk turned into a Q&A hotspot with everyone wanting me to help them out.

Gloria stayed quiet for a few days, and I figured she'd finally called it quits. But just when I thought things had calmed down, a pack of school bullies cornered me in the bathroom.

I stared at the two girls in front of me, their hair dyed every color imaginable, crop tops riding high above their navels. One of them sneered, "Relax, nothing serious. We're just here to mess with you."

The blonde girl next to her, nose ring glinting, sneered, "So, you're the new girl, huh? Heard you're pretty smart. Country bumpkin from the sticks, and you think you can act all tough now? Got some attitude, huh?"

As she spoke, the blonde girl gave me a rough shove. "Hey, new kid—better watch yourself and lay low. Don't mess with the wrong crowd, or you'll regret it!"

I snorted, half amused and half pissed. Seriously? Your girl's just been keeping her head down, working hard, not bothering anyone. Who did I even piss off to deserve this?

I snapped, grabbed her wrist mid-shove, and twisted it with all my strength.

She screamed like a stuck pig, her wails echoing through the cramped bathroom.