Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Spit flew from Lucille’s mouth, Zell pushed his chair back, eyeing the teachers standing behind Lucille. He asked calmly, “What about you all? Are you not interested in her either?”
There were five teachers in the office, all Grade 12 advisors. Som were men, some women. When Zell directed his question to them, they exchanged nervous glances. Unlike Lucille, the one in charge of Class 1, they didn’t have the guts to confront Zell.
Even if they didn’t understand why Zell was letting an unqualified girl into Greenvine without an entrance exam, they knew that one bad apple could ruin the whole bunch. They couldn’t let this troublemaker–who screamed “I’m bad news“-affect their students.
“Mr. Swanson, Greenvine hasn’t had any geniuses in the past couple of years, and even our worst student has better grades than this…”
“What if she can’t keep up with the SATs next year?”
“And what if she disrupts the other students?”
Their hesitant tones clearly signaled a no.
Zell glanced around the room and then looked directly at Lenore, letting out a small sigh. “Lenore, what do you think?”
At some point, Lenore had put away her phone and was leaning casually against the sofa, her long legs slightly bent. The black hoodie she wore contrasted sharply with her skin, making the air feel heavy around her.
When her name was called, her expression hardened, and she fiddled with the black smart band on her left wrist, looking annoyed. “Just put me in the worst class.”
She wondered, ‘He gathered the teachers in charge of the top classes. Clearly, he wants to keep me at Greenvine to improve the school’s reputation. What an old fox.‘
Zell felt like she could read his thoughts through her defiant gaze. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Alright, let’s put you in Class 24.”
A collective sigh of relief filled the room as the teachers who had once refused to accept Lenore exchanged glances. Zell narrowed his eyes at them, barely holding back a cold scoff. ‘They are completely blinded to real talent, he thought.
Greenvine High School had a good reputation, clearly dividing good students from bad ones. The last class of each grade typically consisted of the lowest performers.
Half were rich kids whose families donated money to the school just to get a diploma. The other half were students with poor grades who had been pushed out of other classes by their teachers.
Class 24 of Grade 12 was no different. Jonas Wilson, the homeroom teacher, was soon called in. He was a short, skinny man in a slightly worn gray suit, wearing thick, clunky glasses.
As he entered and saw the other homeroom teachers, Jonas was startled. After making sure he was in the right office, he cautiously asked Zell, “Mr. Swanson, did one of my students get in trouble again?”
Jonas often found himself in the principal’s office due to his students‘ fights and pranks, earning him ridicule from other
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Chapter 8
teachers. He was regarded as the most beleaguered instructor at Greenvine High.
Zell tapped the file on his desk and nodded toward Lenore. “This is the new student in your class. Go over her file and take her with you.”
‘So I’m not here because anyone caused trouble,‘ Jonas thought. He breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Lenore. ‘She’s stunning, like a work of art. Despite her rebellious vibe, she can’t possibly be bad at school with looks like that.‘
Jonas leaned over to examine her file, only to find she was expelled twelve times from elementary through junior high, her highest grade was a 3, and the rest were neat zeros.
+5
Deep down, he muttered, ‘Skipping school to fight, leading street gangs… She dropped out in middle school and worked for two years, and somehow now she’s entering Grade 12 at Greenvine High?‘
Jonas was speechless. He wondered, ‘I was wrong about her. Now I understand why so many teachers are in the principal’s office; they don’t want this student, so Mr. Swanson called me over.
‘Students that other classes rejected typically ended up in Class 24. I’m used to this trend.
‘Honestly, Class 24 wouldn’t miss another problem student, but this girl looks like a handful. Looks like it’s going to be a lively year!’
With a resigned sigh, Jonas approached Lenore, keeping his tone polite. “Lenore, right? Come with me.” Lenore nodded, slid her phone into her pocket, adjusted her backpack strap, and followed Jonas out.
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