The news that Erin had been taken away by the police quickly spread throughout the department. Even Wendelyn, who was in the library, caught wind of it and felt a sudden wave of unease.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her bag. She quickly opened her bag, where there were two phones, grabbed the silver one, and saw that Erin was calling her.
In the restroom, Erin said anxiously, “Wendy, the police and the lawyer are here because of Shermaine. Also, I never told you this before, but my computer and phone were hacked. Can you help me? Do you think I’ll get expelled?”
Wendelyn’s face immediately twisted with fury as she snapped, “Why did you hide something so serious from me?” The hacker might be able to recover the deleted chat logs after breaking into someone’s computer and phone. Now that Erin had been exposed, Wendelyn knew her turn was coming next.
Erin stammered, “I–I was afraid you’d stop giving me money if you knew.” Since then, she had asked Wendelyn for money a few times, each time for no less than 8 thousand dollars. Wendelyn had always been generous, agreeing without hesitation. After all, a few thousand dollars was nothing to her.
Besides, Wendelyn still needed Erin’s help. Just last night, she had given Erin 15 thousand dollars to spread rumors on the forum about Shermaine cheating on the midterms.
But this time, Erin became more careful. She had deliberately used a friend’s account to post, thinking that would throw off the hacker. But she hadn’t expected that the police and a lawyer would show up so quickly.
“Wendy, is there anything you can do to–” Before Erin could finish, the call abruptly ended. The disconnect tone in her ear felt like a thunderclap. She felt her legs go weak as she thought, ‘Wendelyn’s going to leave me to fend for myself?’
Wendelyn raised her voice so suddenly that it caught the attention of Yvonne, who was sitting across from her, dressed in clothes faded from countless washes, and buried in a book.
Lucky for Wendelyn, there weren’t many people around; otherwise, the famous, talented girl from the Department of Literature would have been seen losing her composure. Yvonne softly reminded her, “Wendy, keep it down. We’re in the library.”
Yvonne and Wendelyn shared a dorm room, but they weren’t particularly close. However, everything changed last year when Yvonne’s father was diagnosed with uremia.
The overwhelming medical bills and constant pressure pushed Yvonne to the brink, and in a moment of despair, she tried to end her life by jumping off a building. It was Wendelyn who stepped in and pulled her back from the edge.
Since then, Yvonne had been deeply grateful to Wendelyn, but as they became closer, she began to realize that Wendelyn wasn’t as kind, graceful, and gentle as she had initially appeared.
Still, everyone had their flaws. Yvonne thought that Wendelyn felt more genuine with her imperfections and decided to always treat her like a true friend, no matter what she did.
Wendelyn sat down, her fingers tapping on the desk as she muttered angrily, “Damn you, Erin. For the sake of money, you hid such an important thing from me.”
Then she cursed inwardly, ‘I underestimated Shermaine. I never imagined she’d quietly hire a hacker to dig into Erin. She might seem easy to manipulate, but she is actually scheming.
‘If I get dragged into this, the perfect image I’ve worked so hard to build will collapse overnight. No, I can’t just sit back and let that happen.
“Wendy, what’s wrong?” Yvonne asked, concerned.
Wendelyn turned her head sharply at Yvonne. “Yvie, remember how you said you’d do anything for me? Well, I need your help now.”
Shermaine and Summer went to the cafeteria for lunch. The food at their school cafeteria was pretty good, and today they were serving delicious sandwiches.
Shermaine’s classmates, perhaps worried Shermaine would be bullied, were trailing behind her in a large group. The whole procession looked impressive.
Shermaine had a bad reputation, so even when others gossiped about her, they did it quietly, not daring to do it in front of her. But Leslie was different; he wouldn’t leave her alone.
Shermaine’s classmates all glared at him like he was their enemy. They blamed him for the confrontation between Alice and Shermaine and the resulting trouble.
Ignoring the hostile stares, Leslie stepped in front of Shermaine and suddenly said, “Shermaine, I wasn’t the one who reported you.”
“Oh, okay,” Shermaine replied nonchalantly, focused on her sandwich. ‘Summer was right–the sandwich in the cafeteria is indeed delicious,’ she thought.
Leslie frowned at her indifferent response. “How will the school handle this?”
There hadn’t been any updates after the school district staff’s visit. But everyone knew the school would have to address Shermaine’s situation sooner or later–probably next Monday.
“No comment,” Shermaine said calmly.
Then Leslie asked, “Does your mother know? Did she scold you?”
He asked so many questions because he was convinced that Shermaine had cheated. If it were anyone else, they’d have been expelled by now.
Shermaine set down her sandwich, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and looked up with a bright smile, but her eyes were cold. “Leslie, this really isn’t any of your business.”
“I’m just concerned about you,” Leslie said.
“Thanks, but you don’t have to.”
Not far away, Alice saw what was happening. She bit her lip in frustration and marched over without hesitation. “Shermaine, you shameless cheater! Leslie’s concerned about you, and you’re acting all high and mighty? You don’t deserve his concern.”
Upon hearing this, Shermaine’s classmates immediately lashed out in anger.
“A shameless cheater? Say that again, and see what happens. Just because you’re a girl doesn’t mean we won’t take you down!” someone shouted.
“Sheary got straight A’s fair and square. You evil girl, you’re just jealous, so you secretly reported her,” another echoed.
“Sure, you’re pretty, but that heart of stone? Not impressed,” someone else chimed in.
Leslie’s face darkened. “Alice, what’s wrong with you? Apologize to Shermaine right now!”
Alice, already fuming from the insults, lost all reason to jealousy when Leslie defended Shermaine. She snapped, “I’m not apologizing. What can you do about it?” She seemed to have forgotten how Shermaine had made her apologize last time by grabbing her by the neck.
“You…” Leslie was at a loss for words, his frustration evident.
Shermaine spoke, “Guys, just eat. Why bother with the idiot?”
Alice was indeed an idiot; otherwise, she wouldn’t have done something so petty with no benefits to herself.
Alice’s face flushed with anger, and she was about to say something when Shermaine glanced at her and said slowly, “Next Monday, you won’t see her around at this school anymore.”
Chapter 57
In an instant, a chill crept up Alice’s spine, leaving her feeling like she’d been plunged into icy water.
The school path was blanketed in yellow leaves under the midday sun.
Around one in the afternoon, Shermaine received a call from her lawyer.
The lawyer said, “Ms. Shue, Erin has confessed everything. As per your request, she will publicly apologize and clear your name next Monday over the school broadcast.”
Shermaine responded with a simple “Mm.”
The lawyer added, “Besides, word about Erin being taken away has probably spread across Basterel University. She found an excuse to go to the restroom while at the police office, so Wendelyn probably knows about it now.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Shermaine said casually. She was curious how Wendelyn would get herself out of trouble. Besides, she knew this alone wasn’t enough to bring Wendelyn down.
The lawyer then asked, “Don’t you think Erin’s punishment is a bit too lenient?” He was sure that if it were up to Joshua, Erin wouldn’t have gotten off without some serious consequences.
Shermaine chuckled softly. “She should experience what it’s like to be the subject of gossip and insults from everyone.”
The lawyer finally understood. It seemed like Shermaine was being lenient, but in reality, Erin would endure a kind of mental torment. As long as she remained at Basterel University, this scandal would haunt her like a curse.
That evening, Shermaine returned to the Jean residence. Wendelyn wasn’t there, and only Janice and Ruth were seated at the dining table.
After finishing most of her meal, Shermaine said, “Grandma, the parent–teacher meeting is next Monday.”
Janice immediately put down her fork. “Then I have to be there.”
Shermaine smiled. “Grandma, you’re the best.”
Ruth quickly chimed in, “Janice, you’re getting on in years. It might be tough for you to manage everything by yourself. How about I go with you?” She had heard from Clyde that the school would announce how Shermaine would be dealt with for cheating next Monday. She was determined not to miss it. “How could I miss Sheary’s parent–teacher meeting?”