To Know More

30 | trusting the asshole

| Amelia |

[ This chapter is dedicated to my wonderful readers for taking this story so far. Wow, I'm actually taken aback. Thank you all so much for the amazing support, I couldn't be happier that you're liking the story! ]

"Well?" 

I seated myself down on the chair across the headmistress's desk, rubbing my sweaty hands on the fabric of my jeans. 

This was not good. 

"I didn't do anything." 

That was all I could bring myself to say when I raised my head and saw the menacing look on her face. She folded her hands together and leaned forward stoically, resting her elbows on the surface of her oak desk and looking straight at me. 

Power pose! Leila's voice rang immediately in my head, but I put that stupid thought to rest and gulped my fear down. 

"Miss Carpenter," I took in a deep breath and spoke in the most calm voice I could muster, "please believe me, I have nothing to do with this. I don't know how the pages ended up in my locker, I wish I could give you an explanation. I didn't even know they existe-" 

"Then how do you explain the five students who witnessed you, Miss Winters?"

"I-" I shut my mouth seconds after I began, for I didn't have any answer. Why would they lie so outwardly? I hadn't ever even talked to them in school before. "I...I don't know." 

She let out a dry scoff at my response and diverted her attention to a few papers scattered on her desk. Moments passed in silence as she adjusted her spectacles on the tip of her nose and drawled out a sigh. 

"Miss Winters, this school has a strict no-cheating policy. I'm afraid you have violated that." 

"But Miss-"

"And unless you can provide me with substantial proof and an explanation for, once again, the five students that place their case against you, I'm afraid there's only one option. I'll have to expel you." 

My heart felt like it had lodged itself in my throat within seconds. 

Did I hear her right? 

"What?" I all but screamed, hands beginning to tremble as I stared at her in utter disbelief. "I didn't do anything, you have to believe me, this isn't fair-" 

"Don't tell me what's fair and what isn't, Miss Winters." She reprimanded me harshly, clearly not appreciating my tone. I shut myself up but I could feel the water building up in the pools of my eyes, threatening to spill embarrassingly at any moment. 

She noticed my expression and took in a deep breath, sighing quietly. "I have no other option. It's school policy. And the fact that you were going to sell the answers to other students doesn't make it any better." 

"Please," all I could do was beg. "This will go on my record."

"I'm afraid it will. But you should have thought about that before."

- 

"What happened in there?" Zoey asked me as soon as I stepped out of the headmistress's office, my head hung low in the dreadful feeling I couldn't even begin to describe. 

I was going to get expelled?  

"Yeah, we heard about everything. We tried to get in but someone," Leila glared in the direction of the headmistress's assistant, "wasn't letting us in."