Chapter 18: Chapter 18: I Want to Change Classes
With that, a thick textbook came flying in her direction.
Chloe Sinclair’s expression instantly turned frigid, her eyes glinting. With a simple lift of her hand, she caught the book in mid-air.
"Ms. Rhodes, don’t you think throwing a book at me without any reason is going a bit too far?"
"Hah! You’re the disgrace of this class. Everyone else can get high scores, but not you. You do nothing but drag down our class average, and on top of that, you’re always bullying your classmates. Just look at your sister! Look at the state you’ve put her in! I guess this is the difference when you don’t share the same parents!"
Chloe Sinclair raised an eyebrow. "Bullying a classmate?"
Her gaze shifted to Nina Sinclair, who was slumped over her desk. Chloe let out a cold laugh. "Ms. Rhodes, you’d better remember what you said today."
With that, she walked out of the classroom.
Laura Rhodes had intended to make Chloe Sinclair stand by the door as punishment, but by the time she looked, Chloe was already gone.
This was the first time Chloe Sinclair had ever skipped class, but her heart felt light and free.
Standing on the athletic field, she asked Eight, "Did you record it?"
"Yep, got it all."
As a piece of high technology from the future, basic tasks like recording video were a piece of cake for Eight.
This lifted Chloe Sinclair’s spirits considerably.
She then pulled out her phone and dialed her father’s number.
He picked up instantly.
Chloe Sinclair’s eyes instantly welled up with tears, her voice choked with grievance. "Dad, I want to transfer classes."
...
After hanging up, Chloe Sinclair’s lips curled into a cold smirk.
’Anyone can play the victim.’
Chloe Sinclair’s sudden phone call immediately put Mr. Sinclair on high alert.
He quickly tagged everyone in the "A Loving Family (2)" group chat.
A Lifetime of Peace: [@everyone, Chloe just called me. She said she wants to transfer classes. Is she being bullied at school?]
Q: [Isn’t Nina in the same class as Chloe? Nina’s the class president; Chloe shouldn’t be getting bullied, right?]
Baby Yanyan: [Who dares bully my sister? I’ll make them regret it. (fist)]
...
Because of this one phone call, the family group chat buzzed with activity for three solid hours.
In the end, still worried, Mr. Sinclair left work early to pick her up from school.
He waited until about six o’clock, when Chloe Sinclair finally emerged at a leisurely pace.
Mr. Sinclair got out of the car, walked over to Chloe Sinclair, and slung her schoolbag over his own shoulder. In his other hand, he held a small cake.
"Chloe, you must be tired. I passed a dessert shop on the way here and saw this cake, so I bought it for you. You can eat it in the car."
There were many men in the Sinclair family, and since Nina Sinclair was usually on a diet and rarely ate cake, they didn’t keep many desserts in the house.
It was only after Chloe Sinclair returned home that Mr. Sinclair discovered her love for cake, which prompted him to hire a live-in pastry chef.
When he passed the dessert shop today, this particular cake caught his eye, so he bought it.
In the car, seeing that Chloe Sinclair seemed to be in a better mood while eating her dessert, Mr. Sinclair asked cautiously, "So, what was that about wanting to transfer classes you told me about earlier?"
Chloe Sinclair paused in the middle of a bite. Her face instantly crumpled with grievance. She set the cake down, lowered her head, and twisted her fingers together as tears began to stream down her face.
Like a wronged child finally seeing her father, she couldn’t help but let it all out. "My grades are bad, so my teacher doesn’t like me. She bullies me and gets the other students to exclude me. I just want to transfer out."
Mr. Sinclair frowned. "And your sister? Why hasn’t she said anything about this?"
"Because she bullies me too!"
Just as she’d expected, Mr. Sinclair’s expression darkened, and his tone grew stern. "Chloe, do you have any idea what you’re saying?"
’In her past life, seeing this reaction from her father, she would have assumed he thought she was lying and probably would have thrown a tantrum right then and there.’
’But this life was different. She knew her father was impartial and didn’t favor Nina Sinclair over her.’
’Still, Chloe couldn’t let her confidence show too much, or it would raise suspicion.’
She feigned anger, pouting. "Hmph! I knew you wouldn’t believe me! My sister was completely out of line today. I was just trying to do my homework when she asked to borrow my notes. I told her I didn’t have any to lend, and she just started crying! Then the teacher came over and, without asking a single question, started screaming at me, threw a book at me, and told me to get out! And my sister just stood there crying, she didn’t say a single word to defend me!"
Sure enough, Mr. Sinclair fell into thought.
After a pause, Chloe Sinclair added with a scoff, "The top student in our grade asking the person ranked dead last for study notes... isn’t that a joke?"
Mr. Sinclair was silent for a long moment before finally telling the driver to go back and pick up Nina Sinclair.
Nina Sinclair had evening self-study sessions, so she usually got home three hours later than Chloe Sinclair. Seeing the driver approach her now, her heart sank. ’This is bad,’ she thought.
The moment she saw Chloe Sinclair also in the car, she knew something terrible had happened.
"Dad, whatever it is, can we talk about it after my study session is over?"
"I’ve already called your homeroom teacher. Get in. We’re going home."
This was the first time Mr. Sinclair had ever spoken to Nina Sinclair so curtly.
A shiver ran through Nina Sinclair. She gave a dazed nod and mechanically climbed into the front passenger seat.
Once they were home, Nina Sinclair tried to make an excuse to go to her room and study, but Mr. Sinclair stopped her.
"Nina, I have something to ask you."
Nina Sinclair’s heart grew even more apprehensive, but she could only nod in agreement.
The two Sinclair brothers were also in the living room. The atmosphere was so tense the air itself seemed to thin.
Mr. Sinclair didn’t beat around the bush. In a heavy voice, he asked, "Chloe is being bullied at school. Why didn’t you say anything?"
’Just as I thought...’
Though Nina Sinclair was panicking inside, she was already prepared for this.
She put on a look of utter surprise. "When did this happen?"
"Chloe, why didn’t you tell me you were being bullied?"
Chloe Sinclair sneered inwardly. ’As expected of someone who’ll end up in showbiz,’ she thought. ’What a performance. Anyone who didn’t know better would have been completely fooled.’
"I’m excluded every single day. You didn’t know, Sister?"
Her voice was soft and small, like a timid rabbit’s, as if the slightest movement would send her scurrying away in fear.
Whatever Nina Sinclair had planned to say was caught in her throat by Chloe’s question, leaving her speechless.
Of course she knew Chloe Sinclair was being excluded and bullied.
After all, she was the one orchestrating it from the shadows.
"Chloe, maybe you’re misunderstanding something."
Nina Sinclair’s pale face was strained, but she maintained a placating tone. "I agree the teacher’s methods were a bit inappropriate, but you know what your grades are like. It’s not easy for her, either."
"Besides, the other students in our class are all very nice. They’re always asking you to join them for sports. If you consider that bullying, then I’m going to have to get angry with you, Chloe."
’If the situation weren’t so serious, Chloe Sinclair would have burst out laughing.’
’If Nina Sinclair ever found herself out of a job, she could probably have a great second career giving motivational speeches at schools. All that feel-good nonsense would surely fool a lot of people.’
"You say the teacher is trying to help me, but all she does is compare me to you! She calls me trash, a disgrace, and tells me to go die in front of the entire class! Is that something a teacher should ever say?"
