Chapter 11
“Heavens, who knew the ugly duckling could tum out to be a swan once she cleaned up!”
The class was still in a state of shock.
*Pfft, even if she looks decent, what does it matter? She’s the shame of Class Z. Because of her, we have been the laughingstock marry times now.”
“Exactly, and thankfully, she’s about to be expelled. Spending one more day with her is just disgusting.”
The jeering continued, filled with righteous Indignation. The students were oblivious to the ringing of the class bell.
Ms. Jade, the Spanish teacher, strode into the noisy Class Z, a flicker of annoyance passing through her eyes. She bellowed, “Are you all deaf? Didn’t you hear the bell? You’re the loudest in this whole building!”
Her class, Class Z, was always at the bottom. No teacher liked having students with poor grades.
She slammed her textbook onto the podium, her gaze sweeping to the student sitting in the back row against the wall. When she saw a girl with striking looks and a ponytail, her eyebrows furrowed.
She didn’t care who the girl was, possibly a new transfer student. She was concerned that Flora hadn’t come to school.
She scoffed, randomly pointing at two boys. “You two, clear out Flora’s desk and toss her stuff out
Her face lit up with the thrill of seeing Flora expelled. “The school’s policy states that any student absent for seven days or more will be expelled! Flora hasn’t shown up today, which makes it seven days. She’s officially expelled! Toss all her stuff out!”
The students stared at Ms. Jade incredulously.
Flora was here, but Ms. Jade just hadn’t recognized her.
Flora was caught by surprise by the misunderstanding. She stood up, ‘Ms. Jade, without an official expulsion notice, even a teacher has no right to throw a student’s belongings out.”
“And who are you to lecture me? Class Z is the trash of the school.
Class Z was the worst performing class, and Ms. Jade always felt frustrated teaching them. Someone talking back just made her even
angrier.
Hearing this, the mood in Class 2 soured; no one liked being called trash.
“Ms. Jade, as a role model, are you familiar with the ethical standards for teachers? No teacher should ever call their students trash”
Being publicly criticized by a student was humiliating for Ms. Jade, who, in a fit of rage, retorted, “What’s it to you if I’m throwing Flora’s stuff out!”
Outside, cicadas buzzed loudly, and the hot, humid air mixed with the heat wave made Flora’s voice distinctly clear in the classroom.
“Because I am Flora.”
She was Flora!
Ms. Jade’s eyes widened in disbelief. She stared at the girl standing upright, struggling to find any resemblance to the Flora she remembered.
She’s still as detestable as ever!
Ms. Jade’s dislike for Flora stemmed not just from her poor grades but also from a past embarassment Flora had caused her in front of the whole school.
She had always wanted to get Flora expelled.
Shaking off her shock, she sneered, “So what if you showed up today? You’re still getting expelled! You’ve been marked for major offenses three times. According to school rules, if you fail all your subjects in the exam half a month from now, you’re out!”
“The exam hasn’t even happened yet. How do you know I won’t pass?”
This statement made Ms. Jade laugh, along with the rest of Class 2.
“Hahaha, she actually thinks she can pass.”
“If she can pass, Ill eat my hat!”
Even Ms. Jade was mocking her “Seriously? Alright then, if you do pass, fill apologize in front of the whole class. No, the whole school! Now, get out of my classroom. I won’t tolerate such scum here!”
Surrounded by laughter, Flora remained expressionless. She picked up an English textbook and gracefully exited the room
