Chapter 19

Judy’s POV

When I first realized Carol was no longer my friend, back in middle school, it was a few days after the spelling bee contest. She only missed one letter in the word ‘Necessary’ and it cost her the competition. It was only a small competition for middle schoolers, but she took it to heart, and she never forgave me for taking the prize from her.

She acted like she was still my friend though; she congratulated me and even hugged me. The school was going to host a mock ceremony for the reward a couple of days later. My adoptive mother had me wear a pretty dress and even helped me write a speech.

Not many people know this about me, but I suffer from a condition called dyslexia. Reading and writing was difficult for me. I often get my letters mixed up; reading out loud during school was a complete nightmare for me. Most knew I had trouble reading out loud, but they never understood why. I hid this condition my entire life.

I prepared for months for this spelling bee, and I wasn’t expecting to win.

Thanks to years of training and therapy, I can manage my dyslexia way better now. It only made me work that much harder and I managed to hide my condition from almost everybody. The only ones who knew about this disorder were Nan who had been my best friend since elementary school, my adoptive parents, and unfortunately Ethan.

I confessed it to him after he marked me. I didn’t want there to be secrets between us.

Carol, like the rest of the school, only knew that I had trouble reading and writing, but she didn’t know the reason. She also knew how hard I prepared for that spelling bee because we often trained together. After I won, she spent time with me while I repeatedly went over the speech my mother and I made for the award ceremony.

I had a bit of trouble reading it out loud, but I eventually got it down and I was confident in my ability to read it in front of others.

When I was announced as the spelling bee winner during the mock award ceremony, and was about to make my speech, I noticed that every word on the paper differed. Someone had switched it out and made most of the words unreadable.

I stood in front of the school, stuttering over each word and struggling to comprehend what was on the paper.

I had never been more embarrassed.

The kids were brutal and started to laugh; my eyes found Carol’s, and she smirked at me. At that moment, I knew this was her doing. Then, some of the new friends she made walked up to me and dumped a bucket of glue on my head. Before the principal could intervene, it was Carol who stood in front of me.

“You stole my prize. You don’t deserve to win. I saw your notebook. You had every word written down and memorized. You cheated!” She sneered. Then she threw handfuls of glitter at me, branding me as a cheater.

I didn’t cheat… I only studied. She could have done the same thing. I needed the extra help, and I utilized the material given to me.

The entire school erupted in laughter and chanted that I was a cheater. They also made fun of me for not being able to read.

The principal ushered Carol and her friends away, and Nan came to my side to help and defend me. Nan was already my friend prior to this, but that was the day she became my truest best friend. That was also the day I told her about my dyslexia.

Carol only got a slap on the wrist because of her famous mother and rich father.

I vowed to never feel that vulnerable again. My parents got me into therapy sessions where they helped me with my condition and I studied twice as hard every single day.

I hadn’t thought about that day in a long time. But as I stood in the middle of the stage, staring at all my peers, they were all silently watching me, wondering what I would do at that moment. Would I defend myself? Would I tell Carol that I deserved this scholarship?

I was speechless, just like that of the spelling bee ceremony.

“Carol, this is quite a serious accusation,” the dean said, folding his arms across his chest. “This is hardly the time and place for a scene.”

“I have proof that Judy doesn’t deserve this reward,” Carol said, stopping next to me. “She is a fake… a fraud.”

I was stunned and speechless.

I know everybody was waiting for me to say something in my own defense, but I couldn’t. I was numb and confused. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

The dean also seemed to be at a loss.

He soon cleared his throat and straightened his posture.

“How about we speak in my office,” he finally stated. “It would be better if we did this more privately.”

“Fine by me,” Carol said, narrowing her eyes as she glared at me. “I would be happy to show you the proof.”

The dean nodded and ushered us out of the ceremony room. He paused by his assistant who was watching us with large eyes. He whispered something to her, and she nodded her understanding.

I followed the dean, keeping my head low as everyone murmured around me.

“Is she really unworthy of the scholarship?”

“Her silence speaks volumes!”

“Why isn’t she defending herself??”

My head lifted slightly as I passed Nan; her eyes were wide and filled with worry. She gave me a small and confident smile when our eyes locked and I felt a little lighter knowing she was in my corner.

We made our way outside and we walked in silence as we reached the administration office. The dean’s office was on the top floor, so we had to take the stairs.

“Take a seat, ladies,” the dean said as he sat on his desk chair.

I sat down beside Carol, and she was quick to pull out her phone. She had a sneer on her lips, and I knew she was up to something that I wasn’t going to expect. A tight knot formed in the pit of my stomach and my heart thudded rapidly against my ribcage.

There was a knock on the door, drawing our attention elsewhere.

“Enter,” the dean said, leaning back in his seat.

One of my professors walked into the room; he was my defense training professor and someone I looked up to.

Carol was also in that class.

For some reason, seeing him made me sigh in relief. It was nice to see a familiar and friendly face during this high-tension time.

“Professor Rodgers, what can I do for you?” The dean asked, raising his brows at the professor.

“I’ve come to offer my guidance and support,” he said, walking into the room and leaving the door open a crack. “I think of myself as a mentor figure to these girls and I’d like to be here during this conversation if you’ll allow it.”

The dean nodded his head thoughtfully.

“Of course,” he said, motioning for an empty seat.

Professor Rodgers walked towards the seat; his eyes refusing to meet mine.

The dean finally turned his attention to Carol and cleared his throat, getting her attention.

“You said you have proof that she’s been disloyal?” The dean asked.

Carol straightened her posture as she swiped across the screen on her phone.

“Check this out,” Carol hissed. “Judy doesn’t need this scholarship. She’s rich and has all the money in the world. She got into a luxury car last night. Only rich people can get rides from cars of this status. The scholarship should go to someone in need. Is her family even struggling at all?? Or was it some big ploy to gain sympathy?”

She pulled up a picture of me getting into the car that Gavin had sent to me last night. I knew I was being watched; I could feel it. But I decided to ignore it at the time and now it seemed like it was going to bite me in the ass.

The dean examined the photo for a moment, his brows furrowed together. He then looked at me and I watched his lips press in a thin line.

“Where exactly do you work, Miss Judy?” He asked, raising his brows.

I couldn’t tell him where I worked or who I worked for because of that contract I signed for Gavin. I wasn’t sure what to say or how to redeem myself. The dean grew suspicious of my silence but before he could say anything, Professor Rodgers cleared his throat.

“It’s clear that we really don’t know who Judy Montague is,” he said, folding his arms across his chest.

My heart fell deep into my stomach as I turned to look at him.

What was he doing?

What was he trying to say?

“If she would lie about something like this, how do we know she isn’t lying about other stuff? I always found it suspicious that she was so good at almost everything. She’s probably paying someone to help her cheat. I think we should look more into that, sir. Surely, we can’t allow someone disloyal to remain at this school.”

I gasped at his words; he was supposed to be someone I considered a mentor. But it seemed he wanted me to get expelled from this school.

I could see the satisfaction on Carol’s face as she folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her seat.

“It’s a serious accusation. What do you have to say for yourself, Miss Judy?” The dean asked, his brows raising to his hairline. “Before I begin this investigation, do you have anything you’d like to say in your defense?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“You can’t seriously be considering expelling her because she got into a luxury car, are you?” A deep voice spoke from the doorway.

I didn’t need to turn around to see who was standing there; I could smell his incredible cologne, and my heart immediately skipped a beat upon hearing his deep tone. The dean paled upon seeing who was standing at the entrance of his office, leaning against his doorframe.

“Alpha Gavin,” the dean said, bowing his head slightly.

Gavin walked into the room; a couple of his Gamma warriors remained at the doorway.

“It’s from my understanding that Miss Montague is an outstanding student and more than deserves this reward,” Gavin said, narrowing his eyes. “However, I did get some inside intel that Miss Declaire had cheated on her last several tests by paying someone to take exams for her.”