No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric) novel Chapter 13

After hearing Bruce speak, Noelle was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected him to bring her condition to retake the exam.

She looked across at Lucas and Xenia, her expression calm.

However, Lucas' face became quite unnatural. Noelle used to follow him around, never doing anything that made him uncomfortable. As an older brother, he was used to being high and mighty.

Asking him to apologize now was like asking him to choose death—it was pure torment.

Xenia quickly said, "Noelle, when did you get so good? We didn't know that you had been studying secretly at home. You worked hard to get such good grades, but others suspected you of cheating. Lucas was the first to come to school to help you. He's really good to you."

After she made the excuse for him, Lucas spoke coldly. "Xenia, stop talking. Some people will never understand." He looked at her with satisfaction, thinking that this was the behavior a sister should have.

Noelle gave him a half-smile and said, "Yeah, he came to school immediately. So what? He told Mr. Kramer that I cheated. He was going to force me to write a letter of repentance and make me apologize in front of the whole school. Would you want this kind of treatment?"

Xenia immediately fell silent.

Furious and embarrassed, Lucas shouted, "Noelle, you secretly worked hard without telling us, making me think you were cheating. Sure, your grades have improved, but what's the point of pulling a stunt like this? Do you think it's funny?"

Bruce spoke again while looking at Lionel. "Who was the first to accuse Noelle of cheating? Call them over to apologize."

Lionel quickly summoned Gwen and Betty.

Gwen and Betty still didn't know what had happened, thinking that Noelle had indeed cheated. They smugly said, "Mr. Kramer, we've been saying that Noelle cheated to get those grades. Is the investigation over now?"

Lionel nodded. "Yes, it's clear that Noelle didn't cheat. You two should apologize to her now."

The duo were stunned. Noelle didn't cheat? How could that be?

Xenia quickly pretended to play the good cop. "Noelle didn't cheat. I told you not to spread rumors. You should apologize to her now." With that, she distanced herself from the situation.

Gwen and Betty reluctantly apologized to Noelle. "Sorry, we were wrong. We shouldn't have said those things."

Lionel looked at Noelle and asked, "Do you have any other requests?"

Noelle shook her head. "No."

Lionel nodded in satisfaction. "Noelle has been working hard lately. But Xenia's grades have dropped quite a bit."

Xenia felt embarrassed, especially after seeing Noelle's good results. She found it humiliating. She batted her eyes and replied, "I... I just got distracted this time. I won't let it happen again."

Lucas also felt a bit embarrassed. "What's the point of good grades? You could get more fame and money from playing games than from these grades."

Xenia thought the same.

Lionel was visibly frustrated by Lucas' attitude and chose to address it. Turning to Xenia, he said firmly, "You should learn from Noelle instead."

Xenia bit her lip and hurried out of the office.

Lucas glared at Noelle. "What's the big deal about getting one good result? Do you think you can show off just because you beat Xenia? The team is keeping her busy, so her grades dropped. You've done nothing to earn your results, so you don't have the right to show off."

Noelle raised her gaze. "Did I show off?"

Bruce interjected, "I clearly heard Mr. Kramer say those things, but Noelle said nothing. As a guardian, you shouldn't be so biased."

Lucas was taken aback and replied, "I'm not biased. Noelle has always been like this." He then left to catch up with Xenia.

Noelle turned to Bruce. "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. You have the ability, and this is all well deserved. Return to your classroom now. I need to meet with the teachers and highlight some things."

Noelle left the office as instructed. She walked a few steps to the corridor, where she saw Cedric in a white lab coat. He was leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting for someone. She met his gaze, and her heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

Cedric stood upright, his voice calm. "How did it go?"

"I succeeded, of course! Mr. York had me retake a test, and I did even better than my last attempt."

Noelle lifted her head proudly. At that moment, seeing him made her feel like her victory had finally found its purpose.

Cedric lowered his brows, his voice steady as he asked, "Did they apologize?"

She was momentarily stunned and wondered if he was referring to Xenia and Lucas. She shook her head. "Only the scapegoats apologized. The people behind the scenes didn't, but I don't care. I slapped it in their faces hard just now!"