Chapter 35: Cheating Consequences

“Udin, are you cheating?” Mrs. Sari asked.

“No, Ma’am,” Udin answered innocently.

“Then what is that?” Mrs. Sari asked, folding her arms in front of the blackboard.

“I’m just copying Frel’s answers, Ma’am,” he replied with a completely guiltless expression.

I stifled a giggle when I heard his answer. Meanwhile, Mrs. Sari seemed to be struggling hard to contain her anger.

Oh no.

Udin had truly managed to enrage Mrs. Sari. She immediately stepped forward and forcibly snatched my answer sheet from Udin’s hand.

“This is called cheating, Udin!”

When Mrs. Sari was momentarily distracted, the students in the back began to move quietly. A commotion could be heard as they ran and gathered toward the front, approaching the smart students who were known for being innocent and easy to intimidate.

As soon as Mrs. Sari realized something was wrong, she turned around and found a group of troublemakers swarming like a wasps’ nest in Class X-I.

Her anger flared even more. With her hands on her hips and a sharp glare, she barked, “EVERYONE, BACK TO YOUR SEATS!”

As if struck by lightning, the students who had been busy looking for answers immediately panicked. They scattered and ran back to their respective seats, except for Adam and Andika, who were still engrossed in copying answers.

Without realizing it, Mrs. Sari was already standing right behind them.

“Ouch, that hurts, that hurts.”

“Very nice, you’re enjoying yourselves cheating instead,” Mrs. Sari scolded sharply while twisting Adam’s and Andika’s ears.

“Uh, Mrs. Sari,” the two of them said with awkward, sheepish smiles.

“YOU TWO, GET OUT AND STAND IN FRONT OF THE DOOR!”

Seeing Mrs. Sari’s furious expression, Adam and Andika immediately scurried out of the classroom. Then Mrs. Sari turned her gaze toward Udin and me.

This was bad.

“You two, get out as well. Stand in front of the door!”

“What? Ma’am, why am I included too?” I asked in shock.

“Don’t talk back. You’re also at fault for letting Udin copy your answers,” Mrs. Sari explained firmly.

This was all because of Udin. Instantly, I pinched his hand as hard as I could.

“Ouch, ouch, Frel, that hurts,” he complained.

Serves you right.

Udin rubbed the spot I had pinched, which was now red. I looked at him and signaled for him to defend me. But instead of explaining things to Mrs. Sari, he craned his neck backward and took Kenn’s answer sheet, which was still being held by Tomi.

I held back my laughter.

You’re dead, Kenn.

“Well then, Ma’am, Tomi is also copying Kenn’s answers,” Udin reported innocently.

Mrs. Sari’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Come on, they should be punished too, Ma’am.”

I laughed in satisfaction inside my head.

“Tomi, you go out too.” Strangely enough, when it came to Kenn, Mrs. Sari fell silent for quite a while. I looked at her with a confused frown.

Finally, Kenn stood up. “I’ll go out too.”

He stepped out of the classroom, followed by Tomi and Udin. Just as I was about to go out as well, Maya and two of her friends suddenly shouted, asking to be punished too, claiming they were also guilty of cheating.

Hah. Just say it’s because Kenn and Tomi are there.

Look at this now. It wasn’t just Udin and me who were punished, but nine people in total.

Impressive, right? Absolutely fantastic and absolutely not something to imitate.

As for Dara, it seemed there was no other choice. Besides having to ask her directly later about her change in attitude, there was something else that felt more important. I had to find out who Kenn really was. From his confession, something felt off.

I had to ask Tomi. Today.

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