Chapter 48: Framed by the Gang in Front of Him

Anna's POV

Noticing me staring, Nick casually told Emma, "Alright, I'll go help her out."

Nick's usually pretty smooth, so his bluntness this time might have had a bit of a distancing effect on Emma.

But maybe it was his killer smile and those intense eyes, 'cause Emma just gave him a shy glare. "Do whatever you want." Then she followed Judy upstairs.

Nick turned to me, looking both amused and a bit exasperated.

Everyone else had already gone upstairs, and when I glanced up, I saw Isaac on the staircase. He stood there, slightly turned, tall and fit.

All the girls were practically drooling over him. Following Isaac's gaze, I realized he was looking at me and Nick, his expression kinda stern.

"Isaac, need something?" Judy asked cheerfully as she walked over.

Isaac gave her and the approaching teachers a quick look, then said, "Nah, just here to observe. Carry on."

The teachers exchanged looks and headed into the meeting room with him.

Even though Isaac played it cool, it felt like he was putting some pressure on them, making the teachers all tense and serious.

I hooked up the hard drive to the computer, found the footage from the day Emma swiped the lipstick, and projected it for everyone to see. In the video, Emma left the activity room office, hung around a hallway downstairs for a while, and only came back to grab the lipstick after everyone had left.

The girl whose pricey lipstick got stolen stared at Emma in shock, almost jumping out of her seat, but she held back. "Emma, didn't you say you saw Anna going through my makeup bag?"

Emma clearly didn't expect me to find footage from outside the office. Her usually sweet face twisted, and her smile disappeared.

Right then, Joy jumped in to defend her, yelling at me, "But you stole our headphones and money!"

The guy in charge of the funds stood up too, accusing me, "Yeah, if it was personal money, fine, but that was the activity department's team-building fund."

Being called out in public always freaked me out. I used to be terrified of speaking in front of people, always thinking they'd laugh at me.

But if I didn't stand up now, I'd just drag everyone else down; not just Susan, but Zora would get in trouble with the teachers because of me.

Looking at everyone in front of me, I fought off a wave of dizziness, then looked at Joy and the other guy, asking seriously, "Do you have any proof I took it? If you want to investigate, you should check Emma."

Suddenly, I heard a short laugh from nearby. I looked over and saw it was Nick.

Emma, sitting nearby, looked pretty upset after hearing Nick laugh, her brows knitting together anxiously.

Joy, still determined, said, "But it seems like no one else in the activity department is as broke as you. If you think you didn't steal it, you can let us search your stuff to prove it."

Hearing that, I realized something was off; they might've already planted something in my locker in the changing room or the classroom.

I hesitated and didn't answer right away.

Judy chimed in, "If you didn't steal those things, you should agree to let us search your locker, right, Anna?"

I looked down at all the familiar and unfamiliar faces staring at me, my fingers trembling slightly.

Every time a teacher asked me to speak on stage, the audience would always laugh and pick me apart. Speaking in front of a crowd always made me feel like I was dying, my whole body going cold.

Every time I trembled, someone would point it out, and it just got worse, making me the butt of all my classmates' jokes.

I carefully avoided Isaac's gaze, afraid of seeing disappointment on his face. Then, I started taking deep breaths.

For some reason, after accidentally meeting Nick's smiling eyes, I felt a bit more relaxed.

But Judy adjusted her glasses and stared at me impatiently. "So many people are waiting for you. Hurry up."

Judy's words put me almost at odds with everyone. Many people looked somewhat impatient, but I found it hard to give them an answer. I had anticipated many scenarios but hadn't thought they would have such a strong backup plan.

At that moment, Susan loudly said, "It can't be Anna stealing them. I'm her friend, and I know what kind of person she is! If she wanted, I could give her several pairs of headphones at that price!"

Then, Nick suddenly said, "That also proves Anna doesn't have the means to buy them herself, doesn't it?"

Hearing Nick's words, I was stunned.

Zora immediately added, "This brand of headphones seems niche. The likelihood of someone stealing a product beyond their knowledge and purchasing power is pretty slim."

I looked at them and suddenly realized Nick's earlier words were to support Zora, his deep blue eyes flashing with a subtle warmth, like the gentle waves of the sea.

Zora looked at everyone and continued, "Without a complete chain of evidence, even the police can't convict someone. Moreover, you don't seem to have any evidence now."

Judy retorted, "To be fair, checking isn't that serious and can save the teachers' time." She looked at the teachers, and one of them nodded approvingly, seeming to think Zora was exaggerating the seriousness of the situation.

Seeing this, Joy immediately seized the opportunity to urge, "Yes, we just want to recover our losses quickly without taking up too much of the teachers' time." He looked innocent, but he was really trying to force others to agree to search my things.