***
Twenty minutes into the next class and I still couldn't get over my failure in Commerce test. What would Sir Aaron think of me when he picked up my script and found it blank?
"Tell me what I just said," Madam Charity said, her eyes trained on me. Holy cripes! I hoped she'd spoken to the girl in front and not me, but her eyes stayed locked on mine.
The girl in front turned to look at me. She seemed just as confused as me. My indifference toward Madam Charity's question forced her to her feet. "You were talking about-"
"Not you, Flora," Madam Charity said. "Yes, Victoria? We don't have all day."
Words eluded me. My performance in Sir Aaron's test had filled me with rue-cheerlessness, making it impossible to think of anything else. And here I stood, about to make another fool of myself. I would always remember this day as my worst school day.
"Excuse me, madam Charity." Cynthia's voice severed the silence. I glanced at her seat and found it empty. I had been too engrossed in thoughts to notice her absence. With a smug smile, she stood in the doorway. Folding her arms, she cast me an unsettling glance. "But the principal wants to have a word with her."
"That should be after this class," Madam Charity said.
Cynthia stomped her feet. "It's urgent!"
Sir Amadi's voice screeched over the intercom, "Victoria Brown. Report to my office in one minute or less."
Madam Charity gave me a subtle nod. "You heard him."
I had just been saved from Madam Charity's question. But the smug smile on Cynthia's face as I advanced toward her made me shudder. Although I had no idea why I had been summoned, I knew one thing. Trouble had found me.