Chapter 4 - 4: A Good Reputation

Director Bull was feeling very happy. It had taken Sophia Green less than five minutes to write something on the paper and hand it in randomly. He was certain that she could not pass the exam.

And then he could use this as an excuse not to allow her to return to school for at least another year. If her mother forced his hand, he could just arrange for her to study in tenth grade again.

He wouldn't allow her to affect the school's college enrollment rate. As the teaching director, he was very worried about the school's standing. He couldn't count on the useless principal, and he could only rely on himself to guarantee the school's good reputation.

He picked up the paper and had a glance. The multiple-choice and the blanks were finished. For the following part, she had just done the first question. In total, she had only finished one side of the test paper and had written nothing on the opposite page.

He smiled coldly. The part completed by Sophia Green was in total a score of ninety. She would fail the test with just one mistake.

He didn't believe that Sophia could get all these questions right.

He took out the answers and started to check the paper.

The first one… right! She must have guessed. The second one… still right. What a fluke. The third one… right again. He couldn't believe it, and she was so good at multiple choice.

There were twelve multiple-choice questions, each worth five points, with a total score of sixty. Once he had finished checking this part, Director Bull began to sweat.

Full marks! Are you kidding me? He thought to himself.

He immediately began to check the blanks. There were four questions with a total score of twenty. Sophia Green's answers were all right again, not even a mistake with a symbol.

The last question she answered was a ten-point arithmetic question. Sophia had solved the problem in a very simple way, with very few words, and yet still, the answer was correct.

It all added up to exactly ninety points!

Director Bull wondered if Sophia Green had peeked at the answers. Even his best students couldn't correctly finish the multiple-choice and blanks in five minutes. He didn't believe this girl could have that ability.

Maybe she had sneaked a look at the answers while he was talking with Mrs. Acheson. The answer booklet lay on the table, not far away. It would have been possible.

But, Sophia Green's calculation steps were different from the answer booklet. How could he explain that? Could she have done this test paper before?

But it was the original paper for the college entrance examination taken before the summer vacation this year. Maybe she really was getting better, Director Bull thought. She might have changed her mind after she woke up from the coma and intended to work hard.

If so, that would be a good thing.

"Well, Mrs. Acheson, I'm going home now." Kevin Green said.

"Yes. Call me if there is anything I can do." she replied.

He turned away, heading to the bike shed where he had parked his bicycle.

"You seem to have something on your mind. Is there anything wrong?" Sophia asked as she followed him.

"No, but thanks for asking." His feet shuffled along as he shook his head.

"Mrs. Acheson mentioned that you have a stepmother who is not good for you. Be careful. She may make trouble." Sophia said.

Kevin stopped suddenly.

"Make trouble? She didn't even attend my sister's funeral."

"But, your sister will have left you some money, right? I just mean, you should watch out. Your stepmother may come for it."

Sophia had been thinking about this and was trying to find the solution. She must be able to protect Kevin. Her stepmother would certainly want to take away her money. A disgusting thought!

She had needed to say something to Kevin to warn him to be prepared.

"She…she did ask about it. But I just ignored her." Kevin Green looked a little worried.

"Well, just be careful. I don't think your sister would be happy to see her hard-earned money taken away by your stepmother, right?".

She really didn't want to leave her stepmother and her stepbrother and stepsister any money, not a cent. She felt sick at the thought of that family. She would rather throw all her money into the sea than gave it to them!

Kevin Green nodded, "Right. Thank you."

He gave her a slight smile. He didn't know if it was because her name was the same as his sister's, but this Sophia Green gave him a very warm feeling. Although it was the first time they'd met, it seemed as if they had known each other for a long time.

Director Bull looked out of his office to see if Sophia Green was coming back. As soon as he looked, he saw Sophia and Kevin Green walking along side by side.

"Come here." He broke into a cold sweat at once, walked out of the office, and waved at Sophia to return.

Sophia Green said goodbye to Kevin and went into the director's office.

"Have you finished checking my test paper, Director Bull?" she asked.

"Yeah. Forget about it. What's up with you and Kevin Green?" he said seriously, "Don't mess with him. If you make trouble like the last time when you chased Charles Smith, I will make sure you are expelled for good."

Sophia searched for the name "Charles Smith" in her mind, and she was shocked again.

Charles Smith had been Sophia Green's classmate in tenth grade. She had fallen in love with him at first sight at the start of the school year and had begun chasing after him. When Charles Smith had been promoted into the advanced class, Sophia Green had taken a bunch of girls with her to block him at the school gates every day.

The memory was a bit vague, and she couldn't remember all the details, but it made her feel horrible.

"Don't worry. I just think of him as a brother." Sophia Green said helplessly.

"Brother? What do you mean? You're not related. Don't play tricks with me." He frowned.

Sophia Green didn't know what to say.

She definitely wouldn't play any tricks about that. After all, he was her blood brother.

"Fill out the form." Director Bull took out an application form and put it on the desk.

Sophia Green sat at the table and filled out the form. She deliberately wrote very neatly to show how completely different she was from before.

"Your writing is quite good. You will get more points if you write composition and essays like this." Director Bull was a little surprised by her good writing.

"Go to Mrs. Acheson, and she will be your teacher. Remember, don't make trouble this year. Study hard, alright?" He signed his name on the bottom of the form and handed it to her.

Sophia Green walked out of the director's office and went to the finance office to pay the fee for her books. The enrollment fee for Colin High School was around $100. Kate had given her the money at home that morning.

After paying, she went to Mrs. Acheson with a receipt.

"Come to pick up your textbooks this afternoon." Mrs. Acheson warned her, "We will have class tomorrow."

Sophia Green nodded. She had already seen the notice on the bulletin board. Mrs. Acheson was the headteacher of class seventeen.. She would have a registration that afternoon, and then she would be fully readmitted.