Chapter 276 - SCHOOL MEETING II

After several minutes of talking and contemplating, the students and parents couldn't agree to the venue that the after party will be held. Listening to them, Stefan sighed.

"Can I ask how much is the budget for this after party?" He asked the teacher which cut the noise abruptly. His voice wasn't loud, in fact, it was mellow but the students were like hypnotized by him. They kept quiet.

"The students have been keeping their funds for this since December but we haven't counted it." Rissy responded.

"Then, can you ask the class treasurer to count it? We can continue the meeting while the treasurer is counting." Stefan replied with a serious face, no room for negotiation.

'I'm taking back my words against these students.' Cayenne thought to herself. She thought that the students were depending on their parents that much. She didn't know that they have funds for this after party.

"Chloe, can you get the coin bank from my office?"

"Yes, miss." The class treasurer named Chloe left the classroom to get their school funds.

"Now, let's talk about the graduation ceremony." Rissy Chan pointed her fingers to the writings she placed on the whiteboard. They talked about the toga color, the phot studio that will take their pictures and a lot of other things. This time, the parents didn't say anything against it.

The meeting was harmonious and they were able to finish one segment of the agenda listed on the board and on the pamphlet. Next the teacher announced everyone the top students of the class in which Luiz held the 1st rank.

"It's this handsome guy again. I expect no less from him. Ever since he's classmates with my child, I always find his name on the rank lists." One parent commented while reading the names.

"Even though they're having issues at home, his sister worked so hard for them to go to school."

"I know. It's so sad that his parents couldn't attend his graduation anymore."

"I heard about his mother's death but where's his father?"

"Oh! You didn't know? His father was convicted fifteen years ago because of murder. I think he's still inside the jail."

"I feel bad for him. Good thing he got a loving sister and brother."

The gossip circled among parents was all about Luiz and his family situation. Thankfully, they didn't ostracize him because of his father's criminal records.

Luiz pretended he didn't hear anything and just sat beside his sister quietly. Cayenne was the same. She didn't care about what other people said and just listened to the teacher's words.

"Hmp! Looking at his sister, she must have married that man for money! They must have bribed the teachers to become the top of the class." One father stated with a condescending attitude while his daughter sat quietly beside him. "I wonder how much they gave for that little guy to become the top of the class?"

"We don't tolerate bribery in this school campus. Just so you know Mr. Rodrigues, Luiz has topped the class ever since he was in primary school. And during those times, his sister was still in high school, not married yet and they didn't have money to bribe the faculty. With all due respect sir, before you ran your mouth, think your words carefully." Rissy Chan smiled at the man but it was a smile with warning.

"Tsk! You don't have to be so petty if your child comes second, alright?" another parent commented since Mr. Rodrigues' child was on the 2nd rank.

"At least your children make it to the top, my boy didn't even make it but I'm not making a fuss over it." A mother commented with a faint smile.

"It's not my fault that your child is stupid." Mr. Rodrigues responded coldly which embarrassed the mother and her child.

"Sean isn't stupid. There are just people who are smarter than him. And even if he wasn't that very good in academics, he's a nice person and was good in sports." Luiz defended his classmate who's a very good friend of his. "Life isn't all about academics."

Mr. Rodrigues was fuming with anger from being lectured by the teacher and by the student. He wanted to retort but his daughter held on to his clothes and stopped him.

Luiz looked towards Clarisse and felt bad for her. He knew that she studies very hard but because of his scholarship, Luiz excelled in all of his subjects, taking the 1st place and delegating Clarisse to 2nd.

"And Mr. Rodrigues, your daughter is really smart. She's very studious and she's often seen in the library. She doesn't hang out with our class that much because she wanted to study in order to meet your expectations. I'm not sure if she enjoyed her life as a student because all she faced were books. However, you shouldn't put too much pressure on her. She gets so tense during exams probably because of your expectations. I'm not saying that you're doing a bad thing but you should let your daughter deal with everything at her own pace. Let her set an expectations and goals for herself. At the end of the day, she gets to live her life. Isn't it sad to see your daughter suffering because of you?"

These words from Luiz didn't just open the eyes of the man he was talking to but all the parents who were very strict with their children, making a path of their own for them felt ashamed and guilty towards their child.

He was right. You shouldn't let your children live a life that you wanted to have. Most parents would tell their children to take a certain path because they didn't get to do it when they were at their age. Life shouldn't be like that. Children shouldn't be born to make up for the missed opportunities of their parents. Children should be born and given freedom to choose which path they would like to take. And parents should be there to guide them, making sure that they're doing the right thing; not to hinder them.