PAMPERED

99 The culprit

“Lily, why?”

When the school bell rang, Lily, Penny, and Ginnie walked their way out of the building using the longer route. This time, they were taking this path not because of Penny, but because of Lily. Lily pursed her quivering lips as she looked at Ginnie. “I was a little angry and told myself I’d just tell him things nicely. But then, my mouth wouldn’t stop!” She then clung to the little Penny for help. “Penny, am I dead?”

Penny’s face contorted as she thought about what Lily had told them. They wanted to ask her when she got back from the restroom, but their teacher arrived. During their self–study class, Lily was so distraught they didn’t get an answer from her.

Lily only confessed when she asked them to take the other route.

“You’ll be fine, I guess?” Penny laughed awkwardly.

“You guess? You’re not sure?” Lily dramatically wept, her anxiety skyrocketing at the thought of Ray’s wrath.

It wouldn’t have been a surprise if the school already contacted her parents.

While Lily lamented, Penny couldn’t help but sigh faintly. Her lips curled up, gazing at the poor girl with appreciation. Lily obviously knew the consequences of what she had done or said, but she said it anyway because of Penny.

‘She did tell me she’d be loyal to me.’Her smile stretched, holding Lily’s hand and then Ginnie’s. “Penny?” Lily stopped her drama and looked at the plump hands holding her.

Ginnie also gazed at her hand, her cheeks turning red. ‘Penny has a soft hand.”

“Let’s not worry about that,” said Penny. “If he is that bad, I’m sure the headmaster would’ve summoned you to his office. Moreover, I believe the headmaster will not kick you out just because you told his grandson the truth.”

The fact that Ray was the headmaster’s grandson was surprising. However, Penny didn’t question It because, in her first life, she focused more on achievements to gain her brother’s affection. Lily was barely appeased.

“Worse comes to worst. I’ll testify!” Penny added reassuringly. “I’ll ask my dad to stand up for me too. Or my uncle!”

Lily and Ginnie couldn’t conceal the look of doubt in their eyes. Penny’s father and uncle? Wasn’t she a scholar student, and that was why she was able to get into this school?

“Penny, did your dad graduate here as well?” asked Lily out of pure curiosity.

“Yes.”

“Oh, that’s why!” Lily nodded in understanding. “So, your father probably knew the headmaster,

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right?”

“They have a good relationship.”

“Penny, no wonder you’re smart!” Ginnie cheered.

In their minds, the reason Penny brought up her father and uncle was because they were also scholar students in the past. Thinking about it, Penny didn’t seem very poor and her things were

–

all brand new though simple. If her father graduated here, then that also meant his father worked in a good company. So, they quickly assumed she was from a higher middle class.

Oh, how fast they assume.

“We’re almost there, Lily intoned as the three of them walked hand in hand. “Huh? Is that Nina?” The three of them looked at each other when they saw Nina waiting outside the gates. After a few seconds, a car pulled up in front of Nina.

“That’s a different car…‘Penny thought, now curious why Nina was being picked up in school with a different car. ‘Is she using some car transportation services to pick her up? But isn’t that a little expensive, considering Aunt Jessa’s house is over an hour’s drive from here? Even with her allowance, it wasn’t enough to sustain her every day.”

Unlike Penny, the two girls had different thoughts in mind.

“Wasn’t she absent today?” Ginnie blurted out in confusion.

Lily nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t see her today. How come she’s still in her school uniform? She didn’t skip class, did she?”

“Nina? Skipping classes?” Ginnie shifted her attention to Lily. “I don’t think she would do that.” “Well… Patricia is also absent for a few days now.”

“Maybe she has a boyfriend?”

As the two girls exchanged their confused remarks, only then did Penny realize she hadn’t seen Nina today. Penny barely spent a brain cell with Nina, but was always alert for anything that Nina might do. But because of the many events today, Penny didn’t realize that Nina didn’t come to school today.

“Skipping classes, huh?” Penny muttered. “Then where could have she stayed all day?”

Meanwhile, Nina bit the tip of her thumb in the backseat. She lowered her head nervously as they drove past their school. She saw a few of her classmates outside, so she hid slightly. ‘Why is this car’s window not tinted?‘ she clicked her tongue in irritation, shielding her face with her hand so no one would see her inside.

It was a good thing that everyone knew the Bennets walked their way in and out of the school. Hence no one had suspected that Nina was now going home to a different house It was a good

..

“That Penny…

Nina’s face turned down, straightening her back as the car already drove past the school territory. She huffed, not pleased that Penny now had friends: Ginnie and Lily. Although Ginnie was nothing but a loser, Lily actually came from a good family.

“If only Lily got hurt… ‘Nina slowly gazed down at the broken chain in her hand. The key chain was definitely missing its main decoration because only the chains remained. “Tch.”

Taking it off quickly, Nina rolled down the window a little to throw away the evidence. When she dropped it, a glint flashed in her eyes as she remembered how that keychain broke earlier. today.

Hours ago, Nina was idling on the rooftop as she had been skipping classes since morning. It was her birthday, but she told her friends that there was a change of plans. She told them there were some matters her parents had to settle and thus, they would celebrate it with just them.

Nina wouldn’t have to go to school, but she also didn’t want to stay in the Cortez Household. Hence, she decided to go to school and skip class. The rooftop wasn’t a bad place to relax, after all. So while Nina was idling, she heard some familiar voices talking.

Curious, Nina checked them out, only to see Penny, Lily, and Ginnie. The three of them looked so happy that before Nina could think clearly, her eyes landed on the line of flowers on the rooftop.

thanks for the 14k unlocks