"If I were you," the ghost girl said, "I’d start asking questions. Not to get involved, just... to protect yourself."
Matthew didn’t respond. Instead, he looked up when he heard someone call his name.
He turned his head and found Teddy walking down the aisle between desks. The guy dropped into the seat next to him without waiting for permission.
"Where the hell did you disappear to yesterday?" Teddy asked. "Right after the exam?"
"I had something important to do," Matthew replied.
"You really finished that fast?" Teddy asked. "Stats wasn’t easy. I swear I had to guess half of Section C."
Before Matthew could answer, another voice interrupted.
"That’s not possible," Elisa said, standing a few feet away with her arms crossed. "No one finishes statistics that quick. Even Lenox needed almost two hours."
Another student nearby laughed under their breath.
"Yeah, stop pretending, man," Kenneth said. He leaned forward from the row behind them. "You’re embarrassing yourself. You really expect us to believe you finished stats in thirty minutes?"
Matthew leaned back in his seat. His gaze flicked to Kenneth, then Elisa, then back to his book.
"Don’t act like we don’t know what this is about," another voice chimed in. A shorter guy near the front turned his chair toward them. "Trying to impress Catherine, right?"
Matthew looked at him blankly.
"She’s not into you, man. Everyone knows that."
Matthew let out a quiet snort.
"Impress her?" he muttered. "Why the hell would I?"
"Well, he’s a lost cause," May muttered from a few seats over. "After yesterday, I doubt Cathy will ever look at him the same. Not after what he did to Lenox."
Matthew’s brow twitched, but he didn’t look her way. He kept his eyes on the textbook in front of him, even though he hadn’t read a single word on the page for the last five minutes.
Seeing this, Teddy leaned in slightly. "Hey," he whispered. "People are saying you shoved Lenox yesterday because of Catherine. It’s been spreading since lunch."
Matthew finally glanced at him. "That so?"
"Yeah. A few students claim they saw it," Teddy said carefully. "Doesn’t help that Catherine tried to slap you right after."
Matthew clicked his tongue and looked around the classroom. Lenox and Catherine’s seats were still empty.
"Of course," Teddy added. "Some people are saying the school’s thinking about expelling you."
That got Matthew’s attention.
Teddy scratched the back of his neck. "It’s just rumors, but... after Mrs. Johnson announced Lenox as her intern yesterday, a lot of people took it as her picking sides."
Matthew looked at him blankly, letting the silence linger before he said, "She’s always picked sides." He remembered clearly how Mrs. Johnson had favored Catherine. In his past life, the two had grown close, and their relationship continued even after Catherine graduated.
"That’s it, Matthew, that’s what you should be doing, keeping your mouth shut," May said. "Everyone knows that the school will expel you soon for what you did. Once Mrs. Johnson is back with the Principal, you’re done for!"
Another snort cut through the air.
Matthew didn’t bother checking who it was from. His mind had been scattered ever since he heard the news about Jerome. Even now, he couldn’t shake the memories that had resurfaced back at the shop.
A few students mumbled under their breath about how he was just pretending to be cool. That he was putting on a front. That he was full of himself. Again, Matthew ignored them.
Meanwhile, Teddy looked like he was about to say something, probably to defend Matthew again, but the classroom door opened before he could speak.
Their proctor walked in—another professor from the college division, sharp-eyed and brisk in her steps. But this time, she wasn’t alone.
Principal David Wilson followed behind her. And right beside him was Mrs. Johnson.
Matthew leaned back in his chair and exhaled through his nose, the corner of his mouth twitching upward.
Did Lenox and Catherine really think he would just let yesterday slide?
Matthew’s fingers tapped lightly against the desk as he stared ahead. He knew exactly how this school worked—who pulled the strings, who whispered in whose ears.
Lenox was already deeply rooted here. Connections, reputation, and faculty support. All of it. And this was all Matthew’s fault. He made everyone think that Lenox was the heir of the Lindberg Family.
To stop that, Matthew hadn’t said a word yesterday. He let them talk. Let them assume.
Because that’s what people like Lenox did best—celebrate too early.
And if Lenox truly believed that little stunt in front of everyone was enough to bury him, then he was dumber than Matthew gave him credit for. Of course, rumors would spread by morning. That was the point.
It only made what came next easier.
"This place is weird," the ghost girl whispered, still floating beside him. She had been quiet until now, listening in like she belonged. "Very... very weird. I don’t like it here."
Matthew turned his out entirely and focused on the front of the classroom.
"Settle down, everyone," Principal Wilson said, stepping forward. The room quieted immediately.
His gaze scanned the rows of students before briefly landing on Matthew. Then he continued, "I’m here to provide a brief update on the events from yesterday."
"Well... Mrs. Johnson?" Principal Wilson said as he looked at Mrs. Johnson.
In response, Mrs. Johnson lowered her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t speak.
Principal Wilson didn’t wait. "Yesterday was a misunderstanding," he said as his gaze moved across the room. "After reviewing the hallway surveillance and gathering testimony, we’ve confirmed that Mr. Matthew Lindberg did not push Mr. Lenox."
A low murmur passed through the room. Matthew didn’t react. He sat still, back straight, eyes locked on the front. Meanwhile, Mrs. Johnson’s face went on a scenic color tour—red, white, and then green, like a malfunctioning traffic light. Matthew squinted at her and thought, "She really does look like a parrot. A very angry, overcaffeinated parrot."
Then Principal Wilson shifted his attention to the woman beside him. "The faculty and staff owe Mr. Lindberg a formal apology," he continued. "It was a mistake to make assumptions before reviewing the facts. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Johnson?"