Chapter 62
Raine gritted her teeth in anger at the thought of Nicole’s face. She looked at Gary next to her and saw
that he was tilting his head, looking in Nicole’s direction. This made Raine even angrier.
Gary had been treating her coldly ever since the embarrassment at the café. Although he had finally
allowed her to follow him today, he kept staring at Nicole.
A grim look flashed in Raine’s eyes. But thinking that she was still the one with Gary right now, she took
a deep breath and returned to her usual lovely self. With her sweet voice, she called out to Gary, “Gary, I
don’t understand this math problem taught in the last lesson. Could you explain it to me?”
Gary looked at her with an impatient frown, thinking, ‘Didn’t Mr. Louis explain it to you in the last lesson?
Or you did not listen to him?’
Gary was then reminded of Nicole’s immediate rejection when he volunteered himself to explain the math
problems the other day. Hence, with other intentions in his mind, he picked up a pen and explained the
math problem to Raine.
Raine did not expect Gary to explain the math problem to her willingly. She looked at Gary, whose
expression remained indifferent, and felt proud the moment she heard the envious voice of the other
girls.
Raine then gave Nicole a provocative glance. Gary, on the other hand, quietly looked at Nicole from the
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtcorner of his eyes while explaining the math problem, anticipating her reaction. Unfortunately, Raine and
Gary were both doomed to be disappointed. Nicole had been looking outside the window while fiddling
with a pen between her fingers. She seemed to be deep in thought.
Gary pulled back his gaze with disappointment, and Raine noticed his absent-mindedness. Although she
maintained the smile on her face, she clenched her hands, her fingernails sinking into her skin. ‘It is all
because of Nicole!’
Just then, the school bell rang, and Mr. Louis hurried in with dozens of answer sheets.
Raine smiled when she saw that. ‘I never score lower than 85 marks on tests. No matter how proud
Nicole is, she is incompetent in academics. Let’s see whether Gary will still be interested in you when the
test results are announced!’ Raine looked confidently in Mr. Louis’ direction, her nose in the air.
Mr. Louis wiped the sweat on his forehead. “The test results are out. Most of you have done well,
especially Gary. He has the potential to get the gold medal. At the same time, some did not do well. But
don’t be discouraged. Work harder next time. The next Maths Olympiad competition beckons to you. But
this time, just treat it as extracurricular knowledge. I’m giving you back your answer sheets.”
Raine chuckled. “The one who did not get good grades must be that country bumpkin.’
Mr. Louis said nothing further as he started to return the answer sheets, the first of which was
Gary’s. “Gary Finley, 94 marks. Well done! You are just two marks away from the perfect score. You have
no problem winning the award. Try to aim for the top spot.”
Gary stepped out to take his answer sheet and said no words. However, his eyes were looking at Nicole
pridefully. “Raine Riddle, 91 marks.” Raine could not help but feel ecstatic when hearing that she had
scored above 90 marks. Her test result was just right behind Gary’s. She almost trotted up to get her
answer sheet back and could not hide the pride on her face. Her eyes looking at Nicole were filled with
disdain. The other classmates looked at the two with admiration. “Wow, they scored first and second,
respectively. They are known as a perfect couple for a reason!” The moment Raine heard those words,
she raised her head even higher and sat closer to Gary. “Noah Elliott, 90 marks.”
“Lilly McCarthy, 82 marks.”
The individual test results were announced one after another. But Mr. Louis had yet to mention Nicole’s
name.
‘Nicole had answered every question before submitting her answer sheet, but her name is not mentioned
yet even though it’s approaching the passing mark. In other words, she has likely failed.’ A smile could
not help but creep up Raine’s face when she thought of this. ‘It must be the case. Those from small
towns are just not competitive enough.’ “David Doyle, 60 marks.”
A boy got up and happily took his test paper back. He had just barely passed, saving himself from
embarrassment.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmMr. Louis paused. There was only one answer sheet left in his hand. With only Nicole not receiving her
test paper, it was easy to tell who was that answer sheet’s owner.
Suddenly, all eyes were on Nicole. There were stares of curiosity, contempt, and even schadenfreude.
None showed empathy or sympathy.
Nicole was reading a book with her chin resting on her hand. She did not seem to be bothered by those
stares.
Gary frowned, remembering that Nicole had told himself last time that the questions were too simple.
Little did he expect she would fail the test. ‘What a liar she is.’
Raine also looked at Nicole with a sneer. “I’m surprised that she can still pretend to be calm despite
failing the test.”
Mr. Louis reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He then took the last answer sheet and
announced, “Nicole Wallace, zero mark.”
There was an instant uproar in the classroom. Laughter and loud chatter rose around Nicole. “When I
saw she didn’t pay attention during class last time, I thought she was full of confidence. Little did I expect
her to get zero marks.”
“Exactly. What a funny joke! I wonder what Ms. Emerson was thinking when she let Nicole and Gary join
the competition. Is she trying to make the challenge faced by Gary harder?” “Only people as smart as
Raine deserve to be Gary’s partner. I can’t wrap my brain around why letting Gary pair with such a poor
candidate.”