I scoffed, "That's unnecessary. If I don't top the class, I'll obey you for the next two years. But if I do, you have to publicly apologize for your past actions."
A bystander posted our exchange on the school forum, and everyone was eagerly waiting for the outcome.
Some were waiting to see me fail, while others, fed up with the assistant's bias, supported me.
I ignored it all.
In my previous life, I studied hard to escape poverty and secure a better future, consistently topping my class.
In this life, I downplayed my abilities initially to avoid the same fate of having my designs plagiarized. I kept my grades average on purpose.
Now that I was forced to reveal my true capabilities, topping the class would be a breeze.
Hearing about my bet, Joel came to comfort me. "Erica, we all know Juliette's level. Don't let the assistant get to you. Apologize to her, or you might really not get your diploma!"
Juliette, on the other hand, was smug. Her head was held high all the time.
Last time, I had overshadowed her in the class beauty contest.
This time, she was ready to crush me with her academic prowess, and she was strutting around with a newfound swagger.