Chapter 4

"What are you laughing at!" She yelled at the crowd below, then suddenly turned to me, her eyes full of madness.

She pulled out a red marker from her pocket and unscrewed the cap.

"You think you're so tough? You think you can dodge?"

She advanced toward me with the marker raised.

"I'm going to write 'vixen' on your face! I'll make it so you can never wash it off! Let the whole school see what kind of person you are!"

The laughter below stopped abruptly.

People gasped, some shouted that this was too much.

Just as Rebecca Foster's marker was about to touch my cheek, I kicked her to the ground.

Rebecca Foster screamed in pain, her face going pale.

With my other hand, I pulled out my work ID from my pocket and held it in front of her eyes.

"See it clearly now?"

She squinted and leaned closer to look, her eyes suddenly widening.

The work ID clearly read: State Department of Education Deputy Director Lydia Monroe.

Her lips trembled, her face instantly turning deathly pale.

I let go.

Her legs gave out and she collapsed on the ground.

I turned to face the over two thousand students below, holding my work ID high, my voice clear.

"I am the Deputy Director of the State Department of Education, Lydia Monroe."

Complete silence fell over the field.

Zachary Thorne was stunned for three seconds, then he laughed out loud.

"You think we're three-year-olds?"

Rebecca Foster instantly got her energy back.

"Right! Right! That work ID must be fake!"

Zachary Thorne sneered, looking me up and down.

"State Department of Education Deputy Director? How old are you? You look like a teenager. What kind of leader are you pretending to be?"

Rebecca Foster leaned close to my work ID, shaking her head.

"The counterfeiting technology these days is really amazing. It looks quite authentic! If I hadn't seen the real thing, I might have been fooled by you!"

Zachary Thorne shouted to the crowd below.

"Check which class this Lydia Monroe is in!"

The dean of students pulled out a roster and flipped through it, then looked up.

"Mr. Thorne, I've checked. There's no such person."

Rebecca Foster pointed at my nose, her voice shrill.

"I know now! You're a little slut who snuck in from outside the school!"

She got more and more worked up, her voice getting louder.

"You must be from that poor high school nearby! You snuck into our school to seduce boys! I've seen plenty of social scum like you!"

The students below began to stir.

Some whispered to each other, some craned their necks to look at me, and some frowned.

But Rebecca Foster didn't care about any of that.

She got more and more excited.

"Look at her, dressed all proper, but she's actually just a delinquent! Forging work credentials, sneaking into a top high school, specifically targeting good students!"

She turned and shouted at the crowd.

"Security! Where did all the security go? Restrain this little slut!"

The security chief ran onto the stage with two guards.

The three stood beside me but didn't make a move.

Probably because they'd seen me kick Rebecca Foster earlier and weren't confident.

Rebecca Foster leaned close to Zachary Thorne's ear, deliberately raising her voice several levels.

"Mr. Thorne, this kind of social scum, forging credentials, sneaking into school, seducing our top student! Call the police! We must call the police! Send her to juvie!"

Zachary Thorne nodded, pointing at me with an air of righteousness.

"Who are you really? If you don't tell the truth, I'm calling the police right now!"