79 ten steps ahead
“I will show you what’s in my bag, but Mr. Sandford, what consequences would the user get if I prove I didn’t steal anything?”
Penny’s voice<b>, </b>upon asking, was innocent and sweet. But everyone momentarily nked as that didn’t <b>cross </b>their minds until now.
They were all so sure that Penny stole it with witnesses around. Moreover, everything was pointing in her direction.
Miss Sandford sighed because this was what she was thinking before Mr. Anderson barged in. Stealing was a big case and not something to be handled lightly. It was why she wanted Patricia to calm down, because If Patricia simply misced it, then she would also need to face the consequences of using <b>an </b>innocent student.
“Hah!” Mr. Anderson snorted. “Are you still saying you’re innocent when all the evidence points. <b>at </b>you?”
“Mr. Anderson, the eyewitnesses only saw Patricia approach me to wee me to the ss. But <b>no </b><b>one </b><b>saw </b>me snatch anything from her. And also, that one eyewitness who saw mest Friday stay in the ssroom didn’t see me anywhere near Patricia’s desk. Penny frowned while everyone knitted their brows,
The eyewitness scratched the back of his head and said, “Well, that’s kinda true. I only saw her in the ssroom, but she was just at her desk.”
Even <b>so</b><b>, </b>that also didn’t clear up Penny’s name.
“Are you saying you’re not the thief, but someone else?!” Patricia grumbled. “Impossible! Why are you still haggling?! Just show us your bag or your desk if you’re really innocent!”
“Penny, if you’re innocent, then we’d know if it’s not in there,” Nina chimed in worriedly. “Moreover, you’re wasting everyone’s time here. We should be studying, but we cannot because you kept <b>stalling</b>”
Hearing Nina’s remarks, the student’s faces darkened.
“That’s true. We should be having our ss now, but she’s wasting everyone’s time.”
“Even if she stalls<b>, </b>did she think she will salvage the situation?”
“Goodness. How shameless.”
“Well, I’m not the one wasting everyone’s time. After all, <b>I </b>am being dragged through the mud. This is nder and even if I proved my name, the emotional distress of being used may affect my studies. I’m sure the headmaster will not tolerate something like this If he heard that one of his students was used wrongly, and the user got away from it without consequences. This time, Penny’s tone grew firm <b>as </b>she gazed straight at Mr. Anderson. “Mr. Anderson, since you’re a senior teacher, the headmaster surely trusts you to handle this case before it reaches the administration.”
Mr. Anderson’s face contorted as he assessed Penny from head to toe. <i>‘</i>She <i>didn’t </i>have evidence
79 ton steps ahoad
to prove her innocence<b>, </b><i>did </i>she?”
Even if the ne wasn’t in Penny’s bag, that wouldn’t prove she didn’t do it. In his mind, since the incident happenedst week, he could simply use the argument she probably didn’t bring it to school. ncing at the aggrieved Patricia Miller, Mr. Anderson raised his <b>chin </b>high.
<i>‘I </i><i>can’t </i><i>disappoint </i><i>her </i><i>when </i><i>I </i><i>just </i><i>applied </i>to the <i>Miller’s </i><i>to </i><i>be </i><i>their </i><i>children’s </i><i>tutors</i>.‘
“There’s no need for the headmaster to be involved in this! Of course, there will be consequences for Miss Miller if she’s wrong!” Mr. Anderson eximed, giving Patricia al meaningful look. “She will have disciplinary action!”
Patricia frowned in displeasure, but seeing Mr. Anderson give her a reassuring look, she calmed down<b>. </b>There’s <i>no </i>need to be scared. <i>She </i>has it,‘because Patricia was the one who put the ne in Penny’s drawer early this morning. She came to school earlier than usual just for this, after all.
“A disciplinary action?” Penny nodded in understanding. “That’s not bad.”
Being thirteen, consequences like this were already heavy. It was the first offense, so she expected it to be light. The punishment wasn’t Penny’s goal, after all. But it was to discredit. Patricia, so next time she does this, her credibility won’t be as strong as this one.
“Alright!” Penny smiled and faced the ss president. “President, it’s not in my bag”
“That’s for us to judge. Take off your bag”
Penny shook her head. “It’s on my <b>desk</b>.
“Huh?”
“Look. It should be there.” Penny urged and pointed at her desk.
“Hah! So, you did steal it, huh?!” Mr. Anderson harrumphed while Penny stepped aside to give way to the ss president.
All their ssmates also red at Penny, as this was, for them, a form of confession. Even Miss Sandford frowned, but unlike everyone, she was confused at Penny’s ns.
“Is this the ne? the ss president held the ne up.
“That’s it! That’s my ne!” Patricia yelled, and everyone’s frown deepened even more.
“She did steal it.”
“Gosh. I don’t feel safe in this ssroom anymore.”
“How could a thief be proud of what she did?”
<b>“</b>She really is shameless.”
Hearing all of these hushedments, Nina looked around and bit her inner bottom lips. Deep <b>inside</b><b>, </b>she <b>was </b>more than satisfied at the turn of events.
<b>‘</b>Serves her <i>right</i><i>!</i>‘ Nina mentally sneered. Well, even if <i>she </i><i>didn’t </i><b><i>do </i></b>it, she’s a <i>thief </i>for stealing my <i>life</i><i>. </i>I’ll <i>definitely </i><i>tell my </i>brothers and <i>my </i>parents <b>about </b>this. Hah! Let’s <b>see </b>if they can <i>still </i><i>see </i><i>you </i>as their nrecious daughter‘
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“That’s it!” Mr. Anderson erupted. “Youe with me quick! I’ll punish you myself. How could you steal other people’s stuff, huh? Do you think this is a ce where you can bring your bad upbringing?!”
Just as those words slipped past Mr. Anderson’s mouth, the ss president noticed this strange paint on her fingers. “Huh, what’s this?” she studied the ne and saw that the ne had remnants of the same red paint.
“What’s this smell?” the ss president sniffed the ne. “It smells like ink.”
“I’m d you noticed!” Penny smiled and pretended to tip her imaginary sses to look smarter. “Teacher, the reason I stayedst Friday is that I am decorating my drawers to make them look pretty! So when my ssmate saw me, I was painting my drawers with ink!”
Everyone furrowed their brows while Mr. Anderson scoffed.
“So what if that’s what you did?” he sneered. “That doesn’t change the fact that you stole. Patricia’s ne<b>. </b>
“Mr. Anderson, I didn’t steal it. Miss President, I’m sorry that your hands are now tainted<b>, </b>but since it’s alreadye to this, can you please check my desk and the drawers? Used a shlight to see it better” Penny asked, and the president nodded.
The ss president called for one of the ss officers and they quickly came to help. They moved the chair and shed the drawers some light for the president to inspect.
“Huh?” the ss president furrowed her brows as she noticed something-
“Miss President, what did you see?” Penny asked, and the president looked up at her. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.
“There were some more things inside.”
“And<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“From their position, there weren’t any red inks. It was as though it was painted without moving them, so there weren’t any inks underneath them.”
Penny nodded in satisfaction. “How about the ce where the ne was ced?”
The president gazed down again, only to see her own fingerprint. Seeing this, she quickly understood Penny’s argument.
“There’s an ink to where I found it, she said and the entire ss went silent. “It looks like someone just put it there.”
Everyone was confused, although they grasped the conversation.
Penny, on the other hand, nodded in satisfaction. “Patricia, have you seen your hand?”
“Patricia’s hand?” someone in ss murmured and they all inevitably gazed down at Patricia’s hand. They instantly caught some red ink on the back of her hand and some on her fingers. She even had it on her skirt and some on the hem of her blouse.
Patricia quickly looked at her hand, and herplexion instantly paled.
“I wonder…” <b>Penny </b>hummed while tapping her chin. … how did you get that ink in your hand,
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Patricia? Did you touch my things? Or… are you the thief we’ve all been looking for?”
This chapter is a bonus chapter for helping me reach 1000 powerstones! That’s another 500-3
Keep theming.