But Citrine had overtaken her with almost no effort at all-she''d scored more than twenty points higher, winning first ce as if it were nothing.

Jete felt utterly humiliated as the runner-up. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Aline watched her daughter''s furious expression, lost in thought for a moment.

Suddenly, old memories surfaced. Her voice grew cold as she asked, "Jete, do you remember why none of the other kids your age liked Citrine when you were little?"

Jete didn''t think much of it-she scowled and spat out, "It''s her own fault. She was always stealing the spotlight. No wonder she never had any friends."

Aline smiled faintly but said nothing.

Her Jete was still too young. Too innocent.

But Aline knew better.

Even as a child, Citrine had been shockingly smart. She taught herself how to solve math puzzles meant for much older students; by kindergarten, she was breezing through grade school material, and by grade school, she could handle middle school coursework without breaking a sweat.

Who could possibly like someone so extraordinary?

No one wanted to be the "idiot friend" standing next to a prodigy.

A retired professor from Crestwood University had once evaluated Citrine this way: "She has an exceptional intellect and rare emotional intelligence—a true prodigy. But prodigies are fragile. If she''s protected, there''s no limit to how far she could go."

Someone so dazzling as a child wouldn''t simply fade into the crowd as she grew up.

Whether Citrine had been hiding her abilities these past six months, or whether her top score was just a fluke, one thing was certain: this girl couldn''t be allowed to stay.

Aline nced at her daughter, reaching over to gently pat her head in reassurance. "Don''t worry, Jete. I''ll take care of this for you."

She would personally remove anyone who dared stand in their way.

After a few more words offort, Aline checked the time and said, "Alright, calm down. Don''t let your father see you like this."

At the mention of Sawyer, Jete did her best to smooth her expression.

Still, she couldn''t let this go.

The next day at lunch, Jete made a point of bringing up the whole thing in front of Clifford and his two buddies.

Clifford, a notorious troublemaker in their grade, was famous for breaking rules— smoking behind the gym, sneaking drinks, picking fights. He never cared about honor rolls or star students.

But even he knew that Citrine was usually near the bottom of the sophomore ss-just like him, always bringing up the rear.

And now, she''d somehowe in first.

When he heard Jete''s story, Clifford nearly choked on his food, barely managing to swallow before blurting out, "Wait...are you serious?"

Jete nodded, looking as if she''d been wronged.

She let out a sigh, feigning nonchnce. "My sister was always near the bottom, but somehow on this monthly test, she scored more than twenty points higher than me. I just don''t get it."

"She must be really something," Jete added, her voice tinged with sarcasm. Clifford narrowed his eyes. He''d always known Jete was top of their ss. No way Citrine could beat her by that much.

He didn''t even hesitate: "She must have cheated. No other way."

Laird, still sore from the p he''d gotten from Citrinest time, nodded eagerly. "Yeah, Jete, she''s just jealous of you. She cheated to get ahead of you- that''s gotta be it."

"Don''t worry, Jete," Laird said, thumping his chest. "I''ll make her apologize to you. Promise."

He still remembered how Citrine had lost her temper before. If she saw him today, she''d definitely regret it.

In his mind, Laird was already plotting exactly how he''d make Citrine pay when she finally had to say she was sorry.