From Exile To Queen Of Everything - Chapter 48: Chapter 48

"It's not mine. I was just helping—" Amber was about to blurt out Mia's name, but then she remembered what Mia had said. She'd promised to keep it secret. She couldn't betray her friend.
One of the girls sneered, "So it wasn't you who wrote it? Amber, we thought you were just academically challenged, but it turns out you're morally bankrupt. Adrian would never like someone like you, so just give up already."
Amber stammered helplessly. Just then, Adrian finished packing his books and stood up.
"Sorry, Amber. At this crucial time, we should be focusing on our studies. I can't accept this letter. Please return it to its owner," Adrian said, his tone polite but distant.
Amber watched Adrian walk away, clutching the envelope as she prepared to leave the classroom herself.
'I really messed things up. I'm so sorry, Mia,' Amber thought, guilt weighing heavily on her heart.
"Hey, Amber. Since you claim you didn't write this letter, why not open it up and prove your innocence to us?" a girl suggested.
Amber ignored them and snarled, "Get the hell out of my way."
"Amber, how shameless can you be? Writing a love letter to Adrian? Seriously, know your place. Someone like you isn't even worthy. Adrian and Claire are a perfect match. You don't stand a chance."
"That's right. A loser like you dreaming of being with the top student? Did your parents teach you nothing?"
"Amber, if I were you, I'd have dropped out already. At least I have some dignity, unlike you, still showing your face around here."
"Shut up. I didn't write this letter. I'm just the messenger," Amber snapped. She clutched the letter so tightly her knuckles turned pale, her eyes blazing with fury.
"Then who are you delivering this for?"
"Name the person and we'll let you go. Did a bottom-feeder from Class 10 really think you could just waltz into Class 1?"
Amber clenched her fists, her eyes flashing with a fierce intensity, ready to pounce.
"What do you want from me?" Amber snapped. "If you don't get out of my way right now, don't blame me for what happens next."
"Amber, we won't budge. What can you possibly do to us? This is Class 1 territory. You barged in here. Don't make us report you to the teacher and see what she'll do to you."
"I heard she's filthy. We should all keep our distance. Who knows what kind of diseases she might spread?"
"Yeah, exactly."
"What's going on here?" A gentle voice rang out. A long-haired girl walked in, arms full of books. When she saw Amber, a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes.
Claire set her stack of books down with practiced grace, her tone polite but unmistakably cold. "What's going on here? Amber, you're not from Class 1. What are you doing in our classroom? Leave immediately."
"Claire, you can't just let her go so easily. Do you even know what she just did? She actually wrote a love letter to Adrian."
"I've never seen anyone so shameless. Does she actually think she's in Adrian's league? Please, someone like her can barely write her name, and she dares to write a love letter?"
"And the worst part? She keeps denying it. If you didn't write it, Amber, then who did?"
Claire sighed in exasperation, "Amber, with just a few months left before the SATs, at such a critical moment, shouldn't we all be focusing on our studies?
"As the lowest-ranked student in the whole school, who even turns in blank test papers, are you trying to drag Adrian down with you with this kind of behavior?"
"I didn't. I told you, this love letter isn't mine," Amber shouted desperately.
Claire was utterly disappointed in Amber, seeing that she was still trying to argue her way out of it. She said coldly, "Still lying through your teeth, Amber?
"Fine, open that letter right now and show us the signature on the envelope. If it really isn't yours, I'll personally apologize and make sure you walk out of Class 1 unharmed."
Amber clutched the envelope tightly in her hands. 'I can't let them find out,' she thought desperately.
"This is my business, none of yours. Get lost," Amber snapped, turning on her heel to leave.
Suddenly, a pair of hands shot out from nowhere, snatching the love letter from Amber's grasp, tearing it open immediately.
"Give it back to me, you bunch of jerks," Amber shouted, burning with rage. She lunged forward to snatch it back, but was blocked by the girls in front of her.
"Everyone, look. She still won't admit it. Amber, see? It's got Adrian's name on it. Let me read it out loud for you all," a girl said.
She cleared her throat and began to read in a mocking tone, "Dear Adrian, I really like you. I fell in love with you at first sight.
"I know we face new obstacles that seem insurmountable. Oh, wait? She can't even spell obstacles right. And for insurmountable, she wrote it wrong too. What a masterpiece. Come check this out, everyone."
Amber had never endured such humiliation before. Gnashing her teeth in fury, she lunged at the ringleader, who was laughing mockingly, and swung a heavy punch straight at her face.
"Oh my god. She's attacking. Get the teacher."
"Amber, are you out of your mind? How dare you hit her? You've gone too far."
"I'll beat you bitches to death," Amber snarled, showing no mercy as she yanked the girl violently.
Claire's face hardened in disbelief at how things had escalated.
In a cold, commanding voice, she snapped, "Stop this instant, Amber. You're completely out of line. Do you even realize where you are? The teacher will be here any minute."
Amber had finally had enough. Suddenly, she swung her arm and slapped Claire hard across the face.
'If she hadn't run her mouth, none of this would've happened,' Amber fumed inwardly. 'All I wanted was to help Mia deliver a letter. They pushed me too far.'
Claire was left dazed by the slap, a vivid red handprint blooming on her cheek. The burning pain made her completely lose control.
Claire no longer cared about her image or dignity. Her mind was consumed by a single, raging fire of anger.
"Amber, you damn bitch. How dare you hit me? I'll beat you to death," Claire screamed. With a shriek of fury, she lunged at Amber, and the two became a tangle of scratching nails and pulling hair.
Amber shoved Claire aside. She tumbled between the desks and got stuck, unable to get out.
Amber specifically targeted the girls who had mocked her, landing blows squarely on each of them. By the time a classmate ran to get the teacher, every one of those girls bore visible marks on their faces.
Some of the girls couldn't take the pain and burst into tears.
Amber's face was contorted with fury, her teeth clenched like a cornered wildcat ready to strike.
Mia rushed over, panic in her voice. "Amber, are you hurt? Oh god, your face? It's injured. Are you alright?"
Mia shot Amber a worried look, silently willing her to snatch back the envelope. But before she could act, the Class 1 homeroom teacher, Wendy, loomed over them, her voice sharp with authority. "Hand over that envelope now."
Amber didn't want to hand it over, but the next instant, the teacher snatched it right out of her hand. "All of you to the office. Now."
Amber followed them, but Mia suddenly grabbed her arm, her eyes full of worry. "Amber, is this all my fault? Maybe I should go talk to Wendy instead. I'll explain everything. It's all on me. You shouldn't have to deal with this."
Amber knew Mia's family was struggling financially, and her parents had high expectations. Even a minor mistake would earn her harsh reprimands.
She patted Mia's shoulder reassuringly. "Mia, it's okay. Don't worry. I won't tell them you did it. This is on me. I messed up. If you really took the blame for me, I'd feel guilty."
'I let Mia down by not finishing the task. I can't let her bear the consequences for my mistake,' Amber thought. Amber always took responsibility for her actions.
Wendy snapped, "Why did you start this fight? Explain yourself."
"Wendy, I swear it was Amber who started it. We didn't even do anything at all. She just lunged at us out of nowhere and started hitting us. It hurts so much."
"Exactly, Wendy. All we did was catch her trying to give Adrian a love letter, and she completely freaked out and attacked us. Look. She even scratched my neck."
"Claire was just trying to calm her down, but Amber wouldn't listen. She straight up slapped Claire across the face."
Just then, Claire stormed in, her face flushed with fury. "Amber, have you lost your damn mind? How dare you hit me."
Wendy was furious. "Amber, first you neglected your studies, and now you're caught up in puppy love and even assaulting your classmates? This is unacceptable. Get your guardian here immediately."
Wendy turned to Claire and ordered, "Go get Susan now."
"Yes, ma'am," Claire replied promptly.
Amber clenched her fists stubbornly and snapped, "I won't call anyone. They started it with their insults, and that's why I hit them. They totally had it coming."
Bang. Wendy brought her palm down hard on the desk. "Amber, you're utterly incorrigible. How dare you defy my orders? You have no say in this."
Amber clenched her jaw, saying nothing.
Susan rushed in. "What happened? What's going on here?"
Wendy was furious. "Susan, this is your student. How do you even manage her? Her grades are already terrible, but today she barged into my class to act up.
"She wrote love letters to my student and even assaulted the girls. This isn't over. I'm calling her guardian and informing the principal. She is completely out of control, wild and untamed. Does she look like a student?"
Susan stepped forward to shield Amber. "Yes, Amber, you did go a bit too far today. Fighting is wrong. But there must be reasons behind this. Amber, tell us how the argument started. Why did you hit them?"
Amber looked up at Susan, biting her lower lip. "They insulted me first, and I threw the punches. I'll answer for my own actions. No need to call my guardian; I'll bear all the consequences myself."
Wendy could barely suppress a scornful laugh when she heard this. "You? Take responsibility? Dream on. I haven't seen a single redeeming quality in you—just arrogance and self-importance, over and over.
"Take responsibility? With what? Mark my words, Amber. If you're not expelled for what happened today, count yourself lucky. Just wait. The principal will be here any minute."
Susan demanded, "What exactly did you say to Amber that made her resort to violence against you?"
The girls who got beaten stammered for a moment before selectively recounting the incident, emphasizing how Amber had attacked them.
"Amber, I'll be calling your sister. All involved parents will handle this matter," Susan announced. She rubbed her temples in frustration.
Jocelyn bolted straight to the school office after receiving the call.
Just thinking about Jocelyn gave Susan a sinking feeling in her gut. 'With such a negative influence at home, how could Amber not be affected?' she wondered.
Susan decided to contact Amber's parents and ask them to come. "Hello? Is this Mr. Hart? I'm Amber's teacher. She—"
Aiden hung up the phone and glanced at the doorway. Linda still hadn't returned, so he called Sienna.
Lana answered the call. The moment she heard that Amber was in trouble at school, she immediately reported it to Sienna.
Sienna said, "Let's go. We're heading there right away."
Lana replied promptly, "Right away, Ms. Enna."
Jocelyn was the first to arrive at the office. Spotting Amber, she immediately strode over and pulled her into a protective embrace.
Staring down everyone in the room, Jocelyn demanded fiercely, "Who did this? Who dared lay a hand on Amber?"
"So, you're her sister? Let me be clear. This is extremely serious. Not only did she assault my students, but she's also involved in puppy love. Worse still, she refuses to apologize. I now have grave concerns about her behavioral issues," Wendy said sternly.
Jocelyn scoffed coldly, "Are you even qualified to teach? Amber would never hit anyone for no reason. If she hit them, they absolutely deserved it.
"Just look at her face. She got hurt, too. You all ganged up on her. I'm calling the police. This is clearly bullying."
"What's your attitude? Her mistake is right there for everyone to see, and you still—" Wendy was furious.
"Amber, don't worry. I know it's all their fault. We're not apologizing for anything," Jocelyn reassured her firmly.
Susan rubbed her temples. Jocelyn was utterly unreasonable.
"Who do you think you're talking to? Amber hit my daughter. This isn't over. You're paying for this, and I'm reporting it to the principal to get Amber expelled."
"Exactly. Where's the justice? Just look at my daughter's face. She's practically ruined it."
Jocelyn shot them a disdainful look. "What's that got to do with us?"
"Y-You're being completely unreasonable."
"We demand accountability. Where's the principal? We want him to handle this personally, or no one's getting any peace at this school."
Jocelyn ruffled Amber's hair and scoffed, "So what? Do you really think Amber gives a damn about this dump of a school? Let me make this clear. Even if Amber never sets foot in here again, she'll still be way above your league."
Jocelyn gently told Amber, "Don't be afraid, Amber. With me here, worst case, you will just drop out of this school. Your happiness is what matters most. No one can threaten you."
Amber nodded hard. No matter what happened, Jocelyn would always have her back.
"Thank you, Jocelyn," Amber whispered.
"Jocelyn, this isn't the proper way to handle this situation. We need to get to the bottom of what happened," Susan reasoned.
Jocelyn lifted her chin and declared loudly, "What's there to figure out? It's crystal clear they're the ones at fault. If you expect us to apologize, in your dreams, no way that's happening.
"Even if Amber has to leave this school, I won't let my little sister suffer any injustice."
Amber's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Jocelyn, deeply moved.
"Amber, let's go," Jocelyn said firmly, grabbing Amber's hand and pulling her toward the door.
Wendy was appalled by Jocelyn's disgraceful behavior. Fuming, she snapped and delivered a harsh warning. "Stop right there. Make no mistake. If you step out that door, Amber will be expelled immediately.
"The SATs are just days away; if she leaves now, this will ruin her academic future."