She Called Me a Cheat, But the Principal Begged Me to Enroll Chapter 06
Principal Harris glared at them.Â
“You have two choices.”Â
“First, find a way, any way, to make Ava stay at this school.”Â
“Second, if you cannot do that, pack your things and accept review by the board and HR. During the review period, all of you will be removed from student–facing roles.”Â
The South Suburban satellite campus sat on the farthest edge of Boston.Â
The facilities were old. Admissions were difficult.Â
The commute was brutal.Â
Most positions there were non–teachingÂ
administrative jobs. There was no student–affairsÂ
authority and no influence over collegeÂ
recommendations.Â
No teacher wanted to be sent there.Â
The moment Principal Harris finished speaking,Â
the administrators crowded around me andÂ
begged.Â
“Ava, please don’t make a rash decision. Listen toÂ
Principal Harris and continue studying here.”Â
“Yes. Your old school can’t give you the studios,Â
counselors, track facilities, or college connectionsÂ
Riverton can.”Â
“If you stay here, you can definitely get into RISD,Â
Parsons, maybe even Columbia’s art program.”Â
The words hit wrong.Â
I did not hold back.Â
“My old school did not have good facilities. The studio leaked cold air in winter, and the paint on the track lines had worn away.”Â
“But every teacher there did their job. They knew their students‘ real situations. They knew which division I ran in. They knew what time I trained every day. They knew how much work went intoÂ
every piece in my portfolio.”Â
“At the very least, they would not assume I cheated just because my family is poor. The results I have now came from those responsibleÂ
teachers.”Â
Dean Miller slapped himself across the face.Â
“Listen to me. What nonsense was I saying?”Â
“Yes, yes. Ava’s current results are all thanks to her former school. Ava clearly values the people who helped her. That says a lot about her character. A student like Ava is one in a thousand.”Â
The others piled on, their faces full of flatteringÂ
smiles.Â
“Ava, that is exactly why you should continue studying here and earn even better college admission results. Only then will you have the ability to repay your old school.”Â
“And all of us were deceived by your advisor. You are a reasonable student. You know right fromÂ
wrong.”Â
Seven administrators surrounded me.Â
Madison stood outside the circle, so anxious sheÂ
was almost stomping holes in the floor.Â
She clearly wanted to speak to me, but she had noÂ
chance.Â
When she saw the administrators dump allÂ
responsibility onto her, she finally lost herÂ
composure and shoved through the crowd.Â
“Ava, everything I did was for your own good.”Â
The tears came right on cue.Â
“As your advisor, when I saw a student I caredÂ
about making a mistake, how could I stay silent?”Â
“I pushed you because I thought you could doÂ
better. I wanted you to grow, Ava. That was all.”Â
“You can’t twist the truth and punish me for havingÂ
good intentions. You can hit me or punish me. IÂ
will accept it.”Â
“But please, don’t let everything Principal Harris.Â
has done for you go to waste. He sacrificed soÂ
much for you and for the school.”Â
I heard the meaning under her words.Â
She was begging on the surface and threateningÂ
underneath.Â
If I insisted on leaving, I would become theÂ
ungrateful girl who wasted everything PrincipalÂ
Harris had done for her.Â
But no matter what she said, I found it ridiculous.Â
In my eyes, there were only my portfolio, myÂ
training, and my application materials.Â
I had no interest in campus politics.Â
I turned slightly and looked at Principal Harris.Â
“Now the entire school knows about the raceÂ
cheating accusation. My results were frozen, andÂ
my reputation was ruined. I cannot stay hereÂ
anymore.”Â
“I hope you can respect my decision and allow meÂ
to leave.”Â
Seeing that I had made up my mind, PrincipalÂ
Harris quickly tried to keep me.Â
“I have already thought about it.”Â
“This afternoon, we will hold a schoolwideÂ
assembly. Madison Blake will give a publicÂ
explanation and a formal apology in front of allÂ
faculty and students.”Â
“The school website, the team bulletin board, andÂ
the parent email list will all issue formalÂ
clarifications.”Â
“The registrar will revoke the disciplinary record. The athletics office will publicly release your bib number, chip number, and split timing records.”Â
“The board and HR will step in to investigate asÂ
well.”Â
“I will clear your name.”

