Let Them Get Caught

The day before the college entrance exam, Queenie Shaw, the school belle, sent a text to everyone in class. "I put some notes in all of your stationery cases, guys. All for a better future. You're welcome." In my previous life, I persuaded and advised everyone not to cheat. Although they were far from happy, they caved and tossed the notes out. The proctor went for a thorough check the next day. Only Queenie was caught. As a result, her results were voided, and she was banned from the college entrance exam for three years. The whole class cried and thanked me for saving them. When it was time to check our results, the whole class stripped me naked, tied me up, and angrily tossed me onto the highway. I pleaded for their mercy, but Michael Slim, my childhood friend, kicked me away in disgust. "I bet you snitched to the proctor and got Queenie caught. She was so heartbroken that she ran into oncoming traffic and died! "Everyone's decided that you will pay with your own life too!" A zooming truck crushed me under its wheels. Chunks of my flesh and bone were embedded so deeply in the road that they couldn't piece me back together. The trauma hit my parents hard, and they died soon after. My eyes snapped open, and I found myself standing before the exam hall entrance. I didn't waste a second to leave the group chat. This time, I couldn't care less what my so-called classmates did. They could cheat and get themselves caught for all I cared. Chapter 1 Not Helping Again Queenie was spamming the group chat with a slew of emojis. "I had to tap into a lot of connections for those notes. I heard they've pinned down questions that'll show up in the college entrance exam." Our classmates gasped in astonishment and gratitude. "Oh, my god, you're an angel, Queenie. The exam's tomorrow, and you're still helping us out." They kept singing Queenie's praises. Not a single one of them stopped to think about how serious the consequences would be if they were caught cheating on their college entrance exam. Regardless, I kept my head down and pretended not to hear them. I was busy cramming when someone smacked my desk. Michael looked impatient as he snapped, "What are you up to this time, Josephine? Queenie helped us get the answers, yet you left the group? She asked me if you hated her, and now she's crying because of you!" Our classmates started criticizing me, saying I was giving Queenie attitude. I couldn't help but be reminded of what happened before I died in my previous life. Michael had cursed me then, saying I betrayed Queenie. Everyone else was bobbing their heads like chickens. When the truck crushed me under its wheels, they stood nearby and watched everything unfold. They even remarked that I died too quickly. As if that weren't enough, they lied to my parents after my death, telling them I messed with some random, seedy guys and drank too much before I wobbled onto the highway. My parents refused to believe them. Alas, the grief hit them hard, and they both died from heart attacks. I had stopped these ungrateful wolves from cheating out of kindness. Yet, all I got out of it was my family's destruction. Well, no more. I clenched my fists as I swore to myself that I wouldn't make the same mistake this time around. Still, I hung my head low and murmured quietly, "college entrance exam ban cheating." Michael suddenly huddled closer and growled in a low, fierce tone only we could hear, "I killed you once, and I can do it again. Don't try anything stupid. Don't even think about snitching." I jerked my head up and stared at him in disbelief. So, he had returned as well. Michael pulled the tearful Queenie into his arms, looking at her with the joy of someone finding the most precious thing he'd lost. They weren't even putting on an act anymore. I sneered and sorted out the things I would need for the exam. The student athlete noticed the lack of notes in my stationery case, and they gasped, "Where are your notes, Josephine?" I looked them in the eye and spoke with a deadpan look on my face. Chapter 2 Warning "I'm a coward. Besides, the exam hall's rules aren't there just for fun, you know. So, I threw the notes away." Some of my classmates were starting to hesitate, wondering if they should follow the rules as I did. Michael sneered before they could come to a decision, saying, "There's no way they'll be checking. After all, we're from the honours class. The state's hoping there'll be some top scorers among us so they can latch on to our fame and brains. "Even if we're caught, I'm sure they'll pretend it never happened since everyone's cheated, too. She's just stupid enough to say no to a perfect score. Just think about it. We might get interviewed if our entire class scores well. We'll be famous right after we finish the exam!" Queenie was quick to back him up, insisting, "We'll be famous and have a bright future. That'll make all of us elites." Then, she added pitifully, "Maybe Josephine doesn't want us to score better than her and strip her of the state's top scorer title. That's why she's threatening us with the exam hall rules." The hesitation in my classmates' eyes vanished. Instead, it was replaced by greed. Michael and Queenie had convinced them to take the leap of faith. I turned to stare at Michael in disbelief. In my previous life, he was the first to hug me after we left the exam hall. "Thank you for stopping me from cheating. I nearly ruined my life. You saved me." I thought he was just tempted by the devil and wanted to cheat because he was worried he might flunk the whole thing. Now that I knew the full picture, perhaps this had been what he truly had in mind all along. That speech they gave consolidated everyone's decision. Some even shot me a look of disdain, as if I was getting in their way to success. Michael looked even more smug. "See? No one will be taking your side this time, and I'll be keeping a close eye on you. You won't be able to snitch this time around!" I shrugged nonchalantly. I couldn't care less about this whole class of ungrateful souls. It was a pity that he was so sure that I had snitched to the proctor in our previous life. He was so certain that he figured that things would work out perfectly this time around if he kept a close eye on me. Everyone else started packing up and carefully tucked the notes away. Michael and Queenie thought they'd achieved their goal, and their lips curled with confidence. It was then that our homeroom teacher, Ms. Erin Lawson, came running in, huffing and puffing. "Students, please check your stationery cases to see if you've brought anything unrelated to the exam. Do not bring anything irrelevant into the hall. "Be warned that you'll be punished severely if you're caught cheating during the college entrance exam!" Everything stiffened upon hearing her warning. Michael was the first to snap out of it and promptly started roaring at me, "I thought you'd seen sense, Josephine! I can't believe you snitched again! You went to the homeroom after I stopped you from snitching to the proctor? Do you hate us scoring better than you that much?" The others frowned and grumbled as well. "I can't believe she's so selfish. It's fine if she doesn't want to use the notes, but why's she being such a pest about it?" "Honestly, Queenie went through hoops to get us those notes. I bet she's worried she might not be the top scorer, just like what Michael said." Erin immediately knew something was up. Her eyes swept across the room full of frustrated faces as she demanded, "What do you mean she snitched? And how are you so sure you'll score high? What did you do?" Michael snickered. "Don't cover up for Josephine, Ms. Lawson. I bet she snitched so you'd check us!" Erin frowned. "What? This has nothing to do with her. They're checking thoroughly for any form of cheating this year. That's why I came all this way to warn you!" That hit everyone where it hurt most. Chapter 3 Unrepentant Someone furtively tucked their stationery cases away, while others looked away from Erin. Erin had been teaching for a long time, so their reactions told her that her students were planning to cheat. Even so, it didn't make her any less shocked. "You all hid something in your cases? Who? How many of you, and who proposed this?" Queenie stepped onto the podium and beamed. "I proposed it. And I was fair about it too. So, everyone in this class has it, but Josephine was too foolish to accept my help. Don't worry. It'll work in your favor if we score high. Just get ready for the interview, Ms. Lawson." Erin grabbed Queenie and shouted, "You're planning to cheat? What are you thinking? It doesn't matter if you flunk the college entrance exam, but your entire life will go up in smoke if you get caught cheating!" Queenie's eyes went red, and she put on the look of a hurt cat. "I just want the class to score well." Michael couldn't stand seeing her cry. So, he stepped forth and pulled Queenie behind him. "We're honors class students, Ms. Lawson! You can't reprimand us right before the big day! You might make us lose confidence!" The other students swiftly defended Queenie. "Yeah! There's nothing wrong with her caring about our scores. You should be thanking her, not yelling at her!" "She's getting evaluated, too. I bet she's just like Josephine, worried that Queenie might steal her thunder!" Those people started praising Queenie for being thoughtful. Erin's eyes went wide with disbelief. "This is the college entrance exam! If you get caught cheating, it'll be a stain on your academic record, and you'll be banned from taking the exam ever again!" Michael sneered. "We won't get caught if Josephine keeps her trap shut. There's no way the proctor would go against a whole honors class." Erin was so overwhelmed by anger that she nearly couldn't form a coherent sentence. Eventually, she spat, "You think the proctor cares if you're an honors class student? They only care about fairness!" Michael retorted matter-of-factly, "You should be hoping that we'll score well. So, why are you stopping us from doing just that? I bet you're working with Josephine to make sure she's the top scorer!" I had to silence the bubble of laughter creeping up my throat. I could barely believe that this big idiot thought his plan would work perfectly if I were excluded from the equation. Erin sensed that there was no reasoning with this bunch of unruly kids. So, she tried to take their stationery cases. "Open them up! I'm going to check them!" To her surprise, the whole class refused to listen to her. In their eyes, they were sure that Erin and I were in cahoots to stop them from scoring well, and they didn't hesitate to vent their displeasure. "You're a failure of a teacher! You've been controlling us for three years, and now you won't even let us take the college entrance exam how we want? Who do you think you are?" "It doesn't matter if we flunk it or if we get caught! We can make our own decisions!" Erin couldn't believe that her usually brilliant students would say something so foolish. She went red with rage and disappointment. Alas, she was so worked up that she couldn't voice her grievances. … Meanwhile, Queenie smiled at Erin and me smugly now that she'd achieved her goal. Michael even wagged his notes challengingly at our faces and turned around, gathering the class for a karaoke session to wind down. Everyone else agreed and left despite Erin's vehement protests. I watched them leave and felt nothing at all. Their fates would be sealed the moment we stepped into the hall, as every unauthorized item that was brought into the exam hall would be seen as a tool for cheating. I was well aware of that because the proctors had meticulously checked everyone's stationery cases right after the papers were distributed in my previous life. Chapter 4 Not Happening That massive venue would no longer be an exam hall, but a personal hell they had opened up for themselves. They crawled out of it unscathed in my previous life thanks to my warning, but they no longer had a naive goodie-two-shoes to save them this time. Erin was pale as a ghost, her eyes wide as she watched them bounce away. She turned to look at me with eyes filled with hopelessness. "They're brilliant students. How did this happen, Josephine?" I shook my head and offered her a comforting pat on the shoulder. The school offered the honors class a lot of privileges. We could have our meals earlier than the other classes, and our food and accommodation were the best among them. The entire school's respect and admiration for them eventually got into their heads, making them believe that scores were everything. Alas, they had completely forgotten that the first thing about being a student was to learn to be an upstanding citizen. The senior honors class didn't care about things they'd deemed frivolous. Since they refused to listen to advice, then perhaps a painful lesson ought to be in order. … The next day came. Before the exam, I checked my stationery case for anything that was against the rules and regulations. Once I was sure there weren't any, I calmly went past the first inspection point and entered the hall. My eyes met Michael's the moment I did. He was in the first row. The karaoke session lasted all night, so he and the other classmates looked exhausted. It seemed that he still remembered that he had Queenie's notes to help him cheat, so he gave me a challenging look. We grew up together, so I knew just what was going on in his head. He thought everyone could score better than me now that I couldn't snitch to the proctor. This was my second life, and playing childish games with him was not on my agenda. I moved my gaze elsewhere and took my seat. The exam for the first subject would be beginning soon, so the proctors efficiently distributed the papers. Someone was pleasantly surprised, and they whispered, "They're the same! I love you, Queenie." Everyone had confident smiles painted across their lips. It seemed that they were already envisioning a future where they would be a whole class of top scorers. To their surprise, the proctor cleared his throat and announced, "Students, please place your stationery case on the corner of your desk. We'll need to check them." The air itself seemed to freeze, and only dead silence remained. Michael glared at me without thinking as he mouthed, 'You're dead!' Sadly, he didn't have time for me. The proctor was already picking up his case. So, he quickly pressed his case back down on the table and questioned sharply, "Why the sudden inspection? Do you not trust us? We're from the honors class!" Queenie quickly chimed in, "Yeah! What if you hurt our confidence? That's worth more than your paycheck!" The other classmates didn't want to be caught either, so they swiftly joined in on the cacophony of noises. They were protesting so much that it was as if the proctor was evil incarnate. The proctor merely looked at them, bemused. "I don't care who you are, and I'm definitely not paid to care. My job is to keep things fair in the exam hall! If it pleases you to know, we had an internal meeting a week ago, and we've decided that there'll be a thorough inspection this year. This is protocol!" Then, the proctor looked around, suspicion filling his eyes. "Sit down! We'll be checking your cases now!" The students who brought Queenie's notes in couldn't hide their nervousness, and their faces went white with panic. The proctor saw through their badly veiled calm immediately, and an icy expression filled his face. So, he spoke to his colleague. "Tell the other proctors and the cops that I suspect that there's a case of group cheating here."