Chapter 14 Needed to Be Sure
Evelyn and Hannah reached the office where the Bethany waited.
Bethany was pacing back and forth, clearly stressed out. Her face showed more worry than anger.
As soon as she spotted Evelyn, she didn’t scold or accuse her.
“Come here. Evelyn,” she said softly, sounding genuinely concerned.
There was no trace of blame–just the kind of worry someone shows when they really care.
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Bethany always treated Evelyn like one of her own. Now that something had gone wrong, her first reaction wasn’t to get mad -it was fear.
Evelyn stepped forward calmly.
Bethany handed her a copy of the submitted thesis.
It was a total mess. A disaster from the school year–po question abou
Bethany had seen many students gra affect Evelyn’s future.
to finish. If that paper had actually come from Evelyn, she’d be looking at repeating
from Southville University over the years, and she knew just how badly this could
“There’s still time, Bethany urged. If you start rewriting now, you might still make the deadline.”
Evelyn shook her head. “It’s already too late.
Too late?
It wasn’t even close to the defense time. The presentation wasn’t until 2:00 p.m., and it was only 10:00 am. There were still four hours to go
Then Evelyn turned to Hannah. “Where exactly did you hear about this?”
Hannah paused to think. “I was walking past the cafeteria when I overheard a couple people talking. They said your paper was a train wreck and that you copied someone else’s work. They also said Professor Lloyd was furious, so I rushed over to find you
I wasn’t angry!” Bethany cut in, frustrated. “I was just worried.”
Then she stopped, a confused look spreading across her face. “But… I haven’t told anyone yet. I was waiting for Evelyn to show up to class. So how did anyone outside find out?”
Hannah frowned. “I didn’t know the people talking. I think they were from a different department. I guess even students from other programs are gossiping.”
There could only be one reason.
Someone had set this up–and they had made sure the rumor spread fast.
Even if Evelyn rewrote her paper now, everyone would say she rushed to cover it up after getting caught.
People would talk, twist the story, and turn it into something worse.
That alone could ruin Evelyn’s reputation.
Bethany felt her hands grow cold.
Evelyn did you piss someone off?” she asked in a low voice.
This wasn’t just a mistake or some careless error. Someone clearly wanted Evelyn out for good.
Bethany’s thoughts were all over the place, trying to connect the dots, but nothing added up.
Chapter 14 Needed to Be Sure
The more she thought, the more anxious she became.
Meanwhile, Evelyn looked calm. Too calm. There was even the hint of a smile on her lips.
Hannah noticed.
She suddenly remembered what Evelyn had said earlier–about getting ready
for a show.
Curious, she leaned in a little and asked, “You’ve got something planned, don’t you?”
Evelyn gave a small nod.
Then she turned to Bethany and said clearly, “My paper was switched. I’d like permission to search the classroom.”
“Where could you even find proof?”
To Bethany, this sounded ridiculous.
If someone had deliberately switch, they’d have made sure to cover every single trace.
But Evelyn stood there, calm and confident. She leaned in and whispered her plan into Bethany’s ear.
“You’re sure about this?” Bethany still looked uneasy. “If this doesn’t work out, forget about graduating–you might not even get the chance to repeat the year.”
“Don’t worry,” Evelyn reassured her. “I never fight battles I’m not prepared for.”
That was enough for Bethany.
She contacted the class advisor and explained the situation.
It was about a graduation thesis. And since it involved Bethany’s top student being sabotaged, the advisor didn’t hesitate for a second.
Coincidentally, the whole class was gathered for a bacteriology lecture.
Bethany walked into the room with a dark expression. Her voice was steady, but the weight of her words filled the room. “Evelyn’s thesis was switched,” she announced. “According to our judgment, the original must still be here–likely among your belongings. Put your bags down. Step outside and line up. We’ll conduct a search, and once we’re done, you’ll be informed.”
The students had already heard whispers about this.
But the version going around was that Evelyn had plagiarized someone else’s work.
Now, it turned out she was the one being framed.
That changed everything.
With Evelyn suddenly seen as the victim, sympathy kicked in. And so, there was an unspoken agreement among classmates to support her and cooperate with the search.
Everyone placed their bags on the floor and stepped outside.
Bethany stayed inside alone to begin her search.
The rest of the students waited in the hallway.
Evelyn and Hannah stood with them.
Evelyn looked completely heartbroken, sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaking down her face.
Her sorrowful expression tugged at everyone’s heartstrings, and several classmates gathered around to comfort her.
Alice joined them too, playing her part to perfection.
She clenched her fists and said righteously, “Evelyn, if I find out who swapped your thesis, I swear I won’t let them off the
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Chapter 14 Needed to Be Sure
hook I’ll make sure they get expelled
“Really Evelyn looked up, eyes shining with tears, deeply touched.
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“I swear it. In front of the whole class!” Alice nodded solemnly. “Swapping someone’s thesis right before graduation–that’s basically trying to destroy someone’s life. We can’t let a person like that stay in our class!”
With that, Alice successfully riled up the crowd.
A university was a miniature version of society–but it wasn’t quite the real world. Students were still idealistic, still drawn to justice.
In unison, they agreed that whoever did it needed to be held accountable.
Evelyn’s sobs only grew louder.
Right then, Bethany emerged from the classroom holding a crumpled, creased thesis–the original one.
She’d actually found it..
The
The students gasped and rushed over, crowding around her, asking where it had been found.
Bethany’s face was stone cold as she scanned the group. “I’m not going to publicly shame anyone here. But whoever it was come find me before noon today. If you do, I might consider leniency. Evelyn, take your thesis back and recopy it quickly. You still have time to make the defense this afternoon.”
Evelyn sniffled, took the thesis from her, and allowed Hannah to help her walk away.
Bethany called out again, loud and clear, “If no one shows up before noon, then don’t blame me for what comes next.”
The class exchar uneasy glances murmuring guesses, trying to figure out who the culprit might be.
But no matter how they looked at each other, they couldn’t tell.
That day’s lecture had been delayed for nearly half an hour due to the search. The professor decided to end it early.
Everyone scattered.
After seeing what happed to Evelyn, they were suddenly anxious about their own papers and rushed back to double–check everything.
But Alice… Her hands had gone cold.
She stayed frozen in her seat long after the classroom had emptied out.
Finally, she snapped back to reality, stood up, and headed toward the garden behind the school.
She needed to be sure.
Her steps quickened before turning into a full–on sprint.
Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might leap out of her throat.
Once she reached a hidden corner of the garden, she didn’t care about the dirt. She dropped to her knees and began digging through the mess.
She pulled out a handful of torn paper scraps and frantically tried to piece them together on the ground, hoping against. hope that what she feared wasn’t true.
But then–a voice, cool and disappointed, rang out behind her. “Alice, what exactly do you think you’re doing?”
She froze. Turning around in panic, she saw Bethany standing there… along with the entire class.
And among them was Evelyn, smiling quietly.
