Chapter 12 The Unlucky Fool Turned Out to Be Me

+8 Pearls

Jean suddenly sneezed in the middle of ss.

She rubbed her nose.

Who the hell was btalking /bbtrash /babout her?!

“Everyone, I’ve got something to announce”

Lacey stepped up to the podiuin, wearing her usual pleasant smile. Her gaze swept across the ssroom. “As you all know, the finals for the Hope bCup /bareing up. We’ve been preparing for a long time, but right now…. we’re short on people.”

Lacey was the bss /barts brep/b, and the full name of the Hope Cup was-

The Hope Cup National Youth Drama Competition.

It was a bmajor /bevent on the national level. bWinning /ba priz bbut /bbalso /ba big bonus for college applications,

a prize in the Hope Cup meant not just hefty rewards from the school,

Because of that, nearly every student was eager to join. Tons bsigned /bup, hoping to get on stage.

Of course, thepetition was brutal. After several intense rounds, most had already been eliminated. But somehow, bLacey /bhad led her bss /ball the way to the finals.

They’d been preparing for their performance for weeks.

“Short on people? Like backstage help: Or do you mean performers?” someone asked right away.

Lacey smiled gently. “We’re short one actor for the stage y.”

That got everyone’s attention. The ssroom stirred with excitement.

This was a huge opportunity. If they got lucky band /bfilled that one spot, they’d get to perform in the finals–maybe even snag ba /bprize. And that meant sharing in the glory.

Jean yawned.

The Hope Cup! This wasn’t even a major plotline in the book.

bWhat /bwas the point of transmigrating into a novel if the plot kept tossing her into uncharted territory?

“Lacey, you know I’ve got great stage presence. Want me to take the role?”

Someone raised their hand, volunteering right away.

The others weren’t babout /bto sit back and blose /bthe chance. The room turned chaoticb. /b

“Wait, that actually sounds bfun/b! I bwant /bin too!”

“Larry, bpick /bmet I’ll y anything. I won’t bhold /byou back.”

Larry pressed her lips together, clearly trying to hold something bback/b. Then she said seriously, “We need someone to by /b”

7:40 PM bc /b

Chapter 12 The Unlucky Fool Turned Out to Be Me

After all, she was twenty–nine years old now.

Competitions, stage ys.. those were bthings /bshe might’ve cared about in a different lifetime.

“bWait/b, can’t you just use a prop tree? Does someone really need to act

xact it on

“Seriously, making someone y a btree/b? bThat’s /bjust humiliating.”

“Uh I take back what I said earlier. I hate tre

trees. I’m allergic

“Yeah, bsame/b. Lacey, you should bfind /bsomeone else”

student asked

The bsecond /beveryone realized the “final missing role” was a literal tree, their enthusiasm dried up fast.

Sure, they wanted to win the Hope Cup. But they were still spoiled, prideful teenagers.

ying a tree? Not happening

Lacey seemed to have expected this reaction,

A cold glint flickered briefly in her eyes.

If it wasn’t a tree, would I even need any of you?

She thought it, but h

bher /bface remained pleasant. “Well, since no one’s volunteering, we’ll draw names.

“What? Is that role beven /b

even necessary?”

“And if it is, why does it have to be yed by a person?”

“I hate drawing lots. This is so stressfulb!/b”

48 Pearls

The ss grumbled loudly, but Lacey held her ground. “I’ve already cleared it with the principal. He’s very invested in the finals. The Hope Cup is tied to the school’s breputation/b–and ours. The principal made it clear: anyone who gets picked and refuses will lose out on end–of–term awards and rmendations.”

Jean shook her head.

This Lacey really knew bhow /bto y dirty at her age.

ping band /bcoercion were in full swing.

The guilt–tripping

Larry pulled a small box from under the desk band /bshook it before cing it on the table. “I’ll start now.”

“Please don’t let it be me. I’ll never live it down”

“Why even do bthis /bby drawing lots? Just assign someone and get it over with.”

picked for this trash role. I’m not doing in “

Amidst the chaos, Lacey pulled out a folded white slip of paper.

veryone held

tarah Even

ed over, curious i

ser who the unlucky fool would!

unfolded ther

mauiskly, then flinuri

slow the name written

7:40 PM b& /b

Chapter 12 The Unlucky Fool Turned Out to Be Me

Jean was speechless..

Oh. Fantastic. The unlucky fool turned out to be me. The clown turned out to be me

Everyone else let out a collective sigh of relief, and a few even started grinning.

It was Jean. Thank god it was Jean!

If anyone had to y ba /btree, the quiet weirdo made perfect sense.

?

The mood in the ssroom instantly lightened..

“Perfect choice. No one fits the role better than Jean.”

Someone even pped sarcastically.

“Let’s give it up for our brilliant tree!”

Ahem, can’t wait to see your bincredible /bperformance, Jean!”

“bYou /bshould be grateful byou /beven get to be in the Hope Cup. ying a tree is doing you a favor.”

8 Pearls

Jean stared at the little slip of paper in Lacey’s hand.

Sure, it was possible her name got drawn, but the timing seemed way too convenient.

She wasn’t buying it.

Lacey’s dislike for her bwas /bobvious.

If Lacey wanted to rig a draw, it would’ve been too easy.

Lacey stood tall, taking in themotion like she was watching a bwell/b–directed y. Then she discreetly crushed the paper with Jean’s name in her palm.

That slip hadn’te from the box at all. It had been hidden in Lacey’s hand the whole time.

When she reached in all she did was fake ba /bshuffle while slipping the name hom her palm to her fingers and pulling it out.

She knew no one would want to y a

y a tree.

Even with the principal’s name backing her up, Lacey had no interest in bmaking /benemies out of her well–connected ssmates.

Jean was the only soit target

And conveniently, the one she disliked most.

No way was bshe /bbpassing /bup the chance to humiliate Jean in front of everyone.

at the’d picked her directly, it would’ve been btoo /bbobvious/b. This way, it all looked bfair/b.

Jean, from now on, you’ll need to join bus /bfor rehearsalsTM

arry smiled sweetly at her, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

once was pleasant, but that smile?

It was sharp enough to cut ss.