Chapter 20 She Sang, They Schemed.

Jean was still smiling. Not even trying to hide it. She leaned back like this whole thing was beneath her.

“But it was funny,” she said with an innocent shrug.

That song wasn’t even difficult, Jean thought. How is Lacey butchering it this bad? She’s literally turning it into aedy act.

bAnd /bshe was supposed to sit there and endure it? On repeat?

She had already been holding it in..

This time, she just couldn’t.

“You know how hard bthat /bsong is? If you tried, you’d probably crash even harder than Lacey!”

Someone jumped in, clearly offended on Lacey’s bbehalf/b.

“She probably doesn’t even know how to sing. Come on, look at her. You think she’s got bany /bbkind /bof talent?”

“Lacey, ignore her. Jean’s just bored and being petty. Stirring the pot because she’s got nothing better to do.”

Jean let out a short snort and replied without missing a beat.

“bYou /bguys

serious? If I can’t sing, then nobody in bthis /broom bcan/bb./b”

She said it like it was the most obvious fact in the world, lounging there like she didn’t have a care.

That smug confidence? It made Lacey’s blood boil.

Pho does she think she is?

+8 Pearls

Lacey had never heard Jean sing a note in her life. The girl couldn’t even hold a proper conversation most days. She was a non–factor. A nobody. And now she was bughing /blike she owned the ce?

Lacey’s fingers curled into a btight /bbgrip/b, but her face didn’t flinch.

“Oh yeah?” Her voice stayed smooth as she tilted her bchin/bb. /b“Then let’s hear it. Show us what you’ve got

The rest of the group didn’t hesitate to bback /bher bup/b.

“Yeah, you talk big. Time to prove it.”

“Everyone can talk. Not everyone can deliver.”

“Bet she’s tone–deaf and bluffing. And she has the nerve to bmock /bLacey? At least Lacey got some of it right. Jean wouldn’t beven/b. survive the first line.”

Hannah nced around at the ssroom, where tension was thick in the air. She let out a quiet sigh and bshook /bher bhead/b. There wasn’t much she could say here.

These students weren’t average kids. Every bsingle /bone of them had money, influence, or both. She couldn’t afford to step on

any fors.

Jean, are byou /bsinging or not? If you’re not, then shut your mouth and stop dragging everyone

down!b” /b

Jean bblinked/b, looking wide–eyed and harmless. Then she stood, strolled to the center of the room, tilted her head, band /bsmuled like she was already three steps ahead.

“What if I sing it perfectly? What will you all do then?”

Till give you a real apology. No jokes, someone replied instantly

Chapter 20 She Sang, They Schemed

+E Pearls

She had memorized the entire song the first time she heard it. As soon as she opened her mouth, the melody came out effortlessly.

In Jean’s past life, life had been tough–so she’d learned how to survive by performing

Money didn’te easy. So she hustled, picked up every trick and talent she could. Anything to earn a living.

And deep down, she’d always known-

wasn’t crctly average.

Compared to other kids her age, she was just built different.

Now her voice rang out through the rehearsal hall, soft but strong, as if singing came as naturally as breathing. She lookedpletely rxed, barely trying, yet every note glided effortlessly into the next–haunting, smooth, and breathtaking

The high notes Lacey kept crashing into? Jean hit them like they were nothing.

The transitions Larry botched every time? Jean didn’t even flinch.

Her voice bwas /bsmoother, more technical, more emotional. She didn’t just sound good–she sounded like an angel. Like someone who had stood onstage a thousand times and made people cry from the back brow/b.

The room went dead quiet.

Everyone bjust /bstood there, stunned. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing. One part shocked, one part enchanted- they were frozen, speechless,pletely thrown off by what had just happened.

As thest note faded into silence, Jean wrapped up the song with everyone still frozen in ce.

“All done,” she said, shrugging like she’d bjust /bfinished tying her shoes.

Then her eyes cut straight toward the group hovering baround /bLacey.

“bSo/b? Where are those apologies?”

That snapped the rooth awake..

It felt like they’d just woken up from a dream–something too surreal to process and too stunning to ignore.

“You sound that good and you’re not in the choir?” Hannah was the bfirst /bto react. She looked like she’d just stumbled upon buried treasure

The rest of the room, Lacey included, stayed quiet. Tight–lipped. Awkward.

No one wanted to admit Jean had blown them away. And definitely not to her face.

I just sing for fun bjoining /bthe choir never crossed my mind Jean said with a light tone.

“I

She looked over at Lacey and her crew again. Not a word. Not a single sorry

Figures, jean thought, eyes shing with something colder.

Privileged brats Always so wird to being right they forget how to admit when they’re not. Even when they know they’re in the wrong, they’d rather bite their tongues than show a sliver of humilityi. /i

Tim going to the bathroom,” she said tly, not bothering to spare them another nce

She stepped out into the hallway, gave a quick nce toward the restroom signb, /band started walking. She was calm and

Fight then, as soon as Jean stepped out, Lacey rushed straight over to the recording equipment bin /bthemer

7:41 PM

Chapter 20 She Sang. They Schemed

malfunctioning-

Lacey didn’t answer right away. She was busy digging through the system.

There it was.

Jean’s entire song–recorded from bstart /bto finish. Every single bnote/b. Captured clean and sharp,

+8 Pearls

The room had been dead silent when Jean sang, bwhich /bmade the audio crystal clear–no interference, no noise. Just bthat /bvoice.

Excitement shed bin /bLacey’s eyes. She looked up at bHannah/b, her bvoice /bbrising /bwith energy.

“Ms. bHannah/b, I’ve got an idea. I know how we can pull off the singing scene–perfectly.”

Everyone started crowding around. Hannah looked confused, waiting for the rest.

What was she going to suggest?

“There’s no way I can nail that song live during the bfinals/b,” Lacey said coolly, like she’d already rehearsed this n in her head.

“But I don’t have to actually sing. I’ll just lip–sync on stage bwhile /bwe by /bJean’s recording in the background. Her voice was recorded just now, and the quality’s perfect. We bcan /btotally use it”

Everyone stared at her, stunned.

Lacey wanted to fake it? Onstage? With Jean’s voice?

“Wait…” Hannah’s face went pale with shock.

She fumbled for words. But… bwhat /bif Jean finds out we used her recording without asking”

“She won’t. We’ll keep practicing like usual so she doesn’t get suspicious. Then when the final performancees, we swap in her recording. Even if she figures it out, it’ll be toote. The moment will already belong to me. Lacey cut in, all confidence and control.

Not only would that solve bLacey’s /bsinging problem.

She’d also get to take the spotlight with Jean’s wless vocals.

Just imagining the apuse made her smile widen without thinking.

bSend /bGifts