They Called Me a Simp. The School Heartthrob Is My Brother Chapter 09

They Called Me a Simp. The School Heartthrob Is My Brother Chapter 09

The post never went live.

But the screenshot was already everywhere on the school forum.

Half an hour later, Eden’s mother arrived at the school.

She walked in, hugged her daughter first, then turned to me.

“You’re the one bullying Eden?”

I looked down at myself. Coffee and red wine on my uniform.

Wood splinters and scratches on my arms.

My phone, debit card, and house keys were still missing.

Eden was in a pristine dress-not a hair out of place.

The visual test for “who’s bullying who” required decent eyesight.

Mrs. Smith explained everything.

Mrs. Vance didn’t scold her daughter.

Instead, she frowned at Nate.

“Eden thought you weren’t blood-related.”

“If you knew she liked you, why didn’t you clear it up earlier?”

Nate looked confused, “How many times have I talked to her?”

Eden choked, “Seventeen.”

The auditorium went quiet again.

I looked at her with admiration.

Three months of preparation. She’d even counted every word.

Nate rubbed his forehead, “Fifteen of those were student council announcements.”

“The other two? One was ‘move,’ the other was ‘get out of my way.””

I almost laughed.

Seventeen words, none of them about love-

but she’d still convinced herself she’d win.

Eden cried harder.

Mrs. Vance’s composure cracked.

She pulled out a check and slid it toward me.

“Eden acted impulsively tonight.”

“Medical costs, phone, keys-we’ll cover everything. Let’s end this here.”

I glanced at the amount. Ten thousand dollars.

For a second, I actually considered it.

That was more than a year of being Nate’s personal assistant.

Then Mrs. Vance added, “In return, you’ll record a video, stating that Eden didn’t bully you.”

“This was all a misunderstanding caused by you hiding your relationship.”

I pushed the check back, “That’s not compensation.”

“That’s ten grand for me to trash myself.”

Her smile faded, “Don’t be so harsh.”

“Eden’s father is a school board member. She’s up for a student excellence award.”

“If this escalates, you won’t benefit either.”

Now I understood why Mrs. Smith had been so eager to shut me up.

Before I could respond, footsteps echoed from the hallway.

The school accountant walked in with two security guards.

He announced that the homecoming equipment had been damaged.

The prop room floor had a hole in it.

And it was my responsibility.

As for me being locked in?

He called it “a classmate’s harmless prank.”

The bill landed in front of me.

Another ten thousand dollars.

Nate grabbed it and tore it in half.

The accountant’s face darkened, “Nate, you’re one of our top competition students

“Don’t ruin your future by covering for your sister.”

“We have footage of her damaging school property.”

I nodded, “Yes, I did break the floor.”

“Because someone locked me in and I couldn’t breathe.”

The accountant’s voice went cold, “You could have waited for a teacher.”

“So when I banged on the door and screamed for help, why didn’t anyone outside open it?”

“That’s a separate issue.”

I laughed. I break the door-that’s destruction.

They lock the door-that’s a joke.

School rules were updated automatically based on board member share percentages.

Mrs. Vance slid the check toward me again,

“Sign. Take the money. End this tonight.”

Eden stood behind her, a flicker of triumph in her eyes.

I picked up the pen.

She started to smile. I turned the check over and wrote two lines on the back:

[I refuse to settle.]

[Please contact the police immediately.]

I handed it back,

“Since

you can’t tell the difference between a joke and a crime-call someone who can.”