At the J-Five Studio.


    Juniper had barely stepped inside when her phone rang. It was Salma from Aurora High School.


    "Juniper, the news online..."


    "What now?" Juniper thought, exasperated. "Why am I always in the news?"


    "One second," she said, then pulled up her browser. The word "cheating" made her temples throb. Couldn''t theye up with something new? If she got a perfect score, it was either cheating or she had a secret genius helping her. Couldn''t they entertain another possibility? Like, maybe she was a goddess with an IQ of 300+.


    "How''s the school?" Juniper asked, putting the phone on speaker and setting it on the desk. She poured herself a ss of water and drank it down.


    "The entrance is swarming with reporters," Salma said, her voice heavy and hoarse. "All our teachers'' phone numbers have been leaked. We''re getting nonstop harassing calls demanding we give an exnation to all the other students."


    "But we believe in you," Salma added, trying not to sound too negative. "We''ll handle the rumors online. We won''t let you be wronged."


    Handle it? But these brainless online mobs wouldn''t believe anything until the evidence was shoved in their faces.


    "I''ll handle it," Juniper said, putting down her ss, her voice low andzy.


    "How are you going to handle it?" Salma asked, startled.


    "Let''s hold a press conference tomorrow," Juniper said after a moment''s thought, opting for the most direct solution. "We can hold it at... the Aurora High School sports field."


    The field wasrge enough to amodate all the gawkers.


    "What?" Salma was momentarily speechless.


    "Just do as I say, ma''am," Juniper said, opening a drawer and taking out a half- finished sandalwood bead bracelet. "Tomorrow at 2 p.m. See you at the school."


    "Alright."


    Over time, Salma and the other teachers had gotten a sense of Juniper''s personality. She didn''t look for trouble but she wasn''t afraid of it either She never did anything without a n. If she wanted to hold a press conference, she must have an idea of what to do. The school decided to trust her.


    After the call, Salma immediately informed the other teachers of


    Juniper''s n. Then, on Aurora High School''s official Twitter ount, she posted a simple message: [Tomorrow, 2 p.m. See you at Aurora High School.]


    The post instantly caused a massive stir. Reporters immediately packed their gear and rushed to the school, hoping to im a prime spot for tomorrow''s headline


    news.


    ...


    Juniper had just hung up when her group chat exploded with hundreds of messages, all expressing concern.


    Jimmie: [I believe you, sis. I''ll handle the online stuff.]


    Juniper: [No need. I''ve got nothing better to do. Consider it entertainment.]


    Harold: [This generation ofizens isn''t the brightest. You know me, I''m a doctor. I don''t lie.]


    Juniper: [True that.]


    Melvin: [Which scumbag reporter started this? I''ll run him over with my bike.]


    Juniper: [Don''t. If it gets damaged, I''ll be upset.]


    Melvin: [Don''t worry about me, I can take it.]


    Juniper: [I''d be upset about the bike.]


    The Racing Association had just bought a fleet of new motorcycles, and they hadn''t


    been cheap. The thought of one getting dented pained her.


    Melvin: [You really are my sister!]


    Juniper smirked and typed seriously: [Alright, rx. It''s a small matter. I can handle it myself.]


    Herposure was so strong th?t


    her three brothers felt their worrying was for nothing. Still, they were incredibly curious how she nned to prove her innocence and shut everyone up at a press conference.