Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Once she drank, he asked, “What happened?”
Yunice told him about the investigation that happened during the exam.
Wyatt’s face darkened, angry at himself.
Something like that had happened-and he hadn’t even known.
Yunice said, “I was really worried you’d get involved.”
“If you showed up, then it would’ve been impossible to clear my name.”
People would’ve said she had powerful backing.
Wyatt’s eyes were like ink. He might not have jurisdiction over the school, but there were people he could deal with.
When it came to Yunice’s exams, he cared more than she did.
He was afraid she’d eat something that upset her stomach, so every meal he’d prepared had been triple-checked.
By the afternoon session, even more media had gathered outside.
Wyatt’s car hadn’t moved an inch.
Because Yunice’s photo had already been leaked online.
Angry parents, not satisfied with the lack of an official statement on the alleged cheater, suspected a cover-up and tried to use public pressure to force a response.
Wyatt saw the false accusation video and his face went grim.
Jordan asked, “Want me to have PR pull the trending tag?”
Wyatt remembered what Yunice had said-she didn’t want him involved. “Leave it.”
Let it burn.
At the same time, the inspection team also saw the video. They were furious.
“These netizens act like it’s all a show. Do they think we’re clowns?”
“If this keeps going, it won’t just affect Yunice’s future-it’s a slap in the face to the SAT’s integrity.”
“Get legal on this. Start gathering evidence and make a few examples apologize publicly. We’ve got full surveillance from her entire exam session. I don’t believe we can’t shut them up.”
But the clarification had to wait until after the SAT.
At most, a day.
That afternoon, Yunice finished her math test. She didn’t dare hand it in early.
Leaving early would make her stand out. She’d be too easy to target.
She waited until the final bell, then slipped into the crowd to leave.
The math test was brutally hard. Students poured out of the exam rooms in total collapse.
Some were crying uncontrollably. Others looked completely defeated. It was like a battlefield of emotional wreckage.
Yunice felt eyes on her. She instinctively ducked her face.
It was definitely a guy. He was strong. As Yunice was pulled away, all she could grab was the collar of his shirt.
There were too many students. Too much chaos. Even if someone saw her being dragged, they’d probably just think it was kids messing around.
Besides, Yunice spotted people actively helping to cover for him.
In no time, she was dragged into the men’s bathroom.
The place was empty-cleared out for the test-so there weren’t many students around. With a loud bang, the bathroom door slammed shut and locked from the inside.
Yunice was cornered.
She’d been shoved into a boy’s bathroom by three students-two guys and one girl. All of them were taking the SATs, same as her.
One of the guys had her pinned from behind with a hand clamped over her mouth. He was tall and already built like an adult man, with a strength Yunice couldn’t match. She struggled, but the guy’s grip only tightened.
That’s when she saw the others. The girl and the second guy stood in front of her, arms crossed, faces cold and smug. They didn’t look like honor roll students-more like the kind of kids who ran the halls with a bad attitude and a thirst for bullying. The guy holding her leaned in and hissed in her ear.
“Tell us how you cheated. Now. Or we’ll make sure you don’t walk out of here.” Yunice stared at them. She didn’t recognize any of their faces-except maybe the guy from her testing room. Clearly, they’d heard the rumors. They thought she had some secret way to cheat, and now they wanted in. She tried to speak, but the guy’s hand muffled everything. She squirmed harder.
Eventually, he let her breathe. “I didn’t cheat,” she said quickly. “If I did, the exam board would’ve disqualified me already.” The girl snorted. “You finished the paper that fast? Don’t lie. You’ve got answers.” The guy beside her stepped forward. “There’s three of us. It’s not like we’re gonna mess up your score. Don’t be selfish.” Yunice didn’t respond. She could tell there was no point arguing. These kids weren’t interested in the truth. She looked around. No phone. No one to call. No security. And she sure as hell wasn’t strong enough to fight all three at once.
So she played along. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll tell you how I did it. But you have to swear you won’t tell anyone.” The girl narrowed her eyes. “Go on.” Yunice lowered her voice. “There’s a projector hidden in the classroom camera. It beams the answers onto my test paper. I don’t even need to read-I just copy.”
The three of them stared at her. The guy in front squinted. “That sounds fake as hell.” “It’s real. I swear.” Yunice nodded, trying to sound desperate. “You think I’d lie to you with three people in here? If I screw you over, you could ruin me.” They exchanged looks. The girl looked convinced.
Yunice’s blood turned to ice. The guy’s smirk spread. “Just in case. Gotta keep you on a leash.” The girl pulled a camera from the bathroom tank. She unwrapped it carefully and aimed it straight at Yunice’s face. It hit her then. They weren’t just threatening her. They were planning to film it. One guy to pin her. One guy to do it. One girl to film the whole thing. They wanted leverage. They wanted blackmail. Yunice stood frozen, calculating.
The guy moved toward her, unzipping his pants. The girl laughed. “You look like you’re into it. What’s the matter? Never had it before?” “She probably gets off on it,” the other guy said, sneering. Yunice met the girl’s eyes. “What’s a girl who’s ‘been played with’ supposed to look like?” The girl smirked. “Like you.”
Same twisted faces. Same disgusting smirks. It felt like three years ago all over again. She didn’t argue. She just waited. Watched.
When the guy crouched in front of her, hand outstretched for her waistband, she struck. Her knee came up hard-right between his legs. He let out a howl and dropped like a rock, clutching his groin. The girl screamed and lunged for Yunice, hand raised for a slap. Yunice ducked. The slap landed right across the face of the guy still holding her from behind. He flinched back, stunned. The girl was fuming. She grabbed the nearest mop, yanked it free, and raised it high. Yunice braced.
That’s when the door burst open with a deafening crash. All three of them froze. The mop hovered in midair. The guy on the floor wheezed in pain. The girl screamed. “Block the door!” The two guys stumbled toward it- But it was too late.
‘re Too Nice-Looking to Scare Anyone
Before the two boys could reach the door, it flew open with a loud bang, slamming straight into their faces.
One got it in the nose, the other got shoved into his stomach by the first, and the two collapsed into a pile on the floor.
The girl stood frozen in the middle of the bathroom, staring at the man who appeared at the door.
He was wearing a school jacket, but something about him screamed he was not a student. The face, the presence-way too sharp to pass for a kid.
But she didn’t have time to figure it out, because Yunice ran straight into his arms.
It was Wyatt.
The girl frowned, pouting with jealousy as she watched Yunice cling to him.
Gripping the collar of his borrowed school jacket, Yunice looked up and said quietly, “I remember all their names and faces. Let’s just go.”
She didn’t want any more attention. The only thing she wanted now was to make it through the rest of the SAT without any more drama.
Wyatt didn’t say a word. He glanced down at the floor, saw the condom wrapper that had fallen out during the scuffle… and on the way out, he made sure to land a kick to each of the guys still moaning on the ground.
Hand in hand, he led Yunice out of the bathroom. She had to jog a little to keep up with him, sneaking glances at his face the whole way.
She was practically holding her breath. She just kept thinking, “God, I cause so many problems.”
Sure enough, Wyatt kicked over a trash can they passed like it owed him money.