Chapter 99

Eleanor stood frozen, speechless under Jonathan's cutting words. The students' whispers around her only deepened her humiliation. Unable to face Jonathan, she left the classroom in a hurry. Meanwhile, Frederick wanted nothing more than to disappear as he sat amongst the murmurs. Stella also sat in silence, her feelings conflicted. She hadn't thought much of Eleanor's behavior before, but after hearing Eleanor repeatedly justify Frederick's actions by claiming he was still young, something about it struck her as strange. As the other students had pointed out, Frederick was already an adult. The class' opinions were divided. Some criticized Frederick, while others muttered sarcastic remarks about Jonathan. Their hushed voices weren't as quiet as they thought, and both Jonathan and Michelle could hear the gossip. "What an ungrateful jerk. How could he talk to his mother like that?" one girl whispered. Another chimed in, "Exactly. She cried because of him so many times. If the Campbel