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Chapter 4

Author: Perfect Timing
A memory flashed through my mind, back to the very beginning of high school.

I had gone to Mr. Aldridge at the start of freshman year and filed a formal request, letting him know I would not be studying Brevian at any point during the next three years, because I would not be taking the Brevian section of the college entrance exam.

Hence, for three years, I slept through his class and turned in blank tests, and he never said a word about it.

We had maintained a quiet understanding the entire time. He would not bother me about Brevian, and I would not cause him any other trouble.

It was almost funny.

I never would have guessed that he would be sitting here now, telling the world it was 'not possible'.

I pulled myself out of the memory and looked at him. "Mr. Aldridge, do you remember the request I filed with you at the start of freshman year?"

His gaze went unfocused, drifting everywhere except in my direction. Even so, he did not budge.

"I don't know what request you're talking about. Even if you did file something, it doesn't change the facts. You never once passed Brevian. There's no way you suddenly jumped to a 145 on the college entrance exam."

Murmurs rippled through the conference room.

Drew spoke up again. "Harper, do you admit to everything Mr. Aldridge just said?"

I nodded.

Triumph flashed in Drew's eyes, though he was careful to keep that pitying look on his face.

"Even if you admit your Brevian was terrible, what if you just had some kind of breakthrough during the test? A lucky day, right? I don't want to rush to any conclusions, so why don't you just prove it yourself?"

He turned to the panel, his tone earnest.

"Ladies and gentlemen, every subject on the college entrance exam has an unreleased alternate version of the exam. If Harper really has the ability to score a 145, then having her take the alternate Brevian exam right here and now would settle this once and for all."

Then he looked at me and tilted his head slightly. "How about it, Harper? Or are you scared?"

Every pair of eyes in the room landed on me at once.

The live stream chat exploded.

[Yes! Make her take the alternate exam!]

[Put up or shut up. Let's see what she's really made of.]

[Go on then! What's the matter, feeling scared? Guilty?]

I lifted my head to look at Drew and that face full of manufactured concern. I refused, "No."

The room erupted.

Drew shook his head, his voice heavy with regret. "Harper, I really didn't want to watch you dig yourself in this deep. But you're the one refusing to prove your own innocence. You can't blame anyone for not believing you."

The Oversight Board representative stood and addressed the director.

"The situation is clear enough. Harper Kincaid's scores will remain frozen pending a full investigation. If warranted, they will be voided. Mr. Dawson will also be suspended effective immediately."

The director nodded in agreement and began gathering the documents in front of him. He glanced at Drew, his tone warm with admiration.

"Young man, you have both the talent and the courage. You have a very bright future ahead of you."

Drew's eyes welled up on the spot. He dipped his head, voice thick with emotion. "Thank you, sir. On behalf of every student who never had the advantages, thank you for protecting the integrity of the college entrance exam."

His gaze swept past me on the way back up, his eyes brimming with triumph.

The live stream chat was a celebration.

[Money can't beat justice!]

[Drew is incredible. He's standing up to the powerful and speaking for the kids who have nothing!]

[They should investigate Harper's whole family and throw them all in prison!]

Just as everyone was getting ready to leave, I spoke.

"Wait."

It was not loud, but it was enough for the entire room to hear. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a folded piece of paper, and held it open in front of the camera lens.

"The foreign language I registered for on my college entrance exam was never Brevian."

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  • First Place Fraud   Chapter 8

    The first day of college arrived under a sky so clear it almost did not look real.I walked through the university gates with my bag on my back. The shadows of the sycamore trees scattered across the ground in broken patterns, crunching softly under my feet.The air smelled like fresh-cut grass, mixed with the particular chaos that came with freshman move-in day. Suitcase wheels rolled across pavement, parents called out their children's names, and the sound of cameras clicking came from every direction.I took a deep breath.Two months ago, the entire internet had been calling me a cheater. Now, I was standing here, a college student who had earned her place.Footsteps sounded behind me."Hey! Excuse me!"I turned around. A round-faced girl with eyes so bright they looked like glass marbles was hurrying toward me, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, clutching a stack of registration papers."You're Harper Kincaid, right?" She was out of breath, her cheeks flushed. "I watched yo

  • First Place Fraud   Chapter 7

    The live stream was over, but the story was not. The skepticism online continued.[So Harper registered for Kassian. Does that automatically prove she didn't cheat some other way?][Her Brevian was laughably bad. Why should we believe the rest of her scores are real?][I still think something's off about her.]I felt no anger even as I read through the comments.That evening, I went live again.There were no filters, no editing, no team behind me. It was just me sitting alone in the study at home. Behind me was a bookshelf lined with titles in more languages than I could count.The stream title was a single line.[You want proof? I'll show you.]When I hit the broadcast button, only a few hundred people were watching. Most of them had followed me before everything happened. They left a few encouraging comments and went quiet.I did not say anything. I just waited.Three minutes later, someone shared the stream link on social media. The viewer count jumped to 10,000, and the

  • First Place Fraud   Chapter 6

    Just then, Mr. Aldridge suddenly stood up. His chair tipped backward and hit the floor with a loud crack."Harper… I'm sorry…" His voice was shaking. Tears ran down his cheeks.Everyone turned to look at him.Drew whipped around. "Mr. Aldridge, you—"The words came out of Mr. Aldridge like they were being squeezed through a vice."Drew's father was the one who came to me."His father is the deputy superintendent of the city's Department of Education. He threatened me. He said if I didn't come here and testify, he'd have me fired, and he'd make sure my son couldn't get into any school."My son takes his college entrance exam next year. I couldn't say no."Harper did come to me at the start of freshman year. She told me she would not be taking Brevian on the college entrance exam and asked me not to worry about her Brevian grades. I agreed. But after Drew's father got to me, I… I lied."When he finished, the life seemed to drain out of him entirely. He sank back into his chair l

  • First Place Fraud   Chapter 5

    Every head in the room turned toward the paper in my hand."What did you say?" The director's voice was laced with confusion.I held the paper out further, angling it so the camera could get a clearer shot. "I said the foreign language I registered for on my college entrance exam was not Brevian. It was Kassian."Drew's expression changed. The smugness had not even had time to fade before it froze in place, as if someone had hit pause."You… You're lying." His voice had gone dry."Lying?" I let out a short laugh. "Go check the Testing Board's website yourself. My registration information is all public record."I set the registration form on the table and slid it toward the director. He put on his reading glasses, looked down for two seconds, and then went completely still. He picked up the form, read it again, then looked up at me, then back down at the form."You did register for Kassian."His voice was not loud, but the microphone picked it up perfectly. Every person watching

  • First Place Fraud   Chapter 4

    A memory flashed through my mind, back to the very beginning of high school.I had gone to Mr. Aldridge at the start of freshman year and filed a formal request, letting him know I would not be studying Brevian at any point during the next three years, because I would not be taking the Brevian section of the college entrance exam.Hence, for three years, I slept through his class and turned in blank tests, and he never said a word about it.We had maintained a quiet understanding the entire time. He would not bother me about Brevian, and I would not cause him any other trouble.It was almost funny.I never would have guessed that he would be sitting here now, telling the world it was 'not possible'.I pulled myself out of the memory and looked at him. "Mr. Aldridge, do you remember the request I filed with you at the start of freshman year?"His gaze went unfocused, drifting everywhere except in my direction. Even so, he did not budge."I don't know what request you're talking

  • First Place Fraud   Chapter 3

    Drew clearly had not expected me to stay this combative, even now. He faltered for a moment, then pulled a photograph from his bag. "Harper, we've been classmates a long time. I really didn't want to push you this far, but since you're going to keep up this attitude…"The photo showed Dad and the deputy director of the State Testing Board, the two of them dining alone at an upscale restaurant.I stared at the photograph, my eyes narrowing.I had not known about this. Dad had never mentioned it to me.Drew caught the shift in my expression, and his voice turned heavier with wounded conviction."I happened to take this photo back in March. Harper Kincaid's father, sharing a private dinner with Deputy Director George Dawson of the Testing Board. Then, on the college entrance exam, Harper just happens to have the performance of a lifetime and becomes the top scorer in the state."He paused, his tone dropping lower."I don't believe that's a coincidence. There was almost certainly so

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