Chapter 2

The class president, Caden Kushner, announced to the room. "Study materials for every subject have been posted to the group chat. Make sure to review them."

Voices echoed throughout the classroom.

I looked up from the key question types Ethan had marked. "What group? Did you join?"

Ethan shook his head. "No."

I raised my voice to get Caden's attention. "Caden, we're not in the group yet."

When he didn't hear us, I called out again.

Caden replied coldly, "That's our class group chat."

I pressed on. "Aren't you going to add us?"

"I don't have permission to add people. You should ask Ms. Bennett."

A few student leaders huddled together, whispering among themselves. Every now and then, they glanced our way.

"One's dead last, the other's second to last. Can they even understand our study materials?"

"He just got here, and he's already forcing his way into our group chat. Doesn't he know his place?"

Anger flared up inside me.

Ethan nudged me with his elbow and lowered his voice. "Forget it. It's pointless."

The next period was Ms. Bennett's class, and she called on the students one by one to answer her questions.

Math was my biggest weak point, but Ethan had already explained the problem to me, so I knew the answer.

Soon, it was my turn. But Ms. Bennett skipped me and pointed to the guy sitting beside me.

I remembered him. Even though he was near the bottom of the class too, his overall score was higher than mine. He stumbled through his answer and couldn't get it right.

Ms. Bennett told him to sit down.

I raised my hand enthusiastically. "Ms. Bennett, I know the answer!"

She gave me a brief glance. "Don't disrupt the class." Then she turned and called on the next student.

A few students in the front row glanced back at me, contempt in their eyes.

I clenched my fists tight.

Ethan reached out to calm me down, his expression darkening. "Don't mind them." He slapped the outline he'd prepared onto my desk. "If she doesn't want to teach you, I'll teach you."

…

Ethan and I were assigned to the same exam room during the second school-wide exam, along with Caden and one of the top students, Denise Litt.

The proctor recognized them and smiled.

I heard Denise ask Caden, "How's your studying going?"

"It should be better than last time. I'm aiming for a top college." He glanced at me as he walked by. "I'm sure to beat the guy at the bottom of the class by a huge margin."

I looked at him, not bothering to respond.

The first subject was language. I scanned the questions, stunned. They were remarkably close to what Ethan had predicted. When I flipped to the end, I found that even the essay topic fit right into his predictions. I immediately threw myself into the exam, writing like my life depended on it.

By the time we finished the last exam, I felt completely refreshed, like I could breeze through ten more of these tests.

Ethan came over and slung an arm around my shoulders, unable to hide his grin. "So how was it?"

"Not bad. You?"

"Pretty good."

We looked at each other and smiled, excitement in our eyes.

Caden came over with his arms crossed, looking like he was waiting for a show. He rapped on my desk. "Ms. Bennett wants you both in the office."

When Ethan and I got there, Ms. Bennett was arguing with the dean of students, Rick Thorpe.

"Mr. Thorpe, you know how busy I am. I have to teach the advanced class and organize competitions. I simply don't have time to deal with them. Besides, they're already behind academically. They won't be able to keep up with my class."

All the teachers in the office turned to look at Ethan and me.

Mr. Thorpe said, "These two may struggle in some subjects, but they excel in others. Ms. Bennett, you have a lot of students who compete academically. These two have real potential."

Ms. Bennett smirked. "Mr. Thorpe, you can't be serious. My students have been with me for over half a year. I've spent months training them."

She pointed at me, her finger almost poking my forehead. "We have standards. We can't just let anyone into the class."

The office fell silent.

Ethan balled his hands into fists, his knuckles turning white. A frostiness flickered across his face.

Mr. Thorpe let out a sigh. "Okay then, I…"

I grabbed Ethan's wrist, signaling for him not to do anything rash. Then I spoke loud enough for the whole office to hear. "Ms. Bennett, you haven't seen our results from this exam yet."