All Chapters of Cheaters Never Win: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

My name is Jordan Schmidt. I'm an ordinary, middle-of-the-pack Grade 11 student at South Creek High. In a class of 40 students, I’ve always been stuck at around 30th place in academic results, placing me in the group of students who are practically non-existent to the teacher.Last month, our homeroom teacher, Ms. Yvette Sable, called for a one-on-one mentoring program in which straight-A students are paired with the underachievers in the class to help them.I was paired with Denise Chadburn.I had initially treasured this opportunity.However, on the first day when we sat together, I approached her with a 3D geometry question.She was wearing noise-canceling earphones while reading a contest preparation book in another language.Without batting an eyelid, she told me, “The answer is on the third page of the answer key. If you still don’t understand after reading it, that means that given your intellect, you’re not suited to do this question. Don’t waste your time.”She spoke

Chapter 2

I was so mad, but just then, the bell rang.Ms. Sable walked in. When she saw me, she said with a frown, “Didn’t you hear the bell ring? What are you doing just standing there?“Ms. Sable, Denise used my test paper as draft paper. She even tore it!”I had thought she would stand up for me, but her next sentence struck me like lightning.“Kicking up a ruckus in class for something so trivial?” she said irritably. “Can’t you just print another copy if your test paper is torn? Must you hold everyone up in class? Or can that specific test paper magically transform you from the bottom to the top student of the level?”Low chuckles could be heard in the quiet classroom.My jaw tightened. I stood where I was in silence, hatred filling my heart.I hated Denise’s arrogance, the teacher’s bias and, even more so, my inability to refute them.I eventually photocopied the teacher’s copy of the test paper and completed it.While doing the test, I was muddle-headed because of the time I had

Chapter 3

My mom started to twist her stiff body in the most awkward manner. The almost-comical way she was moving her body tickled everyone into laughter.I turned around and bit my lip hard, clenching my fists so tight my knuckles turned white. I couldn’t bear to watch a second longer.A moment later, the laughter in the room died down.My mom’s forehead was covered in sweat. She reached her hands out and said with a polite smile, “Sir, I’m done dancing.”Mr. Larsson scoffed in disdain. “Well done. Here’s a tip for you.”With that, he flung the wad of cash at my mom.My mom muttered a thanks under her breath and bent down to pick up every single bill on the floor. When she left the room, she saw me waiting by the entrance.“Jordan, what are you doing here so late at night?” she asked, ever so tenderly.It was as though that humiliation she had just suffered left no mark at all in her heart.However, I could still catch the slight trembling in her voice.When I didn’t reply to her, sh

Chapter 4

On the day of the parent-teacher meeting, my mom specifically requested for a half-day leave from work.She wore a pristine white shirt and combed her hair neatly. Although the corners of her eyes were etched with wrinkles of fatigue, her eyes twinkled like the stars in the sky when she saw my ranking amidst my level.“You’re incredible, Jordan. I knew you could do it.” She held my hands affectionately, a bright smile on her face.Denise’s father was here, too. He was dressed in a smart suit, surrounded by many other parents. His face was beaming with satisfaction.Ms. Sable was like an escort fawning over him.When the meeting was called to order, the students sat down next to their parents.Ms. Sable stood on the stage and took 20 full minutes praising Denise and her father to the high heavens, saying that Denise is a genius that’s hard to come by and the pride of the school.Her tone then took a complete turnabout. “Of course, we have some extremely negative examples, too

Chapter 5

In the video, my mom was twisting her body stiffly and awkwardly while surrounded by boisterous laughter of men in a luxurious private room.“Well done. Here’s a tip for you.” Mr. Larsson’s voice, dripping with disdain, sounded from the video. The scene was then cut to my mom picking up the money on the floor in a fluster.The volume of the video was turned up high.The leering laughter of the men in the video resounded in the quiet classroom, sounding exceptionally piercing.Suddenly, everyone was in an uproar.“Goodness, I can't believe we have a parent who does such work in this class!”“Isn’t she wearing a waitress uniform? She’s probably just service staff.”“What kind of service staff is willing to be humiliated like that? Maybe her sugar daddy likes such things and asked her to dress up like that.”“Tsk, tsk! Acting like this for the sake of money. I feel embarrassed for her!”The piercing remarks made me look at my mom with worry.She was biting her lip hard, her en

Chapter 6

In the video, we were back at the scene of the midterm exam two weeks ago.It wasn’t an ordinary exam venue, but an empty classroom that Ms. Sable gave special approval for Denise on the grounds of her gastroenteritis for which she needed a quiet environment.I had sneakily filmed the footage from the glass pane on the back door.It clearly captured Denise’s every move.She positioned the test paper above her phone and started taking pictures. A few seconds later, she started scribbling furiously without even touching the draft paper at the side of the table.Everyone in the classroom was in an uproar again.“Goodness! She’s copying the answers!”“No wonder she was the only one who knew how to solve the toughest final question. She didn’t even do a single calculation.”“Why was she allowed to have an exclusive exam venue all to herself? Is Ms. Sable her accomplice?”I had long sensed that something was wrong.Ever since Ms. Sable started the one-on-one mentoring arrangement,

Chapter 7

Mr. Chadburn was blatantly threatening us from a position of power.He thought that in dealing with people struggling in the lower rungs of society, taking away their livelihood and pressuring them with money would make them bend their knees in submission, just like what happened that day in the private room. My throat tightened. I subconsciously looked at my mom. I was worried that she would back down for the sake of protecting my future.To my surprise, she marched up the stage and pulled me behind him.“Mr. Chadburn, do you really think money can buy everything?” My mom didn’t speak loudly, but her voice was extraordinarily firm.“I did what I did before because I was poor and uneducated, but I still wanted Jordan to go to school. But I will never allow anyone to sully my son’s reputation like that!“Go ahead and sue us if you want to! Even if you strip me of my job, I’ll just sweep the streets or scavenge if I have to.“Now that my son has produced evidence, you must gi

Chapter 8

Denise’s face turned pale in an instant.She instinctively clutched her pocket and said evasively, “Why…why should I give my phone? That’s a violation of my privacy!”“Is it really about the violation of your privacy? Or do you simply not dare to have the truth come to light?” I smirked.All the other parents in the class were now on my side. All of them were parents deeply concerned about their children’s academic results.Who could bear to see the child they painstakingly raised to be outranked by a fake genius who achieved her “stellar” results by cheating, thereby potentially stealing the achievement and prospect that could have been their child’s instead? “Investigate this! You must!”“Yes! Why does she get an exclusive exam venue all to herself? Why does she get to have her phone with her in the exam venue?”“If our children are competing on such uneven grounds here in South Creek, why should we continue sending them here for their studies?”The parents were starting t

Chapter 9

Five minutes passed, and then ten.I had solved the first question and was now tackling the second Olympiad level question.On Denise’s board, however, was nothing but a crooked graph.She stared hard at the board, her lips pale and breathing ragged.She had gotten so used to pulling out her phone whenever she encountered challenging questions that her brain had lost the ability of independent thought and logical reasoning.When faced with a truly challenging question, her mind was blank.“Denise! What are you doing just standing there? Write something!” Mr. Chadburn was getting anxious, stomping his foot and urging Denise to hurry.“I… I feel dizzy… My gastroenteritis is acting up, and my stomach hurts. I can’t do this…”Denise suddenly clutched her stomach and crouched down low, attempting to evade this test.All the other parents in the room were no fools. They started muttering under their breaths, their mocking laughter almost drowning her out.“She’s pretending to be si

Chapter 10

The dean stepped forward and dragged Ms. Sable out of the classroom as though she were a lifeless rag doll.“As for you, Mr. Chadburn.” Principal Chace turned to the man, whose face had turned stiff.“South Creek will not tolerate cheaters and liars. It also does not welcome parents who try to use their money and influence to destroy the fairness in our education system. We will expel Denise with immediate effect.“Also, you publicly played a video during the parent-teacher meeting with the intention of humiliating another. This is a potential violation of the country’s laws.“Mrs. Schmidt, if you wish to call the police, the school will offer its full cooperation in providing the evidence.”Tears welled up in my mom’s eyes, but her gaze was bright. She held my hand tight and gave Principal Chace a bow.“Thank you, Principal Chace. I’d like to call the police. I’ll never forgive anyone who tramples on our dignity and pride like that!”Three days after the parent-teacher meetin

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