Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Class Dunce? No, I'm the Valedictorian: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

My homeroom teacher, Ellie Carter, continued speaking through the phone. "Jason Yard, you really had everyone fooled. A total of 1590! "You got the highest SAT score in the state this year!"Ms. Carter's voice trembled with excitement.A muscle in my aunt Karen Reed's face twitched. She snatched my phone from me."Ms. Carter, have you been drinking?" she asked. "Jason could barely score 400 on a practice SAT, yet you're saying he got the highest score in the state? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"There was a brief silence on the other end. Then Ms. Carter's voice turned serious. "You're Jason's aunt, right? Why would I joke about something this important?"Karen's face darkened, and she hung up."Give me a break!" she snapped. "Jason, you've gotten pretty bold. Did you really hire someone to put on this whole act just to look good in front of everyone?"My cousin, Wilbert Yard, finally snapped out of it. He pointed at me and laughed. "I knew there was no way

Wilbert's smile froze. His eyes darted, but he forced himself to keep his chin up. "If it's not a zero, then what is it? The score isn't even showing. How can you still deny it?"I looked at him like he was an idiot."Sometimes the scores can be held for additional verification," I said. "That's why all you can see right now is 'Under Review.' "You're pretending you don't even know something this basic. Who do you think you're fooling?"The private room fell silent for a second. Then the relatives all pulled out their phones.Some opened their browsers and started searching. Others murmured among themselves."It says here that some scores can be temporarily withheld for review.""So that's why it says 'Under Review.'""Could Jason really have scored that high?"Wilbert slammed his hand on the table. "That's impossible! Jason failed every test in the past. How could he suddenly improve that much?"The system must have glitched!"Karen caught on and immediately started shouti

"No," I said.Karen's expression froze.George finally lowered the chair and walked over. He cleared his throat. "Jason, I'm your uncle, and that makes me your elder."Being talented is a good thing, but you shouldn't hold a grudge. We're family. Whatever happened, it's in the past."I looked at him.Three years ago, when he slapped me, he reminded me that Wilbert was my cousin.Now he was telling me that being a family meant we shouldn't hold grudges.I said nothing. I pulled out my phone, found a number, and called it.When the call connected, I put it on speaker."Mom," I said.My mom, Wendy Carr, spoke from the other end, with the noise of the construction site in the background. "Jason? Why are you calling? Do you need more money for expenses?""Mom, I'm done with my exams," I said."Oh, you are? That's okay. No matter how you did, I'll always be proud of you," she said. "Just take care of yourself. Your health matters more than anything.""Mom, I got the highest scor

I said nothing. I simply grabbed a kitchen knife and brought it down on the lock, breaking it open.The storage room was empty. My books, clothes, desk lamp, and practice papers were all gone.The only thing left on the floor was a torn-up textbook.I picked it up and looked at it. It was the test-prep book Mom had mailed me.I crouched down and gathered the pieces one by one.Karen stood at the doorway, at a loss for what to do. "Um, Wilbert…""Where is he?" I asked."He left last night. He said he was going to stay somewhere else for a couple of days," she replied.I stood up and looked at her. "Mom is coming home today. I expect you to be gone by the time I come back."Karen's expression faltered. "Jason, please don't do this. We've lived here for over a decade.""Move out of here." I carried the bag of torn pieces of paper and walked out of the house. …I had barely reached the entrance to the neighborhood when a black sedan pulled up in front of me.The window rolled

Wilbert pointed to several cardboard boxes in the corner. "The books got soaked, but I dried them out. They might be a little wrinkled."I got you new clothes. They're in the closet."The practice papers were too badly torn. I spent all night piecing them back together, and I still haven't finished."I looked at him, unsure what to say.When Wilbert finally looked up, his eyes were red-rimmed. "Jason, I'm sorry. I was a jerk. I know you don't care about my apology, but I need to say it."For three years, I knew Mom and Dad were treating you badly, but I never helped you. I even joined in."I'm worthless. Hit me if you want!"He stood in front of me with his eyes closed.I didn't move.Mom stood nearby, watching in silence.After a long while, I finally spoke. "Wilbert, how did you really get that 1180?"Wilbert opened his eyes, looking uneasy. "I…""Tell the truth," I said.He clenched his jaw. "I copied the answers from the student in front of me during the exam. I used h