All Chapters of Failed for Trying Too Hard: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Ethan Sterling, the class president, made it back to the classroom before I did.The moment he returned to his seat, several classmates crowded around him."Ethan, what did Ms. Bennett want with you guys?" one of them asked."Yeah," another chimed in. "Just look at Adrian. He looks like he's about to cry."Even from across the room, I could hear Ethan chuckle."Nothing much. Adrian copied off my test, and Ms. Bennett caught him."The moment he said it, the classroom erupted. Whispers spread from one desk to the next, followed by snickers and curious glances in my direction. I shot to my feet, my chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I didn't!"My voice shook with anger, but it was immediately drowned out by the whispers spreading through the classroom. "No way. Adrian always seemed like a pretty honest guy.""Honest? Come on. You know what they say—you can't judge a book by its cover. He was ranked in the twenties on the last exam, and now he suddenly makes the top te

Chapter 2

I pushed my chair back. With the entire class watching, I walked toward the front of the room, one slow step at a time. "You didn't write your self-criticism, did you?" Ms. Bennett gave me a cold smile. "Fine. Then explain yourself to everyone. Tell the class exactly how you cheated on the exam."My eyes flicked toward the metal pointer in her hand before meeting her gaze again. "I didn't cheat." I stood firm."Still denying it?" Ms. Bennett suddenly raised the pointer and slammed it against the desk. A splinter of wood flew from the edge. Someone in the classroom sucked in a sharp breath. "You think refusing to admit it is going to make this go away? "I've seen students like you plenty of times, Adrian! You slack off all semester, then try to take shortcuts when it matters! Did you really think you could suddenly jump into the top ten without anyone noticing?"She stepped closer, her voice growing louder with every word. "Do you think I'm blind? Do you think the enti

Chapter 3

Julianne was leaning against the old tree outside the school gate, her backpack slung over one shoulder. She stood out immediately in the crowd.The moment she spotted me, she straightened and walked over. "Hey, Julie," I greeted.Without hesitation, she took my backpack from me and slung it over her own shoulder, saying, "It's all taken care of."I blinked. "Taken care of? What is?""Your new school." She smiled. "It's a private school. A lot better than this place."She paused, then glanced at me with a faint smile. "The principal has been trying to recruit me for ages. I never bothered because it seemed like too much of a hassle."Her smile faded slightly."But nobody gets to bully my brother."I looked at her. The setting sun washed her face in a warm, golden glow, softening the edges of her features. For the first time, I found myself looking forward to what came next. Now all that was left was for Ms. Bennett to hand me my withdrawal papers herself. On the morning

Chapter 4

The smile on Ms. Bennett's face instantly froze. Expelling an ordinary, middle-of-the-pack student like me was one thing. But Julianne was a shoo-in to earn the highest score in the state on the college entrance exam. She was the school's star student—the one they were counting on to bring them prestige and recognition.If Ms. Bennett drove her out too, forcing her to transfer to another school, the fallout would be far beyond anything a homeroom teacher could handle. Even the principal wouldn't be able to take responsibility for that. "Julianne, you're kidding, right?"Ms. Bennett instinctively glanced around, desperately looking for someone to break the awkward silence.But the students who usually hung on her every word were suddenly staring at their desks, too afraid to make a sound.Julianne didn't answer. Instead, she turned toward me and gently smoothed down my messy hair. "Come on. This place is awful, and we're wasting time we could be spending preparing for the

Chapter 5

Not long after, Ethan looked up again, his gaze deliberately settling on my exam paper and lingering there.I remembered the exam. I had been so focused on answering the questions that I hadn't noticed my surroundings.The footage kept playing, and Ethan's little "moves" became more frequent. Every now and then, he cleared his throat or tapped his pen against the desk. A few times, he even subtly angled his body toward me.But I never reacted. My eyes stayed fixed on my exam paper, my pen moving steadily across the page. I didn't look up even once.The moment the footage finished playing in front of the class, the room erupted. "How is that even possible?""Wait. Didn't Ethan say Adrian was the one staring at him?""I knew it! Adrian never seemed like the kind of guy who would cheat!"Whispers swept through the classroom, quickly turning into a buzz of shock and confusion. The more everyone talked, the more the mood shifted from disbelief to anger.Mr. Hayes' voice cut throug

Chapter 6

Julianne didn't say a word. She simply stepped forward, positioning herself squarely between Ethan and me.I looked at Ethan and said, "If you truly know you were wrong, then prove it with your actions. Standing here and saying things you don't mean isn't going to change anything."Ethan froze, clearly caught off guard by my response.Mr. Hayes hurried over as well. He glanced at Ethan, then at me, before finally turning to Julianne."Julianne, Adrian, we made a serious mistake this time. But we're going to make it right."The principal is already waiting in his office. He wants to speak with both of you personally."He paused, his expression earnest. "The school can't afford to lose students like you. And that includes Adrian."He pointed toward Ms. Bennett and raised his voice."Ms. Bennett, go to the principal's office immediately and report everything that happened. This situation involving Adrian and Julianne needs to be handled properly."Ms. Bennett quickly turned and h

Chapter 7

"Adrian, take some time to settle in. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask your classmates." Samantha gave my shoulder a reassuring pat.She added, "Your sister is one of our school's star students. Since you're her little brother, I'm sure you're no slouch either."I smiled but didn't say anything. I was no slouch? Back at my old school, I wasn't even close to being a top student. I was just an average kid who often ranked near the bottom of my grade.My first class was math, and the topic was advanced derivatives. The teacher covered the board with one formula after another. I stared at them for what felt like forever until my head started spinning.My deskmate was a quiet-looking boy with glasses named Felix Lane. When he noticed me staring blankly at the board, he leaned over and whispered, "You don't understand this part, do you?"I nodded. "It's pretty difficult."Felix pushed his notebook toward me. "Here. Take a look at my notes. I broke the solution

Chapter 8

Sometimes, when I got sleepy in the middle of Julianne's explanations, my head would start to droop. She'd gently tap me on the forehead with her pen and say, "You need to concentrate. You can sleep after we finish this problem."I protested, "Julie, I'm really tired…""Hang in there," she'd say. "Everything you learn now is one more thing you'll have in your toolbox when the college entrance exam comes."I'd rub my eyes and force myself to keep listening.The college entrance exam loomed over every senior like a mountain, but I wasn't afraid anymore.This time, I wasn't facing it alone.…A month before the college entrance exam, something small happened.That afternoon, I was working on practice problems in class when my phone buzzed.It was a text from an unfamiliar number. "Adrian, this is Ms. Bennett. I heard you transferred schools. Are you adjusting well to your new school?"About what happened previously… I'm truly sorry. I hope everything goes well on your colleg

Chapter 9

"Mom! Dad!" I rushed out of my room, holding my phone up like proof. "I got 1300!"Mom was washing dishes in the kitchen and nearly dropped the plate in her hands. "What did you say?" "I got a 1300!" I repeated. "Oh my God!" She set the plate down and threw her arms around me, tears already streaming down her face. "I knew you could do it! I knew you could!" Dad came out of his room a moment later, his eyes red around the edges. He tried to maintain his usual stern expression."What are you crying for?" he grumbled. "Getting a good score is supposed to be a happy thing."But as soon as he turned away, he quietly wiped his eyes. That night, the four of us went out for dinner to celebrate. Partway through the meal, Mom turned to Julianne and asked, "So, how did you do?""1600." Julianne calmly picked up another piece of potato and answered as if she were giving the most ordinary response in the world.The entire table went silent. Mom stared at her blankly for a moment.

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