Chapter 3

During the early reading session the next day, Emily stood at the front of the classroom, handing out the graded answer sheets.

She put my sheet at the very end of the stack. "Sorry, Sophie. Ms. Davis told me to hand them out by grade. I didn't realize you were the dead last."

Half the class could hear her.

Someone spoke up, "If they're handing them out by grade, it makes sense she'll get hers last."

I took the sheet. There was a glaring red C on the front.

I was stupefied. This wasn't mine.

My handwriting wasn't this bubbly, and I would never leave the last question blank.

I raised my hand. "Ms. Davis, you gave me the wrong sheet."

Nancy was standing behind the podium, organizing her teaching materials.

"Isn't your name on it?" she asked.

I flipped to the name field. My name, Sophie Lane, was written in neat handwriting, right next to my student ID.

Emily walked over, looking apologetic. "Sophie, are you upset about the grade? The honors class test was really tough this time. C isn't bad at all."

"This isn't my handwriting." I spread the sheet out.

Alex turned around. "Come on, don't pretend it's not yours because you got a low grade. You used to crush it in the regular class. But it's tougher here."

"You said yesterday you didn't think I'd actually make it in," I shot back, staring at him.

Alex was speechless.

Nancy tapped the podium. "Sophie, we'll talk in the office after class. Don't waste everybody else's time."

After the first period, I followed her to the office.

Emily tagged along, holding a sheet with an A on it.

Nancy placed the two answer sheets side by side on the desk.

"You say it's not yours. Where's your proof?" she asked.

I pulled out the scratch papers from my bag. "I always list the constraints first. I never jump straight into the equations. Please take a look at these."

Emily glanced at the papers, her fingers gripping the corner of the answer sheet. "Sophie, you could add the scratch work later. Ms. Davis is already so busy. Don't make things harder for her."

I didn't know when Alex had appeared at the door.

"Ms. Davis, Emily's made a huge improvement this time. Don't let Sophie's attitude affect her," he said.

Nancy was clearly taking Emily's side now. "Sophie, head back to class. It's not a big deal if your test didn't go well. What's scary is refusing to acknowledge the gap between you and others."

I picked up the sheet with B on it.

Outside, Ryan was leaning against the wall, holding a cup of coffee.

He shoved it toward me. "Want some?"

I didn't take it.

He said, "I'm going to the office to get the proctoring records."

"How are you gonna get them?" I asked, jerking my head.

"I've got my ways," he said.

He took a couple of steps, then turned back. "Eyes ahead. Don't cry, or you'll end up stumbling around."

I didn't shed a single tear this time.

I carefully folded up the sheet that didn't belong to me and slipped it into my book.

By the afternoon, we still hadn't managed to get the proctoring records.

The office said they don't keep seating charts for the weekly tests.

Emily's score was posted on the class honor roll board.

She stood in front of the honor roll board, blushing. "It's all thanks to Alex's tutoring."

Alex gave her a warm smile. "You're the smart one."

I walked past them.

Emily suddenly called after me. "Sophie, don't lose heart. If you need help, I can tutor you, too."

The crowd burst out laughing again.

Ryan slapped a blank registration form down on my desk. "The Math League tryouts are coming up. Are you signing up?"

I noticed the small print at the top of the form.

Only the top ten in the honors class get recommended for the Math League.

"I got a C on the last test," I said.

"Then switch it back," Ryan said, looking down at me.

In the end, Alex took the registration form.

He said, "Emily's signing up, and there are only a few spots in the class. Don't take up one."

I asked, "Who put you in charge of deciding that?"

Alex tucked the form into his book. "You're not in the right state for this right now. Sophie, I'm doing this for your own good."

I'd lost count of how many times I'd heard that line.

When I was a kid and took a tumble, he'd ban me from climbing trees for my own good.

Back in middle school, when I wanted to join the Math League, he told me to focus on the basics for my own good.

Now he snatched away my registration form, claiming it was for my own good.

"Give it back!" I reached out for it.

Emily jumped to her feet. "Alex, why not let Sophie have my spot?"

As soon as she finished, people immediately started sticking up for her.

"Emily, don't let people walk all over you," someone said.

"Sophie's got a low score. Why should she get your spot?" someone else chimed in.

Alex's face darkened. "Hear that? It's not that I won't give it to you. Everyone thinks it's unfair."

Ryan kicked his chair back and strode over to Alex's desk. "Give me the registration form!"

Alex didn't budge.

Ryan leaned over and snatched the form right out of his book.

"Are you out of your mind?" Alex snapped, gripping his wrist.

Ryan shot him a look. "That's her stuff you're holding."

They faced off between the desks, neither one giving an inch.