Chapter 58
As Carly and I turned the corner in the hallway, we spotted a thin, blonde girl pushing around a smaller boy near the lockers.
Carly rolled her eyes, marched straight up to the girl, and yanked her by the hair.
"Hi!" Carly greeted with a sharp smile.
The girl turned around—of course it was Sam.
"Did you get in trouble?" Sam asked, casually chewing gum like nothing had happened.
"Of course I got in trouble! Teachers tend to get upset when you put their heads on the bodies of big, fat animals! I—I can't believe you talked me into taking the blame for you!"
"You had to! I've already been suspended once this semester! If I'd gotten busted, they would've expelled me!"
"Which is truly amazing," I said dryly, "considering school started only a month ago."
"Well, here's an idea," Carly snapped, still annoyed.
"What?" Sam asked.
"STOP DOING BAD THINGS!"
"Hey, chillax!" Sam replied, completely unfazed.
"Or," I added with a smirk, "you could just stop getting caught."
Carly turned to me and gave me a glare that could melt steel.
---
In the classroom, the four of us were seated. Sam sat beside me and behind Freddie. I was behind Carly, who kept glancing forward, probably still annoyed at both of us.
I glanced over at Freddie, sitting next to Carly, and couldn't help but remember the ridiculous little dance he did when the seating arrangement was announced. Arms flailing, goofy grin—it was like he had just won the lottery.
The teacher walked in and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"Students, I'm now going to hand back your tests with your grades," she said firmly. "I hope you all start putting in more effort—unless you want trouble this semester."
Somehow, I think she was talking to Sam, even though she only gave her only a brief glance.
And yes, as strange as it sounds, we've already had some tests—even though it's only been a month since the semester started
There were a few murmurs around the classroom, and some students exchanged glances filled with dread. A couple even slumped lower in their seats, already mourning their grades before the papers even reached their desks.
Freddie was the first to be called. He walked back with a smug grin on his face.
"A, A, B+, A+," he announced proudly as he sat down.
Carly went next. When she returned, she casually stated, "A, A, A, B+."
Sam looked over at me with a determined expression. "Let's beat these smug geniuses," she muttered, shooting a quick glare at Carly and Freddie.
Before she could say anything else, her name was called.
When she came back, all eyes were on her.
"D- in all," she mumbled.
She looked like a defeated warrior returning from battle.
Then it was my turn.
I stood up, walked to the front, took my test papers, and headed back to my seat wearing a completely neutral expression.
Carly, Freddie, and even Sam turned to look at me, curiosity and anticipation all over their faces.
"What?" I said, feigning ignorance.
"Oh, come on," Carly said. "We all said ours."
Without waiting for my permission, she reached over and grabbed my test papers.
The moment she saw my grades, she went completely silent, her expression frozen in disbelief.
Freddie stood up and leaned over to take a look for himself. His eyes widened as he read the scores.
"You had all A+??" he shouted, loud enough for half the class to hear.
"WHAT??" Sam shouted even louder, her voice echoing through the classroom.
She turned to look at me with a mix of shock and betrayal on her face, like I had committed some unspeakable act by being good at school.
"What, did you think I was dumb?" I asked with a mocking glare.
"You're popular, you're funny—how can you be a genius too?" Sam snapped, throwing her hands up in disbelief.
I gave her a light pat on the shoulder, flashed the smuggest smile I could manage, and said, "I'm just built different."
"I really want to hit your face right now," Sam muttered.
"Even I want to do that," Carly added, crossing her arms.
"Sam, take your seat," the teacher called sternly. Then she turned to me with a small smile. "And congratulations, Jake. Perfect scores across the board. Well done."
There were more murmurs across the room.
I leaned back in my chair, letting the praise settle for a moment.
Well, I thought, it's going to be even more hilarious when they find out my real age.
So far, only the teacher knew. And judging by how no one even questioned it, I guess I blended in well enough. Then, I looked at Freddie.
You're not even a late bloomer, I thought, giving him a look of quiet pity.
Freddie misinterpreted my look entirely. He straightened up, puffed out his chest like a determined anime protagonist, and declared, "Well, I'm going to do better than you next time!"
---
After class, as we walked out, Sam was still eyeing me like I'd betrayed her
"We were supposed to be bros," she whined. "It was us against those two nerds!" She pointed dramatically at Carly and Freddie. "But you—you're just a big nerd too!"
"Not wanting to make your mood worse, Sam," Carly said, "but you and I get to spend our entire Saturday here, videotaping kids' auditions for the talent show."
Sam groaned loudly, dragging her feet like she was already being punished.
"And why are you smiking, Jake?" Carly asked, narrowing her eyes. "You're coming too. Remember—you're under the same punishment."
"Whatev! I'll just bring Amy with me," I said, like it was no big deal.
"You really want me to punch your face today, don't you?" Sam snapped, glaring at me.
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