2026-10-06 16:12:38
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Chapter 40: A Beautiful Face
As Ethan read his essay aloud, some people found themselves suddenly moved, eyes welling up. Maybe it wasn't about grades for them specifically, but something about it dredged up old feelings of being dismissed or overlooked, feelings hard to swallow back down once stirred.Some bit their lip, silently repeating the line about the storm and the way home, hands unconsciously curling into fists, something steadying settling into them.Others, who'd just been loudly dismissing the whole "formula essay" idea minutes earlier, went completely quiet.Someone let out a soft sigh. "I'm not exactly a bad student, but I think everyone should hear this."The vice principal leaned toward the principal. "This essay doesn't really offer any constructive direction. It's mostly just emotion."Principal Chen Qiushi shook his head. "He's a student, not a policy expert. What exactly do you expect him to propose, solutions? Would anyone even believe him if he tried? He spoke honestly, and it clearly reson
Chapter 39: The Legend of "I'm Just a Bad Student"
Hartwell High, a nationally recognized powerhouse school, arguably one of the best in the entire city.So these were students who'd seen everything.There's no clean "first place" in literature, but in competitive academics, there's always someone claiming the top spot. Especially at that age, when everyone's convinced they're the smartest person in the room, someone casually claiming a perfect score on an essay was bound to rub people the wrong way. Oh, you think you're that good?Plenty of genuinely talented students went to this school too, Owen, Jordan, Sarah Whitlock, Claire, all well-known names, and even their writing got picked apart by classmates constantly. So the second "perfect score" got mentioned, the discussion down in the crowd exploded."Please, what's even the point of reading it out loud? A perfect-score essay is basically just a 'formal essay,' write one of those well enough and the examiners eat it right up!"A formal essay meant argumentative. Argumentative essay
Chapter 38: Star of Progress
Jenna and Nora, trailing behind, had also caught sight of Mr. Whitfield rushing into the classroom.The two girls traded a look.Nora frowned slightly. "Why do you think they kept Ethan behind?""I've been wondering the exact same thing," Jenna said. "Especially with Mr. Whitfield showing up too. Aren't all three of them supposed to be out supervising us for the ceremony right now? What are they even talking to him about... unless..."Both girls landed on the same thought at the same moment, exchanging a look."No way," Jenna said. "Ha. No way.""Yeah, probably not," Nora agreed. "It's probably nothing, maybe just asking him about his English.""Then why'd Mr. Whitfield go in too?" Jenna pressed.They both went quiet for a second, then burst out laughing at the exact same time."No, no. Ha.""Ha.""It's definitely not what we're thinking.""Definitely not.""Let's just go.""Yeah, okay."..."You want me to go up there and read my own essay out loud?"Ethan stared at Mr. Whitfield, cl
Chapter 37: Something's Wrong
Ethan?So Danny's first real question was, "How'd you cheat?""The answer key was just sitting right there on the table," Ethan said.Danny scoffed, figuring Ethan just didn't want to tell him the real method.The English exam had been part of the district assessment, proctored by teachers bused in from other schools, nothing like their usual classroom setup. Everyone sat spaced far apart, two proctors per room, with extra staff making unpredictable rounds through the hall the whole time.How exactly was anyone supposed to cheat on that?Fudging a number on a regular school final, sure, maybe. But pulling off a score like this on a district assessment? That basically meant someone had swapped papers with him.Emily felt exactly the same way Danny did.How. How was this even possible. Scoring the exact same as her?!For Emily, the whole thing felt like a slap. She'd already been thoroughly outdone by Nora, her usual standing shaken.And now Ethan had somehow wedged his way in too.This
Chapter 36: Progress
Most of the students had already trickled in, a low buzz of noise filling the room before it settled.The two subject teachers were already waiting at the door.Mr. Hoffman's expression was unreadable. Mrs. Patterson's, on the other hand, was practically glowing.The Literature teacher would be along shortly, still stuck in a meeting. The physics and chemistry teachers belonged to other classes and wouldn't be coming by at all, someone else would handle those papers.Mr. Hoffman walked up front, clearly irritated. "Let me say a few words here... Our class's district assessment results are in, and honestly, what were you all thinking? One spot. We missed the city's top ten by one single spot! That tells me plenty of you slacked off. This break, I want real focus from every one of you. Get your act together. This was material we'd already covered, and somehow it still fell apart!"To be fair, Mr. Hoffman genuinely knew what he was doing as a teacher, so even though the occasional gift f
Chapter 35: Full Marks Essay
The four of them headed back toward Class 5. Danny and Jenna were already there, and once everyone started talking, the energy picked up fast.No classes today, just waiting on mock exam results before the awards ceremony, then heading home.Which meant the classroom was pure chaos, playful shrieking and chasing echoing from down the hall.Jenna and Nora were deep in a recap of their three days off, which farm they'd visited, what animals they'd seen, what they'd eaten. Right as they walked in, some troublemaker grabbed Jenna's braid and took off running. "You're dead!" she yelled, and took off after him.Danny peeled off toward his own desk the moment they stepped inside. Ethan and Nora lagged a step behind, and he suddenly spoke up. "So... today. Was that you trying to bail me out?"Nora's eye twitched. A wave of flustered panic hit her out of nowhere.Because moments like this called for careful handling, poke at someone's pride wrong and it could easily blow up in your face.She'd
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