I went back to the auditorium, not wanting him
to get in trouble. Mr. Thompson and Mr.
Henderson pounced. “Where were you?”
I ignored them and tried to sit down, but Mr.
Thompson grabbed me. “Five minutes until our
school’s speech! Get backstage!”
I didn’t budge. “What?”
“The speech!”
“What speech?”
“The representative speech!”
“Representing what?”
He gritted his teeth. “Don’t play games with me,
Katie!”
“Sir, we’re not allowed to drink alcohol at
school.”
He took a deep breath. “What will it take for
you to go up there?”
I smirked at him and Mr. Henderson, whose
face was turning green. Finally, he hissed, “The
early admission hasn’t been finalized. We can still… reconsider. If you cooperate.”
AA..
- 1.
<
Mr. Henderson gave me a condescending look.
“Happy now?”
I smiled, pulled out my phone, and opened
Candy Crush. “I’m playing Candy Crush.”
Mr. Thompson tried to snatch my phone. I
dodged him. He pointed at me, furious. “Don’t
push it! I’ll give you detention! I’ll suspend you!
You’ll never graduate!”
Other students started staring. I put my phone
away. “You sure you want me to give the
speech?”
“Yes!”
“Okay.” I walked toward the stage. “I’ll be sure
to thank the school for graciously returning the
early admission spot that was rightfully mine. I’ll
also praise our school’s newest celebrity, the
one who got a personal visit from the city’s
board of education ”
<
Mr. Thompson yanked me back. He gave me a
venomous look. “You’re playing a dangerous
game, Katie.”
“I learned from the best,” I said sweetly.
He muttered something to the school board.
The emcee announced that our school’s speech
was moved to last. Usually, we went first.
After the lecture, the principal, Mr. Davies,
called me to his office. “Have a seat.”
I remained standing. “About the speech, right?”
“Yes and no. We were wrong about the early
admission, but you went too far. Defying the
school isn’t smart.”
That only worked on little kids. My dad was Mr.
Davies’s boss’s boss. Mr. Davies saw I wasn’t
intimidated, so he switched tactics. “Let’s call it
even. Get first place in the Seven Schools
<
exam, bring honor to the school, and the early
admission is yours.”
“What if I don’t get first place?”
He chuckled. “I know you’re better than Jason
Lee. But we’ll consider your overall
performance. Just do your best.”
First threats, then bribes, then sweet talk. I
clapped slowly. “I’ll give it my all.”
He smiled, satisfied, and walked me out. Just
before school ended, I went back to his office.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
I bent down and picked up a pen from under his
desk. “Dropped this.”
He watched me leave, still smiling. “Be more
careful next time.”
<
The Seven Schools exam was a big deal.
Everyone took it seriously. It wasn’t just about
student rivalry, but school prestige. I took the
exam at Westside High. Even though students
were randomly assigned, teachers knew the top
students from each school. The proctor gave
me an encouraging nod.
