Chapter 1

During my senior year of high school, my grades are completely erratic. I can ace three subjects while completely bombing the other three, leaving me dead last in my class.

My homeroom teacher, Janet Bennett, throws me and my backpack out of the classroom.

A classmate waves my report card around as the rest of the class laughs.

"You're a total loser. You even failed your language test. Even a factory wouldn't hire you."

The next day, my homeroom teacher throws out the student ranking second to last, Ethan Hoppe, as well. "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch. And somehow, our class has two of them. You think the college entrance exam is only going to test what you're good at? You two can rot together for all I care. Just don't drag everyone else down with you!"

My eyes light up. I finally found someone who gets me.

We compare our report cards and realize our combined strengths put us way ahead of the school's top students.

Someone with uneven grades is a loser. But put us together? We're basically unbeatable.

I throw an arm around my new deskmate. "Ethan, how about we aim for first place?"

Chapter 1

"Number-one spot?" Ethan Hoppe stared at me doubtfully. "You're thinking about cheating? No!"

He stood up abruptly and raised his hand, wanting to switch places. "I'm not sitting with you."

Our homeroom teacher, Janet Bennett, shot him an impatient glance. "You're in your senior year now. You were transferred from the lower-performing class into mine, which has already increased my workload. The advanced class is different from your previous one. Don't bring your old habits here."

Faint laughter rippled through the classroom.

Ms. Bennett scolded, "What are you laughing at? Watch yourselves. Don't let their bad habits rub off on you."

Ethan's voice dropped. "I didn't…"

Ms. Bennett looked down at Ethan and me. "Everyone's time is valuable, okay?"

Ethan froze, and he slowly retracted his hand.

I slouched over my desk and gave him a lazy glance. "Grades are all that matter here. I've been in this class for a month now, and you've only been here a week, so it's normal that you don't know. If your grades are bad, this is the kind of treatment you get."

I pointed to my seat, which was right next to the trash can, with an entire aisle separating me from the other students.

It didn't feel like I was one of their classmates. It felt like I'd been forcibly shoved into a place where I didn't belong.

Ethan clenched his jaw.

I was just like him back then. The disappointment was just as intense as the excitement I'd felt when I first transferred here.

"No matter what, I wouldn't cheat," Ethan declared.

I wagged a finger at him. "Wait, what do you mean? Who said anything about cheating?"

I laid out our report cards side by side. "Individually, we're both terrible at certain subjects. But put us together? We're basically unbeatable!"

Ethan glanced at the report cards before giving me a surprised look. He seemed intrigued that there could be someone in this world just like him—someone whose strengths and weaknesses were the exact opposite of his.

"Do you have a good memory?"

Ethan paused, unsure what I was getting at.

I pulled out the language test and pointed at the questions. "The teachers write the exam papers themselves. Take our language test, for instance. The reading comprehension questions almost certainly came from recent newspaper articles, and the listening section was definitely based on the radio show Mr. Wagner listens to every day."

I flipped through the exam syllabus. "As for physics and chemistry, I can pretty much guess what topics they'll test us on. Our teachers only have a few tricks up their sleeves. Just go over everything before the exam and memorize it. Your score will go up a lot."

Ethan's eyes lit up. "If that's the case, we don't need to learn from scratch. We just need to figure out each teacher's testing habits, and that should be enough to get us through the exams."

I nodded. "Who can break down and predict these questions better than the two of us?"

A smile appeared on Ethan's face. "Sam Dunn, that's a pretty crazy way to study."

"All they care about is grades, so we'll show them what we can do." I grinned. "So, are you in?"

"I'm in!"

Chapter 2

The class president, Caden Kushner, announced to the room. "Study materials for every subject have been posted to the group chat. Make sure to review them."

Voices echoed throughout the classroom.

I looked up from the key question types Ethan had marked. "What group? Did you join?"

Ethan shook his head. "No."

I raised my voice to get Caden's attention. "Caden, we're not in the group yet."

When he didn't hear us, I called out again.

Caden replied coldly, "That's our class group chat."

I pressed on. "Aren't you going to add us?"

"I don't have permission to add people. You should ask Ms. Bennett."

A few student leaders huddled together, whispering among themselves. Every now and then, they glanced our way.

"One's dead last, the other's second to last. Can they even understand our study materials?"

"He just got here, and he's already forcing his way into our group chat. Doesn't he know his place?"

Anger flared up inside me.

Ethan nudged me with his elbow and lowered his voice. "Forget it. It's pointless."

The next period was Ms. Bennett's class, and she called on the students one by one to answer her questions.

Math was my biggest weak point, but Ethan had already explained the problem to me, so I knew the answer.

Soon, it was my turn. But Ms. Bennett skipped me and pointed to the guy sitting beside me.

I remembered him. Even though he was near the bottom of the class too, his overall score was higher than mine. He stumbled through his answer and couldn't get it right.

Ms. Bennett told him to sit down.

I raised my hand enthusiastically. "Ms. Bennett, I know the answer!"

She gave me a brief glance. "Don't disrupt the class." Then she turned and called on the next student.

A few students in the front row glanced back at me, contempt in their eyes.

I clenched my fists tight.

Ethan reached out to calm me down, his expression darkening. "Don't mind them." He slapped the outline he'd prepared onto my desk. "If she doesn't want to teach you, I'll teach you."

…

Ethan and I were assigned to the same exam room during the second school-wide exam, along with Caden and one of the top students, Denise Litt.

The proctor recognized them and smiled.

I heard Denise ask Caden, "How's your studying going?"

"It should be better than last time. I'm aiming for a top college." He glanced at me as he walked by. "I'm sure to beat the guy at the bottom of the class by a huge margin."

I looked at him, not bothering to respond.

The first subject was language. I scanned the questions, stunned. They were remarkably close to what Ethan had predicted. When I flipped to the end, I found that even the essay topic fit right into his predictions. I immediately threw myself into the exam, writing like my life depended on it.

By the time we finished the last exam, I felt completely refreshed, like I could breeze through ten more of these tests.

Ethan came over and slung an arm around my shoulders, unable to hide his grin. "So how was it?"

"Not bad. You?"

"Pretty good."

We looked at each other and smiled, excitement in our eyes.

Caden came over with his arms crossed, looking like he was waiting for a show. He rapped on my desk. "Ms. Bennett wants you both in the office."

When Ethan and I got there, Ms. Bennett was arguing with the dean of students, Rick Thorpe.

"Mr. Thorpe, you know how busy I am. I have to teach the advanced class and organize competitions. I simply don't have time to deal with them. Besides, they're already behind academically. They won't be able to keep up with my class."

All the teachers in the office turned to look at Ethan and me.

Mr. Thorpe said, "These two may struggle in some subjects, but they excel in others. Ms. Bennett, you have a lot of students who compete academically. These two have real potential."

Ms. Bennett smirked. "Mr. Thorpe, you can't be serious. My students have been with me for over half a year. I've spent months training them."

She pointed at me, her finger almost poking my forehead. "We have standards. We can't just let anyone into the class."

The office fell silent.

Ethan balled his hands into fists, his knuckles turning white. A frostiness flickered across his face.

Mr. Thorpe let out a sigh. "Okay then, I…"

I grabbed Ethan's wrist, signaling for him not to do anything rash. Then I spoke loud enough for the whole office to hear. "Ms. Bennett, you haven't seen our results from this exam yet."

Chapter 3

Ms. Bennett stared at me, and I straightened my posture in response.

"Are you sure you did well?" Ms. Bennett laughed. "You? Do well? I'll believe it when I see it."

Then she pulled my papers and Ethan's from the stack of ungraded ones and asked a few teachers to grade them.

For a while, the only sound in the office was the rustling of papers.

20 minutes later, they were done. Once the scores were tallied, I had come out ahead of Ethan by a single point.

The office fell silent as everyone turned to look at Ms. Bennett.

Mr. Thorpe glanced at her. "What was the top score on the last school-wide exam?"

Ms. Bennett said nothing.

Another teacher answered for her. "I think it was the class president from Ms. Bennett's class. His score was just below that."

Nothing more was said. But somehow, everything had been said.

Ms. Bennett swiveled around to face us, her tone suddenly changing. "Sam Dunn, Ethan Hoppe, how dare you two cheat on the exam?"

We were stunned.

"You were in the same exam room. How dare you show off the scores you got by cheating off each other? You were at the very bottom of the rankings in the last exam, yet now you've managed to become the top scorers. Instead of actually studying, you're certainly quick to come up with ways to cheat."

For the first time, she looked us straight in the eye, her expression full of disgust.

"Mr. Thorpe, there is absolutely no place for students like them in my class!"

My throat tightened, but my voice was frosty. "On what grounds do you accuse us of cheating? You can check the surveillance footage, and the exam papers are right here. We can redo the questions right now. If we get them right, you have to apologize to us."

Ms. Bennett's eyes were unreadable, hiding an emotion I couldn't decipher. "I've been a teacher for so many years. Do you really think I'd falsely accuse you? With grades like yours, how could you possibly outperform my top students? Sam, don't you find this ridiculous?"

I wanted to defend myself, but with those eyes fixed on me, I suddenly couldn't bring myself to say anything.

It was never about our grades. From the very beginning, Ms. Bennett didn't think of us as her students.

Mr. Thorpe slammed his fist on the table sternly. "Ms. Bennett, as a teacher, you should mind your words!"

Ms. Bennett's eyes reddened. "They're not even my students to begin with. I really can't deal with them. You shall handle them however you see fit!"

With that, she stormed off.

Mr. Thorpe looked around the office. "Is anyone willing to take them in?"

The teachers all sized us up, then looked away.

Mr. Thorpe let out a deep sigh. "I'll check the surveillance footage. Ms. Bennett just has a quick temper, but she's a great teacher. If she wronged you, it was unintentional. Your top priority is your studies. Don't keep harping on it, okay? Did you do anything to upset her? Just apologize first, and we can put this matter behind us."

Ethan and I exchanged glances. We didn't do anything to upset her. She was the one who thought that we didn't deserve to stay in the advanced class.

The incident was quickly swept under the rug, just like that. We were falsely accused of cheating yet never received a single apology. Instead, we were pressured to drop the matter.

Ethan's face flushed red with fury when we walked into the hallway. He asked, "Are you going to apologize?"

I leaned against the railing, my voice firm. "I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?"

After a long silence, I slowly raised my head. "Ms. Bennett is up for a teaching award, and she thinks the two of us are dragging her class down. She wants us out. She's also preparing her students for academic competitions. If one of them gets into a top college, she'll have a much better shot at getting the award. Once that happens, getting rid of us will be easy for her."

Ethan froze. "Are you saying we should join the competition too?"

"She can accuse us of cheating on a school exam, but can she accuse us of cheating in a national competition?"

"But they've been training for half a year."

A breeze stirred, lifting a corner of my jacket. I smiled at Ethan. "We've already beaten them once. What makes you think we can't beat them again?"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

Chapter 4

Ethan and I returned to the classroom.

Caden was tallying the number of people for the school outing, and everyone had already paid in the class group chat except us.

"The competition team won't be joining this outing. Everyone, have a good time, okay?"

Cheers immediately erupted.

"Go for it, everyone!"

"Caden, don't forget to treat us to a meal when you get into a top college!"

The chatter stopped the moment I stepped through the door. The same hostile looks returned. This time, they were followed by a confrontation.

"Did you bully Ms. Bennett?"

Ms. Bennett sat silently at the front of the room. She must have told them something.

Caden called our names. "Your presence here has seriously disrupted our study atmosphere. All the class leaders voted to put you two in charge of keeping our class' designated area clean."

Every class had an area they were responsible for keeping clean. Our class had been assigned to the gym—a huge space that took more than a dozen students to clean properly.

Ms. Bennett dabbed at the corner of her eye, clearly moved that her students were standing up for her. She didn't think she had done anything wrong.

Everyone waited to see if we would make a scene.

Ethan and I exchanged glances, and our eyes lit up. We were already ahead of what they were teaching in class, and every now and then, we'd even get called out.

The gym had a lounge area. It was quiet, well-ventilated, and practically untouched, so it was basically a perfect private study room handed to us on a silver platter.

I asked, "Just the two of us? The gym is quite big."

Caden's eyes held nothing but cold pity. "You did something wrong, so you need to reflect on it. You two always drag down our class average, so think of this as contributing to our class."

I lowered my head as my shoulders trembled.

Everyone mistook it for fury. In reality, I was biting my lip hard to suppress a laugh.

Ethan nodded nonchalantly. "Sure, we'll reflect on our actions."

In the gym, I went through the motions of sweeping the floor while my mind worked through chemistry competition problems. Chemistry was my strong suit, so even these competition-level problems were way easier than tackling the subjects I struggled with.

Ethan patted my shoulder.

I turned around.

He had run over, so his voice was breathless. "Ms. Bennett just talked to me. She said they were short one participant for biology and was willing to let me try it out."

I frowned and stayed silent.

The academic competition required teams of two. If he joined the official competition team, our partnership would fall apart.

"Are you planning to join her team?"

Ethan shook his head immediately, his voice firm. "Of course not. She's never treated us like her students, and I don't acknowledge her as my teacher either. Besides, I'm looking forward to the two of us taking first place fair and square and shutting her up."

I smiled, amusement flickering in my eyes. "They've spent half a year training for this competition. I wonder what her face will look like if we beat them just like that?"

Ethan smiled too. "No idea. But one thing's for sure. She can forget about getting that teaching award."

The competition was held on a weekend. Without school transportation or a coach to guide us, the two of us walked into the competition on our own.

We had three hours to finish.

Normally, teams were supposed to work together across all subjects, but we were both so specialized in different areas that there was barely any overlap between our strengths. So we split the sections and powered straight through.

When we left the exam hall, all the participants looked utterly defeated by the brutal questions.

Ethan spoke nonchalantly. "It wasn't even that hard."

I let out a yawn. "What a piece of cake."

People around us shot us angry glares.

We sheepishly rubbed our noses and stopped talking.

"Sam?"

I turned my head.

A group of familiar student leaders came into view, all wearing competition badges bearing our school's name, with Ms. Bennett at the front.

She frowned. "What are you two doing here?"