Breathe, Lia. In, out. In, out. I don’t have to fail. Not anymore. Not with SiliconBrains’s help. But then I’ll owe SiliconBrains. I’ll worry about that later.
I look at my test paper, and I see it in a new light. I see how the questions are worded in the most confusing way possible. Designed so he can mark people’s tests up or down. I write down my answers so hard, I tear a hole in the paper. Many of the questions focus on the most obscure parts of the text, which Mr. Werner never touched on during class.
By the time I finish the paper, my hand’s cramped from gripping my pencil too tight. I look over my answers. Crap, I totally forgot to choose the wrong answer for a couple of questions. I can’t turn in a perfect paper. It’ll look so suspicious. I’m hopeless at this whole subterfuge thing. I erase two of my answers and write something different. There.
Satisfied, I look up.
Mr. Werner’s looking straight at me.
I lower my head. Shit, shit, shit. He knows. HE KNOWS. I sneak another peek. He’s typing something on his tablet. And exhale. He doesn’t know.
When the bell rings, we hand our papers to Mr. Werner on our way out.
“There goes another faaail,” Mandy says under her breath.
One day, I will punch her right in the face, and it will be worth it. Instead, I say, “Were you surprised by question three? It has your name on it.”
I’m rewarded by a widening of her eyes as she quickly checks the paper. Gotcha.
“What’re you talking about? My name’s not on it.”
“Oh? My bad. Maybe you should read the actual test paper next time.” I give her a sweet smile and stroll out of the classroom.
Chapter 8
There’s no way in hell I can focus on anything after the test, so instead of heading to the dining hall for lunch, I change my outfit and head for the track. It takes nearly four laps before I feel less like I’m about to explode into a million fire ants. I cheated on a test. No matter how many times I tell myself that it was justified, that I had no other choice, I still feel so slimy, I want to rip my own skin off. I mean, that’s probably a normal reaction to cheating, right? That is how a human with a soul should feel.
I put in a burst of speed, until every part of my body is screaming, and sprint through the final lap. I collapse on the rubber track, wheezing. I’m utterly exhausted, but I also feel lighter, like I’ve finally outrun the weight of my guilt.
A pair of shoes crunches into position next to me. I look up to see Danny smiling at me.
“Hey,” I say, scrambling up. I stand up way too fast and the blood rushes to my head, and I end up doubling over, trying to catch my breath. Real smooth.
“You okay?”
“Yeah—(gasp)—just—(gasp)—ran—(gasp)—a bit—(gasp)—too fast.”
“Ah. I didn’t mean that. I mean…um, well, I sort of missed you at breakfast. And at lunch. Um. You know, if you feel uncomfortable about last night, I totally respect your space. Except I’m here now, but like, if you wanted me to leave, I totally would—”
“No, no! Last night was amazing. Really!” I bend over again. Come on, breath, be caught already. I straighten up again, slower this time, and meet his eye. Suddenly, I’m feeling shy myself. “I had a really good time last night.”
He smiles. That wayward dimple shows up again. “Me too.”
“I was going to text you, but I got a bit distracted.” By Mr. Werner’s test. God. The test. The memory of it comes rolling back like a giant, nightmarish wave, and now it’s so much worse. Because I’m looking right at Danny, the guy who worships Mr. Werner. And then a little voice whispers, Is he in on it? And it’s like poison seeping into the atmosphere, killing everything good, and suddenly, I need to know if Danny knows about Mr. Werner’s side business. A burning need. “What do you know about your uncle’s class?”
Danny frowns. I search for any traces of anything off—guilt, fear, anger—but there’s none, only pure confusion. “What do you mean?”
Okay, now I’m starting to feel ridiculous. “Has anyone ever complained about it?”
A shrug. “I mean, sure, but people complain about every teacher. No one’s ever said anything overly terrible about Uncle James to me, anyway. Probably ’cause they’re scared I’d tell him. Not that I would.”
“Have you ever heard anything…off?”
He looks at me closely. “Is everything okay?”
No, it’s not, your uncle’s running a cheating ring and I’m caught in the middle of it. The words are almost out before I stop them. I can’t do this to Danny. I have no real proof. Plus, what am I planning to do about it, anyway? Blow the whole thing open? Get Mr. Werner fired, Mandy kicked out? And then what? Be known as the school rat? DD would explode. What would they say about me? Worse, what might they do to me?
“Nothing, I’m just struggling a little in his class, but I’ll be fine.” I give him my best convincing smile.
“Wow, that looks hella forced. You need to work on your fake smile.”
That turns it into a real smile. “Yeah, let me put that on my to-do list. Work on fake smile.”
“It’s an important life skill to have.” He leans closer to me.
I feel like I’m at the precipice of something. In a good way, the way you do at Christmas morning, right before you pull the ribbon off the first present. Our eyes close at the same time, and then our lips meet in a slow, sweet crush.
It’s like watching fireworks in slow motion. I’m dazzled by the spectacle of it, but all of my senses are also supremely heightened. I can feel every caress of his lips against mine, the slightest flutter of his eyelashes on mine, his hand gentle on my chin.
Our phones beep at the same time. We pause, look at each other, and laugh. And then I recognize the beep as the DD notification. My laughter dies, just like that. There’s a new post, and they’ve tagged it with something both Danny and I follow. That’s not a good sign. Without a word, both of us take out phones out.
There’s a picture of us from last night, kissing. As always, it’s been pixelated so you can’t see any facial features, but to me at least, it’s painfully obvious who it is.
Posted by: @TrackQueen
Seen last night: A certain Prince Charming kissing a certain frog. #asianprince #parasite
Reply from: @Jazzy
Eww! Better wash that mouth with bleach afterwards, #asianprince!
Reply from: @TrackQueen
Methinks someone is about to get in trouble for cavorting with the pheasants…
Reply from: SiliconBrains
It’s “peasants,” moron, not “pheasants.”
Okay, that’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be.
“Damn, I get parasite as my hashtag, and you get Asian friggin’ prince as yours?” I totally expect Danny to laugh it off, but when I look up, his face is drawn. “Everything okay?”
“Huh? Oh yeah.” He stuffs his phone into pocket and gives me a smile that’s closer to a grimace.
“Seriously, what’s up?”
His smile looks less fake this time, though it does look tired. “You don’t know much about the Asian community, do you?”
I shake my head.