But here I am, awake again, a week from
testing day.
814
Looking at my sister and my best friend fussing
over me, I felt a little sick.
“I wrote up some essay prompts for the test, if
you prepare for these you’re sure to nail it!”
Sarah set the list in front of me and grinned.
Brittany chimed in,
“You better get valedictorian, I’m making you
chicken noodle soup to help your grade rise!”
They were trying to be funny, but I just couldn’t
smile.
Sarah was my sister, she’d never hurt me, right?
<
Brittany and I had been best friends since
kindergarten, she was brutally honest but had
always had my back.
So, it couldn’t be them.
Then, what was the problem?
I had always been smart, at the top of my class.
Even when I transferred to a better school, I
was still in the top 5.
My counselor had said I could get into the best
school.
Which is why the accusations hit so hard.
Then Chad released the security footage from
the room.
He turned in his test 10 minutes before me.
<
He had even posted his interpretations of his
favorite prompts to social media.
His essay was practically identical to the stuff I
was writing.
Instantly the internet began to destroy me.
“It’s obvious he copied Chad, he can’t weasel
his way out of this one!”
“I bet all of his previous scores were fake, he
probably just copied!”
“Thank god he’s got friends and family who
aren’t willing to lie for him or Chad would’ve
been screwed!”
The story went viral and the school
investigated.
The security footage and the posts matched up.
Thou ooid Lobooted
<
8:22
814
He had even posted his interpretations of his favorite prompts to social media.
His essay was practically identical to the stuff I
was writing.
Instantly the internet began to destroy me.
“It’s obvious he copied Chad, he can’t weasel
his way out of this one!”
“I bet all of his previous scores were fake, he
probably just copied!”
“Thank god he’s got friends and family who
aren’t willing to lie for him or Chad would’ve
been screwed!”
The story went viral and the school
investigated.
The security footage and the posts matched up.
Thounnid Lobostad
<
8:22
They said I cheated.
I was floored.
814
That essay was my original work, how could it
be plagiarism?
I had no way of proving it.
And why would Chad’s essay be the same as
mine?
Had Sarah given the prompts to Chad?
More questions than answers.
But right now, Sarah and Brittany were acting
normal.
I had to check Chad’s socials.
He should’ve already posted the prompts.
- Sarah and Dritton
པ་་པཔ༑ Tཕ–]
sida
<
But Sarah and Brittany wouldn’t leave my side,
so I pretended to make an outline.
Then I faked a stomach cramp.
Brittany rolled her eyes,
“You’re such a baby, Sarah has already prepped
your prompts, you don’t need to look at more.”
Sarah shot her a look,
“It’s not that big a deal, just be ready and you’ll
be fine!”
I didn’t have much time.
Locking the bathroom door, I opened Chad’s
social media.
His parents were professors at the local
university and he was cute so he had a lot of
followers.
<
8:22
But I’d never really talked to him.
382
824
Sarah had helped him with something a couple
of times.
I remembered her saying he had everything and
that I was just a nerd.
She had been joking but what if she wasn’t?
I still didn’t know why Chad would want to ruin
- me.
