<b>Chapter 26 </b>
<b>79 </b>
“Well, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule. I appreciate your support, Mr. Mayor.”
“Felix, please,” he insisted, reaching into his jacket pocket. He produced a business card, holding it between two manicured fingers. “If you ever need anything–anything at all–please don’t hesitate to
contact me directly. Day or night.”
I epted the card, noting the gold embossing and premium cardstock. Clearly, Mayor Huxley spared no expense on his personal branding.
“You know,” he continued, lowering his voice conspiratorially, “my wife and I would love to have you
over for dinner sometime. Perhaps this weekend? We have a lovely home in the Heights district.”
The invitation was unexpected. I tilted my head slightly, analyzing his motives. “That’s very kind of
you, but I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Nonsense! It would be our pleasure.” His eyes glinted with something I couldn’t quite ce- ambition, perhaps, or calction. “I have a son about your age. Sterling. He attends Weske Prep.
Smart boy, though between us, not quite as… exceptional as you appear to be.”
Ah, there it was. He wanted to y matchmaker, likely hoping to connect his son with someone he
perceived as valuable to the Haxton family.
“I’ll consider it,” I replied nomittally, slipping his card into my pocket.
As Felix opened his mouth to press further, his attention shifted to something over my shoulder. His expression brightened.
“Ah, Orion! Good afternoon.”
I turned slightly to see Orion Miller approaching, his backpack slung casually over one shoulder.
“Mayor Huxley,” Orion nodded politely. “Good afternoon, sir.”
Felix beamed, pping a hand on Orion’s shoulder. “One of Cloud City High’s star students! Your father speaks highly of your academic achievements.”
Orion looked ufortable with the attention but maintained hisposure. “Thank you, sir.”
Felix nced between us, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. “You two know
7:03 Tue, Sep 16
:.
each other, I presume? Ms. Morgan here has quite an extraordinary mind. Perhaps you could- He stopped himself mid–sentence, his eyes widening slightly as if he’d nearly said something he
shouldn’t.
“Actually,” Felix recovered smoothly, “I should be going. City business, you know how it is.” He gave me onest meaningful look. “Remember, Ms. Morgan. My offer stands. Anytime.”
As he walked away, I noticed him pull out his phone, his fingers moving rapidly across the screen. Something told me he was texting his son about me.
Before I could dwell on it further, the school’s PA system crackled to life. Dr. Thompson’s voice echoed through the hallways.
“Attention students and faculty. This is Principal Thompson speaking. I’d like to address a matter concerning one of our students, Jade Morgan.”
The hallway fell silent as everyone stopped to listen.
“Following a thorough investigation and additional testing, we have confirmed that Ms. Morgan did
not cheat on her recent AP Calculus exam. In fact, her original score of 100 percent has been verified
and reinstated. The mathematics department and I would like to extend our sincere apologies to Ms.
Morgan for any distress this misunderstanding may have caused.”
I could feel eyes turning toward me as Dr. Thompson continued.
“Additionally, Mr. Peterson would like to personally apologize for the usation andmend Ms. Morgan on her exceptional mathematical abilities.”
I doubted thatst part was voluntary, but it was satisfying nheless.
As the announcement ended, whispers erupted throughout the hallway. I made my way to ss, ignoring the stares that followed me.
In eighth period, I slipped into my seat just as the bell rang. The ssroom was buzzing with conversation, all of it centered around the principal’s announcement.
“Did you hear that? They actually made Peterson apologize!”
“How the hell did she get a perfect score in under thirty minutes<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“I heard the police were involved.”
7:04 Tue, Sep 16 D
“Maybe she’s one of those savants or something.”
“Or maybe she’s an alien,” someone joked, prompting nervousughter.
??))
<i>79 </i>
Their theories were more amusing than annoying. Let them specte; it made no difference to me.
Suddenly, Emily’s voice cut through the chatter. “Jade’s a fucking idiot! There’s no way she could score a hundred on anything!”
The ssroom fell silent. Every head turned toward Emily, whose face reddened as she realized she’d
spoken much louder than intended. Her eyes met mine across the room, and I saw a sh of fear
beneath her anger.
I simply stared back, expression neutral, until she looked away first.
After school, as I walked down the main staircase, I noticed Orion standing on thending, watching <ol><li>me. I was speaking with Chris Jensen, finalizing our business. </li></ol>
“I appreciate your handling of this matter,” I told Chris as we reached the bottom of the stairs.
“It was straightforward enough,” he replied with a slight smile. “I hope we meet again under more
pleasant circumstances.”
“Of course,” I nodded. “Soon.”
Chris nced up, noticing Orion’s gaze. “You seem to have an audience.”
I followed his look. “Just a ssmate.”
“Well,” Chris said, “I should be going. Take care, Ms. Morgan.”
As he walked away, I turned to find Orion approaching me.
“Jade,” he began, his tone cautious. “That was some announcement today.”
I looked at him nkly, as if trying to ce him. “Do I know you?”
His expression shifted from curiosity to disbelief, then quickly to anger. “Are you serious right now? After all those notes you slipped into my locker? The breakfast you’d leave on my desk every morning? You were practically impossible to shake offst semester.”
7:04 Tue, Sep 16
:
I maintained my cool demeanor. “Oh, that. Ancient history.”
<b>79 </b>
Orion scoffed, a bitterugh escaping his lips. “Wow. So now that you’ve lost weight and gotten some
attention, you’re pretending none of that happened? That’s rich.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied with practiced indifference.
His jaw tightened, and I could see him struggling to maintain hisposure. A muscle twitched in
his cheek as he stared at me.
“You know what? This act-” he gestured at me from head to toe, “-is even worse than the desperate girl who wouldn’t leave me alone. At least she was honest about who she was.”
“Are we done here?” I asked, checking my watch.
“Right,” he said finally, shaking his head. “My mistake.”
I watched him walk away, his shoulders stiff with barely contained anger. When he reached the doors, he nced back.
Our eyes met briefly before he pushed through the doors and disappeared into the afternoon light.
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