:
??)
The cool night air felt refreshing against my skin as I finished my five–mile run through the quiet streets of Cloud City. My body had fully adapted to these nightly workouts. I checked my watch- 10:23 PM. Perfect timing.
As I approached our rundown house, I immediately sensed something was off. Two unfamiliar cars were parked outside–a sleek ck Audi that looked wildly out of ce in our neighborhood, and a more modest Honda Civic.
I slowed my pace, scanning the area. The front windows glowed with more light than usual for this hour, and I could make out several silhouettes moving inside.
Pushing open our creaky front door, I found an unexpected tableau in our cramped living room: Dr. Thompson, our school principal, and Mr. Peterson, my calculus teacher, sitting awkwardly on our worn–out couch. Linda Morgan hovered nearby with an unnaturally wide smile–the kind she
reserved exclusively for people she thought could benefit her.
Frank stood nervously in the corner, looking like he wished he could dissolve into the peeling
wallpaper.
<b>79 </b>
What immediately caught my attention was the coffee table. It wasden with expensive–looking gift baskets–imported choctes, premium wines, and gourmet food. Next to them sat a thick man envelope, conspicuously ced for maximum visibility.
“Jade, honey!” Linda’s voice dripped with artificial sweetness. “Look who came to visit! Dr. Thompson
and Mr. Peterson from your school!”
I remained in the doorway, still in my running clothes. This was unexpected and unwee.
‘Ms. Morgan,” Dr. Thompson stood, adjusting his tie nervously. “We were just telling your parents how impressed we are with your mathematical abilities.”
Mr. Peterson nodded mechanically beside him, though his eyes couldn’t quite meet mine. His usual arrogance had been reced with something closer to fear.
“We wanted to personally apologize for the misunderstanding,” Dr. Thompson continued, gesturing to the gifts. “And to express our admiration for your exceptional talent.”
I nced at the envelope on the table, then back at them. “Is this a standard procedure for when you falsely use students of cheating? Or am I getting special treatment?”
7:04 Tue, Sep 16
:
The room temperature seemed to drop several degrees. Linda’s smile faltered slightly.
79
“Jade,” Frank began tentatively, “Dr. Thompson and Mr. Peterson have been very kind toe all this
way-”
“To bribe us,” I finished tly. I pulled out my phone and began scrolling through the contacts. “Should I call Mayor Huxley and ask if this is standard educational protocol in Cloud City?”
Dr. Thompson paled visibly. “That won’t be necessary, Ms. Morgan.”
“Good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need a shower.” I headed for the stairs, not waiting for a response.
“Please, Mr. Morgan,” I heard Dr. Thompson say desperately as I climbed the stairs. “Perhaps you could help us speak with your daughter?”
I took my time in the shower. When I finally came back downstairs in fresh clothes, they were still
there, looking increasingly ufortable.
“Take the gifts with you when you leave,” I said firmly, pointing to the items on the table. “All of
them.”
“But honey,” Linda interjected, moving to stand between me and the visitors, “Dr. Thompson and Mr.
Peterson brought these especially for us. It would be rude to—”
“I don’t want them,” I cut her off.
“There’s ten thousand dors in that envelope!” Linda blurted out, her eyes wide with panic.
A heavy silence fell over the room. Dr. Thompson closed his eyes briefly, as if in pain.
“Ten thousand dors,” I repeated slowly, looking directly at the principal. “For what exactly?”
‘It’s not–we didn’t mean-” Dr. Thompson stammered.
“It’s a schrship,” Mr. Peterson jumped in quickly. “For your exceptional mathematical abilities.”
“A schrship thates in cash, in an unmarked envelope, delivered to my home after hours?” I raised an eyebrow. “Interesting procedure.”
“Take the gifts and the money,” I said, my voice leaving no room for argument. “Now.”
7:04 Tue, Sep 16
<b>79 </b>
The educators exchanged nces, then reluctantly began gathering their offerings. Linda looked like she might strangle me as she watched ten thousand dors being packed up before her eyes.
After they left, Frank turned to me, his expression a mixture of confusion and newfound respect.
“Jade, what happened at school?” he asked quietly. “The principal said you solved some incredibly
difficult math problems.”
“I did,” I replied simply.
“But how? You’ve never shown any interest in mathematics before.”
“Maybe no one was paying attention,” I said, meeting his gaze directly.
For once, Frank didn’t look away. “I believe you,” he said finally. “And I’m proud of you.”
From the corner of the room, Emily scoffed loudly. “Ohe on! She obviously cheated somehow.
She’s never gotten above a C in her life!”
“She didn’t cheat,” Max said firmly from the doorway, where he’d been quietly observing. “Jade’s
brilliant. She even solved that quantum alignment problem from Princeton–the one Professor
Edward Sheldon couldn’t crack.”
“Bullshit,” Emily spat. “There’s no way.”
“Watch yournguage,” Frank said automatically, though without much conviction.
Emily rolled her eyes and stormed upstairs, mming her bedroom door.
The next morning, I was preparing for my run when I heard a knock on Max’s door.
“Hey, have you seen my notebook?” Emily’s voice carried down the hallway. “The blue one with my English notes?”
“No,” Max replied curtly, not even looking up from hisputer.
I paused by my door, watching the interaction. Max’s tone was noticeably colder than usual. Typically, he bent over backwards to help Emily, eager for even the smallest crumb of attention. Not anymore, apparently.
Emily lingered in the doorway, surprised by his dismissive tone. “Are you sure? I really need it for my
7:04 Tue, Sep 16
essay today.”
“I said no,” Max repeated, still focused on his screen.
<b>79 </b>
Emily’s eyes narrowed as she nced at his desk, now dominated by the high–endptop I’d bought him. Her gaze drifted to the walls where he’d hung printouts ofplex physics equations–some of them mine.
“Whatever,” she muttered, turning to leave.
I slipped back into my room before she could spot me, but kept listening.
Instead of leaving, Emily paused. “Hey, is it true what Mom said? That Jade got some special offer from Princeton or something?”
There was silence before Max responded. “The Princeton president and Professor Edward Sheldon
both sent her private messages. She turned them down.”
“Turned them down?” Emily’s voice rose in disbelief. “Why would anyone turn down Princeton?”
“She said she doesn’t need special treatment. She’ll get in the regr way if she wants to,” Max
replied, pride evident in his voice.
Emily snorted. “Princeton’s president personally messaged her? Yeah, right. Why wouldn’t hee himself if she’s such a genius?”
“Believe what you want,” Max said dismissively. “I don’t care.”
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