In an instant, the entire ss scrambled to their feet and rushed towards the bulletin board.


    "Juniper, I''m so nervous," Queenie said, clinging to Juniper''s arm. "Will youe with me?"


    "Sure," Juniper agreed. She''d eaten too much for breakfast anyway and could use a walk. Plus, it was a chance to see how her ''students'' had fared.


    ...


    When they got to the bulletin board, a huge crowd had already formed.


    "No way! Did I really get a 450?" a boy eximed, grabbing his friend''s shoulders and shaking him. "I only got a 370st time! Pinch me, see if I''m dreaming!"


    "Huh?" His friend looked dazed, nearly shaken apart. "To be honest, I don''t believe my score either."


    A 510. He''d never broken 400 before. An improvement of 110 points? ''He'' was the one who needed to be pinched.


    "Ahhh!" While others were merely surprised, Qadir was going absolutely wild. "430! I got a 430!"


    He grabbed person after person, demanding, "Look, does that say 430? It''s not 340, is it? No, even 340 would be too high."


    Based on his previous track record, he was lucky to break 200. In his father''s words, his ''main ount'' was a lost cause, and it was time to consider starting a new one.


    "Juniper,e look..." Qadir spotted Juniper and grabbed the hem of her shirt, his eyes red with emotion.


    Juniper pulled her shirt back with a look of distaste. Shanley had just bought this for her; she didn''t want it getting dirty.


    "That''s right, 430," Queenie confirmed helpfully, then nced at her own score. 680. An improvement of 40 points!


    Before, she''d only had one foot in the door of Era University. With a score like this, not only could she get in but she could probably pick any major she wanted.  fo


    Dolce had also run down. 560. Just shy of the cutoff for a top-tier university, but she


    was confident she could make it with another month to study.


    Juniper''s eyes scanned down to the bottom three names on the list. Third tost:


    210. Second tost: 208. Deadst: 0.


    Zero? A sh of anger surged


    through her. Who dared to get a zero


    after using her study guide? She


    nced at the name next to the score: Juniper Payne] content


    Oh. It was hers.


    "Our school did really well this time," Queenie said, beaming at Juniper. Her expression clearly said, "Wow, wow, wow. My head is safe!”


    "Juniper..." Qadir, fresh from


    reporting the good news to his. father, gave Juniper three deep bows. "If you don''t mind, I''d like to


    rly thank you."


    His father had been so thrilled about his 400+ score that he''d immediately wired him a hefty sum of money.


    "Something more practical would be better," Juniper said, raising an eyebrow at him. "From now on, I''ll cover all your meals at school," Qadir promised, puffing out his chest.


    "Deal," Juniper said, patting his shoulder. The kid knew how to y the game. With him around, she''d be eating well.


    "By the way, are the state-wide rankings out yet?" Queenie asked Dolce.


    "I think..." Dolce was about to answer when someone nearby shouted, "They''re out, they''re out! But Principal Salma looks really upset!"


    What? Upset? Did that mean other schools had also improved, and Aurora High was at the bottom again? A fresh wave of tension washed over the students.