"Let''s go," Qadir urged, wanting to check on Salma. If she was really in trouble, they could at least apologize and promise to work harder, which might make her feel a little better.


    Queenie and Dolce agreed. They nced at Juniper, who was calmly eating a piece of candy, and said cautiously, "If you had taken the exam, Juniper, Aurora High would have shone bright even if the rest of us rankedst."


    After all, a perfect score across the board was something else. What a missed opportunity for an epiceback.


    "Let''s head up," Juniper said with a nonchnt smile, offering no further exnation.


    The group made their way to the principal''s office, only to find all the senior year teachers crowded outside the door. Their faces were grim, darker than the overcast sky. Inside, Salma was on the phone. They couldn''t hear the other side, but Salma just kept nodding and saying "yes," nervously fidgeting with her clothes and wiping sweat from her brow. Something was clearly wrong.


    "Juniper''s here!" Qadir yelled, not daring to push through the crowd.


    At the sound of his voice, the teachers all turned around.


    "Juniper''s here?" The math teacher was the first to react, eagerly making space.


    "Come on through," the other teachers chimed in, parting to create a path for her. "Watch your step," they added with weing smiles.


    "Thank you," Juniper said, nodding politely as she walked forward.


    "My leader Juniper sure gets respect," Qadir thought, giving a silent thumbs-up as he tried to follow. But just as he took a few steps, the path the teachers had made closed up again.


    Qadir was baffled.


    "What are you looking at? Get back to studying," a teacher barked.


    "But I..." Qadir started.


    The literature teacher cut him off. "But what? If you don''t finish memorizing those poems today, I''ll break your legs."


    "But Juniper hasn''t memorized them either!" Qadir protested.


    "Good heavens, the nerve of you!" the literature teacher eximed. "Comparing yourself to Juniper? Just think about what''s in her brain, and then think about what yours."


    Qadir wanted to argue, but he couldn''t find a single valid point. In fact, he kind of agreed with the teacher Juniper''s brain was filled with a universe of knowledge; Kis was just... a brain. It felt like a personal attack.


    Qadir sulked over to a wall, leaning against it with his arms crossed, tapping his foot in frustration.


    "Don''t be upset," Queenie said with a sigh, seemingly used to this kind of preferential treatment. "The teachers are telling the truth, though. You really can''tpare yourself to Juniper," she tried to console him. "She''s so smart, she remembers everything after one look You, on the other hand, can study for three days and still get it mixed up, so..."


    "Stop!" Qadir''s eye twitched. Her words weren''tforting at all; they just made him feel worse. "Stop trying to console me. Not a single thing you''re saying is helping!"


    Salma finally finished her call. She hung up and slowly turned her stiff body to face the anxious teachers.


    "Salma, was that the district office?" the math teacher asked, swallowing nervously.