"Am I seeing this right? How is Tucker''s name on the list?"


    Not only was he on it, but he had beaten the favorite, Byron, to take first ce.


    Byron had been the national champion for several years running. Tucker, on the other hand, hadpeted several times without ever breaking the top three. Before thepetition, the word around theputer science department was that Byron was a shoo-in for first ce. This was especially awkward since Byron had always looked down on Tucker, and now he''d beenpletely upstaged.


    As the discussion heated up, someone by the door whispered, "Byron''s here." Everyone immediately rushed to the window to peek outside.


    "Oh man, he looks furious," one student worried aloud. “Looks like today''s going to be rough for us."


    Though Byron was famous both at the university and nationally, he carried himself with an air of superiority. In ss, he was prone to sarcastic remarks, often telling students they weren''t cut out for the field. He''d usually ignore students who greeted him in the hallways, so it was no surprise that he wasn''t very popr.


    Tucker was different. The quirky old professor could be entric, but he was genuinely kind. Whenever students had questions, he would answer them patiently. More often than not, they could also sneak a few snacks from his office. Compared to Byron, Tucker was by far the student favorite.


    "Byron''s ss is at nine, right?" Juniper asked Hattie, dropping her bag and grabbing a couple of snack packs.


    "Yeah," Hattie confirmed.


    "Alright," Juniper mumbled, "I''m heading out for a bit. I''ll be right back."


    "Byron''s in a foul mood. Don''t get on his bad side," Hattie called after her.


    Byron already held a grudge against Juniper for not choosing him as her mentor, seeing it as a blow to his ego ble usually gave her the cold. shoulder but now with his rival Tucker taking the top spot, and Juniper being Tucker''s student, things were bound to get worse. If she waste, Byron would undoubtedly take it out on her.


    In theb, Juniper found Tucker with his face practically pressed against the


    "This is impossible," he muttered, scrolling with his mouse. "I never even signed up. How did my name get on the list?"


    Could he have gotten drunk and


    impulsively submitted his code? No,


    that couldn''t be it. He''d only had some low-alcohol fruit wine; there was no way he was drunk enough to do that. What on earth was going on? He must have time-traveled. It was the only logical exnation he coulde up with.


    "Professor," Juniper said, finally making her presence known after listening to him ramble.


    “Oh, you''re here," Tucker said, too preupied to pay her much mind. "Don''t take too many snacks. I''m over my allowance this month and can''t afford to buy more."


    "Are you wondering about thepetition list?" Juniper asked, rubbing her nose with a guilty expression.


    "Of course I am," Tucker replied.


    He nced at her, then back at the screen. Two secondster, his head snapped back to her, his eyes widening. His voice trembled as he asked, "Did you... sign me up?"


    "If I said my hand slipped and I identally registered for you, would you believe me?” Juniper offered, cing the snacks by his hand. "Professor, this vor of chips is amazing. You should try some."


    Tucker pushed the snacks aside and turned his whole body to face her, swallowing hard. “So you''re telling me you identally'' broke through my firewall, ''identally'' found my project folder, ''identally'' copied the files, and then identally opened the registration website and signed me up?"