October Academy

Chapter 37

Monday comes around too quickly. I'm not prepared for my exams. I know I won't pass them all – I'm lucky if I even pass one.

Acacia and I sit in our assigned seats – designated in alphabetical order. I wouldn't be able to find my seat if Gladys wasn't standing by it.

She pats me on the back and wishes me luck, then tells me "I'm sure you're well prepared."

Oh fuck. Only now, I realise the hidden meaning behind her words in her office. She wanted me to cheat. I didn't take the hint.

She looks me up and down, trying to uncover the hidden notes written on my skin. But she won't find any, because not only was I stupid enough to believe that I would pass, but also stupid enough to not read her implied messages.

I have two hours to complete my History exam. It's the first exam I have, and the one I know the most about. But now, knowing that even Gladys doesn't have faith in me... it hurts my cold heart.

Supervisors walk around the room – none of them even remotely related to history, meaning I can't ask Mr Speidy for help. I'll never understand why senior invigilated exams have to be so fancy – why can't we just do them in our regular classrooms like we did up to senior year?

The timer goes off. Two hours. I knuckle down, focussing on getting out as many words as I can. My writing is laboured, agonisingly slow – but I push through.

I break concentration when a supervisor slowly walks past my desk, softly drumming his rough fingers on the table as he passes.

My eyes narrow on Callum's figure as he continues walking up the isle of students. Don't let him distract me, I think.

The two hours is over too soon. I have not finished all of the questions. I did not concentrate as well as I hoped. And I do not think that I passed.

.

.

.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I have more exams. I go through the same turmoil. I only finish one of my six exams. The other five I only get to three quarters. I feel most confident about maths, because Darcy made everything clearer for me. It was the only exam I finished. I also take the easiest math class, so it shouldn't be that much of an accomplishment, but it is.

I realise I have to take matters into my own hands.

At lunch, in our last week of school (where exams are but a fragment of the past and students are wild and careless) I grab Perry, Acacia and Xander and tell them my plan. They are openly concerned.

"You can't just sneak into the examiners office and finish your tests, that's cheating," Perry says righteously.

"It's not all black and white, okay? I'm not going to cheat my way into an A, I just want to pass so I don't get expelled."

"Expelled?" Xander says, his eyes betraying him. He looks concerned.

"Yes, Xander, expelled," I say.

"I'll help you," Acacia says.

"Me too," Xander says. "I'll finish some of your exams for you."

I smile. "I'm sorry to drag you guys into this. You can just stand look out, I'll do everything else."

"I don't like this plan," Perry says. "And I don't want to be apart of it." She pauses. "But I would rather..." she struggles to say it, her concept of good and bad so black and white. "I would rather you cheated than left me."

I send her the goofiest smile, "Love you, Patrick."

"I want a man's name too," Acacia says, mouse brown hair swaying in the wind of the courtyard.

"How about Archibald, it suits you because you're so proper," I laugh.

"How about Anus?" Xander teases her and she smacks him playfully on the shoulder.

"So when is this plan to commence?" Acacia asks.

"Now," I say.

It's lunch break, so all the students are free to roam the courtyard and the school grounds. No one will know we're missing.

We walk back to the auditorium, where all the exams are stored and graded.

Acacia stands guard at the entrance. I think for a moment how easy it was to get in here – shouldn't there be locked doors or more security?

Xander and I walk inside to the room filled with files and paper stacked high. I find the history assignments first while Xander looks in the math pile.

An overwhelming wave of sadness crushes over me, like a wave washing over the sand. I want to cry – instantly tears jump to my eyes and pour down my face.

I am too late. The papers are graded.

To guilt myself further, I go through the stack to find my test paper. I'll get my report card over the holidays, why bring doom any faster? I could live happily in ignorance for the next three weeks, but instead I choose to torture myself.

"What's wrong?" Xander says, pausing.

"They're already graded," I cry.

"But... it's only been a few days..." defeat is in his eyes.

Finally, I find my paper. I pull it out of the stack, not caring that some of the other papers are misaligned and dishevelled.

My eyes widen in disbelief. It can't be possible. I got an A.

Xander leans in over my shoulder, displaying a similar sentiment of shock. "But – " he begins.

It's almost as if the teacher that marked my assignment was blind. The questions aren't even fully answered – my writing is so messy I can't even read it. It's impossible. It's a lie.

We look for all my other exams. A's on every single one.

"Who did this for you?" Xander says.

"It must have been Gladys," I say.

"Let's get out of here," Xander says. "We didn't touch your papers. You can't get in trouble for it. Let's go before we're seen."

As we spring away from the Auditorium, I can't help but wonder why Gladys did it. Why bother threatening me and hinting to cheat if she was just going to sort it all out herself? And more importantly, why didn't she tell me?