‘A great play always has a main character, supporting characters, backing actors, and a tactful narrator.’
‘We agree. But…What if you can’t do it?’, they ask.
‘$1,000,000 is for you. Do we deal, class rep?’, I sneer.
They are surprised and a bit hesitant after hearing this. However, the negotiation is successful as expected. Their faces are happy, but they do not know I am happier than them. Thanks to them, everything goes according to plan.
‘Do you have any questions?’, I ask.
Everyone shakes their heads, but from the back, the chubby girl who was bullied in the morning gasps for air and asks, ‘What do we need to do next?’
I say, ‘You guys go on as usual. I will arrange everything’.
The next morning, it is announced that the exam will happen this Friday. The class seems to be working hard today but the ‘gentle’ navel of the universe. He feels strange because no one does anything wrong or rebels against him. Suddenly he sees me drawing something. He takes a step towards me. He snatches the paper away and tears it off in front of me.
He shouts angrily, ″Hey greenie! Why don’t you study? Don’t you see other people working hard? Do you want to drag the class down?′
‘How about you?’, I replied in a pensive voice
‘Huh! Whether I study or not, I will always be first in the next class’. He smirks, ‘I heard you got the lowest grades in the old school. Take care of yourself first.’
He walks away and cracks up. I just smile and continue to draw. Drawing is just my habit when thinking about a few things.
After 3 days, he becomes more and more angry because there was nothing he could use to manifest his power. Finally, Friday is coming. The bell rings for the time to start the test. Everyone focuses on answering the question, the sound of pencils rubbing against the paper except for one person who is extremely bewildered. That person is the navel of the universe. He cannot think of anything to write down on the answer sheet. Watching him chew his pencil, I know my plan is going on smoothly. The exam time ends, everyone submit their papers happily except for him.
Next Monday...
A new list of top students has been published. My class is still at the bottom rank as usual. Although the test is very easy and almost every class gets 100 points, the reason is because of I and person-who-everyone-know. The class’s top 10 student list changes rapidly. His face is sombre and his hands grip the notebook.
He stands up, and madly screams, ″There’s definitely something wrong with this exam. Otherwise, why am I at the bottom of the class? Ma’am, I want to retake the exam. It can’t be like this. Surely they already knew the exam questions.′
The teacher standing on stage panicked and startled, ″If you... have any questions about the score... You go to the exam office. As for who knows... the answer is that only the principal knows it. ′
The class rep smashes the table and says loudly to him, ‘Only if you get first rank, the test is not cheating? You only know how to point us to show who you are. We score by our ability. You’re the one who says whether you study or not, you’ll be first. Why are you at the bottom? Do previous tests have something wrong?’
....
Other people start to suspect and whisper. That time, he cannot refute her. I can see his face is as white as a sheet. I’m definitely sure he cheated in the previous tests. If he continues to struggle with classmates, the truth will be revealed. He immediately grabs his bag, kicks the table and runs out. When he is out, I also stand up, and pretend to have a stomach ache to follow him.
At the terrace, he is punching the wall. His face scowled. When he looks at the banister, he is a bit surprised.
‘Get out! Do you come to mock me or else?’, He gets angry
I chortle and cachinnate. I wipe the tears in my eyes. Walking towards him in the strong wind, I ask, ‘Don’t you want to know why you are in the bottom rank? I can tell you.’
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