43 You Cheated?
Noah arrived home late once again, exhaustion clinging to his body like a heavy blanket. After quickly showering to wash off the day, he headed to bed, grateful for the comfort of his pillow. His mind drifted to sleep, seeking comfort from everything that had been happening for the past few days.
The next morning, he woke up early. He got dressed quickly, ready to face the day, and headed downstairs to find his breakfast already prepared. Avocado toast with scrambled eggs sat waiting for him on the table, the smell inviting and delicious.
“Morning, Emily,” he said, flashing a smile at his little sister as she ate her cereal.
“Morning, Noah!” she chirped, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her big brother.
Noah nodded toward his dad, who was reading the morning paper, and his mom, busying herself at the stove. “Morning, Dad, Mom.”
“Good morning, son,” his dad replied, lowering the paper to give Noah a warm smile. His mom gave him a soft “Morning” as she continued cooking.
As he started eating, he savoured the flavours that were strong, but not overwhelming.
Finishing up his meal, Noah walked over to the fridge, pulling it open to find it emptier than usual. “We’re running low on groceries,” he muttered to himself. He realized it was time to go shopping soon, maybe after school. They needed more food to keep things stocked.
But another thought hit him as well—he needed to make sure his mom was getting paid more so they didn’t have to rely on him fully. Turning to his mom, he asked, “Hey, Mom, how do you feel about your cooking skills now? You’ve been practising and improving a lot this past week.”
His mom paused, her face showing a bit of uncertainty. “I feel… better, but it’s still a Michelin-star restaurant, Noah. I’m scared. What if they don’t accept me? I don’t have any experience working at fancy places, and I don’t want to embarrass myself.”
Noah smiled reassuringly. “Mom, don’t worry about experience. I know the owner of An’s Gourmet personally. He just wants someone who can cook well, and you’re more than capable of that. Experience comes with time, but you’ve got the talent. Plus, you’ll have a head chef looking out for you.”
His mom still looked reluctant but nodded. “Alright, I’ll try. But I’m still nervous.”
Noah grinned. “You’ve got this, Mom. You’ll be amazing.”
After finishing up, Noah said his goodbyes, grabbing his keys and Emily’s backpack. “Let’s go, Em,” he called to his sister as he took her hand to drop her off at school. After making sure Emily was safe and sound at her school, Noah finally headed to his own school, mentally preparing for what he assumed would be a normal day.
Entering his math class, Noah immediately noticed Ms. Elara, the math teacher, giving him a strange look. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, and it was hard for him to place why. Ignoring it for now, he slid into his seat next to Lily, his mind on autopilot until five minutes later when everyone had settled in.
Ms. Elara walked to the front of the room, her smile a little too smug for an ordinary day. “Good morning, everyone,” she began, the class murmuring their responses. “I have a surprise for you all today.”
The class instantly perked up, eyes widening in curiosity.
“We just finished the mock exams yesterday,” she continued, her tone teasing like she was about to drop a bombshell. “And today, we have the results. You may be wondering how we graded them so quickly, but we decided to use all the teachers to mark your exams in one day.” Her grin widened as she took in the surprised expressions.
The class erupted into murmurs, some students whispering about the impossibility of such a fast turnaround.
Ms. Elara raised her hand for silence. “Yes, yes, I know it’s surprising. But today you’ll find out your results, so let’s get right into it.”
Mark, seated a few rows away, couldn’t help but let out an exaggerated scoff. He turned to Noah with a smirk. “I wonder where I left my son,” he said, clearly referencing their bet about who would score higher.
Noah met his gaze, not missing a beat. “I don’t know, son. Where did you leave your brain?” His retort was quick, causing a ripple of laughter to spread around the classroom.
Next to him, Lily tried to suppress her giggle, her hand quickly flying to her mouth, but Noah caught the sound. He turned to her, slightly taken aback by how her laugh stirred something inside him. Her laugh was light, almost musical, and for a moment, Noah found himself captivated.
“You look even prettier when you laugh,” he said before he could stop himself.
Lily’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, and for a split second, she didn’t know how to respond. Without saying a word, she turned her head to the window, pretending to be absorbed in the outside view. But Noah missed the faint blush spreading across her cheeks, a sign that his words had hit their mark.
She stayed quiet, but Noah did not notice the way her fingers fiddled nervously with the hem of her sleeve, betraying her composed exterior.
Meanwhile, Mark, sensing that Noah wasn’t as focused on him, leaned back with a self-satisfied grin, muttering under his breath, “We’ll see who the real dad is soon enough.”
Noah, still watching Lily from the corner of his eye, smirked. “Don’t worry, Mark. You’re the son I never wanted.”
Ms. Elara moved to the front of the classroom, holding a stack of papers in her hands as the tension in the room thickened. The students sat up straighter, their eyes on her as they anticipated the results of the mock exams. Everyone knew that these results were a major indicator of how well they’d perform in the final exams, and the anxiety was palpable.
“Alright, let’s begin with Layla,” Ms. Elara announced, looking down at her list. She scanned the room and her gaze found Layla, who sat confidently in her seat. “Layla, you scored 67 out of 100. You’ve maintained your usual score, which is okay, but you need to try harder if you want to improve for the final exams.”
Layla simply shrugged, her expression indifferent as she nodded. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either, just like always.
“John,” Ms. Elara called next, glancing at the boy in the back who shifted nervously in his seat. “You scored 55 out of 100. You barely passed, so you’ll need to push yourself a lot harder next time.”
John grimaced but managed a weak smile. “I’ll try harder,” he mumbled, though the room could feel the weight of disappointment hanging over him.
“Tara,” Ms. Elara continued, “you got 76 out of 100. Well done. You’ve been steadily improving, and I can see you reaching your full potential if you keep this up.”
Tara beamed, her friends nudging her as they shared in her quiet celebration.
And then it was Lily’s turn. “Lily,” Ms. Elara said with a proud smile, “you’ve scored 97 out of 100. As usual, you’ve done amazing. Keep up the good work, and you’re bound to smash the real exam.”
Lily took the paper but didn’t say anything, merely nodding in response to the praise. Ms. Elara continued down the list. “Mark,” she said, glancing at the boy who had been boasting all morning, “you’ve scored 85 out of 100. Well done. You’ve improved a lot from your last exam, and you’re in the top 15 in the whole year.”
Mark leaned back in his chair, grinning smugly. “That’s right,” he muttered, his gaze flicking toward Noah with a competitive gleam. He clearly felt like he had this one in the bag.
Ms. Elara’s voice cut through the growing murmurs of the class. “And last but not least…” She paused dramatically, looking through her papers with deliberate slowness, her eyes darting toward Noah with a glint of something—perhaps amusement, perhaps disbelief.
Noah had a calm look as he watched her. He knew that he got full marks in the exam, but he was slightly curious about the reaction of the teachers.
“Noah,” she said, her voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of surprise, “you scored… 100 out of 100.”
It was as though a bomb had gone off in the room. For a split second, there was complete silence. Then, all at once, the class erupted into chatter.
“Wait, what?”
“That’s impossible!”
“Is he really that much better now? From worst to best?”
“No way…” Tara muttered, her eyes wide in disbelief. “He was struggling so much before!”
Noah glanced around at his classmates, seeing the incredulous looks, the murmurs, the shock.
Mark, who had been lounging with confidence a moment ago, shot up in his seat, his face twisting with disbelief and anger. “No way!” he blurted, unable to contain himself. “He cheated! There’s no way Noah scored that high, especially in math! He’s always been terrible at it!”
The murmurs in the room grew louder, some students nodding in agreement, others still processing the bombshell that had just been dropped.
Lily, who had been sitting quietly next to Noah, turned her head to look at him, her expression unreadable.
Her gaze was sharp like she was searching for something in his face. She didn’t believe he cheated, but 100 out of 100?
Even though she had scored 97, which was already amazing, the gap between 97 and 100 felt massive.
Ms. Elara raised her hand for silence, her voice stern. “Enough!” she said sharply, quieting the room. “I understand how some of you might feel, but Noah’s score is a result of hard work and perseverance.”
Even as she said it, there was a slight hesitation in her voice, as though she herself was still grappling with the result. But she carried on, her tone firm. “These are the results, and we will honour them.”
Mark, however, couldn’t let it go. “No way,” he muttered under his breath, though loud enough for the students around him to hear. “There’s no way he’s that good. He must’ve had someone help him or something.”
Noah looking at him scoffed, and said “You unfilial son, a dog would have been better to give birth to, at least it’s loyal.”
Ms. Elara continued. “The principal has been notified about Noah’s performance. Scoring full marks in four subjects and only missing one mark in the rest is an incredible achievement. His results are the best in the entire year.”
Another wave of murmurs rippled through the class. Noah, best in the entire year? The idea seemed almost laughable a few weeks ago, but now… now it was real.
“The principal will be making a decision regarding Noah’s results soon,” Ms Elara finished, her eyes scanning the room, daring anyone else to challenge her.
Mark, meanwhile, was fuming silently, unable to accept what had just happened. Noah had not only won the bet—they weren’t even in the same league anymore.
He knew that his reputation in the school would be decided by what the principal had to say.