Chapter 3: Study Wars and Swaps

“Maddie, before the results are out, who’ll be valedictorian is still up in the air.”

I held back my emotions and smiled at her. “Maybe you’ll be the top scorer.”

*[Oh, look at the supporting girl’s face. Mocking our main character, huh?]*

*[Relax, that’s not mocking. That’s a prophecy.]*

*[Our Maddie is totally blackened with her sense of superiority. I want to see her get knocked down a peg.]*

Sense of superiority?

I tugged at the corner of my mouth, sarcasm biting at the back of my throat. Only people who are insecure and oversensitive twist other people’s normal words into something else.

Swap system, huh.

That’s really something.

After AP Physics, I went up to the front of the class on my own. “Mr. Carter, didn’t you say there are guaranteed admission spots for the state physics competition? I’ve been working on some competition problems lately, and I want to give it a shot.”

The physics teacher looked at me in surprise. “Rachel, you finally came around. With your ability, you’ve still got time to prepare.”

*[The supporting girl wants to join the physics competition? What about our Maddie?]*

*[Relax, the supporting girl might not even make it, and our Maddie isn’t useless. She can join the physics competition too.]*

I nearly laughed out loud at the live chat, shaking my head as if their words could bounce off.

That afternoon, the physics teacher gave me one-on-one tutoring and handed me another set of practice problems.

He slid me a lukewarm can of Dr. Pepper—classic teacher move, like a secret handshake for overachievers. The fluorescent lights hummed above as I dove into the problems, pencil tapping, mind racing.

Just as I finished a set, Maddie walked into the office, her voice tentative. “Mr. Carter, I want to try the competition too. Can I?”

“Maddie, your physics grades have never been outstanding. Even if you compete, you might not get results. It’s better to focus on the SAT and review to get a good score.”

As soon as the teacher finished speaking, the live chat exploded:

*[He took a bribe, right? This teacher definitely took money to keep our Maddie down. Who does he think he is?]*

*[When Maddie becomes valedictorian, he’ll be begging to get on her good side.]*

*[We were first in the entrance exam. Why can’t we join the competition? I want to report this teacher.]*

You could almost hear the outrage coming off the group chat, like a swarm of angry wasps buzzing just out of sight. The teacher shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his brow as if he could feel the digital mob through the cinderblock walls.

“Mr. Carter, my physics isn’t the best, but it’s not bad either. I just want to try.”

Maddie’s eyes turned red. “Don’t worry, sir. I just want the experience. Even if I don’t do well, I’ll accept it. It won’t affect my SAT.”

*[Maddie is so cool.]*

*[Maddie is my idol. She’s really hardworking.]*

Hardworking at what?

Hardworking to join the physics competition, then hardworking to swap my results?

That’s really some dedication.

After Maddie was recommended for the physics competition, she went all out on practice problems, not even wasting the five minutes between classes.

She even asked to sit next to me after school. “Rachel, can I be your desk mate for a while? Can we study together?”

I patted the seat beside me. “Of course. Let’s study together.”

I scooted over, making room at my battered, graffiti-covered table. She dropped her backpack with a heavy sigh and smiled, but her eyes darted over my notes like she was memorizing every margin. Her foot tapped under the desk, and she kept glancing at my notes, biting the inside of her cheek. You could practically see her mental gears grinding—scheming, calculating, planning.

She said it was to study. But really, Maddie was there to keep an eye on me.

I was focused on studying. She was thinking about whether to swap my results this time.

Finally, in a mock physics competition, on the day I got a perfect score, she seemed to have made up her mind.