If you're going to cheat, do it properly
Leonard held his breath as he tested how far he could see out of the corner of his eye without noticeable movement. Patterned wallpaper. Dark wooden desk. Just a little more and he’d be able to see the answer sheet of the kid to his right. Nope, he’d have to turn his head. Leonard sighed quietly. If the teacher saw him doing that it was game over. School rules were as strict as the place was prestigious, meaning there was no way he could afford to get caught.
There was no way he was going home with a subpar grade either.
Movement. The teacher looked up from the book on his heavy ebony desk. Leonard slowly returned to neutral position. Haste would only get him caught; he’d learned that the hard way. He fiddled with his light blonde hair, doing his best to look like he was thinking hard about the test. There, the teacher looked down once more. Back to the task at hand. Leonard made another attempt to sneak a glance at the other kid’s sheet.
Chad. Patched-up clothes and dirty blonde hair. Hell, Leonard didn’t even remember his last name. Harris? Nollis? Not that it mattered. The kid was dirt poor and regularly picked on for it.
Leonard ground his teeth. He usually did decent at maths but he couldn’t wrap his head around the current topic at all. Then he’d been sick of trying, and then it suddenly was the day of the test and now he was sitting in the sea of desks unable to remember any of what he’d read.
He gripped his pen tighter. Disappointing his father was not an option. Cheating beat failing any day. The kid to his left had no idea what he was doing and the seat in front was empty, but Chad was steadily working his way down the problems. Even a middling score was better than what Leonard could achieve on his own. Though someone who was uncertain ought to hesitate more than Chad did. He was either overconfident or he was right. Leonard was betting on the latter.
It took some time but Leonard eventually figured out how to stealthily peek at Chad’s answers and copied them onto his own sheet. He was so focused on the task that he hardly noticed the sounds of pens scrawling, although the occasional frustrated groan of someone unable to work out the problems might snap him out of it for a moment.
There. All the problems had their answers neatly written out. He was surprised to look up and find that there was time left on the clock. Only ten minutes, but still. He was feeling pretty good about himself.
■□■
“Explain this.”
Leonard wasn’t feeling so good about himself now. He ran a hand over his hair, trying to smooth out some unruly strands. People let you get away with more when you looked good.
The teacher had him and Chad sat down, their tests placed for them to see on his desk. The paper almost seemed to glow in the afternoon sunlight. Leonard’s cheeks were glowing with the beginning of shame, though he hoped not too visibly.
The teacher, Chad and himself were the only people in the room and the door to the classroom was closed to prevent eavesdropping.
“It’s just a coincidence,” Leonard attempted. “There are a limited number of ways to answer a math test.”
“The options are limited, yes,” the teacher agreed. “But not so much that having two identical answer sheets being handed in is a normal occurrence. You two sit next to each other. I wasn’t born yesterday, boys.”
Leonard groaned. Just his luck. Now he’d have to try to convince the teacher that Chad was the one who had copied off him and not the other way around.
“Anyway, it’s not like I-“ Leonard began, but he was cut off by Chad, who was raising his hand.
“I did it,” he said. “It was me who copied off Leonard. Don’t give him trouble for what I did.”
Leonard’s eyes went wide. Why would Chad say that? Wasn’t he angry at him?’
“A confession, huh? At least you aren’t that stupid,” the teacher said. He waved Leonard off. “Leonard, you can leave now. Keep up the good work. As for you, Chad, you should know that at a school as ours…”
Leonard quickly exited the room, lest someone change their mind. He decided to wait some distance from the classroom. While he couldn’t tell what was said, the teacher was clearly giving Chad a severe scolding. Chad was probably offering some sort of apology. Leonard was glad it wasn’t him in there, but why would Chad endure all that for something he didn’t even do?
Once the volume finally lowered Leonard took care to hide just out of sight. The last thing he wanted was to have his teacher suspect him.
“Now, off with you,” he heard the teacher’s gruff voice. “Don’t let me see a repeat.”
“Sorry, it won’t happen,” Chad mumbled.
Leonard allowed for a moment to pass before he ducked out of his hiding place. He blocked Chad’s path.
“Hey. What was that all about?” he demanded.
“A trade,” Chad said. “You owe me now.”
Leonard grimaced. He owed Chad? The mere thought was ridiculous.
“What do you want? A new sweater?” he taunted.
Chad’s expression darkened. “You’re aware I can go back and tell him the truth any time I like, right?”
Leonard tensed up. “Hey. No. Wait. I’ll provide what you want, okay? So don’t tell anyone.”
“That’s more like it.” Chad nodded and extended his hand. “In that case… I know you get a generous allowance. I want yours for this month. Do we have a deal?”
It wasn’t an offer Leonard was eager to accept, but it stung less than the prospect of being discovered and ridiculed. After all, cheating only worked when other people didn’t know, and it would showcase his ineptitude to his father. Hesitantly, Leonard offered his hand and shook Chad’s. Contrary to his expectations Chad’s hand didn’t feel grimy, just completely ordinary.
“It’s a deal,” Leonard huffed.
■□■
It was with a great deal of discontent that Leonard prepared his allowance and went to meet with Chad in secret. Behind the school, where the risk of witnesses was minimal. It still galled him that he’d ended up in this situation, but it was better than the alternative. Besides, Chad had no idea how big his allowance was. He’d easily be able to get away with paying just a fraction of the cost. A smirk crept onto Leonard’s face, but he quickly put on a neutral expression as he rounded the corner.
Time to bring this misadventure to an end.
“You sure left me waiting long enough,” Chad commented, wearing a sweater that had at least three visible patches. “I was wondering if you’d decided to have me spill the beans after all.”
“No, of course not,” Leonard snapped. He pulled out his wallet and retrieved some bills, making a show of how it pained him. Chad smirked and Leonard had to resist the urge to punch him as he handed over the money.
“Hmm.” Chad frowned and counted the bills. “This wasn’t the deal. I want all of it.”
“What do you mean, all of it?” Leonard said, feigning innocence. “This is all I’ve got!”
“Not according to my calculations,” Chad said. “This isn’t even half.”
“Your what?” Leonard sputtered. How the hell would someone like Chad know?
“Really?” Chad sighed and rolled his eyes. “You show off with new stuff all the time and you didn’t expect anyone to do the math? You made it way too easy for me.”
Leonard hissed in anger and threw the remaining bills on the grass. “Fine, have it your way! But you’re going to be dead the next time you mess with me, got it?”
Unexpectedly Chad was already scrambling to pick up the bills. It was a pathetic sight and it served him right. Crawling around like the insect he was. Leonard huffed and stomped off.
■□■
Some days passed and Leonard kept an eye on Chad. It was his hard-earned money, so he had every right to know how it was being spent. He expected Chad to show up with new clothes and fancy gadgets to show off to the other kids, but neither happened. Chad wore his usual ratty sweaters, brought his usual sad stone age phone, and ate his usual sad lunches.
Several more days passed and Leonard decided to confront Chad during one of their breaks. He made sure no others were around and stepped in Chad’s way.
“Hey. What’d you spend the money you got on?” he asked.
Chad’s expression hardened. “It’s none of your business.”
“Seriously. You know some new clothes would be in order, and you could’ve gotten a handheld or a new phone or-“
“I told you it’s none of your business!” Chad suddenly snapped. “Now stop bothering me about it. I earned that money fair and square. It’s mine to spend however I want.”
“Just saying, those ratty old sweaters don’t make you look good,” Leonard continued pushing. “I’d have thought you at least would bother to get something nicer.”
“There are more important things,” Chad said in a tone that indicated no room for debate. “Not that someone like you would understand.”
“But-“
“End of discussion,” Chad said. “If you keep pushing me it’s not going to be pleasant.”
Leonard decided to leave it at that. Chad had already proven that he was a handful, and Leonard didn’t need another allowance to go down the drain to who-knows-where.
Get lost
The weeks after Leonard made his deal with Chad passed by uneventfully.
Oh, he still resented Chad. He’d daydreamed about hiring a hitman – make it look like an accident – as he’d once overheard his own father talking about in hushed tones. The sad reality was that even saving his generous pocket money for months on end brought him nowhere near the necessary amount. He knew because he’d also heard what price his father paid to have a life taken.
Leonard still kept an eye on Chad, wanting to know what his money had gone toward. His first guess had been new clothes, failing that some fancy gadget. So far nothing seemed to have changed. Patched-up sweaters, worn pants, and shoes that had seen far better days. Whatever Chad had spent the money on, it sure didn’t show. At this point Leonard almost expected Chad to come in half-naked one morning, his sweater having fallen apart on the way to school. He shuddered at the thought of being that poor.
It was a regular morning at school. No tests were scheduled, neither any events. Leonard sat at his desk when the classroom door opened for yet another student. He was still getting his supplies ready for the first lesson of the day, but the whispers and muffled laughter had him turning his head in the direction of the door.
“That’s so lame.”
“Is he for real?”
“I’d rather die than wear something like that!”
The reason quickly became apparent. Chad finally had a new sweater all right, but it wasn’t your run-of-the-mill sweater. No, this one had been patterned to resemble a tuxedo of all things. The fact that it was such a far cry from the real thing made it utterly laughable.
Chad’s facial expression was one of indifference as he made his way to his desk.
Leonard burst into laughter, not even trying to suppress it. “Seriously? That’s your response to me telling you to get a new sweater? How pathetic can you get?”
Chad had been about to sit down but he stopped and turned his head in Leonard’s direction, hands clenched into trembling fists. “Say. That. Again.”
“It’s pathetic,” Leonard repeated without hesitation. “You think that makes you look fancy? It just makes it even more obvious how poor you are.”
He hardly had the chance to blink before Chad tackled him and threw him to the ground.
“Hey!” Leonard cried out. Chad threw a punch that hit Leonard square in the jaw. He tasted blood. Now angry as well, Leonard reacted by punching back and the two went at each other until several teachers arrived and pried them apart.
■□■
“Great job, getting us in this situation,” Leonard muttered angrily as he dragged a wet mop across the classroom floor. School was out for the day and he could see the other pupils on the outside, making their way home.
Leonard and Chad had been given detention and they’d have to clean the whole room before they were allowed to leave. Leonard didn’t get what it had to do with fighting, but the adults insisted it was supposed to teach them some sort of lesson.
“Don’t ever insult any of my sweaters again,” Chad replied, maneuvering a mop of his own.
“What’s the big deal? It’s just a piece of clothing. A supremely ugly one at-“ Leonard stopped mid-sentence when Chad pointed the end of his mop at him in a swift motion.
“One more word and you’re getting a beatdown,” Chad warned. “Knitting a sweater takes time, you know.”
“Sheesh, you’re weird,” Leonard grumbled. “Let’s just finish this up and get out of here.”
“As long as you keep your mouth shut about my sweaters,” Chad demanded.
“Yeah, yeah,” Leonard rolled his eyes. Whatever. He’d just have to not say his thoughts out loud. Didn’t make Chad’s sweater any less ridiculous. He stayed silent and they finished up their task in reasonable time.
Of course, Chad kept wearing the darn thing. He probably would for months. Suffice to say, Leonard learned a lot about holding his tongue. At least while Chad was within earshot.
■□■
Final exams eventually came around, and so did the end of the semester. Soon it was summer vacation and Leonard didn’t have to see Chad’s pathetic mug for two whole months. He tried to talk his father into having Chad kicked out of the school but was unsuccessful.
And so, once the new term began he still had to deal with the annoyance that was having Chad around. It was a small comfort that Chad was placed several seats in front of him this time. Additionally, their previous math teacher had changed jobs. That meant the dirt Chad had on Leonard no longer held any value.
Chad of course looked as pathetic as ever. He was wearing a fried egg sweater conceived in the ugliest colors known to man. Leonard smirked. With the threat of Chad ratting him out to the teacher gone he no longer had any reasons not to speak his mind.
“Why don’t you do us all a favor and transfer already?” Leonard sneered. “You should already have figured out that no wants you here.”
“Everyone knows? Then why are you wasting your time telling me?” Chad shot back. “I thought people like you were supposed to be skilled in logical reasoning.” The response earned him several chuckles from across the room.
Leonard felt his face grow hot with rage. “You- You’re nothing but dirt and I could crush you if I wanted to!”
“Then why don’t you try?” Chad challenged. “I’m sure your excellent intellect will make it child’s play.”
Leonard smirked until he realized that Chad was mocking him. Worse, snickering could be hard around the room. He was being made a fool of, and it was Chad of all people doing it.
“Keep messing with me and I will destroy you,” Leonard threatened. “Mark my words.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Chad rolled his eyes. “Sure thing.”
Leonard was about to fire off another retort when the teacher walked into the room and announced that class was starting. Not even one day had passed and Chad was already being a thorn in his side.
It's not what it looks like!
Coming soon