"Just by hearing her name, you know she must be the rich Miss Farell from Lincoln High School. How could she possibly come to such a rural place to be a guidance teacher?" After Ottelia had introduced them and left, Tommy Hawk asked Ronnie Williams in disbelief, "Unless she went to some trashy college and had nowhere else to go, so she took this easy job at a school like this, just waiting to inherit her family's fortune."
Mr. Ronnie Williams was the school's Mr. Nice Guy, not only providing help with college selection but also in charge of guiding some student clubs. After Tommy Hawk had crossed over, he became the only student who from time to time would consult him irregularly about college admissions based on his own academic performance, which made them quite familiar with each other.
Ronnie Williams glanced at Tommy Hawk, "Hey, Tommy, badmouthing teachers isn't what you should be doing, especially in front of another teacher. Miss Farell is here to gain some work experience at a public institution and, by the way, study for her bar exam. Of course, according to her, she did indeed attend a trashy college—she graduated from Cornell University, which she settled for as a safety school because Princeton did not accept her. She would have preferred Princeton, but had to settle for Cornell."
"Oh, life is so cruel. As my teacher, Mr. Williams, you could have spared me this harsh truth," Tommy Hawk said with a bitter smile and a sigh of faux despair.
The terms 'reach schools,' 'match schools,' and 'safety schools' are commonly used by American high school teachers and current seniors in regard to college applications.
'Reach schools' refer to prestigious universities that students are very enthusiastic about but which, realistically, given their grades and resumes, have a very low probability of accepting them.
'Match schools' are those that match a student's academic performance and fit their future life plans, as identified with the help of teachers.
'Safety schools,' as the name implies, are backup options that ensure the student won't drop out halfway through and ruin their college dreams, even if they underperform and miss out on their match schools.
Tommy Hawk, even though he scored perfect fives on all six AP courses in his mock tests, never dared to dream of setting Cornell University, ranked thirteenth in the nation that year, as his reach school.
Yet, this unattainable university for him was just a safety school for Miss Farell, the last choice she made out of desperation.
It made sense when you thought about it—Princeton University was ranked second among national universities in the United States that year, just after Colombia University and often held the top spot on the national university rankings. If one had the confidence to aim for the second-best university in the country, then it was quite normal to list Cornell as a safety school.
"My only hope is that Miss Farell doesn't select colleges for me based on her own educational experiences. I'm afraid she doesn't understand the caliber of a trashy high school like this one and might advise me to shoot for her dream school, Princeton" Tommy Hawk said gloomily. "Goodbye, Mr. Williams. Oh, and let me congratulate you one last time."
After leaving the office and attending two required courses, American History and Natural Science, and having a heartfelt chat with the tutors, which ensured he received their approval, Tommy Hawk took his leave, looking tired and hurried on his way to his third-period elective, ready to study Journalism.
No choice—maintaining good relationships with teachers in American high schools is also a crucial part of the curriculum. After all, if you want to apply to college, in addition to good grades, you need recommendation letters from high school teachers and the principal. If they have no impression of you, then brace yourself for a lackluster recommendation letter that will get you passed over by colleges.
The Psychology remote learning course that Dennis and Pam talked about was in the conference room next to the Journalism classroom. However, Tommy Hawk was not interested; remote courses were just television teaching, where a group of students sat in a conference room watching a teacher on TV speaking to thin air. Of course, many students would use this class as an opportunity to catch some sleep.
These remote education courses didn't allow for questions or the cultivation of student-teacher relationships. Therefore, they were a waste of precious time for the current Tommy Hawk.
He was the first student to arrive in the classroom. Shortly after he took his seat, other students also started arriving from different classrooms. Some acquainted classmates whispered among themselves about amusing encounters they had had, waiting for the teacher to arrive and start class.
Just as the bell signaling the start of class rang and a teacher with graying hair entered, ready to begin, Dennis's voice suddenly came from the conference room next door.
Judging from the volume, that guy had turned the microphone and speakers up to the max!
"Everyone, you have no idea how lucky you are to witness a major historical moment since the founding of our school! Pam Marvell and I took five hours to achieve all this! Folks, our remote education classes will never be boring again!"
His excited words were almost audible throughout the whole floor, which left both the teacher and students in the classroom looking at each other in bewilderment.
The Journalism teacher left the classroom and headed toward the conference room next door. Tommy Hawk and the other students got up and followed behind the teacher.
When the teacher entered the spacious conference room and saw what was being displayed on the three TV sets, he exclaimed in astonishment:
"Oh my God…"
Instead of the educational TV broadcast that should have appeared, what filled the screen was the azure sea, pristine beaches, romantic and gentle background music. A bikini-clad blonde bombshell was walking out of the ocean, her back to the camera, moving towards a handsome and fit man, gracefully untying her bikini as she went.
Dozens of high school students, who had regarded this remote class as a chance to catch up on sleep, now had their eyes glued to the screen, excited, slamming their desks and cheering loudly:
"What the hell!"
"Is this some premium channel adult show? Oh, Jesus! She's turning around! Look at those... Good Lord, Dennis, you are now the god of Lincoln High School!"
"It took Pam and me five hours to pull this off! Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy a real high school class!" Dennis, like a preacher delivering a sermon, basked in everyone's shock and elation, proudly announcing:
"This is the highlight of mine and Pam Marvell's lives!! It's also our gift back to this school!"
Though to Tommy, who had traveled from elsewhere and was used to all kinds of adult films, these premium programs were quite dull and uninteresting since they usually only showed the upper body, focusing on beauty and plot, concerned with being sensual but not vulgar. Evidently, this level was already enough to get these classmates excited.
After all, the internet was not yet a thing, home computers were not widespread, and it was difficult for most ordinary high schoolers to watch titillating programs. A slight misstep could easily lead to parents discovering the subtle traces of secretly subscribed channels on the TV bill, followed by a double beating from both mom and dad.
Now that they were able to watch openly in the classroom, how could they not be thrilled, especially with a free method! That meant, with the right know-how, they could use the school's TV to watch adult films in the future. Could there be anything more thrilling for the students?
More and more students rushed to the scene upon hearing the news, and other teachers and campus security arrived promptly. Security guard Murphy used the remote to turn off the TV, his face stern as he said to a smug Dennis:
"Come to the principal's office with me, Dennis Herbs, you're in big trouble."
Clutching the microphone, Dennis yelled, "Sing my name! Guys! For this year's Lincoln High School personality of the year, cast your sacred vote for me! I've brought you a brand new physiology class! Don't worry, nothing can stop us on our quest for knowledge! I'll reveal the method for free!"
Then, with the righteous air of a martyr about to face their fate, he saluted the class military-style, puffed out his chest, and followed Mr. Murphy out of the room, not forgetting to wink in Tommy and Pam's direction on his way out.
The students left in the classroom cheered and applauded loudly, sending Dennis off and celebrating his candidacy for Lincoln High School's personality of the year.
"Wow~ Looks like the title is yours to lose this year. After all, I can't think of anyone else but the two of you crazy enough to risk counseling and even expulsion by broadcasting porn in a classroom," Tommy said as he approached Pam, recovering from his shock before adding, "How did you do it, Pam?"
Pushing the glasses up on his nose, Pam replied, "We took the chance of earning some extra cash by helping Mr. Adams tidy up his lawn to take apart his TV box and secretly switch the channel connecting cards."
"Nice job. Last time I helped him with the lawn, he didn't even pay me, so, he can't watch adult films anymore?"
"Until the repairman fixes his TV box, if poor Mr. Adams wants some nighttime entertainment, he'll have to settle for 'New England Regional High School Psychology Distance Learning Courses'", Pam whispered to Tommy.
Tommy Hawk nodded, "Honestly, I wasn't expecting this kind of highlight. No wonder Dennis gave me the day pass to the club."
"Tommy, before we leave this school, we should leave behind some legends of our own, using the methods we, the underachievers, can think of," Pam said, pursing his lips and speaking softly, almost philosophically.
Tommy Hawk exhaled: "I mean, if you can't make history, might as well leave a legendary stench."
"Yeah, I think, years from now, I might be a bald and portly chef, but at least I can boast to my kids that their father was once the high school personality of the year, like Prometheus bringing fire to the campus, never wasting a moment," said a usually silent Pam, smiling earnestly at Tommy Hawk.
Tommy laughed, patting Pam on the shoulder, "The unrestrained years of youth. Honestly, Dennis didn't move me, but what you said decided it for me—I'll do what high schoolers should do in their wild youth. Maybe I should swing by the club after school, and not waste these golden years."