Heads in Shame. Number 49, Millie Brown. Millie heard her own ranking, but her face did
not show the slightest bit of concern.
She just looked at the magazine in front of her, ignoring the results. Mr. Harvey shook his
head. The girl was hopeless.
In third place, Viola Kane. When Viola heard her ranking, she smiled. Being in the top
three, she achieved her expected goal.
But she soon turned serious again and looked at Mr. Harvey nervously. At present, there
were two places that had not been announced, and Aiden's name had not yet appeared.
Second place, Mr. Harvey paused for a moment.
Aiden Dale. What? The class suddenly burst into an incredible uproar, and all eyes turned
to Aiden. Aiden, what did you miss? Viola asked with concern.
Aiden, this shouldn't be your real ability. You'll do better next time. Mr. Harvey also
hated the fact that iron was not made of steel.
Good teacher. Like Millie, however, Aiden did not look up. His eyes stayed staring at the
computer screen, his hands moving on the keyboard.
Mr. Harvey's face stiffened, and then he announced the last name on the list. First place,
Leo Barnes, beating Aiden by just one point. It was a burst of applause in the class, but it
was not very enthusiastic.
Leo's deskmate happened to be Millie, who looked at Leo in surprise. You defeated my
master? Well, I might have to reconsider you.
Leo Lays Down The Law Leo was staring at the back of Aiden's head. He wished he could
squash it like a melon. Millie followed his gaze.
I don't understand it, she said to Leo. Even though he got first place at the competition,
and everybody at school really looks up to him, he doesn't seem all that happy. Leo's
face twisted into a grimace.
What is there to look up to? Didn't you see the exam results? Who was it that got the
highest scores? Was it Aiden? Leo asked. No! He said vehemently. It wasn't.
It was me! Millie turned her head and looked at Leo in surprise. All right, geez, she said,
raising her arms and taking a few steps back. No reason to get so angry about it.
Leo turned back toward Aiden. It just wasn't fair. Why did he get all of the attention?
Aiden was working on his laptop.
Exam grades were the last thing on his mind. He was at a critical step in the
development of the firewall. If everything went according to plan, he'd be able to
complete it today.
He was completely unaware that Leo was just a few feet away, staring at him. After the
bell rang, Aiden didn't pack up his stuff. He stayed exactly where he was, focused on the
screen in front of him.
Data flashed across the screen. By this point, Aiden's computer skills were at a whole
new level. He was able to experience the task in a completely new way.
It was almost like he was controlling an avatar of himself, wandering through the data
stream and fixing problems as he came upon them. This type of work required an
immense amount of concentration. To an outsider, it looked as if he were in some sort of
trance.
Just then, in the middle of an important step, Aiden's world went black. He couldn't see
anything. What was going on? At the same time, he heard the cover of his laptop click
shut.
He snapped out of it and realized that someone was holding their hands over his eyes.
He swatted the hand away and saw Leo standing beside him. Whatever this was, he
didn't have time for it.
Why did you do that? He asked impatiently. Leo glared back at him. Aiden couldn't stand
to be interrupted.
The task he was working on required total focus and a considerable amount of time, and
the stakes were high. He needed to get this thing done as soon as possible. Leo was like
a fly buzzing in his ear.
Aiden gave Leo such a savage look that Leo shrunk back a bit. It was strange. It was like
he was looking at some sort of wild animal.
Calm down. It's just Aiden, Leo thought to himself. But at the same time... Are you okay,
Leo? Aiden asked in mock concern.
You look a bit pale. Leo licked his lips and regained his composure. He stood up straight
and readjusted his stance.
Leo pointed to the laptop on Aiden's desk. Aiden, the school rules and regulations clearly
state that personal electronic devices are not allowed in class. Aiden stared back at him
and raised his eyebrows with incredulity.
Was Leo really this pathetic? And yet, Leo continued, you continue to openly play on
your laptop as if the rules don't apply to you. Here, Leo placed a hand on his chest. As
the class monitor, I have the responsibility of making sure these rules are followed.
If you continue to ignore them, I'll have to report it to Mr... Leo caught himself and then
continued. To the administration. Leo was about to say to Mr. Harvey, but thought better
of it.
He remembered Mr. Harvey's fondness for Aiden. He was probably already aware of
Aiden's behavior and had chosen to turn a blind eye. Aiden might not be afraid of Mr.
Harvey, but there were other people Leo could appeal to.
To Leo's disappointment, Aiden didn't seem to be in the least bit intimidated. Nice
speech there, he said sarcastically. Are you finished? If you don't mind, I have work to
do.
This infuriated Leo even more. He took a deep breath and said, Aiden, I'll give you one
last chance. Put the computer away and apologize.
If you open up that laptop again, I'll... I'll be forced to take action. Leo steadied his voice,
trying to impress upon Aiden how serious he was. Aiden saw that Leo wasn't going to
just let this go.
What a waste of time. He sighed and asked, Leo, do you have any idea what I'm working
on? I don't care what you're working on! Leo yelled. You're not allowed to bring laptops
to school, and you know it! A few students looked up at Aiden and Leo with mild
curiosity.
You're a good student, Aiden. You have a lot of potential. You shouldn't be wasting your
time playing on the computer.
Maybe if it weren't for this obsession of yours, you wouldn't have scored lower than me
on the exam. Leo spoke loudly so that everyone in the classroom would be able to hear
him. He wanted to humiliate Aiden and remind his classmates who the one in charge of
this class was.
Aiden restrained himself from rolling his eyes. This was wasting so much time. He didn't
want it to come to this, but it looked like he'd have to put Leo in his place, swiftly and
definitively.
Maybe then he'd be able to continue his work in peace. Leo, let me ask you, Aiden
began. What was the last question on the history exam? Leo thought for a moment.
I'm not sure, he said, perplexed. Something about American history, I think. Aiden
recited the question verbatim.
In the dynasties, trade was conducted using grain, silk, and paper bills. In the
Elizabethan dynasty, the silver coin was introduced. What were the reasons for this
development? Leo was stunned that Aiden had remembered the question word for word.
He also had to admit that he had no idea what the answer was. We haven't covered this
in class yet, Leo said. So it's the teacher's fault that... Aiden interrupted.
The primary reason for this change was the promotion of foreign trade. Leo blinked
stupidly. Other people in the class started paying closer attention to their exchange.
What about the last question on the physics test? Aiden continued. Do you remember?
What was the total time that particles were moving in the electromagnetic field? Were
you able to work it out? Leo blushed. That one was a bit hard, he said, fumbling for
words.
Not really, Aiden said. It was 2.5 seconds. Leo was flustered now.
The last few questions on each test tended to be the most difficult. A lot of students
didn't even attempt them. The most difficult physics question hadn't been solved
correctly in over a year.
Students agreed that these questions were made super difficult on purpose in order to
prevent people from getting 100% on the exam. What about the political science essay?
The English exam? Aiden remembered every single question and had an answer for each
one. Cold sweat began to gather on Leo's face.
There was no way he could even pretend to know the answers to some of the questions
Aiden was throwing out. Let's see. What about... That's enough! Leo barked.
His face was red and he was breathing heavily. If you knew the answer to every
question, why didn't you get perfect scores then, hmm? He asked. The other students
who'd been listening to the conversation were also curious about this.
If Aiden really knew all this stuff, then why didn't he get the highest grades in the class?
Aiden shook his head and smiled. Because these tests are meaningless to me. They
don't matter! Leo looked confused.
Who cares about getting 100% on some dumb exam? If I really wanted to, Aiden
continued, I could, but I didn't want to, okay? Maybe next time I will.