Page 26 of And They Were Roommates

I scramble to change. Even though I wipe my face with toilet paper and layer on six days’ worth of deodorant, an obvious workout stench seeps from my oil-clogged pores. I bust out of the stall, keeping my head low, and walk onto the field.

Ms. Nallos passes by me on the sidewalk. Her even breathingand perfectly symmetrical braids make me even more painfully aware of my uncontrollable panting and messy hair.

“Ms. Nallos?” I say.

She stops, eyeing my greasy body up and down. “Yes?”

“Can I verify how many laps you put me down for today?”

She checks her clipboard before looking back with a frown. “You were trying your best?”

Ouch.

It’s not like my bodycan’tconceivably handle the same number of laps as everyone else’s. But while I was sitting at a desk all year during online school, they were apparently running like gerbils. “If your concern is that I didn’t put in genuine effort, I promise, I did.”

Ms. Nallos sighs. “Valentine’s grading stance is strict about this. As long as you don’t have a doctor’s note from Health Services, it’s about results.”

Even if this is a private academy, this has to break some law. At least an ethical one.

Unspoken Guideline 6: Valentine can do whatever the hell they want.

I ask the dreaded question. “How much will this drop my grade?”

She rechecks the clipboard. “As of now, you’re at a C.”

Chapter 10GREAT EXPECTATIONS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

SECOND-YEAR LISTINGS

1. Jasper Grimes

2. Robert Walker

3. Bingo A. Dixon

4. Nicholas Burton

5. Reese Collins

6. Frankie Schultz

7. Gabriel Acosta

8. Frederick Brown Jr.

9. Andrew Parker

10. Alessandro Beasley

11. Uriah Clayton

12. Ishaan Kapoor

13. Joseph M. Briggs

14. Kamari Barrera

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