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When it comes to finals, the students feeling the most heat are usually the ones right in the middle of the pack.
With two weeks left, time is a bit of a double-edged sword—it's not long, but it's just enough for a "Hail Mary" study session. Everyone is scrambling to cram, hoping to pull off a decent grade so they can actually enjoy their winter break without being grounded.
This intense academic vibe had taken over the whole school by lunchtime. Even in the cafeteria, you could see kids hunched over textbooks, desperately trying to memorize a semester's worth of notes between bites of pizza.
Compared to the chaos, Mike's table was a total "zen zone."
Mike, Cady, and Gretchen were the straight-A types. To them, finals weren't a looming disaster; they were just another routine check-up. They didn't need to stress because they already knew the material.
As for Regina and Karen, they were on the other end of the spectrum. Regina's grades didn't have much room to drop, and Karen's certainly weren't going up. Since they'd never really made academics a priority, they wouldn't even know where to start if they tried to cram.
"Mike, has any record label reached out to you lately?" Regina asked suddenly, picking at her salad.
"A few small-time agencies called, but the contracts were trash," Mike said casually. Then, he looked at her. "Why? You thinking about the spotlight?"
Truth be told, someone like Regina was born for the stage. Going pro as a performer seemed like the most natural path for her.
"I've been thinking about it a lot, actually. 'Miracle Records' already got in touch with my parents. My mom is obsessed with the idea of me being a star..." Regina said, clearly having mapped out her future.
She looked at the group with a rare moment of sincerity. "Miracle wants to sign us as a group. If you guys are down, I can pull some strings and get us all in."
We were living in the golden age of the music industry, and Miracle Records was a top-ten powerhouse. The fact that Regina was already on their radar proved she had the "it" factor. For most high schoolers, this was a dream ticket.
"I'm gonna pass," Mike said with a slight shake of his head. "I'm not really feeling the whole pop-star life."
For a normal person, signing with a giant like Miracle was a lottery win. But for Mike, a restrictive entertainment contract felt more like a cage. He had way too many big plans for the future to lock himself into one persona this early.
Regina looked a little disappointed, but she seemed to get where he was coming from and didn't push it.
She turned to the other three. "What about you guys? You want to sign with Miracle? We could take the 'Plastics' name nationwide. We'd be everywhere."
Karen's eyes went wide. "Becoming a household name? That sounds like a blast."
Karen was self-aware enough to know her best assets were her looks and her charisma. Being a celebrity was her perfect career path. She'd already been scouted by some "sketchy" agencies, so signing with a legit label like Miracle was a no-brainer.
"Perfect," Regina smiled. She turned to the last two. "You guys?"
"I need to talk to my parents first," Gretchen said.
Judging by the look on her face, she was already sold. Gretchen didn't usually like making big decisions on her own; she felt most comfortable following Regina's lead. Being part of a girl group led by a strong personality like Regina was probably exactly where she belonged.
Cady, the only one left, thought it over for a few seconds. "My parents would never go for it. They're pretty old-school. Sorry, Regina."
Cady was a "home-schooled at heart" type—more conservative and less interested in being the center of attention. She was brilliant and much more interested in a career in science. If she could follow in her parents' footsteps as a field researcher or zoologist, she'd be perfectly happy.
Regina was bummed about Cady's answer. The two had started off as "frenemies," but after clearing up their early-semester drama and having Mike as a bridge, they'd become genuine best friends.
"Alright, I respect it," Regina said. She added one last pitch: "Mike, Cady—if you change your minds, just let me know. I can get the label back on the phone anytime."
Mike and Cady nodded politely, appreciating the gesture even though their minds were made up.
---
Later that afternoon, Mike kept his promise to Ms. Sharon and headed to the Mathletes practice room with Cady.
Unlike the stressed-out kids in the hallways, the Mathletes were pretty relaxed. There's a saying: With math, you either get it or you don't. Everyone in this room was high-IQ. As long as they weren't lazy, their other grades were fine, so finals weren't the big concern. The real focus was the Regional Math League competition at the end of the semester.
Ms. Sharon walked in carrying a massive stack of folders. When she saw Mike sitting there as promised, she gave him a satisfied nod.
"I hope this emergency training won't interfere with your finals," she teased.
The room full of overachievers let out a collective chuckle. It was rare to see Ms. Sharon make a joke.
"Alright, let's get down to business," she said, switching back into coach mode. "Kevin, come up and hand these out."
"On it, Ms. S," Kevin said. Still rocking his signature baggy hip-hop gear, he hopped up and distributed the folders.
"The folders contain past competition problems," Ms. Sharon explained. "For the next two weeks, I need you to master every concept in here."
She then pulled Mike and Cady aside. "Listen, the rules for the League changed this year. Besides the regular rounds, there's a new 'Sudden Death' round in the finals. It's a one-on-one buzzer round—winner takes all."
She looked at them both intently. "Since you're the new faces on the team, the other schools will likely target you for the Sudden Death challenges. I need you both to be over-prepared. If you hit a wall with any of these problems, my door is always open."
Last year, North Shore High (Medford) had lost the championship to Marymount by a single point. Ms. Sharon was out for blood this year, and she was pinning a lot of her hopes on her two star recruits.
"Don't worry, Ms. Sharon. I won't let you down," Cady promised. After the whole "burn book/flyer" drama earlier in the year, Cady felt like she owed Ms. Sharon one, and she wanted to make it right by bringing home a trophy.
"I'm good, too," Mike added with a confident grin. "I just hope the other schools are smart enough not to pick me for Sudden Death."
It sounded like a flex, but Mike knew the truth: in a math competition, nobody stood a chance against him.
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