The bell rang for the start of class. First period was math.
Their homeroom teacher, Mr. Marshall, walked into the classroom just as the bell sounded, a stack of test papers in his hands.
"The results from the placement test on the first day of school are out. I'll hand the papers back now. The questions this time were very difficult, but overall, you all did well. It seems none of you slacked off over summer break."
Hearing their teacher say that, the students all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
They sat up straight, waiting for their papers to be returned, each hoping for a high score.
"Monica Sullivan, 94. The highest score in the class," Mr. Marshall announced as he handed back the papers.
On the day of the placement test, the resident academic prodigy, Eric Jenson, had been sent out of the room as punishment.
The class president, Jude Shaw, and three other students had gone to the principal's office, so they hadn't taken the test either.
