Chapter 6
796words
SteakMaster chimed in: "We've analyzed five years of St. Mary's exam data and mapped out their question patterns and grading preferences."
WingCommander cut to the chase: "Our mission: get you crushing standardized tests, then fast-track you to Harvard, MIT, or Stanford."
Mom tried to pay them, but they wouldn't hear of it.
"Boss Sarah," BookWorm_Harvard said firmly, "this isn't about money. It's about proving that educational equality matters. Every talented kid deserves top-tier education, regardless of Alpha or Beta status."
From that day forward, our apartment transformed into a virtual academic hub. Every evening, nine brilliant minds from elite institutions would appear on my screen, patiently breaking down concepts and answering my questions.
They didn't just feed me information—they taught me how to think like a true scholar.
"Little Lily," QuantumQueen told me one night, "once you've mastered genuine skill, attacks based on prejudice become nothing but background noise."
With my nine academic guardians backing me, I adopted a strategic low profile at school.
BookWorm_Harvard shared his philosophy: "Real masters never flaunt their skills—they reveal them only when challenged."
The opportunity came sooner than expected.
In literature class, Ms. Peterson assigned an in-class analysis of Shakespeare's "Hamlet."
Victoria sauntered over to "help" me, as usual.
"Lily, you've probably never read Shakespeare before. I see you're stuck—let me help you."
She scribbled some notes in my notebook, then said sweetly: "Just follow these points if you get called on. You'll be fine."
I glanced at her "answers," fighting back a smirk. Just last night, BookWorm_Harvard had led a two-hour discussion on Shakespeare's existentialist themes. Victoria was deliberately steering me toward completely wrong interpretations.
"Thanks so much, Victoria," I said with feigned gratitude. "You're always so helpful."
Ms. Peterson, perhaps sensing an opportunity to humiliate me, called my name.
"This passage has particularly nuanced meanings," she said, her gaze settling on me. "Lily, why don't you interpret Act 3, Scene 1 for the class?"
I could feel her malicious intent, while Madison snickered nearby, ready for the entertainment.
But I wasn't that scared small-town girl anymore.
"Ms. Peterson, that's certainly a challenging passage," I said, feigning uncertainty. "But I think Madison would have far more insight than me, given how confident she always seems about everything."
"Why don't we ask Madison to show us what real literary analysis looks like?"
The other students, well aware of Madison's constant bragging, assumed she must actually have the goods to back it up. They began applauding and urging her to demonstrate.
Trapped by peer pressure, Madison stood up with a smug smile: "Well, if everyone insists, I suppose I can share my expertise."
She cleared her throat dramatically: "The meaning of this passage is... 'to be or not to be,' which shows Hamlet's... indecisiveness."
The classroom fell into an awkward silence.
I raised my hand, all wide-eyed innocence: "Madison, that's... interesting. But I'm confused—do you think Shakespeare is discussing a simple binary choice, or exploring the fundamental nature of existentialism?"
Madison froze: "Existentialism? What's that?"
"It's philosophical inquiry about human existence," I continued, pressing my advantage. "Do you interpret 'the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' as commentary on fate's cruelty, or as the confrontation between individual consciousness and the absurdity of the universe?"
Madison's face drained of color. She clearly had no clue what I was talking about.
"I... I think..." she stammered, floundering completely.
"No worries, let's try something simpler," I said with a gentle smile. "The image of 'the undiscovered country'—do you see it as symbolizing death's unknown territory, or what Freud termed the unconscious mind?"
Madison collapsed back into her seat, eyes reddening: "I don't know, okay?!"
The entire class stared at me in shock. No one had expected the constantly ridiculed Beta to display such sophisticated literary understanding.
"Holy shit, that was incredible!"
"We've been underestimating her this whole time!"
I turned to Victoria, who looked stunned that I hadn't followed her sabotage attempt: "Oh, Victoria, about those notes you gave me—I have some concerns. Let me share them with everyone."
I took out my notebook and projected it onto the classroom screen: "Class, these are the 'helpful' notes Victoria gave me."
The entire class immediately saw the issue.
"These interpretations are completely wrong!"
"This analysis is embarrassingly shallow!"
"Victoria, you know better than this—you were deliberately setting Lily up to fail!"
Victoria's face went white. She jumped up, shouting: "This is impossible! How could a Beta possibly understand such complex philosophy!"
She jabbed a finger at me: "She must be cheating! Someone must be feeding her answers!"
The entire class stared at her like she'd lost her mind.
