Trapped Read Online Free PDF Page A

the hard classes are smarter ?”
    â€œThere’s that too,” she says quietly.
    â€œToo?” I peer curiously at her. “Meaning?”
    She glances around to see if anyone is listening to us. “Meaning the curve probably gets skewed because so many kids cheat.”
    â€œYou really think so?”
    She nods in a sad way. “I know so.”
    â€œHow do you know?”
    â€œI’ve seen them, GraceAnn. With my own eyes, I’ve seen them.”
    â€œYou’re kidding? You’ve actually seen people cheating?”
    â€œKeep your voice down.” She gives me a warning look.
    â€œWhy?” I look around.
    â€œBecause this is a dangerous subject.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?” Suddenly I’m curious as to how my best friend is an expert on cheating. “Dangerous how?”
    â€œDangerous in that some kids take it very seriously. I’ve heard it’s a big business.”
    â€œThat’s crazy.” Now I try to remember the times I’ve been taking tests … if I’ve ever observed anything suspicious. “I’ve never seen it happen. I know I would remember that.”
    â€œI’ve seen you during an exam. You get so focused on your own test that you’re oblivious to everyone else.”
    I nod. “I suppose that’s true.”
    â€œAnd that’s just because you’re always obsessed with doing your best.”
    â€œAnd you’re not?”
    She shrugs. “I try … I just don’t obsess. I’m okay with average grades.”
    â€œYour grades are better than average.”
    â€œMaybe. But I don’t take the kinds of classes you do.”
    I let out a long sigh. “Now I’m wishing I didn’t either.”
    After lunch, in AP Biology, I feel like I’m experiencing déjà vu when I get the results from last Friday’s test only to discover I got a D minus. This is bad. Really bad. But as I look over my answers on the quiz, I realize that once again I got most of them right. And yet I received a D minus for my effort. How is that fair? Yes, I know … the curve. But even so, it seems so wrong. And now I’m really wondering about what Mary Beth said — what if everyone really is cheating?
    I glance over at Kelsey Nelson, who is sitting across from me. I’m still trying to wrap my head around this girl … wondering when she turned into such an academic. Because I remember when she had serious trouble with her multiplication tables back in fifth grade. Anyway, I’m trying to be discreet, but I want to get a peek at her test grade. Finally she lifts her hand to push a strand of hair away from her face, and I see she received an A. An A!
    I try not to let my astonishment show, but I’m in shock. Kelsey getting an A is as stunning as me getting a D minus, and I wonder how Ms. Bannister doesn’t scratch her head over this one. But as usual, Ms. Bannister has her head partly in a book as she starts up PowerPoint and is obviously preparing for a lecture.
    I glance back at Kelsey, and I’ve got to admit that she’s nice enough and, despite being a cheerleader, not stuck up at all. But, no offense intended, if you looked up the definition of dumb blonde in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure her picture would be next to it.
    Okay, that’s a bit harsh. But seriously, the girl has never been a brainiac. I was more than a little stunned to see she was taking AP Biology this year. Still, it’s not my job to judge her, and to be honest, I thought she’d help push the bell curve grading system in my direction anyway. Apparently I was wrong. Dead wrong.
    I’m still mystified by this as I attempt to focus on Ms. Bannister’s lecture. By the end of the period, I feel almost certain that Kelsey must be one of those that Mary Beth mentioned — a cheater . And yet I’ve never seen anything to prove this new theory. Of course,