Chapter 6 The Test Results
The private testing room was silent except for the faint scratching of my pencil against paper.
I had blitzed through the math section in record time, followed by science, history, and English. These weren't just standard middle school tests—they had thrown in advanced placement questions, some even at high school and college levels.
And I aced them all.
The only sound in the room was Principal Henderson shifting in his chair, watching me as if I were some kind of puzzle he couldn't quite solve.
I set my pencil down just as the final bell rang.
"Done?" he asked.
I nodded, stretching my arms. "Yep."
He glanced at the stack of completed tests in front of me, then at the clock. "You had another hour left."
I shrugged. "Didn't need it."
His brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing. I could tell he was trying to make sense of what he'd just witnessed—Jake Harper, a kid known more for eating than thinking, had just crushed a series of tests that most adults would struggle with.
"Alright," he finally said. "You can go. Your mom should be waiting outside."
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked out, leaving him to process the results.
The Ride Home
Judith was parked out front, scrolling through something on her phone when I slid into the passenger seat.
"Hey, kiddo," she greeted, smiling warmly.
"Hey, Mom."
"How was school?"
I shrugged. "Fine."
She barely glanced up as she started driving. "Anything interesting happen?"
"Not really."
She hummed in response, clearly expecting the usual "boring school day" answer. If only she knew.
The Staff Room Panic
Back at school, Mr. Henderson sat in the staff room, staring at Jake Harper's test results as if they might spontaneously combust.
Around him, a group of teachers shared equally stunned expressions.
Mrs. Carmichael, the math teacher, ran a hand through her hair. "This has to be a mistake. He finished in record time and got every single answer right—including questions that weren't even on the standard test."
Mr. Bellamy, the English teacher, flipped through Jake's essay. "This is better than most high school seniors' work. His analysis of Of Mice and Men is… well, frankly, better than mine."
Mrs. Dawes, the science teacher, placed Jake's test down like it was radioactive. "He solved an advanced chemistry problem. Just for fun."
Mr. Henderson took a deep breath. "So what you're all telling me… is that Jake Harper—a kid who once spent an entire week believing in leprechauns—might be a genius?"
The room fell into stunned silence.
Finally, Mr. Henderson picked up the phone and dialed.
The Call
Judith was in the middle of folding laundry when the house phone rang. She tucked it between her ear and shoulder.
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Harper, this is Mr. Henderson from Harper's Choice Middle School."
She tensed immediately. "Oh no… What did he do?"
A pause.
"It's about Jake's test results," Mr. Henderson said. "We'd like to schedule a meeting with you as soon as possible."
Judith frowned. "What test results?"
Mr. Henderson hesitated. "Jake took a series of placement tests today."
Her brow furrowed. "No, he didn't. I would've known about that."
Another pause. "He was selected by the school administration for testing," he clarified. "It was done privately, so no other students were involved."
Judith sat down, pressing her fingers to her temple. "I don't understand. Why would he take placement tests?"
"Because, Mrs. Harper," Mr. Henderson said, "based on what we're seeing, Jake may need to be moved to a very different academic setting."
Judith's eyes widened. "What?"
"We can explain everything at the meeting," he assured her. "Are you available tomorrow morning?"
Judith barely registered her own reply as she agreed to come in. When the call ended, she sat there in stunned silence.
Jake. Taking placement tests. Excelling at them.
It didn't make sense.
She didn't know whether to be suspicious or impressed.
Or both.