Chapter 7
It was indeed as Tina had claimed. I had sought out older men. I didn’t seek them out to sell myself, though. I was actually signing up for a competition. I deliberately kept it hidden from Liam, knowing that he would undoubtedly, and obstinately, accuse me of cheating and deem me unfit to participate.
I approached Riverside High School, using my first–place competition standing as leverage to gain entry. I knew that there
was a fierce rivalry between my high school and Evergreen High School.
Thus, despite my somewhat tarnished reputation, following an immediate evaluation of my knowledge, the principal of Riverside High School accepted me without hesitation and promptly enrolled me in the mathematics competition.
no
I had once believed that my high school years would forever be overshadowed by Tina, with hope of escape. Yet, I never realized that by breaking free from the Johnson family and working to make my mark independently, I could forge my own
future.
Those at Riverside High School had stipulated that if I won first place in the upcoming competition and proved myself
worthy of their investment, they would pay me 100 thousand dollars.
If I achieved even better results on the upcoming SAT, they promised to award me a significant amount of money.
VI
understood that with all that money, I could repay the Johnson family, sever all ties with them, and embark on a
of my own.
fulfilling life
I shared the good news with my former teacher, Ms. Zimmerman, who was confined to her hospital beded how, when
I had been on the verge of abandoning my education due to lack of funds, Ms. Zimmerman h
