What Miss Critchlow just said came as a shock. Serving us this kind of predicament on the first day was certainly a surprise. Out of all the things I thought might happen, this was the least expected.
Most schools only resorted to such measures after all other avenues had been explored, but this school was expelling students right out of the gate.
I looked around at Shaq and everyone else. They all seemed tense and stunned by the sudden news.
Miss Critchlow continued, "The school is considering this an in-class exam. But you have two choices: be expelled at random or complete a test right here in this classroom."
A boy at the front raised his hand, and Miss Critchlow acknowledged him.
"Why didn't the school tell us about this earlier?" he asked.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Honestly, I don't know," she replied. "This information was only given to me yesterday."
Kayleigh raised her hand. "Ma'am, is there any way to avoid getting anyone expelled?"
"No. This is the only option available. I can't teach a class with 40 students."
"Well, is there anything else you can tell us about the exam?"
"There is. The exam will be held in four days. I don't know what topics will be covered, but it will be a multiple-choice math exam. The day before the test, an email will be sent to your phones so the class can vote on which option you prefer. Students, I trust you'll put your best foot forward in anticipation of this exam. If there are no other questions..."
She paused for a moment, then said, "You are dismissed."
When Miss Critchlow left, nearly everyone followed her. Only a few students stayed behind in the room—some using their phones or computers, others chatting with friends.
I sat alone, pondering the situation. If I chose to be expelled randomly, I'd have a one-in-four chance of being selected—in other words, a 25% chance of being expelled.
Those odds were low, but still too high for comfort. Maybe it was too early to make a decision, but the test seemed like a far more flexible option. Then again, you could never tell what decisions people would make. The whole class might vote for random expulsion.
I figured it wasn't worth worrying about. If random expulsion was chosen by the majority, there was hardly anything I could do to change my odds.
I decided it was time to leave. I planned to stop by the cafeteria to grab something to eat—and also to test out the new purchasing system.
By then, the building was almost empty. Just one or two students remained in the classrooms, while a few others walked alongside me down the hallway.
Thanks to how conveniently everything was placed across campus, the cafeteria was only a five-to-ten-minute walk away—but the journey felt dreadfully quiet. It was a timely reminder that I hadn't connected with anyone yet.
And with the upcoming exam, I knew I needed to change that—fast.
When I entered the cafeteria, it was packed. The seats were full, the lines at the stalls were long, and the sound of chatter filled the room.
I could spot a few students from my class. Of course, Kayleigh was there. She sat at a six-seater table, engaged in a joyous conversation with five other girls. She didn't notice me, but I thought, Good for her. She was already 5% done with her 100-friends goal.
I turned my focus to the food stalls and joined the one with the shortest line.
When it was my turn to pay, I pulled out my phone and tapped it against the payment machine. Just like that, 10 points were deducted from my account.
Even though I wanted to connect with people, I decided to focus on those from my class, given the upcoming exam. But everyone from my class was already sitting with someone or waiting in line, so I found an empty table and sat down.
Once again, I was on my own.
But the moment I looked down to pick up my food, someone sat in the seat adjacent to mine.
I took a bite of the hot dog and bread before looking up—and immediately regretted it.
Oh lord, it was the tall girl.
We locked eyes and stared at each other until she finally spoke.
"Is there something on my face?"
"No, I'm just surprised you sat there."
Honestly, I was shocked on so many levels. No one could have predicted this. There were plenty of empty tables all around us.
"Is there something wrong with the seat?" she asked.
"No, no, it's just... you don't seem like the kind of person who'd willingly sit with anyone."
"Hmm. Well, you misjudged me. I sit wherever I want, regardless of what people may think."
Her reaction gave me the ick because it fit her character too well. And yet, it felt like she was breaking the unspoken rule.
You know how, when people get on an empty bus, they tend to choose completely empty seat instead of sitting next to someone? That kind of rule I not sure what you call it but for the sake of this scenario we can say, "Preferred Isolation."
So, if most people prefer to be alone, who expect her to sit next to someone?
And yet somehow, it fit her personality. Instead of blindly following a social norm, she sat where she wanted—while still remaining in character.
Was she doing this on purpose?
And to make things worse, she immediately made me regret buying the hot dog and bread. I'd wanted to test out what the lower-tier food options were like since they were cheaper. I figured I could survive on them to conserve cash.
But she had an entire vegetarian meal.
Then I had a random thought: instead of complaining, what if this was a sign—an opportunity to connect with someone for the upcoming exam?
Unlikely... but maybe worth a shot.
"So... you're into vegetarian food?" I asked.
She looked at me with a blank expression.
Yeah, I guess I did ask that randomly, but it felt like the most appropriate thing to say.
"Is that your best effort at starting a conversation?" she replied.
Of course she responded like that. What else would she have said? 'No, I love veggies! What about you?'—never in a million years.
"Is there something wrong with what I said?"
"No, but it's quite obvious you looked at my meal and just blurted that out."
What was the point of even trying to talk to this girl? Couldn't she just answer like a normal human being? She was so frustratingly down-to-earth.
"Why are you so uptight about everything? Couldn't you just tell me whether you're into vegetarian food or not?"
"No, because I don't like pointless small talk. Just get to the point and get it over with."
"But doesn't small talk set the mood for the main point. Getting straight to the point can throw you off."
"I assure you it won't throw me off."
"Alright well would you like to team up with my for the upcoming exam?" I blurted out.
"No."
I'll be honest I expected that answer.
"Why not?"
"Are you that interested in me?"
She had a point. Was I letting this girl get to me? The chances of our conversation going anywhere were already slim.
"In any case," she continued, "I'm positive this upcoming exam is just a plot to expel the useless students. I'm not interested in getting caught up with someone who might drag me down."
She was right. Teaming up with someone who's bad at cheating could drag you down and get you expelled too. Everything she said lined up perfectly. Once again, I agreed with her conclusion.
"Alright. If you won't team up with me, at least tell me your name."
"My name is Amelia. Are you satisfied?"
Are you serious? Her name is Amelia? Out of all the names someone like her gets the cutest one. I gave up because this girl was too unpredictable. I wish her future friend or mate luck if she ever gets one.
I quickly excused myself from her presence since I was probably becoming a bother and headed for the dorms. I had a lot of thinking to do. The ISC was quickly becoming more serious than I thought. What started off as a regular school day escalated into an exam that could get me expelled by the end of the week.
This wasn't your average college and as the tall girl said no as Amelia said there's a possibility this wasn't some mistake. It was a deliberate move to expel us. And I wasn't about to be caught up in that set.