The Last Test I’ll Ever Take - Chapter 5: Chapter 5
You are reading The Last Test I’ll Ever Take, Chapter 5: Chapter 5. Read more chapters of The Last Test I’ll Ever Take.
Mr. Bass let out a disbelieving laugh. "What, are you some kind of psychic now?"
I nodded calmly.
His face twisted in fury as he jabbed a finger at me. "Unbelievable! You're still cracking jokes at a time like this? You're acting like a clueless kid who doesn't understand the gravity of what you've done!" His voice rose, sharp with anger. "Stealing national exam papers is a felony—illegally obtaining state secrets. In serious cases, that's three to seven years behind bars! Jessica, how many seven-year chunks do you think life gives you? Think very carefully before you speak again!"
The room went dead silent. Every pair of eyes locked onto me, wide with shock.
But I just smiled faintly. "I know the law. I looked it up. But the truth is, I did get the answers through fortune-telling. Not just the exam—I also predicted I'd be starting at Glasgow this September."
Mr. Bass looked like he'd been slapped. He shook his head in exasperation. "Fine. If you're determined to lie, we'll do this the hard way. You're coming with us for questioning. Let's go, Jessica. Into the car."
I nodded. "Good. That's exactly what I want."
He shoved through the crowd, and I followed him to the police car.
Inside, the windows were reinforced with thick metal mesh. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd end up in the back of a cop car like some kind of dangerous criminal.
Outside, reporters swarmed, snapping endless photos of me behind the bars, capturing what they assumed was my "despairing" expression.
If this kept up, my life really would be over.
The policewoman beside me sighed, shaking her head. "Kid, why throw everything away like this? You had so much going for you, and you chose the easy way out."
She wasn't wrong. I did have a future. My family was poor, but I outworked everyone.
To scrape together enough scholarships to help my parents, I'd burned through endless nights grinding on competition-level problems. The stacks of practice tests I'd filled could've papered the walls of our tiny house.
All that effort earned me a recommendation to Glasgow. I wasn't even supposed to take the entrance exam this year.
"It's fine," I said evenly. "The truth will come out."
The policewoman just looked at me with even deeper pity. Like everyone else, she probably thought I'd lost my mind.
The sirens blared, and the car lurched forward—ready to haul me away from school for good.
But before we'd even moved ten feet, the driver slammed the brakes.
"Are you out of your damn mind?!" he bellowed. "Blocking a police car—you got a death wish?!"
I craned my neck to see—and my stomach dropped.
Emmet stood in front of the car, arms spread wide.
Someone in the car scoffed. "Damn. Kid's either in love with you or completely deranged. Risking arrest for you? You two look like some tragic romance novel."
I didn't feel touched. I felt furious. My jaw clenched as I snapped at the driver, "Just go! He won't actually let you hit him!"
The principal and our homeroom teacher tried dragging Emmet away, but he stood rooted like a tree. Then—to everyone's shock—he dropped to his knees in the middle of the road.
"Please!" he begged, voice cracking. "Jessica would never cheat!"
The crowd of onlookers, who'd just come for the drama, suddenly looked moved.
"Jessica's ruined herself… and now she's dragging him down too," someone muttered.
An old woman sighed. "That Emmet… such a good heart. Even now, he's still fighting for her."
A man shook his head. "Kid comes from a good family, too. What's he wasting his time on her for? It's a damn shame."
Their whispers made my blood boil.
But for the sake of what was coming, I swallowed every emotion and sat perfectly still.
Eventually, the teachers managed to pull Emmet aside.
Even as the car sped away, he chased after us—until he stumbled, falling behind for good.
I nodded calmly.
His face twisted in fury as he jabbed a finger at me. "Unbelievable! You're still cracking jokes at a time like this? You're acting like a clueless kid who doesn't understand the gravity of what you've done!" His voice rose, sharp with anger. "Stealing national exam papers is a felony—illegally obtaining state secrets. In serious cases, that's three to seven years behind bars! Jessica, how many seven-year chunks do you think life gives you? Think very carefully before you speak again!"
The room went dead silent. Every pair of eyes locked onto me, wide with shock.
But I just smiled faintly. "I know the law. I looked it up. But the truth is, I did get the answers through fortune-telling. Not just the exam—I also predicted I'd be starting at Glasgow this September."
Mr. Bass looked like he'd been slapped. He shook his head in exasperation. "Fine. If you're determined to lie, we'll do this the hard way. You're coming with us for questioning. Let's go, Jessica. Into the car."
I nodded. "Good. That's exactly what I want."
He shoved through the crowd, and I followed him to the police car.
Inside, the windows were reinforced with thick metal mesh. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd end up in the back of a cop car like some kind of dangerous criminal.
Outside, reporters swarmed, snapping endless photos of me behind the bars, capturing what they assumed was my "despairing" expression.
If this kept up, my life really would be over.
The policewoman beside me sighed, shaking her head. "Kid, why throw everything away like this? You had so much going for you, and you chose the easy way out."
She wasn't wrong. I did have a future. My family was poor, but I outworked everyone.
To scrape together enough scholarships to help my parents, I'd burned through endless nights grinding on competition-level problems. The stacks of practice tests I'd filled could've papered the walls of our tiny house.
All that effort earned me a recommendation to Glasgow. I wasn't even supposed to take the entrance exam this year.
"It's fine," I said evenly. "The truth will come out."
The policewoman just looked at me with even deeper pity. Like everyone else, she probably thought I'd lost my mind.
The sirens blared, and the car lurched forward—ready to haul me away from school for good.
But before we'd even moved ten feet, the driver slammed the brakes.
"Are you out of your damn mind?!" he bellowed. "Blocking a police car—you got a death wish?!"
I craned my neck to see—and my stomach dropped.
Emmet stood in front of the car, arms spread wide.
Someone in the car scoffed. "Damn. Kid's either in love with you or completely deranged. Risking arrest for you? You two look like some tragic romance novel."
I didn't feel touched. I felt furious. My jaw clenched as I snapped at the driver, "Just go! He won't actually let you hit him!"
The principal and our homeroom teacher tried dragging Emmet away, but he stood rooted like a tree. Then—to everyone's shock—he dropped to his knees in the middle of the road.
"Please!" he begged, voice cracking. "Jessica would never cheat!"
The crowd of onlookers, who'd just come for the drama, suddenly looked moved.
"Jessica's ruined herself… and now she's dragging him down too," someone muttered.
An old woman sighed. "That Emmet… such a good heart. Even now, he's still fighting for her."
A man shook his head. "Kid comes from a good family, too. What's he wasting his time on her for? It's a damn shame."
Their whispers made my blood boil.
But for the sake of what was coming, I swallowed every emotion and sat perfectly still.
Eventually, the teachers managed to pull Emmet aside.
Even as the car sped away, he chased after us—until he stumbled, falling behind for good.
End of The Last Test I’ll Ever Take Chapter 5. Continue reading Chapter 6 or return to The Last Test I’ll Ever Take book page.