章)In the early hours of September 2013, just after the peak of summer, the lingering heat of the season still clung to the air. At six in the morning, the hustle and bustle outside the prestigious Elm High School in the heart of Maple City was palpable.
Elm trees lined the streets, their dense foliage casting a dappled shade that seemed to press down on the narrow roads, further congested by the chaotic flow of traffic. Cars honked impatiently, their noise filling the air and making it nearly impossible to move.
Summer Knowles, engrossed in her English vocabulary list, jumped at the sound of a car horn blaring too close for comfort. She instinctively paused, her gaze shifting from the pages of her book to her surroundings. Realizing she was on the safer side of the curb, she let out a sigh of relief and continued on her way.
"Summer Knowles!"
The call came from across the street, followed by enthusiastic waves. Summer looked up to see her classmate, Paige Collins, standing there. With her bob haircut and backpack slung over one shoulder, Paiges voice was as loud as her personality, easily overpowering the cacophony of car horns.
Paige hopped off the back of her parents electric scooter, slung her canvas bag over her shoulder, and jogged across the street to link arms with Summer. "Finally, its Friday. If I have to study any more, Im going to drop out of the circle of life," Paige declared dramatically.
Summer, not quite grasping Paiges theatrics, asked, "Are you part of some club or something?"
"The circle of life! Im talking about dropping out of the circle of life, as in, Im about to die," Paige explained, slumping over Summers arm dramatically.
Her gaze fell on Summers English book. "Its only been a week, and youre already killing us," Paige complained.
Summer rolled up her English book, feeling just as hopeless. "I think I did terrible on the placement exam, especially in math. If I cant get math right, I was thinking maybe I could pull up my score in other subjects."
Elm High had a tradition where all students, from freshmen to seniors, took a placement exam at the start of the school year. For freshmen, it was to gauge their potential; for upperclassmen, it was to check if they had slacked off over the summer.
"But your English is top-notch even among us, isnt it..." Paige teased, "Are you trying to match up to that person?"
When that person was mentioned, Summer responded with a confused "ah," not immediately grasping who Paige was referring to. But she quickly understood who that person was. It wasnt an unheard name, but the gap was so vast that she had never considered comparing herself to him.
He was the academic god of Elm High, consistently ranking first in school exams and bringing pride to the school by securing the top spot in city-wides.
In contrast, Summer had only barely made it into Elm High after a desperate effort before the middle school exams, and even then, she was at the bottom of the pack.
She clutched the straps of her backpack, rolling them nervously between her fingers, not continuing the conversation.
"Maybe you should run for math class representative! Mr. Ge likes students to gather around him with questions. If we stick with him, one day well pull up our math scores!"
Mr. Ge, or "Grandpa Ge" as the students affectionately called him, was the schools director, Ge Jinping. Despite his age, he was known for his humor and high teaching standards. He was usually the homeroom teacher for the senior class, but this year he was helping out by teaching an additional freshman class, which happened to be Summers.
Summer actually considered it carefully and asked cautiously, "What if I do really poorly on the test..."
Could she still be chosen?
"How do you know unless you try? Theyre announcing the grades today, and with the grades out, its time to choose class representatives. If you run, Ill vote for you first!" Paige thought for a moment, "I remember... Grandpa Ge also teaches seniors, and hes the homeroom teacher for that person. It might be good for you to get some of the academic gods aura!"
Summer clutched her backpack straps, accidentally pulling them down hard, causing her backpack to ride up her back and wrinkle the hem of her white T-shirt. She kept her head down, not continuing the topic.
On the way to the school gate, they had to pass a traffic light, which was currently in the transition between green and yellow, too late to run across even if they hurried.
The two slowed their pace in unison, and it was because of their slow steps that as they passed a small alley, they faintly heard some coercive conversation.
"Sister, this is a good thing. You wont know until you try it. Listen to your sister, this is foreign cigarettes, how much face it brings when you take it out."
"The taste is also good, not harsh. Here, Ill break one for you to try."
"Its only about forty bucks, a days meal money. Cant you take it out? Are you lying to your sister?"
"Come on, you have to go to class, and so do we."
A low sobbing sound came from the alley. Summer and Paige suddenly realized something and stole a glance into the alley.
Inside, three or four girls from a vocational school were surrounding a freshman. They held cigarettes in their hands, talking while tapping one out, seemingly trying to force it into the freshmans mouth.
The girl turned her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Such incidents were not uncommon.
Every school year, many small-time thugs, both male and female, would linger around Elm High, making money by selling stationery and, of course, some contraband that the school strictly prohibited.
They thought that students from Elm High were scholarly and easy to bully, so they targeted students who walked to school and looked docile. They engaged in forced transactions.
High school students usually didnt have much pocket money, and sometimes under the coercion and temptation of these people, they would buy their stock at prices higher than the market value.
Summer realized that the group in the alley seemed to be doing just that.
Paige turned her head, pulling her hand, and walked forward a few steps with her head down.
A couple of meters away from the alley, Summer suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of Paiges shirt, her voice soft and tentative.
"Forty bucks, can you buy ten pancake rolls at the pancake stall?"
Speaking of pancake rolls, Paige thought seriously for a moment: "Yeah. Old Chens pancake rolls are huge."
"I heard that Uncle Chens doghouse was blown away by the wind, and he wants to buy a $500 real estate for his golden retriever."
"Are you saying..."
"Forty bucks can fulfill 8% of Uncles dream."
Her face did not show the high emotion of helping others in trouble, on the contrary, when she said this, she seemed to try to control her voice that trembled because of fear.
The two looked at each other. Paige quickly understood her meaning. She wanted to help the girl in the alley.
Paige was actually a bit surprised because Summer was usually too good. She was the kind of pure and beautiful look that would stand out in any school, but her temperament was completely opposite to her appearance. She would sit quietly in her position after class, and she would answer politely when others talked to her. Apart from that, she would not take the initiative in anything.
So now, Paige found it hard to connect her firm eyes with Summers temperament.
The two were silent for a few seconds and looked at the open streets around them. The situation was not good, and they could still run. It seemed that they could really try.
Paige whispered, holding her ear: "Help every uncles dream."
Summers eyes were bright, and she nodded immediately. But she was quite self-aware and knew that it was definitely not possible to talk to the people inside, and it seemed that they couldnt beat them, let alone she wouldnt fight.
"Then we... deceive and see?"
"Deceive?" Paige stared at Summer, unable to believe that her face could say the word deceive. Before she could accept this setting, Summer pulled her to the wall.
They moved over step by step, and when they were almost at the entrance of the alley, the two agreed and began to make faces and chat.
Paige exaggeratedly yawned: "Im so tired. Who would trade privately in the early morning?"
"Its not a rumor. Recently