After Miss Ho left, students rushed to gossip and check their answers. Ketto and Addy stayed together.
Outside the classroom, Hanky leaned against the railing. Lucas and Billy walked over to join him.
Billy spoke with envy in his voice. "I admire your fortune." He didn't finish his sentence, just sighed.
Hanky looked at him, feeling annoyed. "What?"
Billy continued, "You have someone helping you. You know what? In my seat, I couldn't copy anyone's answers." He sighed again. "What's worse, that female tiger sat right next to me. I hate her."
Lucas couldn't help but laugh.
Hanky shook his head. "Come on. You think I had it easy? The homeroom teacher was crazy. She kept watching me during the entire exam. I could barely copy Ketto's sheet."
Lucas shrugged. "Anyway, you're still better off than us."
Billy muttered bitterly, "That female tiger... I'd like to thank her parents for giving birth to her, just so I could meet her here." He shook his head in despair.
Just then, Lisa walked by. She glanced at Billy and said coldly, "Disgusting. Unlucky."
Billy shot back, "Ugly woman."
Meanwhile, Ketto and Addy were huddled together. Ketto looked very worried.
Addy asked why.
Ketto hesitated. "The homeroom teacher hovered around me for a long time. I was so nervous."
Addy looked confused. "But like you told me before, you don't have to worry. You didn't do anything that breaks the rules."
Ketto said, "Um."
Addy's eyes widened. "Oh my god. Don't tell me you were cheating."
Ketto shook his head quickly. "No! Of course not. How could I copy someone else's answers? I would never do that."
Addy pressed further. "Then what's the problem?"
Ketto looked around to make sure no one was listening. Then he leaned close to Addy's ear. "If I tell you, you have to promise you won't tell anyone else."
Addy frowned, confused. "What?"
"Promise me," Ketto insisted.
Addy nodded. "Okay, okay. I promise."
Ketto lowered his voice. "Hanky asked me to let him copy my answers. Well... not 'asked' exactly. More like 'told.'"
Addy's mouth fell open. "And you agreed?"
Ketto's expression was complicated. "No. I didn't want to. But... you know... I feel like I owe him. Because of what happened before."
Addy nodded slowly. "So what are you worried about?"
Ketto sighed. "Last exam, the homeroom teacher kept hovering around me. I was terrified she would catch us."
Addy said, "I get it. You don't really want to let him copy, but you feel like you have no choice. So you're stuck."
Ketto nodded. "Yeah. I'm very confused. Very conflicted."
He paused, then said, "But never mind. I'll figure it out myself. Don't worry about me."
They parted ways. Ketto began reviewing for the next subject.
Soon, the next exam was ready to begin. Everyone returned to their seats. The next subject was history.
The invigilator was the history teacher, who was known for being not very strict.
Ketto tore a small piece of paper from his notebook. He wrote something on it, then folded it into a tight ball. He looked around, made sure the teacher wasn't watching, and threw the paper ball directly onto Hanky's desk.
Hanky had been dozing off. The sudden impact startled him awake. He blinked, then picked up the paper ball. He looked over at Ketto, who was staring at him. Ketto used his eyes to gesture: Open it.
He didn't want to speak. He didn't want anyone else to hear.
On the paper, Ketto had written: "History is easy. You don't need me to let you copy, right?"
The history exam was mostly multiple-choice questions—all objective, no subjective essays. Ketto thought Hanky could probably manage on his own.
Hanky read the note. Then he looked back at Ketto and shook his head. A small smile played on his lips. He mouthed the words: "No. You have to let me—" He didn't finish the sentence. He just laughed again.
Ketto was speechless. He didn't know what to say. But when he saw Hanky's smile—warm, playful, irresistible—he found that he couldn't refuse.
He sighed and turned back to his desk, already knowing what he would have to do.