The Study

Chapter 1: Student Exchange

It was almost the end of junior year, and summer vacation was about to start in a week. Everyone was hyped for the summer. I, on the other hand, was excited for a different reason. I had been working hard all year, and I was hoping to get a scholarship for college. I knew that my grades were good enough, but I still had to work on my extracurriculars to make my application stand out.

I had always been the studious type, the one who never missed a deadline, and the one who always had the right answer in class. I was the top-ranked student with almost perfect grades. However, being a high achiever didn't necessarily make me popular among my peers. Sure, I had a couple of friends, but I wasn't really noticed by the popular kids. I didn't mind though, as long as I was doing well in school, I was content.

As we were working on a lab in chemistry class, Harry leaned over and whispered to us, "Hey, have you guys seen the new trailer for that movie coming out this summer?"

Josh perked up. "Which one?"

"The new John Wick movie," Harry replied, excitement in his voice.

"Oh, I've seen that one! It looks so cool," Daniel chimed in, putting down his test tube and leaning in.

"Man, I can't wait to see it. We should all go together," Harry said, grinning at us.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," I added, feeling a bit more relaxed now that we were talking about something other than schoolwork. "And did you guys hear about that new video game coming out next month?"

"What game?" Josh asked, his interest piqued.

"The one with the dragons and wizards. It's supposed to be this huge open-world game," I replied, getting more excited by the second.

"Sounds like my kind of game," Daniel said, smirking.

As we were talking the intercom buzzed, and Mrs. Whitman's voice boomed through the classroom. "Bryan Whitlock, please report to the principal's office immediately." My friends exchanged looks, and I could see the smirk on their faces. "Oh, someone's in trouble," one of them whispered. I shrugged, thinking that I hadn't done anything wrong, but the fear of the unknown crept up on me.

As I walked to the principal's office, my mind was racing with all sorts of possibilities. What could I have done wrong? I had never been called to the principal's office before. I had skipped a couple of classes with my friends, but surely that couldn't be it. As I turned the corner and opened the door to the lobby, I saw my parents waiting for me. My heart sank. "What happened, Bryan? Did you do something wrong?" my mom asked.

"I don't know, Mom," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

After what felt like an eternity, Mrs. Whitman finally came out of her office and ushered us inside. There was a man in her office who looked really professional, wearing a black suit.

"Bryan, this is Mr. Smith. He's with the board of education and he wants to speak with you regarding Bryan," Mrs. Whitman said, her tone serious.