five

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genius miller!
chapter five

⎯⎯⎯ the one where the millers slowly join the community.

⎯⎯⎯ the one where the millers slowly join the community

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RIVER MILLER WAS AN exceptionally intelligent child. At the age of 10, something extraordinary happened with her brain.

One hot summer day, Georgia's boyfriend at the time took them all to McDonald's. While waiting in the long drive-through line, Georgia asked everyone for their orders to speed things up. As they struggled to remember what was on the menu, River began reciting the entire McDonald's menu from memory. This wasn't an isolated incident; it happened at school too. Later on Miss Brown had called her out for not paying attention in class, and River flawlessly recited a passage from the material, even though she had only read it once.

This pattern continued to occur, and eventually, it clicked for River.

She had unlocked a part of her brain that allowed her to effortlessly retain and recall information. Some might call it a photographic memory, but River saw it as a way to fast-track her way through school and escape high school as quickly as possible.

So, when her transcript finally arrived from Houston at Wellsbury High, they asked Georgia if she wanted to move River up to sophomore year instead of finishing freshman year. River enthusiastically agreed. Everyone assumed she was some child prodigy when she took a sophomore placement test and aced it, and River didn't care what they thought; she was just excited to move up a grade and get one step closer to leaving high school behind. If she kept this up by scanning books and materials, she might even skip the final grade and be done with school altogether.

After everything was sorted, River received her new schedule and modules. She was officially a sophomore, an unusual arrangement, but one she was happy with.

As River stood at her locker, putting away her books as Ginny and her friends approached. Ginny grabbed her hand, pulling her to join the group.

"That was Sophie Sanchez," Abby exclaimed in disbelief.

"She's a senior," Norah added excitedly.

"She's done cocaine, and she's got the best ass in school," Max chimed in with a smirk, causing River to raise an amused eyebrow. "She hangs out in blue with the popular seniors, and then there's the deaf kid yellow."

Max continued, "My mom runs EDCO, it's the district deaf program."

"Yes, Wellsbury has many programs. We've got springboard, auto, METCO, culinary, BB..." Abby sarcastically listed.

"Our last school just had school," Ginny scoffed.

"Light green is for losers."

"Abby, be nice," Max scolded playfully. But Abby paid no attention and continued, "That's the ABC hallway. It's like a jock hallway, but it also just smells a lot like Axe."

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