Right before finals, our AP Calc teacher—who was also our homeroom teacher—was suspended for "offending" the administration. They replaced her with a brand-new teacher fresh out of college. Our class was the top-ranked in the district. We had multiple students aiming for Ivies and Stanford. And the school thought it was a good idea to swap horses mid-stream so someone else could take credit for our scores? Did they ask us? No. But our Class President dropped one line about "getting justice for Ms. Bennett," and the entire class skipped third period to storm the Principal's office. We were good at tests, sure. But we were even better at starting a riot. 1 With finals less than a month away, Ms. Bennett vanished. When the bell rang, a young woman walked in. "Hi everyone, I'm Ms. Snow. I'll be your substitute homeroom teacher and AP Calculus instructor." Substitute? The class froze. Whispers broke out instantly. Most eyes turned to Jason, our Class President. He looked just as confused. He raised his hand. "Ms. Snow, where is Ms. Bennett?" Ms. Bennett was a legend. Thirty-something, sharp as a tack, had been teaching at our elite high school for six years. She built the Honors program from the ground up. This new teacher looked like she graduated five minutes ago. She smiled at us, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Ms. Bennett is taking some time off for personal reasons. I'll be handling your review and daily affairs for the next month. Any questions? No? Let's start the homeroom meeting." Jason kept his hand up. "Ms. Snow, why is she taking time off? Is she sick?" Ms. Snow’s smile turned cryptic. "That's private. I can't discuss it." "Okay, roll call," she said, her tone hardening. "I don't know you yet. Raise your hand when I call your name." "Sloane Vance." I raised my hand. "Here." Ms. Snow's gaze lingered on me for a second too long before moving on. "Liam Zhou." "Here." As she went down the list, I realized something. It wasn't alphabetical. It was ranked by our last mock exam scores. 2 During the break, our math rep, Haley, got called to the office. Liam, the academic chair who sat behind me, ran out and came back looking grim. "Ms. Bennett got screwed," he whispered. "What happened?" Everyone crowded around. Liam's parents were teachers in the district, so he always had the tea. "Someone reported her for running an 'illegal private tutoring ring.' She’s suspended pending investigation." Bullshit. "No way," someone argued. "Ms. Bennett lives at this school. She's here on weekends for our study hall. When does she have time to run a side hustle?" "And even if she did, who fires a teacher a month before AP exams?" We were the "Golden Class." The school's reputation depended on our acceptance letters. Ms. Bennett was the architect of our success. "Wait," I said, a thought hitting me. "Even if they had to suspend her, why replace her with a rookie?" Usually, another veteran teacher would cover the classes. Ms. Snow was a complete stranger. She wasn't from our math department. Just before the bell, Haley came back, eyes red and puffy. "Haley, what's wrong?" I asked. "Ms. Snow..." Haley choked back a sob. "She yelled at me for wearing jewelry. She said I wasn't focused and asked if my grades dropped because I was 'messing around with boys.'" I stared at her. Haley wore a jade bangle and a small pendant. They were heirlooms from her mom, who passed away from cancer last year. Her dad was working out of state to pay for her college. She lived with her grandparents. Messing around with boys? Haley was the most focused person I knew. How could a teacher accuse a student of that without knowing a single thing about her? 3 Class started. Ms. Snow projected a PowerPoint. "We have four weeks left. I've created a final sprint review plan." Liam raised his hand. "Ms. Snow, Ms. Bennett already made personalized study plans for each of us. We're following those." Ms. Snow’s expression iced over. "From now until the AP exam, I am in charge of your math review. You follow my plan." Her plan was generic. It didn't match our pace at all. "I know you think you're smart," she added, voice dripping with condescension. "But mock exam scores don't mean anything. The AP exam is the only thing that matters. I'm doing this for your own good." She started lecturing on basic concepts we had mastered months ago. I put my head down and continued working on my practice set. I listened with one ear until something sounded wrong. I looked up. She was solving a sample problem on the board. "Teacher," I interrupted, raising my hand. "I think there's a mistake in your solution." Ms. Snow stopped. She glared at me. She definitely remembered me from the roll call. "Sloane Vance. If you're not listening, don't disrupt the class. Do you think I don't see you doing other work?" At this stage, teachers usually let us self-study. Especially in Honors Math. "I know you're top of the class," she sneered. "But good grades don't give you the right to be disrespectful. If you don't learn respect, you'll be useless to society no matter what college you get into." Harsh. I stared back at her, unfazed. Before I could retort, another student spoke up. "Ms. Snow, you missed the case where the line is vertical. The slope would be undefined." "Oh!" Ms. Snow looked at the board, flustered. "Right." She checked her answer key before correcting herself. The vibe in the room shifted. We knew. She didn't know the material. She was relying on the answer key. Ms. Bennett would have been thrilled if we caught a mistake. She always said, "If you can outsmart me, you're ready for the test." Ms. Snow just looked embarrassed and angry. This person was supposed to lead us to a 5 on the AP Calc BC exam? 4 By the next morning, Jason had the full story. "The 'illegal tutoring' was her helping her nephew with his homework in the staff room during evening study hall. The Dean of Students got into a shouting match with her and suspended her on the spot." Her nephew was a freshman here. Helping family is illegal now? "And Ms. Snow," Jason added darkly, "is a new hire. The only new hire the district approved this semester." We didn't need a math teacher. "If Ms. Snow takes over," Haley asked quietly, "who gets the bonus for our AP scores?" Silence. Teachers got bonuses and accolades for high AP pass rates and Ivy acceptances. "Hell no," a guy in the back shouted. "Ms. Bennett did all the work. She put up with our crap for three years. We're not letting some newbie steal her thunder." We were the cash cow class. We were supposed to produce the Valedictorian. "We need to get justice for Bennett," Jason said, standing up. "Okay, me, Liam, Sloane, Haley, and Ethan. We're going to the Principal's office." The Top 5 GPAs. Plus the Class President. "Why just you five?" the English rep piped up. "They'll just pick you off one by one. Safety in numbers. Let's all go. The office can fit thirty people, right?" "Yeah! My parents are already asking questions in the group chat. Ms. Snow kicked Bennett out of the chat and muted everyone!" "She has no backup. If we don't fight for her, who will?" Teenagers run on caffeine and righteous fury. Within seconds, the entire class—thirty-two students—agreed. We stood up as the bell rang. Ms. Snow walked in, saw us mobilizing, and froze. "What do you think you're doing?" 5 We ignored her. Being young doesn't mean being stupid. Ms. Snow walking into the best class in the school fresh out of college? That screamed nepotism. We just didn't know whose niece she was yet. We marched down the hall to the admin building. We ran into some kids from Class 2. "Whoa, Class 1 is moving out? Is there a fire?" "We're getting our teacher back," I said. Class 2 shared Ms. Bennett with us. They looked at each other, realizing what was happening. We arrived at the Principal's office. Principal Miller was brewing tea, looking relaxed. He looked up, startled, as thirty students filed into his room. "Which class is this? Why aren't you in session?" "Principal Miller," Jason stepped forward. "We are the Senior Honors Class. We're here to ask why Ms. Bennett was suspended a month before APs." Principal Miller frowned. "You're Honors students? You should know better. Every minute counts. Go back to class! This doesn't concern you." "Doesn't concern us?" I spoke up. "She's our teacher. Who is going to prep us for the exam?" "Yeah! You can't just swap teachers like spare tires!" "Bring Ms. Bennett back!" The room erupted. Miller slammed his mug down. "Ms. Bennett violated district policy! The school is following protocol. Keep making noise, and I'll write you all up! Do you want a disciplinary record on your transcripts right before college?" He thought threatening our permanent records would scare us. I laughed. A cold, dry sound. "Principal Miller, show us the proof. If she violated policy, show us the investigation report. If not, reinstate her." I stepped closer. "And go ahead. Write me up. I don't care about a record. I care about fairness." "Me neither!" "Write us all up!" "We want Ms. Bennett!"
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "387285", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel