Before Evan start or even thought about cheating, he scanned his surroundings with calculated caution.
To his left, classmates were already bent over their test papers some writing furiously, others staring blankly as if the questions themselves mocked them. And straight ahead, more students fidgeted nervously, while their advisor sat rigidly at the front, red glasses gleaming as she oversaw the room.
Then Evan slowly turned his head to the right where his so-called friends sat.
The sight was a complete disaster, and yet, painfully hilarious for him.
Sabhano had actually placed his test paper on the floor, crouching as he angled his phone for a picture. When his eyes met Evan's, he flashed a mischievous, almost menacing grin as if this were some kind of game.
On the far side, Eric leaned casually in his chair, copying answers straight off the smartest student in our class without a shame.
Evan almost burst out laughing but had to cover his mouth to hide it. "What the hell are these two doing?" Evan added. "I thought we had a plan. A proper plan. And now they're just winging it on their own like complete idiots."
Shaking his head, Evan sighed. "I don't even know if I can call these two friends," he muttered under his breath as he reached his phone into the left pocket of his black slacks.
And then sliding one leg over the other, he angled his paper discreetly beneath his knee, shielding it from view from there advisor. His fingers slipped his phone free, screen dimmed to its lowest brightness.
His gaze flickered constantly left, right, and forward. Sabhano was scribbling, Eric still shamelessly leeching answers. "Pathetic," Evan thought although deep down, he knew he wasn't much better.
With a quick motion, Evan snapped pictures of both sides of his test paper. Before the exam began, he had already reminded his friends to connect to the school's Wi-Fi, a tip that now paid off.
"Straight access to the internet. Straight access to AI." He smirked at his own foresight.
He opened the chatgpt app, and sent the photos he'd just taken earlier, and typed carefully to the AI: Answer the multiple choice properly, and make sure the answer is accurate to the question.
And Evan pressed the send button.
Then he leaned back to his metal chair so slightly, keeping one eye on his advisor, the other on his friends. "I need to be careful. If I get caught, it's over. I don't care if those two clowns get busted, but me? No way."
A few seconds passed.
Then his phone buzzed.
Answers began rolling in. Multiple choice, one through thirty question D, C, A… one by one the screen filled with salvation for Evan. Then slowly Evan wrote the answer in his test paper, but still he has great caution about his surrounding.
Then came the problem-solving portion of the test, only five questions, but the kind that demanded formulas, steps of how you solve it, a real work.
Evan snapped another picture of the five problem-solving questions and typed out the prompt: Solve these problems and show me the formulas and steps on how you did it. Make sure to send the images and organize the solutions step by step."
He leaned back in his chair once again, waiting for the answer to be sent to his phone.
The gym was eerily silent, broken only by the scratching of pens and the occasional cough. The air smelled faintly of paper and ink.
Moments later, his phone buzzed the solutions appeared, clean well organized and detailed, step by step. Evan's lips curled into the faintest grin. "Perfect."
Evan then slowly copied the answers onto his test paper, the solutions neatly sent to his phone by the AI.
Thirty minutes passed.
He traded quiet signals and scribbled notes with Sabhano and Eric and his other classmate s and friends, slipping answers back and forth like a contraband.
By then, most of their sheets were filled with answer from chatgpt and other AI apps.
The tense silence of the gym began to fracture as murmurs rose, chairs creaked, and the scratching of pens slowed. And Also the sound of the test paper.
The three of them leaned back, pretending to review their papers. In hushed tones, they chuckled over how ridiculous they had been earlier, Sabhano's clumsy photo-taking and, Eric's shameless copying. Still they double-checked their answers.
Evan ran his finger slowly along the questions, reading each one aloud in his head before landing on his marked answer. "Yeah… this sounds right this must be the answer. That has to be it right?"
And then, Evan also took the time to carefully double-check his answers on the five problem-solving questions in the test, reviewing each step to make sure everything matched and nothing was out of place in his answer.
One by one, students began standing, walking toward the front desk were they're advisor reside, to hand in their exams. When it was their turn, the three friends turned in their papers almost simultaneously, relief settling over them like a warm blanket. Physics was done.
But it wasn't over yet the last hurdle was CPAR subject.
Back in his seat, Evan sighed as he scribbled his name onto a fresh test sheet. This time, he didn't bother cheating. The questions weren't math-heavy nor dreaded formulas or problems. Just analysis, reflections, and common sense. That, Evan had plenty of, confident, he wrote with ease.
Half an hour later, he and his friends were done again and they hand their papers. Together, they hauled their heavy metal chairs back to their room, the screech of dragging legs echoing through the halls.
"That was so easy!" Sabhano boomed, grinning ear to ear.
Evan laughed. "Easy? You almost got caught by the advisor. If Eric hadn't signaled you, you'd be done for."
"Yeah bro, I saved your ass," Eric chimed in proudly.
"Yeah, yeah, sure man." Sabhano waved them off. "Anyway… what are we eating? I'm starving."
Evan's stomach growled at the mere mention of food. "Now that you say it… yeah, I'm starving too."
Eric raised his hand to check his watch. "It's already 3:00 p.m. Let's hit the cafeteria."
The three of them headed there together. The cafeteria was open-area, more like a relaxed coffee shop than a school canteen. The counters bustled with food and drinks, the tables a warm shade of brown. Students laughed, ate, and lounged as if the exams hadn't drained the life out of them.
They bought food to they're table and sat together, and for the next two hours, they talked about the exams, joked about each other's blunders, and drifted into lighter topics.
Time passed.
Eventually, Eric stood and slung his bag over his shoulder. "I gotta go guys. Family dinner tonight. They're waiting for me outside."
"Bye guys!' he called, jogging off through the hallway.
The two of them said they're goodbye to there friend.
Sabhano chuckled. "Why does he always run like a maniac?"
Evan glanced at Eric running into the hallway and then he laughed softly, shaking his head.
Another half an hour passed. They've talked in that time, just him and Sabhano.
"I'll head out too," Evan finally said. "Got things to do at home."
Even though Evan is not really busy and don't have to do anything at home, he just lied to just go home early.
Sabhano raised a brow. "Things to do? It's Friday. Tomorrow's Saturday. What could you possibly be busy with? Beside our exam is done." His tone was teasing.
They both laughed. "I'm a busy man," Evan replied with mock seriousness. "You should know that by now."
"Yeah, sure, buddy." Sabhano smirked. "I'll stay here. Gotta practice for my chess tournament tomorrow."
"Oh right," Evan remembered. "Good luck with that, man." Evan then add "Crush them all tomorrow."
"Don't worry. I'll destroy them all," Sabhano boasted with a laugh.
They waved to each other off. Evan slung his black sling bag over his shoulder and made for the exit.
By now, the outside air was cooler the kind of crisp breeze that whispered of evening. The sun was setting, painting the sky with a soft orange glow.
Evan checked his phone 5:52 p.m.
He strolled down the school's long cement pathway, and its blue metal railings guiding his way. To his left stretched the vast grass field, Evan's face is kissed by a golded sinking light. For a moment, he paused, looking up at the horizon.
"What a beautiful view. Who would've thought my school had something like this scenery"
He then resumed to walk.
At the main gate, the security guard rummaged through bags as usual. Even Evan's small sling bag was inspected. He sighed in annoyance in his mind. "What do they think I'm hiding in here? A bomb? It's too small to fit anything dangerous" Evan Sigh. "What a hassle."
Shaking his head, he walked on.
He crossed the pedestrian line he had used countless times before, every day, and days turns to every week, and week turns to every month. and months, turns to every years and so on.
Life had become a loop, and repetitive and almost hollow for Evan. And the routine weighed on him.
As he stepped back onto the familiar narrow stone path, that feeling of emptiness pressed heavier than ever. The silence of the path was calming, yet also lonely, as if the world around him carried secrets he could not grasp.
He then asked himself, his thoughts drifting deeper.
"What's the true purpose of life?" he wondered quietly. "And what kind of fate could possibly be waiting for me out there?"
Few minutes passed.
He tilted his head back. Leaves drifted down from the trees above, but something was off. In the morning, they had been green. Now, they glowed with orange and gold, shimmering like fading embers.
Evan rubbed his eyes. "I'm not imagining this… right?"
As the leaves touched the ground, their color deepened into pure gold, shining like scattered coins beneath the trees. He bent down, hesitating before picking one up.
The instant his fingers brushed it, a strange sensation rippled through him.
But he ignored it. Or perhaps, he simply couldn't understand it... or he doesn't feel it.
Rising slowly, Evan held the golden leaf in his hand. Its glow reflected in his dark brown eyes, erasing all his thought for a moment.
And then silence.