Can't Stop the Questions

Chapter 24: Support at a Distance

The answer from Pablo's friends is quick: most of them can't bring food. However, Ethan might be able to.

"There's one person who can bring food to this party. Ethan. You know him as the strong safety, and he's dating one of my quiz bowl teammates!" Pablo answers his mother's question about food.

"Just make sure the person bringing in food doesn't bring in drugs as well..." Pablo's father warns his son.

"And then... Venomous! Agendas! May my girlfriend go all the way!"

Pablo then texts the guests about not bringing in alcohol or drugs to his home tomorrow. He then goes back to studying, but at the same time, the prospect of VA taking out one of the post-pandemic powerhouses of Louisiana girls' basketball on the road keeps him excited for tomorrow night. Especially since Audrey starts the game.

Which is what virtually everyone in town talks about tonight. Especially with a story in the parish newspaper as well as on parish radio talking about that game as if it was the quarterfinals of the March Madness. When Pablo comes up to Audrey at school...

"One more thing, Pablo. It will probably be the last time we'll see each other before the big game" Audrey tells him, in position to kiss him.

"Speaking of the game, I want you to know that, no matter the outcome, no matter how well you played in that game, I still love you" Pablo then proceeds to kiss her.

"We'll leave immediately after school, since Monroe is a three-hour drive from here" Audrey tells him after the kiss ends.

"Good luck then!"

But then, around dinner time, the guests start arriving. First, Ethan and Nadine arrive with a large pot containing a dish. Then come Finn, Valter, Virginie, Tyler, Dayton, Natalie and finally, George and Lilina, in that order.

Once all the guests have arrived, Pablo starts serving a warning about the latest tests.

"I'm happy I got an A on a math test for once..." Finn tells the other guests.

"Huh?" Lilina asks him, shaking her head in disbelief. "Did you get an A because the teacher saw you as being at risk of not being able to play next season?"

"While I did get help before the test, and I asked questions to the teacher by email last weekend, it's not what you think!" Finn retorts to a Lilina who seemed to believe that the teacher gave him unfair academic advantages in the off-season.

"We can't rely on the same tricks to keep our grades up forever. Now, if you could please excuse me, I need to talk with Ethan, Finn and Valter" Pablo addresses the football players.

Pablo then takes his football teammates who are in Algebra II to his bedroom, feeling like what Lilina told Finn might have made him uncomfortable. He closes the room's door after all four are in the bedroom.

"I was feeling targeted! While I knew some of our football opponents did lavish academic favors of the kind Lilina was implying I got, they usually lavish such favors during the football season, and not in the off-season!" Finn voices his displeasure at Lilina's words.

"What I'm saying is that cheating the way we did in Algebra II has its limitations. We can only help so many people during a test because only one hall pass can be issued at a time. Also, mass cheating like this should only be done as a last resort!" Pablo warns his teammates. "And we can't keep cheating like this forever!"

"When should mass cheating be used then?" Valter asks his teammate.

"Ideally never, but it's about how much people struggle in a subject and whether the issues would prevent someone from playing next season. Remember about no-pass, no-play!" Pablo answers Valter, with the words no-pass, no-play stinging him. And, with it, the need to maintain at least 2.0.