The Scaly Boy (G #3)

We're Going to New York

Okay okay but don't tell me it isn't amusing to have two full books of Tyler being all dark and mysterious then find out he's this sarcastic nerd who loves puzzles and has the social awareness of a potato like i diDN'T PLAN THIS OKAY HE WAS ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO BE DARK AND MYSTERIOUS
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Mrs. Candleburg's fist slammed against my desk as I snapped awake for the third time that day. It's not my fault really, all of us who were trying to figure out this Project Dragonfire thing had stayed up late last night chasing some lead Chespin insisted.

    Have I mentioned how weird the kid was? I mean not only was he a genius, once we had all moved back to Gifted he had taken advantage of the higher class and insisted on wearing fancy clothing everyday. It wasn't regular fancy clothes either, it was old fashioned fancy clothes. He and Mrs. Candleburg (the math and history teacher) always had such a field day.

    If you were wondering, yes the teachers here are sworn to secrecy blah blah, it's mostly because the few that taught here were modified humans themselves. Yes we do go to school. Mr. Wales, being the principle and supreme leader had given us a few days off to get settled in and work on figuring out if Project Dragonfire was anything useful. Yes, it was incredibly frustrating that we still hadn't managed to find out if it was actually a thing that worked or if it was a recent project or not. Yes, most of us were incredibly behind on our homework, mind your own business nosy. Well now I sound like Anne Marie-

    "Tyler." Mrs. Candleburg said calmly. "This is my math class, not nap time."

    It was difficult to tell how much leeway I had before detention was served due to the fact she always wore a pair of sunglasses. She could like, burn stuff with her eyes or something, I dunno, I had never seen it in action. I had heard stories though, the fire sprinklers going off when her class wasn't paying attention, students' homework catching on fire, the usual. I decided not to take my luck and shove it off a cliff by simply nodding.    

    Chespin, who had decided to join us today for review (he was way above my level) suddenly stood up, nearly knocking over his chair as he inhaled sharply. He raised his hand wildly, startling the cookies out of Mrs. Candleburg.

    "What is it?" She raised her eyebrows.

    "Can I be excused?" He squeaked, like a bow tie-wearing, well groomed mouse.

    "Why?" Mrs. Candleburg almost seemed offended.

    I mean why would anyone possibly want to be excused from this class.

    "Uh, bathroom." He rushed, as a fellow minor, I saw right through his lies. The dirty blonde eight year-old had no intentions of using the restroom.

    Mrs. Candleburg rolled her eyes, at least I assume she did, and waved him off. "Be fast."

    He bolted, tearing through the door and disappearing through the hall. Why hadn't I thought of that?

"As I was saying, Tyler. What is the slope of a line..."

I tuned her out again, wondering how I could escape from class as well. It's not that I dislike any of the teachers here, it's just I don't know, I didn't want it to come from me. The only problem was I knew the answer, to every single problem she had put up on the board already. I don't know, I just feel like I've already made my impression as a certain person to what friends I have, and I feel like if I did this, they might treat me differently? It felt like a stupid reason to not answer, and I had already figured out if something felt stupid I had better keep my mouth shut.