Allegro Vivace [PG version of Special Tutoring]

2. The music score

A.

I looked down on the garish red letter on the top right corner of my test paper. Yes! I practically floated my way down to my locker where my bestie, Amy was waiting for me while cursing at her paper.

"Hello doll! What did you get?" She grabbed the corner of my paper to see the score, only to yelp, "You witch! An A! After all your whining about how difficult the paper was! I complained lesser and only scrapped by with a B-!"

She hugged me in congratulatory eagerness. "Oh Oracle, please share with little ole Amy the secret of your overnight success please? Don't tell me, you really followed my advice, and got Trevor McGill to teach you?"

"Haha, yeah right, please stop advertising Trevor McGill, whoever he is. If he's that great, you should try him yourself." I replied. "I studied really hard for it, that's all."

Ok, that was half of the truth. I did really study very hard for the test. I always take my parents' threats towards my cheerleading very seriously. But another reason why I had found the paper inexplicably easy was because Ethan had drilled the concepts into my brains last Saturday afternoon.

Still, I hadn't expected to do so well. For me, a nice B+ would have been better. For one thing, it would probably attract less attention and suspicion from my parents. I worried that they would either go into cardiac arrest at the shock that I had suddenly come into the brainpower that our family was known for.

Dad is a tenured Law professor at the university and Mom runs a successful flowers, gifts and hamper business. As for my older sister Qin, there was no need to explain further, other than whatever subject that can have advanced placement, you'd be sure she took it.  She was now reading Law at the university, though Mom has been trying to involve her more in her business operation in the vain hope that she would take over from her eventually instead of following my father into Law. Don't see her trying to encourage my interest in her business. Instead I am allowed to meander along in life (or as much as a daughter in a collectivist and traditional-minded Chinese household is allowed to) as long as I did not disgrace the family name.

Then again, what if they actually develop higher expectations on my academic achievements? That was a massive no-no to me. I had no wish to kiss my active social life goodbye and bury myself in books like social loser Qin did.

Yet I felt deflated when they just briefly glanced at the paper and nodded briefly in acknowledgement before turning their attention back to their breakfasts and their lively conversation of politics (only cerebral topics are allowed at the Tan Family mealtimes) the next day. They must have become jaded after looking at the Qin's grades, I thought sourly as I pushed my cereal around with my spoon. Then I remembered Ethan, instanteously brightening at the thought of telling him my result later.

I wondered at his response. Oh shoot! I forgot to do his homework. I had taken a close look while preparing for my test, and immediately cast the paper aside when I realized that the questions were more difficult than any of those I encountered at school. Craziness!

Inwardly groaning, I made my way back to my room. Closing the door behind me, I reached into the niche behind the window seat where I hid all my secret stash. I pulled out the homework. Argh, there were like ten questions. I looked at my Hello Kitty clock, I didn't think I would be able to go shopping with Amy before popping over to Ethan's later this afternoon. Quickly whatsapping her a quick raincheck, I settled down to the "joys" of Physics, as my iPhone began to vibrate from Amy's annoyed reply.

After struggling like what felt like forever, I looked up at the clock again. Ohmigod, it was two! I even missed Mom and Qin's yelled goodbyes, while concentrating on this homework from hell. Seriously where did Ethan get these questions from? I hastily stacked my papers together, ran a quick hand through my hair while checking my reflection in the mirror before running out of the house.