Predict

Will Angela tell the school she cheated?

He stopped, slowly got out his handkerchief, and slowly blew his nose. Then he cleared his throat. “The winning story is ‘Around and Around,’ by Angela Tang.”

I sat like a stone, unable to move. Peter nudged me. “Go on, Angela! They’re waiting for you.”

I got up and walked up to the stage in a daze. The principal’s voice seemed to be coming from far, far away as he told the audience that I had written a science fiction story about time travel.

The winners each got a notebook bound in imitation leather for writing more stories. Inside the cover of the notebook was a ballpoint pen. But the best prize was having my story in the school magazine with my name printed at the end.

Then why didn’t I feel good about winning?

After the assembly, the kids in our class crowded around to congratulate me. Peter formally shook my hand. “Good work, Angela,” he said, and winked at me.

That didn’t make me feel any better. I hadn’t won the contest fairly. Instead of writing the story myself, I had copied it from the school magazine.

That meant someone in our class—one of the kids here—had actually written the story. Who was it?

My heart was knocking against my ribs as I stood there and waited for someone to complain that I had stolen his story.

Nobody did.

As we were riding the school bus home, Peter looked at me. “You don’t seem very happy about winning the contest, Angela.”

“No, I’m not,” I mumbled. “I feel just awful.”