Calculatingly Wise

14

Tessa shook her head. "Theo is just Theo. There's nothing off with him."

Stiles met her eyes. "Do you really believe that, Tess?"

She glared at him. "Yes!"

"We should wait to see why he's here. Have a plan, all right? There are steps to doing this right."

"What steps?" Malia asked.

"We get the story. Verify the facts. Find the piece that doesn't fit and... and catch him in the act."

A van pulled up in front of the school and Theo stepped out and waved goodbye to whoever dropped him off. He turned to face the school and saw them, giving a smile and wave. Stiles glared at him while Tessa waved and Malia questioned, "Why are you so suspicious of this guy?"

Stiles glanced to her. "Because I remember Theo from fourth grade. Okay? That's not Theo."

Tessa sighed. "He probably grew up."

"You're impossible."

They made their way to class and Tessa made her way to AP Bio.

The demigoddess sat next to Lydia and Scott walked in. She looked at him in surprise as he found a seat. She didn't think he was serious about taking AP Bio. "Scott?" Mrs. Finch asked. "Are you in the right class?"

Scott nodded as he looked up at Mrs. Finch. "AP Biology."

"Do you know what AP stands for?"

"Advanced Placement."

Mrs. Finch smiled. "Welcome to AP Biology." She turned to the class. "Let's see who's awake. Can somebody tell me what plasmids are?"

Lydia raised her hand and said, "Circular, self-replicating DNA molecules often used in cloning proteins."

"Nicely stated, Lydia," Mrs. Finch replied with a nod. "Now, can you tell me what vitamin is absorbed in the stomach via parietal cell production of a glycoprotein?"

"Uh..." Lydia hesitated.

"B-12," Tessa answered.

Mrs. Finch nodded. "Good job, Miss Moore. Mr. McCall, did you know the answer?"

Scott shook his head. "Um, no."

"It's a common test question. What's your number one college pick?"

"Um..."

"Stop saying, "Um.""

"Sorry," Scott apologized. "UC Davis."

"Good choice. It's the best school on the West Coast for biological and physical sciences. You're in the right class if that's what you're hoping for. Who else thinks they're in the right class?" Everyone else's hands rose up. "Good. Then you should be prepared for the test tomorrow."

The entire class let out a collective groan. Mrs. Finch gave a small smile. "Don't be so disappointed. This test is specifically to help you determine whether you should actually be in AP Biology. You have two weeks to drop. Tomorrow's test will just weed out the ones who shouldn't be here. And that could be any of you."

As soon as the bell rang, Stiles grabbed Tessa's wrist. "Let's go."

"I have a free period. I'd like to use it to study," Tessa retorted. "Let go of me."

"You can study later. Come on."

"I've got free period," Scott said.

Stiles rolled his eyes. "So do I. So does Tessa. And so does Theo Raeken. Let's go."