As if I could forget the fear on Jeremy’s face when he was led out of the classroom. I never saw him again. The no-cheating policy meant he received a failing grade for all his classes and was forced to repeat them at a different school. Two students were pulled out of their tests for cheating last December—a senior girl and a junior boy who ended up with the same punishment. I assumed they must have parents a lot like Mr. Webster, who forces Rose and Isaac to do extra work if they don’t get perfect grades. Parental pressure can make some students do irrational things. But Rose disagreed.

“It’s not just pressure to excel at school. Hackers are compelled to break codes that others say are unbreakable. It’s just the way they’re wired.”

Maybe that was true, but it seemed crazy to risk upsetting their families and maybe screwing up their futures because they wanted to prove they could beat the school’s examination program. I liked a challenge as much as the next person, but there was no point upending an entire life just to prove that you could outthink the system.

The word “LOCKED” appears on my screen. Once all the tablets display the same message, our teacher tells us we have an hour and a half to finish the test. She taps something on her computer and uploads the final exam into the network. A new image appears on our screens. Our teacher takes a seat and we get to work.

All around me, people shift in their chairs. Stylus taps against shatterproof glass echo through the room. We write in answers and select the correct bubble for what year World War I started, why approval is necessary and takes years for anyone who wants to travel outside the country, or when the green tax was put into place.

I answer most of the questions. My late-night cramming clearly paid off. My chemistry test is about the same. Not terrible. Not great. Good enough.

Rose waves when I walk through the door to geometry—my last test of the day—and mouths for me to wait for her after the bell rings.

Despite the emotional fallout, my study session with Dad helped. I stumble through the first two proofs, but by the time I reach the second screen I’m surprised at how fast I cruise through the test. I finish with almost twenty minutes to spare, and after reviewing my answers one last time, I hit the Complete button. The tablet asks for confirmation that I am ready to submit my work, reminding me that no changes can be made after I do so. When I tap the Confirm icon, I am certain that I have passed the test and the class. One day of finals down. One more to go.

I shift in my desk as I wait for exam time to expire. Rose is still hunched over her tablet, along with almost everyone else in the class, probably double- and triple-checking answers. I feel a stab of worry, then shrug the anxiety off. It’s not like I can change anything now, so I turn and stare out the window at the bush on the other side of the street until the bell rings.