Force Out by Tim Green

Author:Tim Green
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

44

There were only three.

Three questions he put a mark by on his answer sheet. When he finished, there were still twenty minutes left. He flipped back through and studied each question, racking his brain. For the first two he was able to dig the information out of the depths of his mind. They were subtle points, details about genetic karyotypes no one should be held accountable for remembering, but which Joey did remember.

The last of the three was the real problem. Number 112. It had two correct answers. The question asked what process transformed amino acids into proteins. Joey knew it was “dehydration synthesis,” answer A. The trouble was that answer C said, “removing water to join molecules.” Removing water to join molecules was the definition of dehydration synthesis. He screwed up his face and ground his teeth. What was he missing?

Over and over he read it, muttering to himself. Finally, Joey raised his hand. Mr. Kratz’s eyebrows shot up beneath the brim of his droopy hat and he shuffled slowly down Joey’s aisle.

Joey kept his voice as low as he could while still expressing his urgency. “Mr. Kratz, for problem one twelve, both these answers are correct.”

The big teacher leaned over Joey’s desk and placed a slab of finger on the question Joey pointed to. “Use your best guess.”

Joey looked at him, agonizing. “But—”

“Uh-uh.” Mr. Kratz wagged his finger in Joey’s face like a sausage. “One is better than the other. You choose.”

Mr. Kratz hitched up his enormous pants as he walked away, giving a brief rest to his leather belt. The outside edges of his shoes had been broken down to accommodate his duck-footed walk long ago.

Joey hated the man.

He looked at the clock. Three minutes to go. He looked around. The rest of the gym was filled with students bent over their tests, pencils in their mouths, heads in their hands, gnawing on knuckles, just hoping to finish the monster test. Joey shook his head in utter disgust and circled C, since he knew removing water to combine molecules was correct and maybe there was some slight problem with the spelling of dehydration synthesis that he was missing, although he didn’t think so.

“Time!” Mr. Kratz glowered at them from the front of the gym. “Pencils down. Anyone without their pencil on their desk after this time gets an automatic zero.”

A slew of other teachers acting as proctors scurried up and down the aisles, collecting the tests. Joey watched his disappear into the pile and then up the aisle to the stack on the front table. Fifty-fifty, those were his odds. He bit the inside of his lip. The last time he was given those odds it was from Coach Barrett. He looked toward Leah. She didn’t look at him. Instead, she hung her head and hurried out of the gym.

His eyes found Zach, who gave him a disapproving frown as he made his way through the desks toward where Joey still sat. Joey got up, and the two of them turned to leave.

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