PART I – Rags
C H A P T E R
O N E
I checked the time on my phone; I still had to wait another fifteen minutes until lunch. I had been sitting through this stupid ceremony for the better part of an hour and my stomach was growling. There was one more kid they had yet to announce, but everyone knew who it was.
“Finally, but certainly not least,” Ms. Bennett, the school principal, said into the microphone. “This next student has continually demonstrated an outstanding level of achievement. Not only has he maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average, but also he is the captain of the basketball team, and is actively involved with the community. I think we can all agree this young man has a bright future ahead of him. It is my distinct honour to present the Duke Elingberg Award and a one hundred thousand dollar scholarship from Harvard University to the student who needs no introduction. Please put your hands together for…”
I clapped like everyone else, but all I could think about was what I was going to have for lunch. I decided on a pastrami sandwich stacked high with lettuce tomatoes and pickles. By now, Kal-High’s poster boy had taken the stage gleaming with pride. Ms. Bennett congratulated him on his achievement – a truly remarkable achievement at that. I had heard Harvard was a really prestigious school, but I had no idea where it was.
Academics were not my thing. I wasn’t really sure what my thing was, but I also wasn’t too concerned about it, I figured some kind of opportunity would surely present itself.