I receive my pizza that looks just edible enough and head over to my usual table where I spot my best friend Gwynn sitting.

 "That quiz was the absolute worst!" I complain as I sit down.

"Yeah, totally" Gwynn mumbles, but I know she's lying and aced it. She always aces it. She then draws back into her invisible shell and lets her hair cover her face.

"Gwynn, I thought we decided that you don't need to hide in front of me." Gwynn slowly raises her head and we almost have eye contact. Progress. Gwynn has always been shy, but since her dad died when we were in middle school she's barely talked. I've been working with her on her confidence and it's been working, but very slowly.

The other two girls in our friend group come and join us, and the three of us keep the conversation going with Gwynn even adding a couple of comments. All too soon the lunch bell rings and we head our separate ways.

            The rest of the day is normal, though I can't say it goes quickly, because I am watching the clock, waiting for the small hand to reach two so school would be over and my friends and I could hang out. Finally the dismissal bell rings and I start heading to meet the girls, then change my mind and head to Mr. Moore's room. I mean I'm not on pins and needles to see if I failed the quiz, but I would hate to have broken my terrible record and not have known it.

            "Miss Thompson please do not linger in the doorway. Life is full of decisions and this is a simple one. In or out." I very carefully place a foot inside the threshold. It's not beyond the realm of reality to think that the evil floor that I've learned and forgotten so much would suddenly become lava, is it?

            "I suppose you're here for your quiz grade. Well I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that you've done better than ever before and received-" I hold my breath "a C."

"Yeah, above passing! I'm on fire!"

"Perhaps if you studied you would be even more ‘on fire'." Call me crazy, but I think Mr. Moore just smiled. Maybe he doesn't hate me and all other kids as much as I thought. "At least you do what you honestly can, unlike some of your classmates."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I probably shouldn't say this, but I am going to announce it tomorrow, so you may as well know now. Over the last few tests there there have been an improbable amount of perfect scores. I suspect cheating. I cannot imagine who's the mastermind here. Perhaps it's you." I hate being accused of anything, so I tense up, then realize he's joking, and I smile. He seems done with this conversation, so I start out the door and he calls on the way out, "Perhaps you should study tonight. It might just come in handy tomorrow." I'm confused, then I come to my senses and understand he is trying to help me break my quiz streak. I smile and wave as I walk from the room.

When I get to my locker, our meeting place, the other girls are starting to look impatient. "Where were you Chelsea? We've been waiting for like ever" asks Sidney.

"Yeah, we thought you were doing extra history work or something" jokes Darcy. The two cackle. They can really be annoying sometimes. Gwynn says nothing but looks at me with questioning eyes. 

"I actually was in history, asking Mr. Moore what I got on the quiz. I got a C, yay! But the real news"-I motion that they huddle closer-"is that he gave me heads-up about another quiz tomorrow."

"Two in a row? That must be a record" says Darcy.

"Yeah, but he suspects cheating, so he probably wants to do one absolutly no one has heard of. Keep this between us, okay?" Darcy and Sidney turn just a shade paler and nod. Figures they would be involved in a cheating scheme. They were good kids in middle school, but now they'd do anything so they wouldn't have to do anything.

"So shall we go? We agreed to watch a movie today, right?" I asked, taking a left turn on the topic I started. I did not want to know anything if they were in any way involved in the cheating thing.

"Yeah" says Darcy.

"Totally" agrees Sidney.

I turn to see if Gwynn has an opinion, but she must be in the restroom because she's not here. We argue about what movie we should watch and if we should see it in a theater or at one of our houses. They end up at my house and we spend a long time just talking and doing our nails and never do get to that movie. At one point they all disappear and I wander to the bathroom, fearing the taquitos I served didn't sit well in their stomachs. A faucet is running, but I can make out enough to hear Darcy and Sidney talking. I start to turn around, they always have private conversations, but then I hear Gwynn's voice and I think I hear her say "history" and "quiz".  I fight my conscience telling me to walk away and lean closer.

"There's no way I'm studying tonight. What does he expect? For us to actually learn this dry stuff?"

"I've never agreed with you more Darcy, but what can we do? He came up with the idea so suddenly he probably hasn't even written the questions yet, let alone the answers."

"Sidney, you underestimate Mr. Moore. He's probably had this quiz ready since the dark ages." That was Gwynn! I leaned closer as she finishes. "I just happened to have bumped into him as I was heading to the bathroom and when he dropped his papers, I helped him pick them up very nicely."

"So?"

"Don't be an idiot! I took the answer key!" I've never heard Gwynn talk with such force. Cheating sure has made her confident. I hear some paper shuffling and assume the answer key is being taken out to be scoured. Right now. In my house. I consider opening the door and catching them in the act, but I don't. I end up going to the living room and wait patiently until they come back with complete lies readily at hand.

"Sorry, I was getting a drink of water" Sidney is the first to lie.

"Same" Darcy follows along.

"Yeah" says Gwynn back to being shy.

"Well now that y'all are hydrated, you should probably leave. I really have to study" I say frostily.

My friends recognize that I'm testy and make no attempt to stay. They are confused about how my mood changed so drastically because I was having a blast just ten minutes ago, but pretend not to be. I practically slam the door behind them and run up to my room to think.

My friends, all cheaters! All of them! Okay to be fair I'm not shocked about Darcy and Sidney, but Gwynn? If I made a list of possible cheaters in the whole entire school she would be the last person on the list, even after myself. I guess it makes sense though, she is smart. And not just school smart apparently, but people smart too. If she's smart though, why is she cheating in the first place? Maybe she's the mastermind and charges people for the answers. Would she stoop so low? At this point I would not be surprised. Now the real question: will I squeal?

            I stay up all night pondering that. As I become more tired the situation obscures and becomes less and less real. I tell myself that I misheard and that they are not planning to cheat. By morning I even wonder if I dreamt the whole thing, but I am so tired that I know that I didn't sleep a wink. I do have a plan though. I have US history the same period as my other friends, so I will watch for any suspicious behavior.

            This somehow gives me energy and I get ready for school faster than I ever have before. It's safe to say that I don't learn anything in my first two classes though, as I anxiously wait for third period. Something I've never done before. Finally second is over. I sprint out of class, leaving my art teacher in a whirl of confusion and paint supplies.

"Sorry, Ms. Lopez, can't help you clean up today. Gotta get to class" I call behind my shoulder as the hallway draws nearer. I exit, and take the sharp left turn, and follow the hallway leading to class speed walking. The class is in view now, but I slow down when I spot Gwynn standing in the hallway talking to some kids in the class. I take just a moment to think and burst right into the conversation.

"Hi, Gwynn. You seem awfully social today."

"You've been helping me be more confident."

"Confident enough to cheat?"

Gwynn's face loses color and then her eyes narrow. She pulls me to the opposite edge of the hallway and whispers "What do you know?"

"I know that you got a hold of this and other answer keys and have possibly been selling the answers."

"Is that so? I don't see proof, just your word against mine."

            "Gwynn, what had gotten into you? When did you become so vindictive?"

"Does it matter? What matters if you will be loyal to me, your best friend, or the teacher. In fact, if you stay quiet, I'll help you." The idea is tempting and getting an A would be a good change of pace.

Integrity. The word pops in my brain. I know I couldn't cheat and I shouldn't let others. "I can't let you do this, Gwynn."

"You need to! It would crush my mom if she finds out!"

"Well then, you shouldn't have started the scheme in the first place."

"It is not a scheme, okay? It's the exchange of resources. I'm helping people! Do you know how good it feels to help people?!"

"Gwynn, you are not thinking straight. In fact, you haven't since middle school."

"When my dad was killed, no, murdered by a drunk driver! Would you be a goody two-shoes if that happened to your dad?"

"Gwynn, you still have a choice. You can go through with this or you could not. Your choice."

"It's not that simple, Chelsea! People are depending on me!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to make a choice too, and I intend to make the right one." We look at each other and I see that she is hurting and has made up her mind. "I'm sorry." I shuffle away and feel tears stinging at my eyes and I hear Gwynn behind me struggling to keep it together.

We both pull ourselves together by the time class starts though. Mr. Moore gives his talk about cheating and how it is absolutely not allowed and then he passes out the quizzes. I did manage to study some last night so even though some of the questions look like a foreign language, I am actually confident on the rest of the questions. I finish and after I flip over my quiz I spot Gwynn still working on hers. She seems nervous and is tapping her fingers against the desk. Then I realize there is a rhythm to her fidgeting. It's a code! She taps once, then taps three times. Four taps then one. Two and four. I puzzle over it then realize it's a very simple code: A must be one, B two and so on. Okay, I can't pretend I'm not seeing this. I decide to tell Mr. Moore about this after class. He doesn't even seem to notice the obvious cheating and is sitting at his desk drinking coffee.

The class seems to finish their quiz all at the same time and Mr. Moore starts grading them. He finishes right before the bell rings.
            "Gwynn Abbott, see me after class please." She turns and glares at me, but I shake my head because I haven't told a soul. I wait outside the door to see her when she comes out, but before she does an office lady comes and takes Gwynn away with her. Mr. Moore came out to watch and when he sees me lingering he motions me in.

"You played your part perfectly, Miss Thomspon."

"What? How did you know about Gwynn?"

"Today's quizzes were rigged. I've noticed that Gwynn has been fidgeting a lot during quizzes lately, so I used a small trick. I made sure I was walking the halls with the answer key yesterday, so Gwynn could ‘accidentally' run into me and take it. But it was the wrong answer key. She gave all those kids the wrong answers. After I saw who had gotten not a single question right, I knew who my cheaters were."

"I swear I just learned of this yesterday and was going to tell you after class, but I was hoping Gwynn would change her mind."

"I wish she had too, but do I appreciate your honesty. The world needs more honest people."

"Thanks. What did you mean earlier when you said I played my part?"

"I knew you were friends with Gwynn and others in this class, so I told you about it so everyone would know."

"My mom says I have a big mouth."

"And today we found a good use for it. But perhaps you shouldn't become a spy." I try to smile, but I can't until I find out about my best friend.

"What about Gwynn?"

            "She will be suspended, but we know what she has been through the last few years so it will only be for a few days and she'll be spending it with the counselor working through why she felt the need to do what she did. The other cheaters will each be suspended for a day and that will end up on their permanent record."

            "Oh, good. I really believe she did it as a way of coping."

"I believe she's started on the right path now. Now, do you want to see your quiz?" I nod and he shows me.

"An A? But how?"

"Well I assume you actually studied this time and I gave extra credit to all my non-cheaters. I felt they needed to know I'm proud of them for doing what was right even if no one was watching over their shoulder. That's integrity, Chelsea."

Integrity is only one of the many words in the dictionary, but I decide that day it is one of the most important ones.