The BEDMAS Conspiracy Read Online Free

alike?”
    â€œYou know, Uncle Stephen, I thought all they could do was pick out their coordinating purple and blue outfits, but it turns out they’re amazing on their axes!”
    â€œAxes?” asked my mom worriedly.
    â€œWe got Sludge playing the drums,” explained Daniela.
    â€œYup, he pounds the skins for Sick on a Snow Day,” I said as I tried to clean ketchup off the front of my shirt.
    â€œAh, that eighth-grade boy who likes Shakespeare and pulling fire alarms,” said my mom, nodding her head.
    â€œWell, I don’t like the name, Sick on a Snow Day. It’s stupid,” said Abigail. I could always count on her to speak her mind whether I liked it or not.
    â€œNow that you mention it,” started Josh, “it does lack a bit of pizzazz. Who came up with it?”
    My mom knew how hard I’d worked at coming up with the perfect name. “I like it,” she said. “Although I also like the name, Studying for the Big Geometry Test . No matter what you call your band, if you want to stay in it, there had better be an improvement in your marks, Adam.”
    My heart sank. I knew what my mom meant. I needed to prepare for tomorrow’s big test. After dinner I tried, as my parents like to say, to buckle down and study . I really did! But it was impossible to concentrate on numbers when we had just assembled such a cool band. When it came to math, it was easier to think of music and just hope for the best tomorrow.

I realized how much trouble I was in when I woke up the next morning.
    "I’m so glad I learned the formulas Sunday night,” said Daniela at the breakfast table. “I was too excited to concentrate on anything serious last night.”
    â€œFormulas?” I asked, in between bites of cereal.
    â€œYou didn’t bother learning the formulas for today’s test?” she asked incredulously. “How will you know how to find the surface area of a triangle or the volume of a sphere? How are you going to pass the test, Adam?”
    She paused for a second. “Your dad is going to kill you!” she added, in case she hadn’t made her point.
    Panicking, I raced up to my room. I grabbed my math book, found chapter eleven and jotted down a few formulas on a small Post-It note. Hopefully I could learn them on the ride to school.
    Unfortunately, Mr. Papernick was also my homeroom teacher. That meant I started every day off with mathematics. He was waiting for us with what looked to be a thick stack of papers. Nervously, I took my seat. I took out the little square of paper and scanned it quickly. I closed my eyes and tried to remember the formulas. Nothing. Again I looked at the paper and closed my eyes. Nada . Not one number.
    Concentrating on school had always been a problem for me. But I had never considered cheating. Until now. The stakes were high. It was important I pass this test—more than important. If I wanted to be in the talent show, I needed to get a passing grade and keep my parents off my back. I promised myself it would only be a one-time thing. Just a few formulas that I would definitely learn at home tonight.
    I stuck the Post-It up my sleeve. It was perfectly hidden. Mr. Papernick started to hand out the test. Allan Alter scanned the test and let out a depressed sigh. Jonathan Azam looked at the first page and put his head down on his desk. I was desperate! Just this once, I told myself again. I would make it up by doing extra equations for the next three weeks. Mr. Papernick handed Andrea Hackenpack the test. Even straight-A student Andrea looked worried. I needed my cheat sheet!
    I made a deal with myself. I would use the cheat sheet today, learn all of the formulas tonight, and then take the test again on the weekend. And do extra homework for the next three weeks. It seemed like a good deal. It would make up for the cheating, I told myself.
    â€œHere you go, Mr. Laken,” said Mr. Papernick as he handed his