Chapter 47 *

Chapter 47 Chapter 47
Angelina’s POV
I sat in the corner of the cafeteria with my mom homemade teriyaki chicken and rice, trying to enjoy a normal lunch. Logan was across from me, making faces at his pizza.
"Why is school pizza always so bad?" he asked, poking at the cheese.
"Because it costs $2.50," I said.
"Fair point." He looked at my lunch box. "What's that?"
"Teriyaki chicken and rice."
"Looks way better than this cardboard."
I took another bite, savoring the quiet moment. The cafeteria was buzzing with the usual lunch noise—conversations, laughter, the scraping of chairs. Normal. Peaceful.
Then Sarah screamed.
"WHAT?!"
The entire cafeteria went quiet. Every conversation stopped. Everyone turned to look at her table a few rows away.
Logan looked up from his pizza, mouth full. "What's her problem?"
"I don't know," I focused on my lunch.
"Aria! ARIA!"
Sarah was running toward our table, phone in hand. Emma was right behind her. So much for ignoring it.
"Dude, personal space," Logan said as Sarah crashed into our table.
She shoved her phone in my face, completely ignoring Logan. "Is this real?!"
I glanced at the screen. My grades stared back at me from the school portal. Every single one of them.
"Looks like it," I said, taking another bite of rice.
"One hundred and two in English?! Ninety-nine in Earth Science?!"
Emma leaned over Sarah's shoulder. "And you already got one hundred and five in Algebra!"
Logan looked up at me, confused. "Wait, what?"
Oh right. Logan doesn't know about the other grades yet.
"Other midterm grades came out," I explained.
Logan grabbed Sarah's phone before she could stop him. His eyes went wide as he scrolled through the screen.
"Holy shit."
More students were starting to gather around our table.
"Aria, this is..." Logan kept staring at the phone.
"Yeah."
"Every. Single. Class."
"Yep."
"Over one hundred in multiple subjects."
"That's what extra credit is for," I said.
Logan looked up at me like I'd just sprouted a second head. "Who are you and what did you do with my friend?"
Great. Here we go.
Jake pushed through the growing crowd. "What's going on?"
"Let me see!" Jeremy called out.
Sarah started passing her phone around. I watched my privacy disappear with each swipe of the screen.
Then Logan stood up.
"Logan..." I warned.
He pointed at me dramatically, addressing the crowd like he was on stage. "Ladies and gentlemen! I present to you: Aria two point oh!"
"Remember when Aria used to ask me what a derivative was?" Logan announced.
"Yeah!" David called out from the crowd.
"Remember when she couldn't tell sine from cosine?"
Sophia nodded enthusiastically. "I remember teaching her basic trig!"
Logan spread his arms wide. "Well, she's been UPGRADED!"
Several people laughed. I glared at him.
"Logan, shut up."
"It's like she downloaded a new operating system!"
Of course he's making computer jokes.
Jake, Jeremy, Emma, and Sarah all squeezed around our table. Some pulled up chairs, others just stood there, forming a wall of curious faces.
Jake sat down directly across from me. "Okay, serious talk. What happened?"
I put down my chopsticks. "Can I finish eating first?"
"No! This is more important than food!" Jeremy said.
Logan, still chewing his pizza, raised a finger. "Nothing is more important than food."
"Logan, read the room," Emma said.
Sarah leaned forward. "There has to be an explanation."
Logan raised his hand like we were in class. "I have a theory!"
"Logan, don't—"
"She's an AI! Artificial Intelligence!"
Jake frowned. "Be serious."
Logan's face became completely serious. "I AM serious! Think about it! Old Aria: buggy, crashes frequently, error messages. New Aria: smooth operation, maximum efficiency, no bugs."
Jeremy was grinning now. "You're saying she got a software patch?"
"Exactly! Maybe she's a prototype!"
I grabbed my water bottle and threw it at him. "I'm not a robot, idiot."
Logan dodged, still grinning. "That's what a robot WOULD say!"
Why did I ever become friends with this person?
Logan suddenly leaned across the table, peering into my eyes.
"What are you doing?" I asked, leaning back.
"Checking if your eyes are normal or if they're cameras."
I pushed his face away. "Get away from me."
He turned to the others. "She's not denying it!"
Emma laughed. "Logan, stop harassing her."
"I'm conducting scientific research!"
"Okay, okay. Not a robot," Logan said, switching gears. "What if she's an alien who replaced the real Aria?"
David shook his head. "That's even more ridiculous."
"Is it though? Think about it! Real Aria: struggled with math, fell down stairs. This Aria: perfect scores, suspiciously calm about everything."
I couldn't help laughing. "You've watched too many sci-fi movies."
"Body snatchers are a real threat, Aria! If that IS your real name!"
Joshua walked past, then stopped. "What's going on?"
"Logan thinks Aria is an alien," Jeremy explained.
Joshua considered this for a moment. "Makes sense, honestly."
Logan's eyes lit up like he'd just solved a difficult equation. "Wait! I know what happened!"
"What?" Sarah asked.
"She sold her soul to the devil!"
The entire table burst into laughter. I dropped my head into my hands.
"Think about it! Perfect grades in exchange for her eternal soul!"
"Logan, I swear to god—"
"See? She can't even deny it! Probably bound by contract!"
Jake was laughing so hard he could barely talk. "What would the devil even do with Aria's soul?"
"Use it to pass HIS exams in Hell University!"
"Hell University?!" Emma repeated.
"It's very competitive. Even demons need good GPAs."
I'd had enough. I reached across the table, grabbed Logan's pizza, and took a huge bite.
"HEY! That's my lunch!"
"Demon tax," I said, mouth full of cardboard pizza.
The cafeteria was loud when the PA system crackled to life. "Aria Sterling, please report to the counseling office."
The noise died down. I felt every eye in the room turn toward me.