The Perfect Score

“Call me crazy, but I wished my parents had a love story like that. The only thing they were good at was fighting. Really good at it. They’d only had me to try to save their marriage. I guess a lot of people make that mistake. Turns out I just gave them more to fight about—even before I was born.”

Randi thinks this after she recalls how Gavin’s parents met while they were both working at the same house. Randi’s comparison of Gavin’s parents’ secure relationship to her own parents’ divorce is part of the first few chapters’ exposition: It sets up the poor relationship that Randi has with her mom and how the pressure that Randi feels to do well goes all the way back to her birth.

“Let the record show: I could tolerate some absentmindedness, but I did not have the time or the patience for any loony-tune business. If Mrs. Woods was unable to keep these boys in line, then I would be going straight to the principal and demanding a transfer.”

These lines are from Natalie’s perspective, and they illustrate her no-nonsense personality, as well as how she thinks like a lawyer. She uses legal language, and Buyea separates Natalie herself from childish things by referring to her distance from “loony-tune[s].” In this early part of the novel, Natalie believes that her way of viewing the world is the only correct way, and she shows this through her steadfast determination to have the classroom and teacher experience she wants. This passage reveals how closed-minded Natalie is and how much she has to grow.

“I wanted to ask Mrs. Woods if we could study rocks again this year, like we had in fifth grade. I liked learning about them. I like how they’re formed, the result of years and years of extreme pressure.”

These lines from Randi’s perspective show how trapped she feels by gymnastics and her mom. The metaphor of a rock formed by years of pressure shows that she has felt pressure her whole life, and her desire to be a rock with crystals inside is Randi’s way of hoping that some good will come of her hardship.

“[M]any of those same kids who are immature and mean and do that whispering-behind-backs stuff today will still be doing it when they’re so-called adults. I know because they’re the same ones getting in other kinds of trouble and then coming to your father and me for help.”

This exchange between Natalie and her mother follows the slide-urinating incident. Natalie is mad because she will be teased by her classmates, and her mom’s explanation is the first time that Natalie is confronted by the idea that adults and children are not so different. This idea is weaved throughout the novel as adults and children struggle with pressure and with social issues.

“Mrs. Woods had chapter books, nonfiction books, and even picture books for us to choose from. I still liked picture books. They weren’t only for little kids, like a lot of people thought. The one called Grandpa Green caught my attention.”

Here, Scott has picked out a book from Mrs. Woods’s collection to read during class, and his thoughts reflect how reading is a personal experience that is different for everyone. Though he has technically aged out of picture books, Scott reads them anyway because he finds their messages pertinent to his life, suggesting that there is no right or wrong age to read a certain type of story.

“Tell you the truth, I never wanted to join Magenta’s program. I only asked about it for Randi. I never expected that I’d end up doing it. Don’t get me wrong, it was gonna be nice having the day free from Meggie duty, and the art part sounded okay—but that wasn’t enough to get me excited. I left that to Randi.”

In contrast to Gavin’s earlier dismissal of his father, this excerpt reveals Gavin’s immense capacity to care about those who are important to him. He signs up for the art program for Randi because he knows the pressure she’s under at home. These lines also show how Gavin still hides part of himself. Though he has a great talent for art, he downplays this because he has little confidence.

“After finishing Wonder, Mrs. Woods smelled and read Ungifted by Gordon Korman so we could hear another story with multiple perspectives, and now we were reading Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Not only was Mrs. Woods the best at reading with expression and different voices, but she knew that the way to enjoy a story was not to open the book once a week or to make kids do a gazillion reader-response questions or activities, but just to read it.”

Scott’s observations about reading here highlight The Pressure Inherent in Expectations by illustrating how reading can become a chore if it’s attached too much to academic attainment. The novel suggests that while the critical study of literature is important, equally important is Mrs. Woods’s approach of just enjoying a story for the sake of it. Mrs. Woods offers the children a chance to just get lost in a story, which is a direct contrast to the pressure put on the students by the CSAs. The fact that Scott and the others respond in a more thoughtful and positive way to the books that Mrs. Woods reads suggests that learning is better when it isn’t forced.

“Our car rides were always filled with her criticisms and attempted motivational speeches. I made sure to turn my head when I rolled my eyes. I stared out the window, searching for the white house with the sign for the psychic. We passed it on every trip to and from practice, and I kept hoping to catch a glimpse of the person inside. What did a psychic look like? I wondered. Did this one read palms or use a crystal ball, and could my hands foretell anything if they were covered in calluses?”

This excerpt shows how the intense pressure from Randi’s mom gets to Randi. Instead of standing up for herself, Randi remains silent, hoping that the criticism will stop on its own, even though she knows it won’t. Her thoughts about the psychic and the callouses on her hands reveal her fear that there is no hope for her future. To her, the callouses cover up any other potential information that her palm could give about her, conveying how Randi unwillingly defines herself through gymnastics.

“I’m intelligent—that goes without saying—but I couldn’t make heads or tails of what the boys were doing. The individual starting with the ball (the one called the pitcher, I believe)—which, by the way, was always Gavin for his team and Trevor for the other—would yell go, and then the rest of the boys would take off running every which way. The pitcher would scan the field and then throw the football. If someone caught it, there’d be more running, but I couldn’t figure out who was going where.”

Here, Natalie watches Gavin, Trevor, and other boys playing football at recess, and her commentary reveals that she isn’t perfect or all-knowing, though she doesn’t yet realize it. Buyea hence employs dramatic irony for characterization purposes: Natalie confuses a baseball pitcher with a football quarterback. The text therefore suggests that while she is intelligent, there are gaps in her knowledge that the people around her can fill.

“I loved all the football stuff there was in Crash, but it didn’t take long before I saw there was more to it than that. There were characters in that story who reminded me of me and Scott and Trevor and Mark, just like there were in some of those other ones Woods had read to us.”

Here, Gavin has recently discovered audiobooks and had his love for reading kindled by a fiction book that revolves around football. His observations here speak to the power of stories, both as entertainment and as a way to understand the world. Gavin enjoys reading about football because he loves the sport, but once he gets into the book, he realizes that there’s so much more to the story that helps him learn about himself and his classmates. These lines are an argument for reading as a way for kids to expand their horizons and explore their interests.

“The closed door did little to drown out the yelling and shouting that Jane was doing. I sat in the chair with my knees pulled close to my chest. Mrs. Woods was right about the pressure I was feeling, but I’d never been able to tell that to Coach Jane. My teacher wasn’t trying to throw me under any bus. She was trying to protect me—but wasn’t that a mother’s job?”

Here, Randi sits outside the classroom during her mom Jane’s parent-teacher conference with Mrs. Woods. She physically embodies pressure as she pulls her knees against her body, making herself small. These lines show Randi finally questioning her situation and wondering if there is hope. Mrs. Woods is a shield here, and for the first time, Randi feels like someone truly cares about her, which makes this a key turning point in Randi’s character arc.

“People laugh for all kinds of reasons. They laugh when something’s funny or when it’s silly or even when it’s stupid. Pretty much everyone does that. But did you know some people even laugh when they get hurt or when they’re embarrassed or scared? I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. It’s a trick I pull with my brother and his goons all the time. I never want to show them weakness, I never want them to think they’re getting the best of me, so I laugh at them—no matter what.”

Here, Natalie has just scolded Trevor for laughing at the people at the senior center. Trevor’s response reveals how different people react to situations in their own ways—in his case, nervous laughter. These lines also show the tough persona that Trevor has built up to deal with the abuse he experiences at home and how he hides the pressure that he is under behind abrasive reactions. Trevor feels like the only thing he has left is his perceived strength, and he clings to it because it makes him feel like he has control when he doesn’t. This passage is essential to the text’s arguments regarding Finding Strength in Perceived Weaknesses; eventually, Trevor learns that emotional sensitivity is not weak.

“‘Do you think those old women know us better than we know us?’ Randi asked me as we were leaving.

‘What’re you talking about?’

‘You know, like maybe they can see what’s coming.’

‘There are no such things as fortune-tellers,’ I said.”

This exchange between Natalie and Randi shows the budding friendship between the two girls who don’t yet fully understand each other. After chatting with the women at the senior center, Randi feels truly seen for the first time, but since Natalie has always felt seen, she doesn’t understand how big of a moment this is for Randi. Fortune-tellers come to represent Randi’s desire to escape, and Natalie’s pragmatic approach conveys that she doesn’t need to escape a difficult situation.

“Was I a bully? The question wouldn’t leave me alone. Here I was, supposed to be focused on Mr. Proctor’s all-important practice test, but I was struggling to concentrate. The CSAs were a breeze—I could be half asleep and still ace them—but this particular section was giving me a headache. I was reading about survival of the fittest and couldn’t help but wonder if there were bullies in the animal kingdom. Seriously, wasn’t I merely protecting one of the members of my pack? Did that make me a bully?”

Natalie contemplating whether or not she’s a bully here shows that she can no longer hold on to her staunch ideas about right and wrong. She can’t deny that she exhibited bully behavior, but she also knows that it was the most efficient way to protect someone she cares about. This is the moment when Natalie becomes the girl who is willing to cheat on the CSAs to help her friends. However, it also shows that Natalie is no longer an island and that she considers people her friends. The metaphor of the pack in the animal kingdom reinforces the importance of community.

“Cunningham’s my last name, so I decided it was in my destiny to be cunning. Isn’t it funny how you can come up with all sorts of explanations to convince yourself of something that you know isn’t true?”

This is Randi’s initial response to cheating on the CSAs. Randi knows that what she’s doing is wrong, but she can’t make herself stop because she also knows that it feels like the only way to lessen the pressure from her mom. Her flawed logic speaks to the importance of Being True to Oneself; Randi is cheating "the guy in the glass” (239), and she eventually learns that she can’t justify the cheating to herself.

“I hated shopping—hated it more than I hated writing! But it wasn’t so bad today, because I was helping Grandpa, and it wasn’t like I had to try on any clothes. I hated that more than writing, too! Mom grabbed the things she had on her list and threw them in our cart, and Grandpa and I followed her around. I got to drive the cart, which was the only good thing about shopping. I popped a few wheelies when Mom wasn’t looking.”

Here, Scott goes shopping with his mom and grandpa following the fire at his grandpa’s house. These lines characterize Scott’s desire to always be helpful but show that there are caveats to Scott’s feelings. He dislikes shopping but does it anyway to help his grandpa, though he makes the experience fun by playing with the cart, which suggests that he can also help himself while helping others.

“How do you forget about a memory that keeps haunting you? How do the players who lose the Super Bowl move on? They focus on the next season to help take their mind off the hurt. They keep moving forward. Focusing on the surprise I had for Coach was helping me forget about those tests.”

Like Randi, Gavin also tries to distract himself from knowing that he did something wrong. He compares this to football, again showing how much the sport means to him, but the similarities to Randi’s thoughts show that this experience is affecting them both in the same way. Gavin knows that he did something wrong, but he refuses to confess or try to make up for it because he feels that it is the only way to make sure that his future isn’t miserable. The fact that he immediately answers his rhetorical questions suggests that he is attempting to take control of a situation that feels increasingly out of control.

“This sounds absurd, but recess and this barbaric game of football became the thing I most looked forward to in my school day. Everyone and everything was coming together, and just in time for when we’d need it most, because, unfortunately, the fat lady—please excuse my rudeness—wasn’t singing quite yet.”

Natalie also has a similar response to cheating on the CSAs—trying not to think about it and distracting herself from the fact that she did something wrong. Her suddenly looking forward to football shows how perturbed she is. Her final line here is an example of the foreshadowing that Buyea uses throughout the book to build suspense before everything goes wrong and the kids’ actions are discovered.

“I should mention that you’re never asked to give an affidavit for some wonderful occurrence. You’re only asked to give your version of the story when something bad has transpired, when there is an investigation and your testimony is part of that investigation.”

Here, Natalie has taken control of the investigation into the CSAs and convinced all her classmates to write affidavits detailing what happened, which shows her leadership qualities, as well as what she’s learned from her parents. Natalie’s observation about when affidavits are necessary represents how positive and negative consequences come together. The reason for writing the affidavit is negative because the children are in trouble. However, the good that comes from the affidavits shows how revealing the truth can heal everything.

“I sat next to Dad, staring at the cafeteria floor, thinking that this was probably the first time most of these people had seen my old man, the high school dropout plumber guy sitting in the middle of all these fancy clothes and college degrees. I was relieved when Mr. Allen finally got things started. At least then I knew all those eyes were on him and not us.”

Here, Gavin sits with his dad at the follow-up meeting about the CSAs, and his thoughts reflect the socio-economic dynamics of the text. His understanding of the financial disparity between him and his classmates supports the text’s notion that standardized testing does little to consider the different circumstances of each child. Buyea uses “fancy clothes and college degrees” as a metonym for wealth, highlighting some of the luxuries that Gavin is lacking to draw attention to his greater economic disadvantages.

“Jane and I left Mr. Allen’s special meeting and drove home, neither one of us saying a word. It takes a while to digest food, but sometimes it can take even longer to digest the truth. I left her alone. I’d had plenty of practice knowing when to do that.”

Following the CSA meeting, Randi realizes that things have changed with her mom, Jane, though she doesn’t yet understand how. Randi’s observation that it takes a long time to digest truth applies to both herself and her mom. Randi has pushed away the truth—that she’s tired of gymnastics and feels pressured by her mom—for so long that she needs to process those feelings anew.

“Our story made national news, which I found disheartening. All the good we’d done before this scandal wasn’t worthy of even our local newspaper, but our wrongdoing became a major story. Headlines read: CHEATING SINKS STUDENTS AT LAKE VIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL; CHEATING SCANDAL ON ASSESSMENTS; WIN IF YOU CAN, LOSE IF YOU MUST, BUT ALWAYS CHEAT—ESPECIALLY ON THE CSAS. I was quite upset with the media, until I recognized the potential upside. Is it possible that our wrongdoing will prompt other school communities to reevaluate their philosophy and approach to high-stakes testing?”

These observations from Natalie follow the CSA scandal and show how news outlets take a biased and sensationalistic approach to journalism. Natalie’s outlook, however, shows her new flexibility for right and wrong, as she sees how a wrongdoing can produce positive effects if people choose to see it that way. This epitomizes Finding Strength in Perceived Weaknesses.

“I’ll always remember sixth grade. It was the year of my biggest mess-up and my greatest accomplishments. Things were lost (like my permission slip and Grandpa’s house), but a lot was gained. We added a cat to the family, I caught my first touchdown pass, Grandpa had friends (and girlfriends), and I had friends (but no girlfriend). I was so excited to start Mrs. Magenta’s program again. It was going to be another unforgettable year with the Recruits.”

These lines from Scott summarize his takeaways from the CSA scandal and show how his boundless optimism can’t be broken, even in the face of consequences for questionable actions. The passage also shows that Scott has the greatest handle on the ups and down of life. He understands that things don’t always go as he wants them to but that there is goodness to be found if he looks for it. Like Natalie, he even finds positivity in the things that were lost, citing the good things that come from the bad.