Avery Grambs recalls her childhood with her mother, who turned hardship into games: staying quiet, stretching food, enduring cold, and treating secrets as something everyone should keep. Their weekly game, I Have A Secret, lasted until Avery was fifteen, when one of her mother’s secrets led to a hospital stay and her death.

In the present, Avery plays chess in the park with Harry, a homeless man and skilled opponent. Their standing wager is that if Avery wins, Harry must let her buy him breakfast. Avery checkmates Harry and claims the victory, showing both her competitiveness and her habit of quietly helping him.

Avery arrives at school just in time and reflects on her practical approach to life: she balances grades, work shifts, and survival, doing just enough to secure her goals. During Spanish class, Avery is called to the principal’s office, which worries her because she tries to remain invisible and avoid trouble.

Principal Altman confronts Avery about her physics test. Because Avery earned the only perfect score on an exam designed by Mr. Yates to be nearly impossible, Altman implies that she may have cheated by accessing copies of exams stored on the cloud. Avery feels insulted and unseen, especially because Altman frames her future as uncertain despite her clear college plans.

Avery explains that she intends to study actuarial science at UConn and insists she did not cheat; she studied because she wanted to see how far she could push herself. When Altman says Mr. Yates has prepared a new, equally difficult test for the next day, Avery refuses to wait. She demands to take the new exam immediately in Altman’s office.