Peer Review

“I did it,” Gabriel said when the sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Campbell, asked who had thrown the crumpled piece of paper toward the trash bin. Unsuccessfully.

Idiot, Annie thought. But she didn’t say the word out loud. She knew that would put her in the same spot Gabriel was in right now. And she wasn’t the type to get in trouble.

Mrs. Campbell carried on with the usual scolding. Annie watched as Gabriel’s face turned bright red while he looked down at his untied shoes. His friends in the back row didn’t try to hide their snickers. Mrs. Campbell glared at them too. The sounds stopped.

After the interruption, the teacher continued with the details of this month’s project. Annie both loved and hated these assignments. After the first three, she’d learned what the word “procrastinator” meant. The word had sounded dirty on her tongue, as if it had been spit at her. She hadn’t been able to wash it off when she showered that night.

Annie’s mind came back to the classroom when Mrs. Campbell announced an unusual twist to this month’s project. The older woman had added a little something to make the students care more about the project. Annie figured it was for Gabriel’s sake. But she found herself loving the extra motivation too.

When the assignments were turned in, Mrs. Campbell would list all the final scores on the whiteboard at the front of the class. Only the top three grades would have the students’ names written next to them. Everyone in the class would know who had done the best. Annie loved it. And she knew exactly where she was going to be on that board.

The students were halfway through a book they had started last month. The project was to write how they thought the book would end. It didn’t have to be a real prediction, Mrs. Campbell told them. They could add their own imagination to it, make the story into anything they wanted. It was up to them to decide how the plot would take shape. In fact, the more original their ending was, the better chance they’d have at their name being on the board.

First drafts were to be brought in next week for a peer review. By the time next Friday arrived, Annie had her perfect ending, and she was ready to show it off.

Mrs. Campbell let them pick who to swap their work with. It was an easy choice for Annie; Lily was always her go-to for any type of group project. They’d been best friends since kindergarten and were practically inseparable. Annie couldn’t wait to see what Lily thought of her ending.

She immediately looked at her friend while Mrs. Campbell was still talking and found Lily already looking back at her. They both mouthed, “partners?” at the same time, and tried to hide their giggles.

The two girls huddled around their desks and traded papers. Annie read Lily’s story quickly, gobbling up each word as it drew her in. When she finished, she had a gross feeling in her stomach. It was good. Really good. Too good. Annie had barely used her red pen. When she looked over at Lily, still reading her paper, she saw little words written in the margins and ugly lines crossing out her perfectly written story. She almost threw up.

She looked back down at Lily’s paper and started rereading every line. She paused at the big twist that even she didn’t expect, and a new idea started forming in her mind. She secretly jotted down a few notes and turned as Lily finished her ending.

“Annie, this is so good! I love it!” Lily said as she slid the paper across the desk. Annie smiled politely and returned the compliment to her friend. She looked down at her ruined paper and wished red ink could be erased.

###

The next week, it was time for another peer review. This time, Annie didn’t pick Lily. She already knew what her friend thought of her ending, and she wanted someone new to read her revised story. She had taken Lily’s edits to heart, even though it reminded her of the time she got stung by a bee on the playground. But once the pain fizzled out, she found that the red words in the margin had made her story even better. And this time, she was ready.

She decided to swap papers with Spencer. He was a quiet kid who usually sat in the back of the class, trying to disappear when Gabriel and his friends threw paper airplanes at his head. She hadn’t talked to him much, but every time Mrs. Campbell called on him to answer a question, he got the answer right. Everyone knew he was secretly one of the smartest kids in the grade. Annie thought he might have some good ideas on her ending, and she was more than a little curious about what he had written for his.

Annie put a smile on her face as she walked up to Spencer’s desk and asked him if he wanted to be her partner. His eyes grew wide as he hesitated, looking behind him as if checking to make sure she wasn’t talking to someone else. When he turned to look back at her, his face was red. He nodded a few too many times.

Annie sat down next to him and put her story on the desk. He nervously pulled his paper out of his rolling backpack and handed it over to her. She smiled again, trying to make him more comfortable.

They each pulled out their red pens and started looking over the other's work. Annie felt a little spark of pride as she realized she’d made the right guess about Spencer. His ending wasn’t just good – it was great. It hardly needed any edits, but Annie still wrote a few carefully crafted words in the margins.

By the time they both finished, Annie was the one to share the first compliment.

“Spencer, this is great! The way you wrote how scared Mario felt when they got lost on the camping trip was so good. And the way Carmen understood Mario the entire time and helped lead him back to the group…”

She paused, giving a silent golf clap like she’d seen her dad do when he was impressed by something.

“I wonder how Carmen knew how to get back. It was almost like she was Mario’s guardian angel or something.”

Spencer’s eyes lit up at that.

“Wait – what if she is? What if she was never really there? Mario just made her up because he was freaking out.”

The pieces clicked into place in front of Annie. She nodded encouragingly.

“That is genius! You should totally write that. I’d never see it coming,” Annie said.

Spencer was already scribbling down notes on his paper, a huge smile spreading on his face. Annie watched patiently, her own grin quietly lingering.

Once he finished, Annie leaned in and whispered, “Can I tell you a secret?”

Spencer looked around the room, making sure no one was listening. He nodded, leaning in too.

“I picked you as my partner because I wanted to tell you something. But you have to swear you won’t rat me out.”

Spencer grew serious, knowing the stakes of being a snitch in sixth grade.

“Of course not, you can trust me.”

“Pinky promise?” Annie held out her little finger under the desk between them.

“Pinky promise.” Spencer looped his own little finger with hers, giving it a shake.

Annie took a breath. “Lily has a crush on you.”

###

“Spencer has a crush on you,” Annie announced to Lily the next day at recess.

Lily’s nose scrunched.

“Ew, really?”

“You should give him a chance, he’s actually really sweet,” Annie told her. “And he’s kinda cute, you have to admit.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Lily looked unconvinced.

“But he’s weird.”

“So? You can make him unweird.” Annie wanted Lily to at least talk to him.

“And he’s smart. Smart guys are better than someone like Gabriel,” Annie said the name with obvious disgust. She knew it would land. Lily’s two-week relationship with him ended quickly when he picked his nose and rubbed the booger on her arm. Gabriel’s friends thought it was hilarious. Lily did not.

“Ugh, fine – good point. But no promises. I’m not taking him to the dance or anything.”

Annie smiled to herself.

###

The next two weeks went by quickly as the project deadline approached. Annie continued meeting with both Spencer and Lily, putting together the perfect ending she had hoped for.

Her best friend slowly warmed up to the quiet boy, and before long, they were walking around the field every recess. Annie watched as Lily laughed at one of Spencer’s whispered jokes during lunch, the two sharing a bag of chips. Spencer spilled the crumbs on his new backpack – one without any wheels. Annie liked that he hadn’t been changed too much.

Even Mrs. Campbell noticed and approved. She had been waiting all year for the boy to make a friend, and now he had two. She also couldn’t help but notice how much time Spencer and Lily were spending together, a sweet smile crossing her face at the connection.

The morning the assignments were due, Annie was prepared. She could confidently say she was NOT a procrastinator. She had taken every edit Lily and Spencer had recommended and given more carefully crafted comments back in exchange. She watched as they each finalized their drafts, careful to make sure the topic of the project never came up during lunch. She didn’t want to spoil the ending.

###

Mrs. Campbell read through the students’ papers with excitement. She always loved a good creative writing prompt and couldn’t help but be impressed by sixth graders' imaginations. Each ending had its own distinct personality that tied into the kids she’d come to know.

When she read Annie’s story, she was delighted. It was exactly the quality of work she’d come to expect from the girl, and she silently slotted it in as one of the top contenders. When she flipped to Lily’s, she was just as pleased, the twist at the end surprising even her. Spencer’s project was next in the pile, and as she read, she paused.

She flipped back to Lily’s paper, then back again to Spencer’s. Her brows knit together. They were similar. Too similar.

It had to be a coincidence. But… the last line on each paper stared back at her. They were the same. The exact same. And the twist was far too unique for two students to have thought of it independently. Her heart sank as she remembered all the times she’d seen Lily and Spencer giggling at lunch, all the times they’d walked around the playground. Their new friendship had only started two weeks ago, right before the deadline for the project. She sighed as she knew what she had to do.

###

The next day, Annie showed up to class early. She could hardly hide her anticipation. As she walked into the room, she beamed with pride as she looked at the whiteboard. 98% - Annie was written in blue marker as the number one spot. She couldn’t take her eyes off it. As she took her seat, the rest of the students started to file in.

Lily came and sat next to her at her desk. She looked confused.

“Huh, I really thought I had a shot at the top three at least.”

Annie mirrored the expression.

“Yeah, I’m surprised. I really liked your ending.”

Lily smiled at her anyway.

“Congrats though! You killed it! I really liked your ending too. You deserve it.” Annie knew she did.

The morning chatter slowly quieted as Mrs. Campbell took her place at the front of the classroom. She didn’t start with her normal good morning greeting. Instead, she looked kind of sad.

The rest of the students didn’t seem to pick up on the small detail. Instead, they whispered about the board. The mystery of which grade was theirs was infectious. That is, to everyone but Annie. She already knew she was the best. But the whispers continued relentlessly, especially when it came to the two zeroes listed at the very bottom.

Mrs. Campbell continued on with class as normal. She congratulated those who had placed on the board before moving into that day's lesson, seeming somewhat distracted. By the end of class, Mrs. Campbell dismissed the students, but asked Lily and Spencer to stay behind.

###

Annie watched as Lily came out of the classroom with tears already running down her face. Spencer followed behind, looking like he’d seen a ghost.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Annie whispered, pulling Lily to the side.

Lily looked desperately sad. But it wasn’t simple defeat. It was backed by unbridled fury.

“She thinks we cheated! Can you believe that?” Lily's words practically burned through her tears.

“Me and Spencer apparently had the same ending. But we have never once talked about this project – I swear. She’s completely making this up.”

Annie glanced toward Spencer. He stood utterly still, his skin paler than usual and his mouth barely open in a look of disbelief.

“He didn’t say a word the entire time!” Lily yelled, throwing an accusatory hand towards the boy.

“He might as well have told her we did it!” The girl turned her wrath towards her newfound crush.

“Tell me you didn’t.” The anger turned soft for a moment; the tears started flowing again. Spencer looked horrified at the question.

“N-no of course not. I would never.” He stammered out. Annie said nothing.

Lily glared. Annie watched Spencer wilt under it.

“Sure.” Lily spat at him.

“Never talk to me again.” With that, she turned and walked away. Annie took one last look at Spencer before she went to comfort her friend. He looked even worse than before. No longer the one who saw a ghost, but becoming one himself.

As Annie turned, she allowed herself to look into the classroom, staring briefly at the board. Her eyes brushed her name at the top before drifting to the two zeroes at the very bottom. And she didn’t feel bad. Not one bit.

Annie wondered what she was going to have for dinner that night.