As the afternoon sun dipped lower, casting long, orange shadows across the classroom, Austin leaned back in his chair. His mind was racing. If these lenses could zoom in on a paper three rows away, could they help him during the final SATs? That was the million-dollar question.
Even with the "telescopic" vision, he realized a fatal flaw: cheating required a partner. He could see Leo's paper perfectly now, but during the finals, seating would be randomized. If he ended up sitting behind a total moron, all the super-vision in the world wouldn't save him.
"Hey, I saved your skin back there, didn't I?" Leo whispered, turning around with a smug grin.
"Yeah, yeah. You're a lifesaver, Leo," Austin replied, patting his friend's shoulder. Internally, he sighed. C-minus student saving my skin? I need to aim higher.
He opened his pencil case and saw the note Chloe had left him earlier. A surge of heat rushed to his chest. Chloe—the campus goddess—had actually written to him. He started daydreaming, his imagination running wild. He remembered a dream from the night before where Chloe appeared in a bikini... but the dream had been blurry.
I wonder, Austin thought, his gaze wandering toward the front of the room where Chloe was talking to a classmate. I wonder what she's actually wearing under that thick sweater...
Suddenly, a voice snapped him out of his trance. "Austin! Ms. Zhao wants to see you in her office. Now."
Austin looked up, and his jaw hit the desk. His eyes widened into dinner plates.
Chloe was standing right in front of him, but she wasn't wearing her white sweater and jeans. Or rather, he couldn't see them anymore. Before his eyes, Chloe was standing there in a set of black lace lingerie. The contrast between her fair, porcelain skin and the delicate black fabric was staggering. The bra was a demi-cup, straining against her curves, and the matching lace panties were semi-transparent, revealing far more than Austin's teenage heart could handle.
His blood pressure spiked. He felt a warmth in his nose, certain a nosebleed was imminent. Is she insane? Is she wearing this in the middle of March in a cold classroom?
"Chloe... why... why aren't you wearing any clothes?" Austin stammered, his finger trembling as he pointed at her.
"What?" Chloe's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. "Are you out of your mind? I'm standing right here in a sweater!"
"No... I mean... I can see the black lace... the flowers on the hem..." Austin was so stunned he forgot to be discreet.
SLAP!
The sound of the palm hitting his cheek echoed through the back of the room. "You pervert!" Chloe hissed, her chest heaving with indignation. "What is wrong with your eyes?"
She turned on her heel and stormed away, leaving Austin clutching his burning cheek. As his heart slowed down, the "X-ray" vision flickered and faded. Chloe was suddenly back in her denim and wool.
The lenses, Austin realized, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow. They don't just zoom. They respond to my thoughts. I was thinking about her in a bikini, and the system gave me the 'Deep Scan' mode.
He needed to test this. He couldn't go around accidentally stripping every girl in school; he'd end up in jail before graduation. He looked at a heavy-set guy sitting near the door. What is he wearing under that jacket? Austin focused.
Immediately, the heavy denim jacket turned into a ghostly silhouette, revealing a black wool sweater. Deeper, Austin thought.
The sweater vanished. Austin winced. The guy was wearing a bright pink pair of boxer briefs with little cartoon hearts on them. Too deep! Abort mission!
Austin shook his head, trying to clear the image of pink boxers from his brain. He stood up, realization dawning on him. This wasn't just a telescope; it was a God-Eye. He could see through anything if he focused hard enough.
"Austin! Office! Now!" Chloe yelled from the door, not looking back.
Austin made his way toward the faculty building, his mind a mess of lust and terror. He reached Ms. Zhao's office and, out of habit, pushed the door open without knocking.
Ms. Zhao was sitting at her desk, leaning back in her chair, intensely focused on her computer screen. Austin caught a glimpse of the monitor—she was playing a card game, Texas Hold 'em, online. When she saw him enter, her face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and irritation.
"Austin! Ever heard of knocking?" she snapped, quickly minimizing the game window.
"A clean heart fears no ghost at the door, Ms. Zhao," Austin teased, leaning against the doorframe. "Were you doing something you shouldn't have been?"
"Are you calling yourself a ghost?" she countered, trying to regain her professional composure.
"I'm saying I didn't knock because I knew you were busy... winning a hand."
Ms. Zhao sighed, realizing she couldn't out-argue him today. "Enough games. Sit down."
Austin sat, trying his best to keep his eyes on her face. But it was hard. Ms. Zhao was only twenty-three, and her beauty was more mature and curvaceous than Chloe's. Her professional blouse was unbuttoned just slightly at the top, revealing a hint of lace.
Don't look. Don't focus, Austin warned himself. If you accidentally see through your teacher's clothes, you're never going to be able to focus on math again.
"Austin, do you have anything to say to me?" Ms. Zhao asked, leaning forward.
"About what? I put my contacts in, just like you said. See? Much more comfortable now."
"Is that so?" Ms. Zhao reached for a stack of papers on her desk. She pulled out two quizzes and slammed them down in front of him. "Then care to explain why your quiz and Leo's quiz are identical? Even the mistakes are in the exact same spots. Don't tell me it's a 'coincidence'."
"Well..." Austin grinned sheepishly. "It's a big world, Ms. Zhao. Miracles happen. Maybe we just have the same soul?"
"Austin!" she slammed her hand on the desk, her face reddening with anger. "This is serious. You were a brilliant student once. I've seen your middle school Olympiad trophies. Why are you throwing it all away by cheating?"
As she scolded him, the heat in the room seemed to rise. Ms. Zhao's anger made her look even more radiant. Austin's gaze involuntarily drifted lower. He saw her chest heaving with frustration, the silk of her blouse straining.
Just one peek, a voice whispered in the back of his mind. She's not looking at your eyes. Just one second.
Austin bit his lip and looked away, staring at a plant in the corner instead. He felt like his head was about to explode. Between the "pink boxers" guy, the "lace" Chloe incident, and now a beautiful teacher lecturing him, his first day with the God-Eye was turning into an erotic nightmare.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Ms. Zhao commanded.
Austin turned back, but his face was pale. "Ms. Zhao, I... I promise I'll do better. Just... can I go? I think I'm having an allergic reaction to the lenses."
Ms. Zhao softened, seeing his genuine distress (though she misinterpreted the cause). "Fine. Go. But Austin... if I catch you cheating again, I won't be this lenient. I expect a real effort on the next test. No shortcuts."
"Got it. No shortcuts," Austin muttered, bolted out of the room before his "system" decided to give him a full-frontal view of the math department.
As he walked down the hallway, he let out a long breath. "Cheating? Ms. Zhao, you have no idea. From now on, I won't need to copy anyone. I'll just see the world for what it really is."