And so, someone from the crowd spoke up. "Director Sterling, you've said so much, but you still haven't told us what your daughter scored on her college entrance exam, or which university she got into. That's the most important part! Hurry up and tell us so we can all celebrate with you!"
Susan Sterling had been planning to announce it anyway, so now that someone had asked, she said with a smug smile, "Oh, my Simone Holt didn't actually do as well as she usually does on her monthly school exams. She *only* scored a 697."
A score of 697 was exceptionally high for a STEM student, basically high enough to get into almost any university she applied to. That was why Susan Sterling was so proud and smug, and why she had rushed to throw this college acceptance banquet for her daughter right after the scores were released.
Upon hearing Simone Holt's score, the guests had to suppress their indignation. After all, it wasn't every family that had a child who could score so high.
