Okay, I'll say it. I'm a cheater. It's mostly for things like tests, or homework, but I cheat in other parts of life too.
I guess you could call me a slacker. I never need to cheat, I know just about everything when it comes to my schoolwork. I prefer the thrill of having to find the answers without the teacher knowing, having to hide them, and having kept from being caught.
I've been cheating since first grade. Back then, it was just little things like finding my brother's old homework that our mom had filed neatly away, copying his answers onto my own paper, then tucking it back where it came from and
calling it my own. But now, it involves sneaking into a classroom, finding an upcoming test or the answers to the latest homework, and making copies when I think no one is watching. Once I have the copies, I put the originals back
exactly how they were, and then I'm gone. For tests, I go through my textbook and write out the answers, then copy them out onto my leg. For homework, all I have to do is copy the answers down and I'm done!
The hardest kind of cheating is when we have a pop quiz. At first, I just ended up getting C's or B's on them. Now, I have it all figured out. Since all of my classes are AP, most of the kids do pretty well on those things. Because of that, I can just copy someone's answers, rewording and adjusting to make it look original. The best part is, I've only been caught once in all eight years of my cheating. The teachers and my parents are completely oblivious as to just how I maintain a busy life and perfect grades.
In all honesty, I think from about fifth grade and up I kept doing it because I knew I had to maintain my straight A's. Without cheating, I could probably get the same grades, but it would require more work and time than I could spare.
That's the kind of person I am, the kind that gets things done in the easiest, quickest manner.
With every new test, the stakes are getting higher and higher for me. If anyone finds out now, I could be held back a grade, or even expelled. There are even rumors that the school would make sure you couldn't get into college if you
blatantly broke one of their rules like that. My whole future rides on me getting perfect grades so I can make it to my dream college and get a good job.
Another thing: cheating has made lying incredibly easy for me. I find myself lying about the most inconsequential things; untruths simply roll off my tongue and I can't control it. Telling one lie always means another, and I'm terrified that sometime soon I'm going to be caught in my web of cheating and lies, and I'll end up going down in a mass of smoke and flames.
Don't be like me. Don't cheat. It's never worth it.
