Phillip Hollard, a high school senior who isn't as smart as he thinks he is

Phillip curled his upper lip forming what he seemed to think was a grin. Phillip was an unpleasant person by most people's reckoning. He considered himself, first and foremost, the one important person on the planet. This meant that as long as it helped him get ahead anything was acceptable. In elementary school he had been a notorious tattletale and, once he had established the teacher's trust he would simply make up things or frame other children he disliked. By middle school there was barely a student in the grade who didn't have some sort of grievance with him. He was also known for being smugly superior, both his parents were academics and devoted and loving enough to help him with every project and bit of homework that came his way. His test grades tended to be middling to high but because of stellar project grades he was almost always a top performer in the class. He held this above everyone else's heads aside from the few kids able to beat him at test grades who also did great on projects.

By high school there was no student as thoroughly hated as Phillip and even the teachers had caught on to his tricks. His parents could no longer help him on projects so his grades had suffered but he knew that was just the spiteful teachers giving him poor marks because they were jealous of his genius. He obsessively took online IQ tests and his most recent score (on a test he had taken twelve time and looked up the answers too) was 146 putting him in the genius range. Those dumb teachers and other students should be bowing down to him and his intellect and now that he had the book they would be.

Old Rule: Upon entering senior year of high school all students across America are given a test, this test is a measure of their general intelligence and the results of the test are made publicly available. A student's results on the test determine the privileges they possess and their rank. The ranks are the following:

The top 10% of scorers are the elites: these students have proven their mental superiority and so attendance is optional for them, they may order administrative staff, teachers, staff, or other lower ranked students do do things and must be obeyed within reason. This can include orders that are considered sexual in nature. All school work for them is entirely voluntary and they are guaranteed a spot at any university they choose. Elite uniforms are whatever they desire and they are allowed to command the school to provide them with the clothing they want. Elites do possess a classroom of sorts although no teaching goes on there it more exists as a place for them to lounge and relax in their superiority. Elites receive a monthly stipend of 10,000 SB, a currency usable to purchase services within the school. Students may earn or win more SB for good performance on tests or other notable achievements.

The next 20% of scorers are the Top class: attendance is still mandatory for them but they are considered the best of the students who must still prove their knowledge. They may give orders to secretaries, staff, lower ranked students, and some low seniority teachers again within reason. School Work is not voluntary although through diligent effort they can enter any university as long as there are spots open after the elites are accepted. Top Class uniforms are custom tailored and designed to look nice. Top Class classrooms are well maintained and state of the art and teachers tend to be the best with impressive qualifications. Top class students receive 1,000 SB every month

The next 20% of scorers are the Normals: They follow all current school rules and in general are similar to current students. They possess no special privileges but also no punishments as well and aside from obeying their superiors face no changes from the school system before this rule was written. Normals receive 10 SB every month.

The Next 10% are the Garbage class: Garbage students are the lowest who are still allowed to study. It has been determined that their meager intelligence is just barely worth teaching. Garbage student can barely get into low level colleges or universities if they get lucky. Garbage student's uniforms are poorly tailored and of poor quality, they are reused and students are expected to patch them themselves. Every garbage student receives a tag that they must wear on a collar at all times displaying their new name which is always an insulting one voted on by the top 50% in a show to determine their new names where they are marched naked onto a stage and given names more befitting their garbage status. The collars also contain a shock function accessible by elite and top class students to punish rowdy garbage. Garbage classrooms are poor dingy affairs, teachers tend to be ones who simply can't be fired due to tenure. Few learn anything and clawing ones way out of the rank of garbage is near impossible. Garbage class students receive 1 SB every month.

The remaining 40% are split up not be intelligence but by aptitude they are referred to as chattel: The most attractive 25% of the chattel become public whores. Any student may use them although Normal and Garbage students must pay their owners for the privilege. public whores are initially owned by the school but may be purchased by top class and elite students. Purchasing a public whore costs 500 SB. 25% of the chattel are classified as servants and assigned to serve elite students as personal butlers and maids. They receive training for this and elites may buy, sell and trade servants. Top class students may purchase servants from elite students however this tends to cost an unreasonably high amount of SB. The final 50% of chattel are manual labor and simply trained to work as drones for the production of goods and services.

Old Rule: After senior year there are three additional school years.

Old Rule: A lower ranked student may challenge any student of a rank one higher to a battle of intelligence to increase their own rank. If the lower ranker wins then the two swap ranks, if the higher ranker wins the lower ranker is demoted to servant and must work their way up from the bottom. A challenge costs 20 SB.

Old Rule: Schools offer numerous goods and services that can be purchased with SB. Students are not allowed to purchase anything for themselves without SB.

Old Rule: A student's rank stays with them for life and determines most of their future prospects.

As he finished righting Phillip made his ugly little smile again, with his intelligence he was near guaranteed to be in the elites so now it was time to sit back and watch his life become the best.