At the end of eighth grade, my homeroom teacher marched us into the cafeteria and handed out number two pencils. We sat at long bench tables covered in graffiti scratches and filled in circles on endless pieces of paper. Define the word "rubicon." In the diagramed sentence, which word is the verb? What is the product of 3,451 and 6,788? I glanced across the table at my best friend and we both shrugged our shoulders. We didn't realize this test would seal our fate over the next four years.