The teacher paced and rubbed the chalk between her fingers. I wondered what she was about to put on the board. I was now the only one not writing. I leaned back and over my left shoulder whispered to my friend, "What is it?" 10 "Seven," she whispered back. 11 So I wrote "7" on my paper. I kept my head down, hoping I looked busy and confident. 12 After the agony among us had become tactile, the teacher asked us for our answers. The number 7 was prevalent. She walked slowly over to the board and wrote: "There is no such thing as the sum of a number." 13 I knew that. 14 Why didn't you write it? 15 Sarah said it was 7. 16 Why did you ask her? 17 Because—I don't know. 18 That's right. From now on, think for yourself. Question: How did the writer feel when she was asked to write "the sum of a number"?