The air in the Advanced Number Theory classroom at Whitmore University always felt heavy, but that October afternoon it was nearly suffocating. At the front of the room, Professor Richard Hartwell ruled the space like a king on his throne. With twenty-three years of tenure, a six-figure salary, and an unshakable ego, Hartwell considered himself untouchable. He enjoyed instilling fear, controlling his small kingdom, and filtering out the students who, according to his twisted and discriminatory standards, “did not belong” to the mathematical elite. And in his mind, Isaiah Parker was the perfect target.
The air in the Advanced Number Theory classroom at Whitmore University always felt heavy, but that October afternoon it bordered on suffocating. At the front […]