Your test came back with a 6 out of 10. Your parents have been saying how proud they are that your marks are going up, and you didn't want to spoil that. So, with a pen that almost matched, you turned the 6 into an 8. It looked close enough. At dinner you slide the test across the table. Your mum smiles. "Eight! That's brilliant." She sticks it on the fridge. Now it's up there, where you'll see it every single day — a number you changed, being praised as if it were real. You got the reaction you wanted. It doesn't feel the way you thought it would.