RIVALS (BKPP)

Chapter 8

PP'S POV

Big day. I couldn't sleep that night, throwing my body all over the places because of the excitement that is rushing in my body and at the same time, the glint of annoyance everytime Billkin and Smile appears in the back of my head, ruining my moment. I open my eyes widely, exhausted and agitated. Pretending and forcing myself to sleep is useless. I failed to fnd my stilness. I get up from my bed and look around my dark room and glancing my head to my glow in the dark alarm clock.

4:17 A.M. I declined the idea of falling into sleep and I barged straight to my bathroom. After my long shower- where I keep switching from heat to cold, I spent most of my hours staring at my reflection in the mirror. I blankly look at myself, tracing every inch of me by my gaze. The under of my eyes evidently shows that I did not have any sleep. The morning sun is already peaking throuh the curtain of my window.

A soft knocks interrupted me from my thoughts. I turn to see my mom on the front door of my room. She gives me a warm smile, the kind of smile that she used to give when I was a child. She enters the room and walk towards me. Then she fixes the collar of my shirt as she gives me glances. She might've noticed the lack of sleep on my face.

"I know you will skip breakfast so I prepared one for you to eat later." she started and I simply nodded at her. "Whatever the result is for this term, you did a good job okay?" I nodded my head again. She knows how I feel right now, of course she is my mother. I want to give her a hug but my body feels so stiff at this moment. Her hand went to my face and she gently caress the side of my cheek, feeling the ternderness of her palm and its warmth. She gives me a bright smile before she steps out of my room.

And I wasn't able to hug her.

___

Everyone at the campus are excited as well for the result of this term. Some are worried that they may go down from their previous ranks, some are confident like me and some doesn't give a damn at all. Sky joined me at the cafeteria after our third class. I'm silently eating what my mother had prepared for me while Sky offered his convenient store meal.

"You are disturbingly silent today." he commented. With furrowed eyebrows, I glanced at him. "Well, unlike before you walk around knowing that you will be the number one every term result. Now, you're just silent. Aren't you confident that you will not get the first spot?" he silently mutters.

For that, I appreciate Sky can somewhat read me. He knows something is bothering me and even myself, I don't know what's bothering me. That's the bad part.

"I know I will get the first spot. I'm just not in the mood." I tell him flatly. "How's the thing that I want you to work up with? Did you find any dirt?"

Sky takes a sip from his glass of water first. "Chill. Digging up some dirt is not an easy thing to do. I'll give you one before the debate happens." he tells me nonchalantly.

"The result is out!" we heard another student scream inside the cafeteria. Just like bees, everyone stood up from their seats and swarmed their way out. Sky and I look at each other before we immediately make our way towards the department's announcement board.

As we arrived at the place, other students started to clap their hands at me follow by their incoherent words of congratulations. I know I will be getting the first place for this term. I struggle myself to get at the front for me to see the result. A huge paper is posted on the board with every students ranked from highest to lowest in our department. My name is on the top and to my surprise, Sky's name is on the third. My eyes is looking for another name.