Rogue

Epilogue - Pride

Epilogue – Pride

“Are you ready?” asked Morné, holding Leto’s hand.

“Not really, but everything’s over now and we just have to wait for the results,” she answered. “Where are the others?”

Morné pointed to the rows of seats. Fen, Hyuun and Karen held two chairs open for them. It would be a while until everyone was settled down, and the winners of the Maths Competition finals were announced. They wove a path through the scores of teachers, students and parents until they reached their friends.

“Any bets on us?” asked Morné.

“The competition was tough this year. Who knows which way the final scoring went?” answered Karen. “But our odds are looking good. The school will definitely rank in the Top 5, overall, but the individual results are anyone’s game.”

Leto smiled, happy with Karen’s prediction. She hoped that her friends placed in the gold, silver and bronze, but didn’t have a high expectation for herself. Although five months had passed since she and Brian were discharged from the hospital, school and the Maths Competition still weren’t her main focus. She glanced at the audience and grinned as she saw Warren and Zahra with Sera and Brian. She waved, and all except Warren waved back; he was too busy watching Karen with a love-struck look on his face. Leto nudged Karen, who caught his gaze and blew a kiss at him. Leto was distracted by Morné placing something in her palm. Frowning, she picked up the small hexagonally-shaped piece of paper.

“What’s this?” she asked, turning it around. Her name was on the back, and the word “good” on the front.

“Open it.”

She frowned, turning it over and looking for somewhere to open it at. She pressed it along the fold lines, and the middle opened up revealing another side which said “luck”.

“It’s a hexaflexagon,” he said.

“A what?” she folded it again, and the side with her name popped up. “Oh, I get it. It’s just a fancy quack-quack.”

She amused herself with it for a few more minutes.

“Thank you for the message,” she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek; her siblings were watching after all.

The people on the stage were almost ready to start the awards. She felt a rush of excitement, with an undertone of anxiety. What if none of them got an award? It would be bad for the school’s reputation if no-one from Eastbrook got an award. She shook the negative thoughts away. Both Fen and Morné were far too brilliant at maths for them to walk away empty-handed. And Karen competed in the Grade Ten category, and she got more answers right in class than anyone else. She’d wipe the floor with the other grade tens. Trying not to bounce in her seat from the atmosphere, she played with the hexaflexagon Morné gave her. There were a few dull speeches that took the edge off her excitement, but soon it was time for the announcements.

The junior grades were first. She applauded politely for the other schools, but when a tiny Grade 8 she recognised from the Maths Committee edged onto the stage to collect a silver award, she cheered louder than anyone else. The grade 9s passed without anything for Eastbrook, which dampened her joy a little.

There was to be a short break before they announced the senior awards.

Relieved to be out of her seat, Leto went with the others to congratulate the Grade 8 boy. He seemed stunned by all the attention he was getting. Fortunately for him, Miss Patel called them away for a pep-talk.

“Now, I don’t want you all getting too worried if your name doesn’t get called up. I know each and every one of you worked very hard, and some of you have had a difficult year,” her gaze shifted to Leto. “I’ve caught a look at the school rankings, and we placed third. Now, that couldn’t have happened without your hard work. So congratulations in advance. You’ve all done amazingly.”