The Quest for High School Mathletic Glory

Chapter 14: Love at first sight

The following week, one of the most surprising announcements takes place, after the physics lesson, where they learn dynamics and circular motion. I solved PDEs in open air; it's not a problem about Kepler's third law that will stop me! And especially since I feel like nothing can stop me in class here. I am pretty sure that Krista, and Marcia to a lesser extent, are more or less in the same state of mind, especially with the mathletic performances we deliver week after week! That said, the administration never wanted to put all three of us in the same section. For the only time I can have Krista with me in class... it's a pure treat even though, for laboratory experiments, the teacher never puts us together. He believes everyone benefits if they can take turns getting access to the two of us. Or, in the other section, Marcia and Shane, Geneviève thinks at the classroom's exit, while someone was waiting for Krista. A face that's familiar to her for some reason.

"Krista, do you want to go out on a date with me?" asks Ted, believing that he can leverage his position as starting fullback to be able to ask a date from any girl of his choice.

"There's something wrong, Ted. All that we did together was that I helped you in pre-calculus, and now you want to go on a date with me? I have been nice to you, but what makes me so special that would make you think that I can interest you?" Krista asks Ted.

Oh... at my old school no one wanted to date me; possessing a certain intellectual level or higher could be very expensive from a social standpoint, so expensive that it can be anti-intellectual. And I have the same label here, but Gen was right: being in the mathletics team represents a social safe conduct. I don't know what to think but this place starts to look more like Whitman, or any other school capable of winning it all at the VMC than to my old school; if what Overachievers says is true, intellect is not a romantic brake, she thinks while awaiting Ted's answer, which is a little clumsy at times.

"You never appeared shallow to me. In addition, you're relatively new here, but I can't point at what makes you different, only that you're different"

"There's a first time for everything... I'm happy that you asked me out" Krista smiles, happy with Ted asking her out.

On the other hand, people do as if I was dating Cory, who, as a daddy's boy booster, gained in social stature at the same time as the mathletics team for which he plays. Better date him for real, now that he proved that he could play at least on the level of the AMC12. I am happy for Krista, who visibly never lived what she currently lives, much less a footballer like Ted, who played his best game ever against Church Point; at Church Point and in the neighboring parish, a footballer would be unlikely to date a girl capable of solving differential equations in power series unless they're in academic trouble, Gen thinks before seeing Cory.

"Cory, I think the time has come to do for real what people think we are doing. I wanted you to prove yourself mathletically before we get to where we are now" Gen confides to Cory.

"But why?" Cory asks her.

"I didn't want to give the impression to the townsfolk that you are on the team just because you date me"

"But the questions that were asked on the first two games are questions that could have appeared in class exams!"

"The town might tolerate that people cheat on the team members on regular tests, but..."

"What now? Our off competition lives are irrelevant to them so long as we can keep winning on the mathletic stage! It's like football before the pandemic..."

"You're not afraid to tell what you think, but the townsfolk see in us a symbol of excellence and would not like to see this team mired by favoritism!"

"You're beating around the bush, so do you want to date me?"