Jasper Academy (Old Version)

Wary Celebration

As I gather my thoughts, the teacher slowly paces the length of the table in the middle of the gym. He reads over a paper in which I assume to have the calculations of the points on it. The other teachers just finished going around the tables collecting the answer papers. I took a deep breath. I already knew I was making it to the next round. What I was curious about however, was how many teams were going to get eliminated.

Before long, the teacher picked up the mic again. "If I could grab your attention again for a moment, we will be announcing the eliminated teams momentairily." He said, looking down at the paper once more. "Out of the 20 teams here today... 13 of you are eliminated." He said with a bit of a snap. My eyes widened. "Thirteen? What? That can't be right... Thats crazy! What were they thinking?" I mutter out loud, baffled. Fallon chuckles beside me. "I didn't expect that. I'm not complaining though. Less competition for us." He elbows me, giving a wink. I scoff, chuckling with him. "You're not wrong there." I admit. I look around as the teachers go up to the eliminated teams, escorting them out. A sly smirk crosses my face. We were going to win this. I would make sure of it. "I like that look." Fallon smirks with me. "Oh, we're going to win. I'll make sure of it." I say confidently, looking over to him. "Make it a promise? Don't make it if you can't keep it." He says, raising an eyebrow as he holds out a hand. I grin, taking his hand. "I promise. And I'll keep it."

Soon enough, after a break to eat and talk, the teams make their way back to the tables. Fallon and I sit down shortly before the next round begins. "Listen up everyone! That first round was supposed to be easy. I honestly didn't expect that many duos to get out so soon, but I'm sure none of you are mad about that." He laughs for a moment. "Let's begin!" And just as he says, he reads the next questions. It played out much like the first round, yet less questions. They were harder to answer, though. Finally, after what felt like ages, we were finally done the second round. I pressed the button one more time, checking off another point. I was not nearly as sure as the last round, but at least I wasn't as nervous. In fact, I was quite calm, oddly enough.

Again the papers were collected, and again my anxiety grew. "Alright. Out of the 7 teams that were left... suprisingly... only two remain, meaning that the third round is being skipped entirely. This next round... will be the last." He paused between words, leaving suspence. "To the players remaining... Congrats! Over here we have... Quinn and Milo! Amazing job guys! Now, over here we have..." He glanced at us, then at his paper. "Nathan and Fallon! You guys did great!" The teacher said.

At the door, Ray and Max cheered loudly, screaming our names. "TAKE IT HOME FOR THE WIN!" Max yelled. "WHOOOO! YOU GOT THIS GUYS!" Ray called soon after. I chuckled, shaking my head. I'm suprised they're here, considering how I'd been acting recently. I looked over at Fallon. Even still... My thoughs were suddenly interupted. "Are you ready for the final round? Let's hear some noise!" Another teacher said, grabbing the mic from the table. The crowds gathered outside the doors roared and cheered in exitement. "Let's get this party started!" He said, before the other teacher grabbed the mic from his hands, scowling. "Right, yes. Final round! This is going to be the hardest one yet, so prepare yourselves!" He spoke into the mic. "You heard it here, folks!" The second teacher called into the mic. Fallon and I shared a laugh. "He doesn't seem like a teacher." Fallon chuckled. "Yeah, no kidding." I agreed. "Ready to take this in the bag?" He asked me, a seriousness to his tone. "I made you a promise. I don't plan on breaking it." I nod, smirking. Fallon smiles. "Good, because I have no idea what were talking about anymore. This round is all you, nerd." He punched me. I swatted at him. "Oh, shut up."

The questions came, and I was ready for them. Check after check, question after question, I marked off our points. Two questions left. I needed both of them to secure our win. I'd already gotten one wrong, and I can't afford another. I pressed the button, marking off another point. The last question came, and my heart raced with my mind, the pressure settling into my chest. I was tense. I gripped the pen tightly, taking in slow, deep breaths to calm myself down. This was it. This would determine our outcome. "And with that, you get a little extra time to answer it. It is the last question, after all." The teacher said, a smile on his face. Even he seemed anxious. The crowds waited silently in anticipation. It felt like the whole world was slowing down. With a last overlook on my answer, I pressed down on the button one last time as it glowed red. The teacher came up, and I swallowed as he took his time to read it. "Hmm..." He mumbled. "Interesting..." My breath was caught in my throat. "You are correct." He nodded to me. I gasp, my face lighting up. Marking my last point, I smile. Only one question wrong. Best score yet, and this was supposed to be the hardest? Give me a challenge!