Can't Stop the Questions

Chapter 20: Leesville Spring Invitational

After spending much of the night tutoring Carrie in Algebra II, Pablo and Audrey are both getting ready to go to bed.

"Don't forget: take it easy tomorrow, since we already earned our HSNCT berths, and also you get to play at State next month!" Pablo is about to kiss his girlfriend.

"Sorry if I'm asking you this, but how do you feel about Carrie?" Audrey asks him before kissing him.

While the kiss isn't the best kiss in the world, Pablo keeps quiet and doesn't answer his girlfriend's question about Carrie until after the kiss ends.

"I think her priorities are misplaced. I mean, she played better down the homestretch and into the playoffs, but put school on a backseat. And she was visibly happy to leave the house after she was done reviewing the math material. However, Carrie and Finn form a good couple" Pablo answers her.

"Before we go to sleep, could you please look at the field for tomorrow's tournament?"

"Sure!"

One name stands out to him, since he never saw that name come up in previous quiz bowl tournaments: Livonia. However, he closes NAQT's tab after having seen the field.

The following day, as usual for quiz bowl tournaments, they awaken early on Saturday, hastily eating breakfast, ready to endure a nearly two-hour drive through the prairies of the western Louisiana countryside to get to Leesville, well outside southwest Louisiana. And do their homework in the car. With any remaining time being devoted to reading past quiz bowl sets.

When they arrive in Leesville, they arrive before the rest of the team, not realizing that one of the teams already in place seems to attract the attention of the other attendees.

I knew American high schools were often omnisports club operators, but, other than academic work being in English, I was never told any more than that back in Latvia. So why did the teachers deem me a good quiz bowl fit? Aija is wondering what quiz bowl need she somehow fills for the Wildcats. In my corner of Courland, they just aren't nearly as fanatical about youth basketball clubs, which aren't operated by schools. Hockey took more social room.

Meanwhile, a few male quiz bowlers from other teams stare at Aija because she's, well, the new girl on the block. And yet, somehow, she keeps quiet, not wanting to draw more attention than she already did.

As the other teams arrive on-site, they quickly go through check-in and their pool assignments are released so that no school has more than one team in the same prelim pool. And seeded so there's supposed to be a balance between pools.

"Looks like we will be in separate pools for the prelims..." Audrey sighs, before forming up with the rest of the A-team near the room assigned to them.

"Good luck then..." Pablo then forms up with the B-team.

But then, as the first round begins, the B-team is getting seated on one side of a classroom along with their opponents on the other side. As the moderator starts the first game:

"This is round one of the 2030 Leesville Spring Invitational. From Pointe-Coupée Parish, we have Livonia and, from Jefferson Davis Parish, we have Venomous Agendas B. Best of luck to both teams, and here's tossup one: Sweden's loss of Ingria in the early stages of this war led to the relocation of the Russian capital..." the moderator reads, while Aija buzzes in.

"Great Northern War!" Aija exclaims in an accent that doesn't sound Cajun at all, more like a Scandinavian one.

"Fifteen"

Shoot! I won't let this... Latvian bitch steal our thunder! However, if everything I heard about Aija is correct, I don't expect much from her in literature! Pablo ruminates while the bonus is a literature one, and Aija keeps quiet. And we're down forty-five points because of her! But I mustn't fool myself: it's still early.