Screen of Secrets

Chapter 1

Fredric

It's happening again!!!
My heart is racing.
It's pounding so hard it feels like it's about to leap out of my chest, like it could just explode, leaving me dead in an instant.
Honestly, being dead doesn't sound so bad today, because it's that dreaded day again "The Result Day"!!!

Today, we get the results of our new class's first exam, the monthly test. This school has ridiculous rules, like having a test every month—even during midterms.

The monthly test doesn't even count towards our official grades, or so the school claims. I don't believe it. They use these tests to separate the truly brilliant students from the rest of us.
The brilliant students get extra attention from the teachers, and we're not allowed to talk to them at school. According to the teachers, these students need to be isolated from us to maintain their high grades.
As if we would want to talk to those so-called brilliant students, or bookworms, anyway.

"Hey."
"Move over, let me see it."
I hear a few murmurs and realize the results must have been posted on the board. I don't understand why they have to display it like this. Let us deal with failure privately, not embarrass us in front of the whole class or school.

But I have to look. I rush to the board as fast as I can, but it's as crowded as a sale at the mall. I push my way through my classmates until I'm squeezed in front of the board. It's hard to see with everyone jostling for a look.

Finally, I manage to make myself comfortable enough to see the results. I search for my name, Fredric Elevanz, scanning the sheet pinned with a purple tack.

Fredric Elevanz, Fredric Elevanz, Fredric Elevanz, Fred—

There it is, my name.
S-seventh last?
Out of 67 students, I'm 61st???
No, no, no, this can't be. I worked so hard for this test, and yet I'm in the bottom ten.
Same crappy life as always!
"Second place as always."
I hear a familiar voice a few feet away on my left.
Evan.

My best friend's girlfriend, Evan.
She's looking at the top student's result sheet on the main board with her little squinty eyes.
Nathan and I have known each other since we were five. Our dads were college classmates. They weren't close friends until after graduation, when they both joined the same company. They became friends while working together.

My mom told me about them when I said I didn't want to be friends with Nathan at age seven. I was too young to understand friendship until he helped me out of the mud with my bike on the way home from the park.

"Hey Fred, what's up!" Evan calls from the main board. Her voice is hoarse but loud enough for the teachers to notice her approaching me.
"Stop it! You'll get me in trouble by calling my name at school," I whisper through clenched teeth, moving towards her. If any teacher hears her, I’ll be in trouble, not her, since she's in the top ten students and I’m not.

I pull her into a corner of the primary section, away from the students and teachers.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Did I do something to make you want to get me in trouble by shouting my name?"

"Oh sorry, I forgot we were in school."
"Yeah sure, you 'FORGOT.'"
"I got second place and Nathan is in seventh. How about you?"
"Yeah, same here. I got seventh, too."
"From the bottom?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry, but it's still an improvement. Last year, you were second from the bottom in the first monthly test."
"Yeah, definitely an 'IMPROVEMENT.' Easy for you to say since you're second from the top."
"Oh Fred, don’t get so worked up."

"Everyone, move to your classes now," Teacher Sam orders strictly, dispersing the students around the board. Thank goodness we were in the corner and she didn’t see us, or we would have been in trouble.

"Don’t worry, she’s upset her nephew didn’t make it into the top ten."
"Maybe. But you should go, or we’ll get into trouble. We’ll meet after school at the backyard."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye".

She leaves, hopping like a little kid. Well, her happiness is justified as she’s at the top.
She and Nathan have always competed over grades since primary school, but last year, when they turned fourteen, they started dating. I’m not sure what happened, but maybe it's an enemies-to-lovers kind of thing.

Oh crap, the bell rang. I’ll be late for class.

____________________________________

Classes are over, and it’s speech time. As usual, the principal talks about the results, the top students, the overall progress, failure—blah, blah, blah. I don't care to hear him praising the top students.

The speech ends, and I’m finally on my way home.

These results make me want to run away sometimes, from home and from this city. But there are many factors involved, and I’d need a job, which I’m not capable of getting right now.
I need to distract myself from the results. Think of something else, Fred—like beaches, mountains, the game station—what game station?
I didn’t know we had a game station on our street. Maybe it's new, but still, I didn’t know.

I’ve passed this street thousands of times, and it feels new somehow—game stations, birds chirping, toddlers playing in the park, fresh air, buildings, trees, mud—

Mud?
Oh crap, my legs are stuck in the mud. What a day, seriously.

"Got mud on your legs again, bud?"
Nathan—if he wasn’t my best friend, I’d have punched him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Evan told me about your results."
"Oh...., so you want to laugh at me?"
"No, bud. Why would I do that to you? I was concerned when I didn't see you behind the school, and I came to check on you, Are you okay?"
"I guess, I am fine, I just need to rest, Thanks for asking"
"You’re welcome, bud. I know I am a great friend. Maybe you should write me a thank-you email"
"Shut up, Nath. It's not funny."
"Okay, I’m sorry. I think you should go home and rest."
"Hmm... bye"
"Bye".

Nathan’s a good guy. He loves to joke around, and sometimes it annoys me, but he’s still a gentleman.
Evan’s lucky to have him.

But I’m the unlucky one right now. What will I say to my mom, who might be standing at the door ready to ask about my results?
It’s just a meter away—the door to hell, I mean home.

Crap, crap, crap, I hate this day.
No one can save me now.
I opened the door.

“H-H-Hey, Mom.”

“Hello, Fred. We have guests. Your uncle and aunt came by for their business work, and they stopped in to see us.”
Phew, I’m safe. For now.
“Hello, Uncle Marchel and Aunt Sophia.”
“Hello, Fred,” they said in unison, surprised to see me after four years, I guess?

They used to live with us before uncle Marchel and aunt Sophia decided to start their own family.
Well, thanks to their visit, my mom forgot about the results.

I chatted with them briefly and headed back to my room. What a long day it's been. I finally get to lay on my bed.
Oh no, my room's a mess. This morning, I thought I’d get a decent result, so I left it like this.
Clothes are in the corner, pillows under the bed. Thank God Mom didn’t come in my room with all this mess around.
I tidy up the room and finally get into bed with my laptop. It's movie time after such a long day.

I start my laptop, enter the password, and wait.
Hold on.
Why is my browser already open?
I remember shutting it down this morning. Or maybe not. I need to start meditating.

I click the close button.Nothing happens.
I again click the close button. Again nothing happens.
I continued clicking the close button. But nothing happens.

Now even this laptop is testing my patience. What’s wrong with it?

I open the website, and a bright light blinds me temporarily, I want to see what it is, but I am not able to see clearly.
What the hell is this!!