The Winner Takes it all

CHAPTER 5

Unwanted alliances

I headed straight to the school gate, scanning for Trina. There she was, in her usual spot, sitting silently. Normally, she'd greet me or spark a conversation, but today she wore a strange quietness. As I approached, she offered a small smile and stood up, walking beside me.

I wanted to break the silence, but she seemed lost in thought. It was unusual, but I had seen her like this before. As we made our way down the bustling hallway, the loud chatter of students echoed around us. We headed straight to our classroom, yet Trina remained oddly mute.

I set my bag on my desk and awkwardly asked, “So… Did you decide yet?” My tone was firmer than intended.

She quickly glanced at me, then returned to her phone. “Nah, still thinking about it,” she sighed.

I nodded, trying to accept whatever she chose. Her silence was unsettling, so I told her I’d step out for a minute. She only nodded in response.

Outside, I spotted Everett laughing with some teachers by the faculty. Our eyes met briefly, then I looked away and walked on.

“Good morning!” he called out cheerfully, hurrying to catch up with me. I shut my eyes in frustration.

“Morning,” I replied curtly, unwilling to engage. He sidled closer, trying to gauge my reaction, but I kept my gaze averted.

“How cold,” he said, feigning dismay. I shot him a look of disgust, which only made him chuckle.

I never anticipated we’d be this close, given how distant we’d always been—or so I thought.

“Are you going to join the upcoming science quiz bee?” he asked, out of the blue.

I halted and turned to him, confused. “Huh?” He smirked at my response, waiting for my curiosity to rise.

Rolling my eyes, I felt a flicker of interest. “Well, if there’s a science quiz bee, I might join.” I wanted to see if he’d join too. Oh yes, I could almost taste the victory—he’d be the one crying when I won.

Noticing my smile, he returned it with enthusiasm. “I’m joining, that’s why I asked you,” he said, his voice brimming with excitement. I merely nodded; I wasn’t about to let him outshine my anticipation.

“That's great...really great.” I managed a grin, and he looked at me, puzzled but shrugged it off.

“I’ll tell Sir Alfonso I found someone to join the contest,” he said with another smirk. Seriously, what was with him?

“I’ll tell him,” I countered, testing him.

“No, I’ll tell him,” he insisted, trying to convince me.

I narrowed my eyes at him, suspicious, but let him have his way. I shrugged and turned to walk away. He didn’t follow, he went off in another direction, leaving me with a lingering sense of doubt.

“Something’s not right,” I muttered to myself.

I continued my way to the canteen and headed straight for the pastry counter. I bought a chocolate doughnut and a chocolate milk drink. As I ate, excitement bubbled within me at the thought of defeating Everett. Just imagining his reaction made me smile as I walked through the hallway.

Suddenly, I bumped into someone. I nearly tripped but managed to regain my balance. Glancing to my side, I saw it was Hyacinth.

“Oh, Calliope, I’m so sorry! I was in a hurry and didn’t see you there,” she said, her tone dripping with condescension. I raised an eyebrow, not buying her act for a second.

“Alright,” I replied coldly, not wanting to engage further.

She smirked, glancing at the floor before striding away. Confused, I realized my chocolate doughnut and drink had fallen to the ground. Frustration simmered beneath the surface, but I pushed it aside, focusing instead on defeating Everett. The anticipation of his reaction fueled my determination.

I chuckled at the thought, then knelt to clean up the mess Hyacinth had caused. Deep down, I knew it was intentional. She always targeted anyone who crossed her path. But I wasn’t in her way, was I?

A frown creased my forehead as confusion took hold. What had I done to warrant her ire? Our only real conversation was yesterday, and now she seemed furious because things hadn’t gone her way? Was she angry that Trina and I didn’t escalate our confrontation with her?

I rolled my eyes at the absurdity of it all. I couldn’t waste energy on this nonsense—I had a science quiz bee to prepare for.

With a smirk, I walked into my classroom, feeling a thrill of excitement. Trina was quietly watching videos on her phone. I settled next to her, pulled my textbook from my bag, and took a deep breath. Time to focus. I opened the Biology section, ready to dive in.

As I was enjoying my science book, our Physics teacher, Ms. Harper, walked in and greeted us, "Good morning, class."

We all stood up and responded in unison, "Good morning, Ms. Harper." She nodded, signaling us to take our seats.

After an hour-long discussion, she finally dismissed us. As soon as she left the room, my classmates erupted into chatter, their exhaustion palpable. I overheard their complaints about the lesson, many of them visibly drained. I shook my head. Yes, it was hard, but I knew that with enough study, it would feel like a piece of cake. I glanced over at Trina, who was now yawning. I smiled—at least her attitude toward the subject hadn't changed.

The noise abruptly died down when our Chemistry teacher, Sir Alfonso, entered the room.

"Quiet, quiet!" he called, setting his MacBook and papers down on the table.

He scanned the room as if looking for someone. When his eyes met mine, he began speaking.

"Calliope Verlice, I’m glad to hear you’ll be joining the upcoming science quiz bee competition," he announced proudly. I gave him a polite smile and nodded.

"Please remind Everett to come by together at the faculty later," he added. "I forgot to tell him to pick up the reviewer." He shook his head, almost as if laughing at his own forgetfulness.

My smile faltered slightly. Why do we need to pick up the reviewer together? I thought. Still, I asked, trying to sound polite, "Why would we need a reviewer?"

"Because you’re competing against other curriculums," he replied simply.

That wasn’t what I meant, and confusion crept in. "Uhm... I mean, why do we need to go together to get it?" I laughed lightly, still trying to be respectful, but my confusion was clear.

Sir Alfonso’s expression didn’t change. "Because you two are teaming up," he said casually.

My jaw dropped. Teaming up?! I stared at him in disbelief. "I-I think there’s been a misunderstanding," I stammered, trying to stay composed. "I thought we were competing against each other."

Sir Alfonso let out a hearty laugh, wiping away a tear from his eye. "No, no," he chuckled, still amused. "You’re teaming up. Didn’t he mention that to you? I asked Everett to find a partner, and he chose you."

"WHAT?!" I shot up from my seat, slapping my desk in shock. My eyebrows knitted together, and I could feel my blood boiling.

We’re not competing against each other? We’re teaming up? I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS!