Whispers in the Lockers

CHAPTER 10

Malamig ang training room. Or baka dahil sa kaba ko. Around twenty students from different schools were already there, reviewing their notes one last time.

"Caliana Reyes?" isang teacher approached me with a clipboard.

"Present po."

"Seat number 7." She handed me an ID. "Good luck."

Napatingin ako kay Gabriel na nakatayo malapit sa door. He gave me a slight nod.

"Time to go," he said quietly. "Remember what we practiced."

"Gabriel..." I hesitated. "Thank you. For everything."

Something flickered in his eyes. "Thank me after you win."

"Confident ka ha."

"I trained you, didn't I?"

Before I could reply, the head proctor called everyone's attention. Last minute instructions. Rules of the competition. No calculators allowed. Three hours to finish.

As I walked to my seat, I felt Gabriel's eyes following me. For some reason, that gave me strength.

The questionnaires were distributed. Face down.

"You may begin... now."

I turned the paper over. First question - Advanced Algebra. Napangiti ako. We practiced this.

"Remember the pattern," Gabriel's voice echoed in my head.

Two hours in, I was deep in concentration. Each problem brought back memories of our training:

"Think logically," his voice guided me through a particularly tricky equation. "What's the first step?"

Break down the problem. Solve step by step. Just like he taught me.

Some questions were harder than others. There was one that made me pause:

Complex Functions. Advanced Integration.

"Breathe," I could almost hear him say. "You know this."

I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering that afternoon in the library:

"Hindi ko gets," I had said, frustrated.

"Look at it differently," Gabriel suggested, leaning closer to point at my notebook. "See this pattern?"

His proximity had been distracting, but his explanation was clear. Now, facing the same type of problem, I understood.

"Thirty minutes remaining."

My heart raced. Three more problems to go. I could do this. I had to.

"Champions don't give up," Gabriel's words from yesterday morning came back to me.

Twenty minutes left. Two problems.

Ten minutes. Last problem.

"Five minutes."

Done.

I checked my answers one last time, remembering Gabriel's reminder: "Always verify. One small mistake can change everything."

"Time's up. Please pass your papers forward."

Napahinga ako ng malalim. It was over.

Outside the room, Yuri was waiting.

"Cal!" she hugged me tight. "Kamusta?"

"Hindi ko alam," I admitted. "Pero... I think I did okay?"

"Okay lang?" a familiar voice asked.