My Twisted Heart

Chapter Ten

"Alright, that's enough warming up," Ms. Walker, our gym teacher, called out. "Boys, form up to my left. Girls, line up to my right."

As I made my way to the left side of the gym, the contrast among my classmates was impossible to ignore. Some were completely drenched, their shirts plastered to their backs as if they'd just run a marathon, while others looked like they'd been standing still the entire time. It didn't take a genius to spot the athletes in our class. Leading the pack, as usual, was Robert. During the warmup run earlier, he'd taken the lead from the start and never once let anyone catch up.

Is he even human?!

I was starting to understand why most of the girls in our class couldn't stop fuzzing over him. Robert wasn't just good-looking and smart; he was also an incredible athlete. I mean, what more could you want from a guy? If he wasn't boyfriend material, I didn't know who was.

Unfortunately, our teacher didn't seem to share those feelings.

"I just want to say that I'm not impressed with what I've seen so far. At your age, you should all be in top physical condition. While I do admit that a few of you show some promise, there's still a lot of room for improvement."

A grin spread across her lips as she cleared her throat. "In all my years of teaching at this school, there's one thing I've always known to be true. The best way to learn and improve is through competition. That is why you will all be competing against each other in an endurance test called the Beep Test. Girls will go first. Boys, you'll compete after."

"Ms. Walker... I don't think I have it in me to run anymore. My feet are cramping up pretty badly!"

The boy who spoke was slightly chubby and had pinkish-orange hair. While his face was familiar, I couldn't quite remember his name. I knew it started with a Z.

What was his name again?

Zane? Zander? No, that doesn't sound right... Ah, yes! It's Zach!

Zach Wong...

"I understand this competition might not be for everyone, which is why I won't force anyone to compete," Ms. Walker said. "However, I want everyone to be aware that I'll be offering special prizes to the top three of every group."

"What prizes?" someone asked.

Ms. Walker smiled. "The prizes are as follows. 500 crowns to the first place, 250 crowns to the second, and 125 crowns to whoever comes in third... Oh, and the prizes will be deposited into your accounts by the end of the day."

"Are we allowed to use magic?" Elijah asked.

"Absolutely, not!" Ms. Walker replied. "Magic is not allowed... Anyone who uses magic will be disqualified and receive a penalty in their allowance next month! Kids your age shouldn't be depending on magic."

A wave of murmurs spread throughout the room. The athletic students jumped in excitement, while the rest groaned in discontent.

Even though I'd never done the Beep test before, I was well aware of what it was.

The Beep test, officially known as the multi-stage fitness test, was a test that measured cardiovascular endurance. Participants had to run back and forth between two points, 20 meters apart, in time with recorded beeps that gradually got faster. The test continued until the final participant could no longer keep up with the beeps. To put it simply, whoever had the best cardio had the best chance of winning.

"All right, girls," Ms. Walker announced. "You're up first! Line up on the red line."

As the girls lined up to start their test, I found myself wondering if I should put some effort into this competition. As much as I didn't want to stand out, the prizes were nothing to scoff at. Maybe I could pull off a solid third place without expending too much energy.