Orange December

Chapter 3

The next couple weeks went by fast. I finished the math packet, turned it in, and before I knew it, Thanksgiving break was almost upon us.

I walked into AP Calc, knowing that Mr. Greene was going to announce the names of the students who made it into the semifinals, which all the teachers had been really secretive about. I was so curious about where the semifinals would be, and I couldn't wait any longer. I had to know.

"Okay, guys, wake up. You've already had a class before this, you should be more awake by now," he started. A few of us mumbled unintelligibly in response, not really caring much about what he was saying. "So, I have the names for those of you who are making it to the semifinals. Only five students schoolwide are to be selected for the competition in December, and I'm so hoping that most of them are my students."

Oh, Lord, please let Anne and me make it, I thought to myself.

"But before I have the ability to tell you who those five are, I need to reveal the details about the semifinals to you. They will take place... in the form of an application!" There were collective gasps around the room. "Yeah, we decided it'd be best if you all sent us applications through an online form made by yours truly..." he paused, probably waiting for some applause, but we all just kept listening, "...and each of the twenty students who have made the schoolwide cut will fill out the form and submit it by the last day of Thanksgiving break. Not the Sunday before school starts, though. We mean Black Friday. So, after your families do all that crazy shopping, make sure you hit submit!"

We all groaned. We had just done this difficult math and all of a sudden we had to write about difficult math? I wasn't sure if this was worth it for me. All I could do was wait and hear if my name was called in the list of people schoolwide who had made it to be eligible to apply. I shook myself out of my thoughts as Mr. Greene continued.

"So, I am so proud to announce that half of the students chosen to apply are my students, and half of them are in this class!" Suddenly, I was really nervous again, and my eyes were fixed forward at Anne's black hair as I waited for my name to be called. That is, if I had even made it.

I didn't really listen to the names being called. I mostly just tried to hear sounds that sounded sort of like "Anne Webb" or "Robert Sanchez." The first three names were not mine or hers, but they seemed to be going in an alphabetical fashion, so I hoped that I was next.

"Okay, and the last two chosen are... Robert Sanchez and Anne Webb! Congratulations, everyone!" he ended, starting to applaud the five of us who'd made it. I widened my eyes, looking around at my classmates who were politely clapping but clearly giving me the stink eye. I would've given myself that look too if I wasn't me, because I wasn't even sure that my math was even good enough to get in at all.

"So," Mr. Greene continued, "You all were chosen because you got perfect scores on the math packets. Unfortunately, anyone who made even a single mistake was not chosen, since we could only choose so many students to participate and there were exactly twenty perfect scores among the hundred or so packets we passed out. Unfortunately for you, though, this is senior year and therefore your last chance to enter on the high school level. There are a few honorable mentions, though..." I tuned him out and waited for the bell to ring so I could tell Luke the good news.

"Luke!" I half-shouted when I saw him in the locker room, "Guess what?"

"I know, you and Anne got in. I heard."

"How?"

"She texted me."

"Wow, lucky."

"Oh hey, your sister got in too."