The Star The Sunflower Faced

chapter nine.

finals

a test that everyone hates or loves, but in the end only cares about the result.

Day and night, I counted an average of twenty yawns. The past two weeks were a bundle of emotions. An open laptop at midnight, a hundred papers were on my desk all depending on one pen, my ticker fluttered whenever I texted Gray for help, and high hopes for Estelle to return to the town.

But she wasn't. She did miss exams.

I clutched on my notes as the ten minutes were slowly being plucked out on by one, before the bell signals the starting of the test.

I entered the exam room and sat on my desk, and Gray was there with an open notebook.

"Morning." I greeted and he waved back.

Our teacher for the day, Ms. Hong, silenced the churring classroom as she placed the gathered papers on each and every desk, except for Estelle's. Which scattered a tiny sadness whirlwinding in me.

"You have an hour and a half until your following subject. You may start now."

My pen instantly inked the sheet.

I came out the classroom on the last hour. My back arched five degrees downwards, feeling debilitated but glad that the school day was over. It was only a day after the finals. I'm supposed to feel a little more liberated, right?

I ran over to Gray. "Hey! How did you do?" I asked. I was feeling a little more natural, but also somewhat abberant around him because the last few weeks were filled with hair fidgets and accidental hand touches after an unintentionally flirtatous joke. But nonetheless, I didn't keep my normal personality out.

I admit, it was really off my comfort zone. I scrunched my nose whenever I would do such things, and my gut wanted to punch me so bad.

But what else could I do? My heart was starving for him.

"I did okay, you?"

"It was kind of complicated" I said truthfully. "But it was also smooth, because you were there to help me!"

"I'm glad." He grinned and started packing his bags. "They released the finals scores... Do you want to check it out?"

Imagining that offer, I'd think my resulting score would make me gag but also unsurprised. As I have said before, I was never the best student in the classroom that were rewarded with medals claimed to have a golden title without the composition of gold.

But in this type of situation, and with your ankles sweating trying to lift you up, all you can do is accept it.

"S-sure!" I exhale a yawning beam.

They make twists and turns, footsteps rubbed against tiles and they reached the billboard. I look around, immediately spotting Gray's name.

Gray Lee - 94.13%

I tried scanning the large wall made of cork, but couldn't believe my own eyes as it peered over my own letters.

Asther Young - 93.88%

She faced him and saw him making lines under glass-cased printed words.