Prime Meridian (Book #2 of IDL)

Chapter Thirty-Three:...and this is why, video games serve as bad influence...

Chapter Thirty-Three:...and this is why, video games serve as bad influence...

Breathe in. Breathe out. One two three. One two three.

There were more and more people coming and I was just seated on the front row, together with the other seven contestants. The program wouldn't start within the next thirty minutes but I was freezing.

Suddenly, Finn texted me which made me more comfortable.

Finn: Hey, I'm here now. Where are you?

Since the program wasn't starting yet anyway, I stood up and searched for Finn. The moment our eyes met, he gave a wave and a smile. He's the only person that could give me warmth in this cold cold auditorium, so I quickly approached him and gave him a tight hug.

"Baby, you're so cold." He whispered, as his blue eyes locked on mine. "Are you nervous?"

"Kind of." I gave him another hug to feel secure.

I didnt know how Finn do it, but he always gave me the reason to have confidence in myself. "Don't worry. I know you can conquer it. I have faith in you." Afterwards, he planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Thanks Finn."

The auditorium started to be full with people a few minutes before the competition was going to start. Caleb came and greeted the eight of us and wished us good luck. He handed us a box and told us to pick a number to know the order.

When it was my turn to pick a number, Caleb looked at me with a stony face. I picked a paper and almost fainted when it was number one.

"You'll be battling with a fellow person who would pick one too." He said, with deep dark voice. "Find me after the competition. We need to talk."

I did not know if it was because the competition was about to start, or the fact that I picked number one, or Caleb told me that we need to talk, or all of the above that made me so nervous.

The host started to talk the introductions and all, while the usher told me and the other guy to go to the backstage and prepare ourselves. Before I left my seat, the host was already introducing the judges.

"Okay, Miss Jessamine Han?"

I raised my hand.

"Mr. Aaron Clampfore?"

My opponent raised his hand.

The usher bid us good luck and told us to go to the stage upon go signal.

Aaron looked at me and wished me good luck, so I did the same. It was evident that he was feeling jittery just like me.

"And we present the first two contestants, Mr. Aaron Clampfore and Miss Jessamine Han!"

That was our cue to enter the stage. Aaron entered first and I followed him. The host then handed us both microphones as we took our seats, one on the left and one on the right.

Everything felt like a blur, except for Finn. I looked at him one last time before the judge spoke.

"Good morning contestants." The first judge spoke up. He was a man, probably on his fifties, wearing a suit and tie. "So this is my topic for you. Good luck."

There was a huge pause, then he spoke up.

"Statistics and data compiled from the US Census Bureau show that there exists a gender wage gap, which demonstrates that women on average earn 79 cents per dollar paid to men. This number would give a woman a loss of $10,762 annually, and it is significantly greater for women of color. For this debate, I want you to tell me if there really is a gender pay gap. Articulate your thoughts clearly. Again, the question is, is there really a gender pay gap?"