The Match {A Short Story} -- SELF-PUBLISHED

Part 4: A-Minus

The team welcomed me with arms wide open. I easily fell into rhythm with them, becoming one with a group with a common goal: Win in Unity. The thought of playing with them served as a good alarm clock each morning and for a while it helped me forget why my parents and I moved here in the first place.

As for Jazz, erm, Justine… she really piqued my interest. I didn’t understand why. I’ve been with several girls before but none of them held my attention like she did. And I’m secretly looking forward to my Science class because it’s the only time where I got to sit next to her.

“Yo, Trance,” she greeted me, offering her fist and I knocked it with my own. She was the last to come in before the Science teacher closed the door to start the class.

“Hey, Justine,” I mumbled with my lopsided grin and she gave me an uneasy smile. I had a vague notion that she was not used to being called by her first name by people other than Zach’s twin.

My eyes never left her as she sat on an armchair beside me. In a few weeks I got to sit beside her, I noticed some of her mannerisms. Unlike our female team mates, Justine wore normal girl’s jeans and plain-colored baby tees a couple of sizes bigger than she really is. She usually air-dries her hair then later on, would pull it up in a messy bun behind her head. When concentrating, she has a tendency to bite her upper lip, then the lower one before letting out a puff of air, sending her bangs dancing in the air.

The girl behind her tapped her shoulder. Her name was Zoey and she looked so much like Zach. It’s hard to miss that they’re fraternal twins. “You stayed up late studying again, didn’t you?” It was a statement which Zoey said almost in a reprimanding voice.

But Justine just gave her a wicked grin before the male teacher spoke up. “I have bad and good news for all of you,” he announced and as if in unison, both I and Jazz sat up straight. “Bad news: I’ll be announcing your grades from your previous exam.”

Everyone groaned loudly except us, two again. When I risked a glance, I could tell she was grinning widely and confidently.

“Good news: I’m postponing your quiz—“

He didn’t get to finish announcing that the test was to be moved to the next meeting. Our classmates cheered as though they’ve won something. I grinned at their collective reaction but when I looked at Justine, she was frowning, as if disappointed that the test was moved on a later date.

“Alright, class!” our teacher pounded on the desk and the buzz died down. He opened his folder and took out a bunch of papers. Quickly, he scanned through the front page. “Highest with the grade of A plus,” he looked at the girl beside me under his spectacles and the grin on her face became even more visible. “—Jarlin Trance, followed by Justine Marthens with A minus.”

“A minus?!” I heard her exclaim at the cafeteria. She was as shocked as our classmates were back in the classroom. Well, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop or anything. I was actually a few steps behind her, hoping to share the table with them. I guess that’s a ‘no’.

Zach rolled his eyes at me then shook his head in frustration but I just gave him a casual shrug and settled down on another table. I have a feeling that if Justine saw me, she’d just be pissed.

She slammed her fists on the table. “I just had an hour of sleep before that darn exam and this is what I get?”

Zach yawned. “At least it’s an A. I got an effin’ D.” He sipped from his can of Coke. “You’re being hard on yourself, do you know that?”

“No!” Justine snapped. “It’s that Trance. He’s really getting into my nerves.”

“Well, maybe because Jarlin is your real match,” Zoey pointed out.

“The hell he is,” Justine bit out before gobbling on her tuna sandwich. “I swear, Imma give it to him.”