Esme the Quiet One

CH. 12

After this, there will be another group then it will be our turn.

Both Esme and Kayden were seated side by side at Esme's desk. Kayden was seen focusing re-reading his scripts and notes over and over again.

Esme was staring blankly at the space in front of her. But in truth, her excellent brain was spinning in full motion, organizing her thoughts and mentally preparing for any difficulties they might encounter. 

She looked over at Kayden who was doing his best. He needs your help. The words came back to her. She was amazed how in the past two weeks she found herself leaning more towards Kayden for help instead.

".... overall, this group has done a great job. I am satisfied with your work, though there is always room for improvement. You may go back to your seat. Next!" Ms. J's voice snapped Esme from her thoughts.

It was Noah's group next. Victoria Li led the opening. As expected from the class rep, the opening was amazing. The group presented in an organized manner, complete with slides and graph charts. Their science model was by far the best among the groups that had presented. Even Vallerie Cho nailed her part. She even took the effort to look more professional, replacing her usual high ponytails with a low neat bun and putting on a fashionable spectacle. Not a streak of mean was left. Their presentation? Flawless.

 "Now class, this is how you do a presentation. Organized and efficient. Finally, a group that understood my instructions. Thank you for the wonderful presentation. You may go back to your seat." Ms. J even admitted that they are the best.

The trio returning to their seats was beaming with pride. It was not easy to get approval from ms. Jade Williams.

"Next!" Ms. J announces.

Esme took a nervous breath. She was even nervous now that miss Jade has a new standard of performance. Both she and Kayden collected their files and presentation materials. Kayden led the way and was a few steps ahead of her. Esme was almost at the front when she notices Vallerie Cho was blocking her way. 

Vallerie put a hand on Esme's shoulders and whispered "I've warned you," in a chilling tone.

"Vallerie Cho, what are you doing? Don't waste our time." That was ms. J.

"I was just telling my BFF good luck. Right, Esme?" In a blinked of an eye she changed her demeanor. "Good luck." Vallerie patted twice the wrapped parcel Esme was holding tightly then, she let Esme pass.

Esme clenched her jaws. She will not cry as she did before. She will never give the satisfaction of letting Vallerie Cho see her crumble. Esme walked up front with burning determination.

Kayden was not aware of the brief counter between Esme and Vallerie. He was busy flipping through the pages of his file. His hands were shaking and he needed the distraction to calm his frayed nerves. Usually, when he's nervous before a game, he will do warm-ups or some basketball drills to distract him. But he was not playing in the court. This is a whole new arena for him.

Ms. Jade adjusted herself to be more comfortable in her seat. One hand resting under the chin and the other holding a pen, ready to jot down notes and comments. 

"Your report?" Ms. J spoke up when both Esme and Kayden appeared to be prepared. Their files laid out neatly on the desk before them and the wrapped parcel placed in the middle of the desk.

Esme picked up a clean white binding from one of the neatly organized documents before them.

Ms. J received the report from Esme and scan through the pages quickly. She gave a small smile and looked up to Esme who was waiting for further instructions. "Full marks for tidiness and organizing content." Esme's face lit up. One of the hardest tasks was to keep the report spotless clean. Ms. J hates smudges on her report. No one knows the reason why.