Stoneheart Academy: School Of Delinquents |on-going|

Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The New Queen of Archery

THYLLANE

“Gosh, I’m so excited!” Nikki’s voice brimmed with excitement. We stood inside the gymnasium, the air charged with energy. Today’s P.E. class was all about archery, and the atmosphere buzzed with a mix of nerves and enthusiasm.

“Paniguradong si Miss Felicity na naman ang mangunguna r’yan. What else do we expect from the reigning Queen of Archery?” Amber commented, her tone tinged with a hint of admiration.

“Oo nga, ‘no? Palaging siya ang nangunguna sa ganito. Palibhasa kasi ay bata pa lang naturuan na agad.”

“Pero malay mo naman may makalamang na sa kanya ngayon.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it. Miss Felicity practically breathes archery.”

“And she won’t let anyone take her crown. She’s got that top-of-the-world mentality.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

Tuloy lang sa pag-uusap ang dalawa paminsan-minsan ay nakikisali na rin sa kanila si Thunder pero ako ay nanatiling tahimik.

Bumaling sa ‘kin si Thunder, “Ikaw Cupcake, may alam ka ba sa archery?”

“A little, but I can’t say I’m a genius in that.”

“Ako kasi expert na ako r’yan, ih.”

“Ang yabang.”

“Hindi ako mayabang, Cupcake. Nagsasabi lang ako nang totoo.” I rolled my eyes, while he laughed it off.

Soon, Mr. Alvin’s arrival brought our conversation to a halt. He called our names, and we gathered at the front of the gymnasium. He explained the rules for the competition – five participants from each batch, with only the strongest making it through. Three misses meant elimination. The survivors would then face off against participants from other batches, and the one with the highest score would win.

Amber was up for the second batch. Kinakabahan daw siya dahil wala raw siyang kaalam-alam doon. Still, she approached the shooting line, bow in hand, and took her shot. Sa una at pangalawang tira ay ni hindi man lang niya natamaan ang board pero sa pangatlong tira ay nagawa na niya iyong patamaan kaya lang ay masyadong malayo sa bullesye kaya natanggal siya.

Even though she was eliminated, Amber returned to us with a smile. “I saw that coming. Archery’s not my strong suit.”

Nikki and Thunder were next in line for the third batch. Tumayo si Thunder at ginulo ang buhok ko. “Good luck sa ‘kin, Cupcake,” sabi niya at nakangiting umalis kasama si Nikki.

Pinanood namin sila, Thunder’s excitement was palpable, while Nikki’s determination shone through. She was great, that can’t be denied. However, luck probably wasn’t on her side. She still missed some shots.

“Nakakainis! Matagal ko ‘tong pinaghandaan! I even took an archery class tapos matatanggal lang ako agad? Nakakainis talaga!” Asik niya at padabog na umupo. Natawa naman sa kanya si Amber.

“Relax, Nikki. Just accept it, Thunder’s got the upper hand. At isa pa, kahit manalo ka sa batch niyo, hindi ka pa rin mananalo kay Miss Felicity. Siya pa rin ang tatanghaling Queen of Archery.” Sa kabila ng mga salitang binitawan ni Amber para kay Nikki ay hindi pa rin nawala ang pagka kunot ng noo nito. Panay pa nga at bulong niya na parang bubuyog. Hindi talaga niya matanggap na mabilis siyang na-eliminate.

Napatingin kami kay Thunder na nakangiti nang abot tenga dahil tatlong beses siyang naka bullseye.

So it turned out Thunder hadn’t been bluffing about his archery skills.