“Okay, it’s time for the rap battle!” Lana called out to the class. She stood on the small elevated platform, in front the whiteboard, with the two rivals, one to her left and the other, to her right.
Ash felt a surge of panic as he stood on the stage next to Lana. He hated rap battles. He hated public speaking. He hated being the center of attention. He wished he could just disappear. He looked at Angie, who seemed confident and relaxed. She was good at rapping. She was good at everything. Part of him hoped she would win, so he could get off the stage as soon as possible, but he was too competitive to hand her the win that easily.
“So far, Ashton and Angelina have two points each, and whoever wins this round will win the next point! Any questions about the rap battle?”
She saw a hand go up. It was Lisa, her twin sister. Lana knew she was going to say something sarcastic. “Yes, Lisa?”
Lisa asked, “Why do we need two more rounds? They already have two points each. Why not just end it with the last round? Rap battles are lame!”
Lana frowned slightly. As much as she hated to admit it, her sister was right. She looked at Ashton and said, “You didn’t prepare anything, did you?”
Ash shook his head.
Angie agreed with Lisa. “Yeah, let’s just skip to the last round, okay? Ash can’t rap.”
Ashton nodded eagerly. “Please! I suck at rapping.”
The twins gave each other a secret look, and mouthed things to each other only they could understand. Was it twin language? Mind reading? Who knows?
Lana smiled and said, “Okay, since you guys don’t want to do a rap battle, how about a debate? You can choose a topic and argue your points. The class will vote for the winner.”
Ash groaned and said, “No, no, no. Debates are even worse than rap battles. I can’t think of anything to say. And I personally don’t like arguing with people.”
“But you won public speaking last year! And the year before, and-”
“That’s because it was only speech or poem recitation! This year it was a debate, and I didn’t win,”
“Ash’s first experience coming second to Angie…” Lana muttered under her breath. “The best plot twist in the world…”
Angie rolled her eyes and said, “Fine, then how about a quiz? We can answer questions on different subjects. The one who gets the most correct answers wins.”
Ash nodded and said, “That sounds better. I’m good at trivia. I know a lot of random facts.”
Lana agreed and said, “Alright, then. A quiz it is. I’ll be the quiz master. I’ll ask you ten questions on different topics. You’ll have ten seconds to answer. If you get it right, you get a point. If you get it wrong, you lose a point. The one with the most points at the end wins. Are you ready?”
Ash and Angie nodded and said, “Yes, let’s do this.” They looked at each other, feeling a mix of emotions. Ash felt his heart skip a beat as he saw Angie’s beautiful eyes. He had a crush on her for a long time, but he never had the courage to tell her. He hoped that by winning the quiz, he could impress her and maybe get her to like him back. He wanted to make her happy and proud of him. He smiled nervously and said, “Good luck, Angie.”
Angie felt a surge of annoyance as she saw Ash’s goofy grin. She didn’t like him at all, and believed he only existed to make her life miserable. She wanted to beat him in the quiz and show him who was smarter and better. She wanted to make him feel embarrassed and ashamed of himself. She wanted him to make like a ghost and disappear from her life, since that fateful first day of first grade. She glared at him coldly and said, “Don’t get too cocky, Ash. You’re going down. I’m going to wipe the floor with you. You don’t stand a chance against me. You’re just a waste of space and time.”
Ashton couldn’t help but feel slightly hurt by what she said, but he was used to it. He knew it was just harmless teasing, or at least he tried to convince himself of that. He secretly wished she would be nicer to him, or even show some interest in him. He had a crush on her for so long, but she never seemed to notice or care.
He wondered if she ever thought of him as anything more than a rival or a nuisance. He decided to put on a brave face and reply with a joke, as he always did. He smiled weakly and said, “Wow, Angie, you’re so sweet. You really know how to make a guy feel special. You’re such a charmer.”
Lana cleared her throat and said, “The first question is: What is the capital of France?” She looked at Ash and Angie, who were clenching their fists and fidgeting nervously. “Raise your hands when you know the answer.”
Ash raised his hand and said, “Paris.”
Lana nodded and said, “That’s correct. You get one point. Well done, Ash.”
Angie clenched her teeth and thought, “That was an easy one. I knew that too. I just need to be faster.”
Lana continued, “The next question is: Who wrote the classic novel Frankenstein?” She waited for someone to raise their hand, watching them both eagerly.
Angie stood up quickly, without even raising her hand, and said, “Mary Shelley.”
Lana smiled and said, “That’s right. You get one point too. Good job, Angie.”
Ash felt a pang of doubt and thought, “I didn’t know that one. Maybe I’m not good at trivia after all. I hope the next question is something I know.”
Lana announced, “The score is now tied at one point each. The third question is: What is the name of the largest bone in the human body?” She watched as Ash and Angie looked at each other, unsure of the answer.
Ash thought hard, trying to remember what he learned in biology class. He knew it was something that started with an F, but he couldn’t recall the exact name. He decided to take a chance and raise his hand. He asked, “Femur?”
Lana nodded and said, “That’s correct. The femur is the largest bone in the human body. It’s also known as the thigh bone. You get one point, Ash.”
Angie slapped her forehead and said, “Oh, of course. I knew that. I just blanked out for a moment.”
Ash gave her a cocky grin and said, “Don’t worry, Angie. It happens to the best of us.”
Lana continued, “The score is now two points for Ash and one point for Angie. The fourth question is: What is the name of the process by which plants make their own food?” She waited for someone to raise their hand
The quiz went on, with Lana asking questions on various topics such as history, science, geography, literature, and sports. Ash and Angie gave in their answers, sometimes getting them right, sometimes getting them wrong. The score was close, with Ash leading by one point. The class was cheering and booing, depending on who they supported. Lana looked at the clock and said, “We have time for one more question. This is the final question, and it’s worth two points. Whoever gets this right will win the quiz. Are you ready?” She paused for dramatic effect and then said, “The final question is: What is the name of the largest moon in the solar system?” She waited for someone to raise their hand and give their answer in.
She tried to remember the name of the largest moon in the solar system. She knew it was one of Jupiter’s moons, but which one? She had a vague idea, but she was not sure. She wished she had paid more attention in science class. She looked at Ash and saw that he looked confident. He probably knew the answer. He always knew the answers. He was so smart and annoying, she thought. She hated him.
She looked at Lana and saw that she was smiling, enjoying the suspense. Lana said, “Come on, guys, this is not that hard. It’s a very famous moon. It’s bigger than Mercury and Pluto. It has its own magnetic field and an underground ocean. Any guesses?” Lana looked at her and Ash, waiting for someone to raise their hand.
She decided to take her chances and answer anyway. She raised her hand, and blurted out, “Umm… Ganymede?”
Lana nodded and said, “That’s correct! Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system. Congratulations, Angie, you have won the quiz by two points!”
The class erupted in cheers and applause. Some of her friends came over to congratulate her. She felt proud and happy. She looked at Ash and saw that he was clapping too, but with a disappointed expression on his face. He looked surprised and defeated. She smirked and said, “Better luck next time, Ash.” She watched him clap along with the rest of the class, but he seemed annoyed. He felt sad and frustrated, she thought. She thought, “He deserves it, trying to make me believe that art is what I’m bad at and what I hate doing. Now he gets a taste of his own medicine.”
She watched him leave the classroom and felt a pang of sadness. She finally realized, she didn’t hate him, she never did. She just wanted to challenge him, to make him better, to see what he was capable of.
She remembered some of the other challenges that she won against him: the quiz, the roast battle, the public speaking debate, etc. (Read: ‘end of thinking capacity’, as there wasn’t anything else she had in mind) Nevertheless, she felt proud and happy, winning over him.
She spent a few minutes in the classroom and loved every second of it. The applause, the praise - she only hoped it wouldn’t get to her head.
She followed him and walked towards him, in hopes of having one last conversation, before they got out of each other’s lives.
Forever? Maybe…
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