‘Alright wait, remember. Let’s say b is so supposed to be the variable representing the number being added or subtracted from x. When x minus b is multiplied by x + b, the answer is x - b squared. Meaning that…’

  I thought carefully as I answered an algebra problem on the paper I was assigned to complete.

  At that time, I was in mathematics class, and had solved most of the problems my classmates and I were assigned for independent work. Once I finished up the next problem, I noticed that I still had time left before we went over the problems as a class.

  ‘What to do…what to do…’

  I lightly tapped my pencil against the table a few times as I thought.

  Then, a thought came to mind.

  ‘Oh yeah, let’s think about my competition.’

  4 days had passed since my talk with Tristan in the rain, meaning it was now Monday, the start of a new week.

  Ever since Friday, I had decided to start focusing back on my academics.

  That meant figuring out who was the person with a higher grade than me.

  If I did that, I could figure out what I was up against.

  ‘Let’s see, so far we have a few possibilities. It might be either Mary, Rain, Kai or Shin. Audrey could also be the number 1 student too…’

  There was a plethora of talented students at Laxus flare academy, after all, it was the second best in the country.

  And each of these students, to at least some extent, were proficient in academics. Making it slightly difficult for me to differentiate between the highest performing students.

  In fact, out of those that I had met, no one had less than 3.6 gpa. Except for Aurora, of course.

  However, just like any school, there were signs a student was performing better than others. Or that they were just more intelligent.

  This was how I narrowed my search down to just a few students.

  ‘Even though Mary and Kai participate in class about as much as I do, I’m not sure they have higher grades than me. In the few instances I talked to them and saw their papers, they didn’t seem to perform better than me.’

  I absentmindedly scratched the back of my left hand with my right as both arms rested on the table.

  ‘Rain gives off the air of someone pretty knowledgeable and she speaks very well…but I heard her talking about how she scored a bit low on a science test last week. And from the other conversations I’ve heard her have with her friends, she’s not understanding all of our math work.’

  Through the corner of my eyes, I glanced around the room.

  ‘This leaves me with Audrey and Shin, both of them are pretty quiet.’

  Audrey Audra and Shin Muro were both unique individuals whom I thought were not only successful in academics but were genuinely intelligent…unlike myself.

  Audrey was a bit tall for a girl, standing at about 5’9. She had a short ponytail with dirty blonde hair and tan skin.

  I had heard that she was in the student council and was implementing new reforms no one had ever thought of before.

  Not only that, but in group projects, her group always performed the best due to her creative ideas.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  On the other hand, Shin wasn’t as impactful. He had silky short dark brown hair with hazel eyes.

  Shin didn’t talk to anyone and only spoke in class a few different times to answer questions. His presence felt rather arrogant and he was known for smelling a little off.

  Still, he was also intelligent, extremely so. He seemingly understood scientific and algebraic concepts quickly and was adept in robotics. So adept that he became the president of the club despite only being a freshman like I was.

  Beep!

  Beep!

  “Everyone, it’s time for us to go over some of the problems,” Mrs. Rivers said as she stopped a timer she set from beeping.

  ‘I’ll think about this later, now I’ll focus on class.’

  Fixing my posture, I gave my full attention to Mrs. Rivers.

  **

  Munch!

  I took a bite out of my tuna sandwich as I sat on the floor, careful to not let any crumbs fall.

  “Are you sure it’s okay for me to eat here?” I asked before I took another bite.

  “It’ll be fine. I’ll take full responsibility if you get in trouble for it,” Soriel said as she sat on the piano stool.

  It was our lunch period at the time and Soriel invited me to come upstairs with her once again.

  ‘I wonder if Nishimoya minds me coming up here often. I know Tristan doesn’t care but I’m not sure if Nishimoya is okay with not having a lot of people to talk to. I guess I’ll try to be down there more often after today.’

  As I thought about this, I listened to Soriel practicing on the piano.

  She was playing a song that had recently become pretty popular on the internet.

  However, every once in a while, she made a few mistakes and started over.

  ‘Oh, this is the first time I’ve seen Soriel struggle on a song. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, it seems her first time playing it.’

  With every mistake, I could see a slight frown appear on Soriel’s face.

  But, she didn’t continue making mistakes forever.

  Eventually, Soriel had gotten the hang of the song’s melody and was able to play accurately for a little bit.

  When she reached that point, Soriel stopped playing.

  ‘Hm?’

  She stood up from her piano, walked over to me, and sat down in front of me.

  “You’re done playing?” I asked, finishing the last bits of my sandwich.

  “Yes, for now,” Soriel said, pulling out a small bottle of handier sanitizer from who knows where.

  Soriel squirted out the hand sanitizer and began to rub her hands together.

  “Elliot…what’s your goal?” Soriel asked.

  “What do you mean?” I responded, not fully aware of what she meant.

  “Do you have any type of goal for the near future? If you do, what is it?” Soriel clarified.

  Looking at her, I pondered over how to respond.

  ‘Should I tell her the truth? I haven’t really told anyone about it before. There is also a possibility she could try to sabotage somehow…but I don’t think Soriel would do that. Plus, she wouldn’t have any reason too.’

  Making up my mind, I spoke.

  “I want to have the highest grade out of all the freshmen by the end of the year,” I answered.

  Soriel’s eyes widened slightly and she took on a surprised expression.

  “Really? That’s a big goal! I’m impressed,” Soriel replied cheerfully.

  I let out a shrug.

  “Eh, it’s whatever. How about you? What’s your goal, Soriel?” I asked.

  Soriel thought for a moment before responding.

  “Well, unlike you I’m not as academically focused. I only got accepted into this school because I play the piano well…” Soriel began to say.

  “You got accepted because of your piano skills?” I questioned with surprise.

  “Yes I did. Wasn’t it obvious already?” Soriel confirmed.

  ‘Ah, I guess that makes sense. I forgot there were other pathways for the school besides just high grades. Like sports or guitar…’

  “Wait, so you’re in the school’s piano program and one outside of school?” I inquired.

  Soriel nodded.

  “I could’ve quit my other program but my playing brought in new members so I wanted to still support them. The two programs take place at different times and it doesn’t interfere with my community service so I just do both,” Soriel explained.

  ‘She does community service too? Why is she doing so much??’

  “Okay, we’re getting off topic. Now, what was your goal again?” I asked, redirecting the conversation.

  “I want to make a song that lasts. One that impacts someone’s life long after I’m done. A song that will be remembered and make people remember,” Soriel answered.

  I raised my eyebrow.

  ‘A song that will be last…that’s difficult. Even the songs she plays now aren’t long lasting. They change my emotions but not…hearts.’

  “And you say my goal is big? Why would you chase after such an ambitious goal?” I responded.

  In response to my question, Soriel made a determined expression.

  “For my Grandpa. He’s the person who raised me so I want a song that represents all he has taught me,” Soriel said.

  I stared at Soriel for a few moments, gazing into her unwavering, deep amethyst eyes.

  Then, I extended my hand and poked her on the forehead, causing her head to move back slightly.

  “Well, I’ll keep listening to your songs. All the way until you make that special song,” I said with a smile.

  Soriel, who was recovering from my uncalled for poked, blinked a few times.

  After a few moments, she smiled back.

  “And I’ll stick with you all the way until you get the highest grades anyone has ever seen,” Soriel replied.

  My smile twitched slightly.

  ‘That’s way too hard to accomplish! Who does she think I am?!’