I Was Sick Of Second Place So I Took Everything Chapter 08

I Was Sick Of Second Place So I Took Everything Chapter 08

When I got back to school, I was still the same hardworking, unbothered top student as always.

I’d run into people from the class next door in the hallway from time to time-Caleb among them.

We knew each other, of course. We just weren’t close-the kind of acquaintances who traded a nod at most.

For the past two years, he probably hadn’t taken me seriously at all. After all, I had always been ranked

below him.

Now, though, when we passed each other, I could occasionally feel his gaze linger on me.

Not just in passing-but the kind of look you gave a real rival.

Naturally, I told Silas about taking first place.

He gave me a couple of polite compliments, then asked for my test papers.

“How’s that workbook I gave you coming along?”

“I’ve finished most of them,” I said.

“I bought a new set of papers. I’ll bring them to you this weekend,” Silas replied.

I paused. “Didn’t the tutoring end a while ago…?”

I got it when he gave me practice books right after we finished. But now?

Silas chuckled. “It’s my first time being a tutor. Just wanted to give you the premium aftercare experience.”

One day, I was going to master that kind of effortless flex.

Only a handful of exams each semester actually counted toward the overall rankings.

e citywide exam came another monthly test.

e, I didn’t get first. I missed it by one point.

adled it better than I used to, but I still went home and spent the whole night sulking.

Things were a lot clearer for me now, especially compared to how Caleb used to absolutely run away with the

top spot.

The “perennial runner-up” label was slowly losing its grip.

By the time the final exams came around, I pushed myself to the limit. I checked nearly every question twice.

For the hardest problems, I didn’t relax until I had solved them using two different methods and confirmed

the same answer.

Then came winter break. Time passed faster than I expected.

A few days into the break, it was my eighteenth birthday.

My parents decorated the house, ordered a cake, and prepared gifts for me.

That same day, the final rankings were released. First place. Five points ahead of second.

I was over the moon.

After asking for my opinion, my parents invited the Sheffield family over for dinner.

At the table, it was the usual round of mutual praise between parents. I was used to it by now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Silas eating very seriously.

Good. At least my dad’s cooking hadn’t gone to waste.

After the cake, Silas said he would take me up to his rooftop to set off fireworks.

“The fireworks you’re talking about are sparklers?” I asked, deadpan.

He smiled. “What’s wrong with sparklers? Don’t you think they’re pretty?”

Sure, they were pretty.

But it was cold out there. Going up to the rooftop to freeze in the wind holding sparklers? We looked

ridiculous.

Silas lit one and placed it in my hand.

“Make another wish,” he said. “The day’s not over yet. Whatever little wishes you’ve got, go for it.”

The bright sparks flickered in my hand. I closed my eyes, and with everything in me, I made my wish. My

eighteenth birthday wish.

A sharp click sounded, followed by a flash of light.

I opened my eyes to see Silas holding a camera, having just taken a picture of me.

“What did you wish for?” he asked.

The sparkler in my hand was still burning.

I met his gaze, unaware that my eyes must have been glowing in the light.

“I want to score in the top 0.1% nationwide.”

That was my wish. A bold, ambitious one.

The sparkler burned out in my hand.

Silas smiled, his eyes just as bright. “Alright. Come over during winter break. I’ll keep tutoring you.

I looked up in surprise. Before I could speak, he added, “No charge.”

After a brief hesitation, I asked, “If you have time, shouldn’t you be looking for an internship?”

Silas raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t I tell you? I’m on a fast track to a PhD. I’ve got a long way to go before I

graduate.”

God, he was so full of himself. I was insanely jealous.

I was about to head downstairs when Silas took the camera off his neck and, without warning, hung it

around mine.

The sudden weight made me pause.

“This is your birthday gift,” he said. “Hope you’ll be a happy grown-up.’