I Was Sick Of Second Place So I Took Everything Chapter 07

I Was Sick Of Second Place So I Took Everything Chapter 07

A citywide standardized exam meant the competition wasn’t just within Fairhaven High School anymore.

This time, the exam was brutal. Math and physics were especially rough, and even the English section threw in words you’d rarely see in high school.

Almost everyone walked out of the exam rooms sighing.

Of course, I could tell just how hard it had been.

And it proved that hiring Silas over the summer had been the right call.

After the exams, teachers began going over the papers.

Because of the difficulty, one class period wasn’t nearly enough.

By the time the math teacher finally reached the last problem, about half the grading results were already in.

“It’s completely normal if you couldn’t solve this one,” the teacher said.

“Even getting the first part right is already impressive.”

“From what I heard, the teachers grading this one didn’t have too hard a time.”

“So far, fewer than five students have gotten it completely right. Do we have any of them in this class?”

Silence filled the room. Slowly, I raised my hand.

The math teacher nodded in satisfaction.

“Looks like out of both my classes, only Estelle and Caleb from next door nailed it.”

“Estelle, come up and walk us through your solution.”

Under everyone’s gaze, I walked to the front and clearly laid out each step of my reasoning.

When I finished calculating the final answer on the board, I paused and looked at the teacher.

“Actually, there’s another way. A more elegant one.

The teacher looked slightly surprised. “Go ahead.”

So I began explaining my second approach.

This time, more students looked like a lightbulb had just gone off in their heads.

And when the teacher glanced my way, there was a hint of admiration in her eyes.

I couldn’t care less if people called me a show-off behind my back.

If someone thought I was showing off, that meant I’d pulled it off. And that felt amazing.

Before the full results came out, I had already estimated my score based on the answer keys.

As for the ranking, that depended on how everyone else had done.

The day rankings went up, I didn’t rush over to check. Looking too eager would be beneath me.

During the break, everyone rushed off to see the freshly posted rankings.

I just stayed in my seat, calm as ever, working through the practice book Silas had given me.

My desk mate came running back, eyes shining. “Estelle, you’re first!”

She wasn’t the only one. Others came over to congratulate me.

“No way, Estelle, you’re insane! You beat Caleb by two points!”

“With a test this hard, you still got that high score? That’s unreal!”

“This is so satisfying. Last time you got first, people from the other class said you only got it because Caleb missed the exam. Let’s see what they say now!”

I got along well with my classmates.

Partly because of my grades, and partly because I was always willing to help others with their questions.

Now, looking at classmates who were genuinely happy for me, I kept my usual cool.

I smiled a little and said, “Lucky break, I guess.”

After school, I passed by the ranking board.

When I saw the names of the couple from next door sitting right next to each other under mine, a strange

smile spread across my face.

I had finally made their wish come true.

When I got home, I threw myself onto my bed, burritoed myself in my blanket, and rolled around in pure

glee.

God, it felt amazing. Getting first place-it was everything.