{Chapter 9}
1003 Words
Tanya’s POV.
“Okay class, reminder!” Ma’am Chavez said before dismissal. “Your math project is due next week. But before that, we’ll have a Math Quiz Bee tomorrow. I’ll be picking the representatives from the top-performing pairs.”
Everyone immediately turned their heads straight at me and Shan.
Of course.
“Congrats, geniuses,” Jc teased, clapping slowly. “You two were born for this.”
Keisha scoffed. “More like forced.”
Ma’am Chavez smiled at us. “Tanya and Shan, you’ll represent 10-Crimson. I trust you’ll make our section proud.”
Shan gave his usual smug grin. “We won’t disappoint, Ma’am.”
“I’ll try not to,” I muttered under my breath.
Later that afternoon, I sat at my desk, trying to focus on reviewing formulas, when my phone buzzed.
A text from an unknown number popped up.
Unknown: Hey, partner. Be at my place tomorrow for final project prep.
Unknown: - Shan 😎
I groaned so loudly that Keisha, who was scrolling beside me, looked up.
“Who texted?”
“The devil himself.”
She leaned closer. “You mean Shan?”
“Yes, the academically infuriating demon.”
Keisha snorted. “Good luck. Want me to tag along?”
“No. One of us has to survive.”
Next day, at Shan’s house.
I stood outside the Villafuerte residence, staring at the huge gate like it was the entrance to my doom.
“Wow,” I muttered. “Of course he lives in a house big enough to host a quiz bee.”
The maid led me inside, and there he was sitting casually in the living room, wearing glasses, laptop open, like some rich main character in a teen drama.
“Welcome, partner,” Shan said, smirking. “Didn’t think you’d actually show up.”
“Trust me, I didn’t want to.”
“Harsh,” he chuckled. “Sit down. Let’s finish the slides.”
I plopped down on the sofa, opening my notebook. “Fine. But no cocky comments.”
“No promises.”
For the next hour, we surprisingly worked smoothly no arguing, no sarcasm. Just focus.
Until he started humming. Loudly.
“Shan, if you hum one more time, I’ll throw this calculator at you.”
“I hum better when I think,” he said, grinning.
“You annoy better when you breathe.”
He laughed, leaning closer to check my notes. “Your handwriting’s… neat.”
I blinked. “Uh, thanks?”
“For a perfectionist, I expected sharper lines.”
“There it is. The insult hidden in a compliment.”
He smirked. “Wouldn’t be me without it.”
Before I could respond, his door suddenly burst open.
“BROOO! You didn’t tell us your enemy was here!”
It was Aiden, followed by Jc, Brent, and Xian the entire circus.
“Oh great,” I muttered. “Here comes chaos.”
Jc grinned. “Hey Tanya, don’t worry. We won’t interrupt your study date.”
“It’s not a date!” we both said at the same time.
Brent whistled. “Jinx. You owe each other a Coke.”
“Get out,” Shan said, pushing them toward the door.
Before they left, Jc shouted, “I’ll tell Keisha you miss her, Tanya!”
“What?!”
He ran away laughing.
Shan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “He’s… a handful.”
“You mean annoying incarnate?”
He chuckled. “That too.”
By the time we finished, it was already dark.
“Good work,” Shan said, saving the presentation. “You’re not as bad to work with as I thought.”
“Same,” I admitted. “You’re tolerable in small doses.”
He smiled faintly not the cocky kind this time. “See you tomorrow, partner.”
The next day.
The whole gym buzzed BEE: Grade 10 Edition.
Keisha, Cath, Shell, and Denise waved from the bleachers.
“Go Tanya!” Shell yelled. “Show them enemies-to-lovers are unstoppable!”
I groaned. “I’m not even a lover!”
Shan laughed beside me. “Yet.”
“Don’t push it.”
Ma’am Chavez stood at the mic. “Representing 10-Crimson: Tanya Dela Cruz and Shan Villafuerte!”
Applause. Cheers. Jc even stood up and shouted, “KISS FOR LUCK!”
Keisha threw her notebook at him.
The quiz started, and as expected, Shan and I dominated the rounds.
He’d answer one question, I’d answer the next perfect rhythm, like we’d been working together for years.
Even the host commented, “Wow, 10-Crimson’s pair is in sync!”
Inside, I refused to admit how right that felt.
When the final question came a complex geometric series we looked at each other, thinking the same thing.
He whispered, “Multiply by the ratio first.”
I nodded. “Then subtract from the total.”
We both raised our boards and wrote 8,190.
The host grinned. “And the correct answer is… 8,190!”
The crowd erupted in cheers. We had won.
For a second, the noise faded, and it was just me and Shan standing there, side by side, both smiling genuinely.
He turned to me. “Good job, partner.”
I smirked. “You too, show-off.”
He extended his hand for a high five, and I hesitated before giving it. The contact was quick, but my heart betrayed me with a tiny skip.
After the event, our COFs gathered around.
Cath was typing furiously on her notes app. “Title: The Rival Equation — Love at First Math.”
“Cath, delete that,” I said immediately.
“Too late,” she said, grinning. “It’s my next gossip report.”
Keisha rolled her eyes. “Tanya didn’t fall for Shan. She just fell for winning.”
“Exactly,” I said.
But when Shan glanced at me across the hallway that teasing smirk paired with something softer I couldn’t help but smile back.
Just a little.
- Writer
