The Thrill Of The Chase

Chapter 4

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"What are your plans for your birthday?"

I glanced at Yza for a moment and paused. Oh, I almost forgot my birthday. We're here in the field waiting for our next subject professor, who is also our last for today. We have a free period now because one of our professors has a meeting, so Yza and I are relaxing here in the field.

"Nothing, just sleep??"

I saw Yza roll her eyes at my answer. I looked out across the field, feeling the fresh breeze. Thankfully, there are few people here today; usually, many students hang out in this field because of the beautiful view and fresh air.

"You're so boring. You're turning 17 soon, you need to do something for your birthday." She was about to throw small stones at me, so I quickly dodged.

Right. I'm turning 17 soon, then next year I'll be 18. Time flies so fast.

"I don't like birthday parties, I think a simple dinner is okay," I said, seeing our professor approaching, so I invited Yza to go back to our room.

"That bald guy is so annoying, there's still 10 minutes left. He always arrives early!" Yza whispered as she approached me. "Maybe that's why he's bald."

I chuckled at that. Yza really dislikes Sir Ariva, our GenMath professor. Luckily, we didn't get scolded; it turns out Yza and I were the only ones outside earlier. It's good that the field is close to our room, so we easily got back.

"Okay, surprise test time, move your chairs, I don't want to see you sitting next to each other," Sir Ariva said. I gasped at that; what now? I didn't review at all; I should have read some books earlier.

One by one, Sir Ariva handed out test papers. We were all so far apart from each other that it was impossible to cheat; it's as if Sir Ariva had five eyes. He sees everything! I started writing on my test paper, but I nearly fainted at the first question.

I managed to solve a couple of questions from number 2, but I still couldn't finish it. There were only 5 items to answer, but it was difficult. We've been answering for 30 minutes now, and I saw Luigi stand up to pass, he was fast. I feel like crying anytime now, it's difficult for me to have a mental block.

"Time's up, pass your papers now," Sir Ariva said.

I saw my classmates start passing their papers. Why does the test seem so easy for them? Weren't they struggling? I feel like crying; before, I would pass the test even before 15 minutes. I wasn't nervous during surprise tests, but why am I like this now?

"Miss Marquez, pass your paper now!" Sir Ariva shouted. I quickly handed it to him because I was nervous.

When the bell rang, I left immediately. I walked straight to our car. I also took my headphones and put them on. Why do I feel so sad? This is the first time I've felt this way.

"Hi honey, are you early today? Didn't you and Yza go out?" Mom asked when I entered the house.

"No. I'm tired," I said and went straight to my room.

I didn't realize I had fallen asleep. I woke up when my cellphone alarm went off. I hurriedly took a shower and went downstairs to eat. I didn't see Mom and Dad in the kitchen, so I asked our household help to tell Mom that I had already left.

When I arrived at school, I saw other students crowding around the announcement board. What's going on? Out of curiosity, I went there, but quickly left when I couldn't squeeze in.

"What's there?" I asked Yza when I entered the room. I saw her writing on her paper and quickly covered it when she heard my question.

"Where?" She asked me back.

"At the announcement board."

"Ah, all the scores for yesterday's surprise test are posted there. I don't know why, it's a trend." She looked at me and came closer. "Let's go check it out, I really feel like I failed."

"You're smart, even if you failed, I'm still proud of you," I said.

She walked ahead so I followed. There were still many students there, so we waited until it cleared a bit. When the students dispersed, we quickly went to the announcement board to check our names.

I slowly walked towards the board. I could hardly breathe because I was so nervous. What if I failed? It would be embarrassing, especially since our scores are posted here.

Best in GenMath

Rank 1

Luigi Keil Gonzales - 90/100

Rank 2

Yves Castillo - 75/100

Rank 3

Vivian Castro - 75/100

Rank 4

Yzabel Daez - 60/100

Tears started to fall slowly when I didn't see my name in the top 10. I knew I didn't answer well. I was hoping to at least be in the top 9, but I didn't see my name there.

Rank 17

Solace Bridget Marquez - 35/100

I didn't know what to say. I was speechless. Why? Why did I get that score? It's not like me. This isn't me. There are 26 of us in the class, and now I'm ranked 17th? I feel so dumb. Luigi even stole my spot. I should have been the one in rank 1.

"Are you okay?" My tears started to flow freely when I heard Yza ask me that question.

"I feel stupid, Yza," I said, sobbing. She came closer to hug me.

"Hush, it's okay. We all have lows. Besides, the test was really hard." She broke the hug and wiped my face.

I moved away from her slightly. "No, Yza, this isn't okay. You know I have a reputation to uphold." Anger started to build up inside me.

"I know, but you can still recover. You are Solace Bridget Marquez. You can do better next time. I know you can do it," she said.

"I won't be able to recover next time. I already failed now, how can I recover? And as far as I know, Solace always performs well. She never fails. Maybe because you're used to failing, that's why you don't get hurt," I hissed. I immediately regretted what I said.

I saw a slight surprise in her eyes because of what I said. I was about to take it back when she suddenly spoke.

"Wow. Is that how you see me? Just because I always fail in your eyes, I don't get hurt? That hurts, Solace. I'm doing my best, but what? I'm stupid, so what can I do if I'm stupid?" Tears started to fall from her eyes. I was about to speak to apologize when she abruptly left.

Why did I say that? She was just comforting me. I feel worthless now. What I said wasn't true. She's brilliant. Maybe I was just carried away by emotions? But even so, I shouldn't have said that.

I walked alone towards the room when I suddenly bumped into Luigi. I saw him smiling, with Yohan and Axle, one of his friends, I guess. When our eyes met, I immediately glared at him. My feelings became heavier. He really stood by what he said, huh.

When I reached the room, I saw Yza sitting quietly in her seat. I approached her and stood beside her.

"I'm sorry," I sincerely said. She looked up and stared at me.

"I don't need your sorry," she said, rolling her eyes at me.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. I didn't talk to Yza anymore; I guess we both needed to calm down.

Minutes passed when our professor entered the room. Our class was complete now, so she started teaching. I took notes while she was discussing. It's hard; we might have another surprise quiz. Our professor's discussion was quick, so we finished fast. Luckily, I was able to keep up while taking notes.

"So I heard you saw your scores already?" Miss Pantas suddenly asked. "What's your rank, Solace?" She asked.

I swallowed before answering her question.

"Rank 17, ma'am...."

She nodded before turning to Luigi.

"How about you, Luigi? May I know your rank?" She closed her laptop while waiting for Luigi's answer.

"Rank 1, ma'am," he answered.

"Wow, that's great. That's what deserves to be in the 1st rank, the truly smart one...... no offense, Solace, you're smart too," she said seriously.

"No offense my ass," I heard Yza whisper.

It felt like a stab in my chest. That's why I don't want to have high grades. If you drop once, your intelligence will be questioned. If you're high, it still seems insufficient to them. Sometimes it's pressure.

I left the room immediately when the bell rang. I went alone to the cafeteria. I heard whispers from other students, so I felt ashamed.

"I thought she was smart."

"Luigi really deserves to be top 1."

"She's not really that good."

Because of the embarrassment, I went back to our room. I don't want to hear those things anymore. It's demotivating. When I was on the stairs, I saw Miss Pantas and Luigi. That guy. I hate him. They always compare me to him. I just want to enjoy this school year and be friends with him, but why does it feel like he's becoming my competition?

Time passed quickly. I went home early again today, and until now Yza still hasn't been talking to me. When I arrived home, I immediately organized my things and went downstairs. I found Mom and her friend, the designer.

"Solace, come here. Let me introduce you to my friend," Mom called out, so I approached her. "This is Solace, my daughter. She's the one I'm having gowns made for," Mom happily said.

They talked more about the plans for my birthday. Tss, I already told Mom I didn't want a grand celebration. I'm not even having a debut yet, but they're already planning a grand celebration. I quickly went upstairs; I couldn't relate to their conversation.

I was about to lie down when I noticed a small piece of paper stuck in my bag. I immediately took it out and read what was written on it.

"I'm so proud of you my love, I know you did your best.

uknowme"

I don't know why, but I felt happy reading that message. I felt a mix of emotions. I'm happy, grateful, and I feel appreciated. I'm also confused; do I know her? Him? Is it Yza?