Chapter 13: The Countdown
875 Words
The moment the test date was announced, Kingsley Academy changed.
The hallways were quieter.
The library became impossible to enter.
Even the students who normally spent their time gossiping suddenly carried textbooks everywhere.
It was as if the entire school had collectively remembered they were supposed to be studying.
Unfortunately, nobody felt the pressure more than Ava.
Three days before the exam, she was sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by notebooks, practice questions, and enough loose papers to start a small fire.
She rubbed her eyes and checked the time.
11:47 PM.
Great.
Her alarm would ring in less than six hours.
Ava sighed and returned to her notes.
Across the room, her father was still awake.
"You're doing it again."
She looked up.
"Doing what?"
"Worrying."
"I'm studying."
"Same thing."
Ava smiled despite herself.
Her father closed the book he was reading and leaned back in his chair.
"You know, when I was your age—"
"You walked ten miles to school?"
"I was actually going to say I stressed myself sick before exams."
Ava laughed.
"That too."
The smile on his face faded slightly.
"You don't have to carry the whole world on your shoulders."
Ava looked down at her notebook.
Normally she'd agree.
Tonight she couldn't.
Because this wasn't just an exam anymore.
Winning meant proving she belonged at Kingsley.
Proving she deserved the scholarship.
Proving all the whispers were wrong.
Most importantly...
Proving her family's sacrifices meant something.
"I just want to do well," she said quietly.
Her father nodded.
"I know."
The conversation ended there.
But somehow he seemed to understand exactly what she wasn't saying.
---
The next evening wasn't much better.
Ava was studying in her room when raised voices drifted through the wall.
Her parents.
Again.
The argument started quietly.
Then grew louder.
Money.
Bills.
Work.
The same subjects that always seemed to find their way into every disagreement.
Ava closed her eyes.
She didn't want to listen.
Unfortunately, she couldn't stop hearing it.
Her mother's frustration.
Her father's silence.
The tension that had settled over their home ever since the accident.
Eventually the argument stopped.
But the feeling remained.
Ava stared at her notes for several seconds.
Then forced herself to continue studying.
Because if she stopped now, she'd start thinking.
And thinking never helped.
---
Meanwhile, across the city, Ethan Blackwood was having a very different problem.
His house was bigger than Ava's entire apartment building.
His bedroom alone could probably fit her living room.
Yet somehow, it didn't feel comfortable.
It felt like work.
Ethan sat at his desk reviewing practice questions when a knock sounded at the door.
A second later, his father entered.
Not smiling.
Not angry.
Just serious.
The way he always was.
"Preparing?"
Ethan nodded.
His father glanced at the textbooks.
"Good."
Silence followed.
The uncomfortable kind.
Then—
"I heard about the new student."
Ethan looked up.
Of course he had.
Everyone had.
"Ava Williams."
Ethan said nothing.
His father folded his arms.
"People seem impressed."
There was something in his voice Ethan didn't like.
Something measuring.
Comparing.
Evaluating.
"They can be impressed if they want."
His father hummed.
"Just don't lose."
Ethan's jaw tightened.
There it was.
The real reason for the visit.
Not encouragement.
Not support.
Expectation.
The same expectation that had followed Ethan his entire life.
Be the best.
Stay the best.
Never fall behind.
His father turned toward the door.
Then paused.
"You're a Blackwood, Ethan."
The words lingered long after he left.
Ethan stared at the closed door.
Then at the textbook in front of him.
Suddenly studying felt less important.
And much more personal.
---
The days passed quickly.
The closer the exam came, the more intense things became.
Students compared study schedules.
Teachers offered extra practice materials.
Rumors spread daily.
Some people were certain Ethan would win.
Others believed Ava would.
A few insisted the scores would be tied.
By the final day, the entire school seemed invested.
Unfortunately, so were Ava and Ethan.
Even if neither wanted to admit it.
The night before the exam, Ava barely slept.
She spent hours staring at the ceiling.
Every possible outcome played through her mind.
What if she failed?
What if she disappointed everyone?
What if all the people saying she didn't belong were right?
Eventually she forced herself to stop thinking and closed her eyes.
Sleep came slowly.
The next morning arrived far too quickly.
Students entered school looking nervous.
Some reviewed notes until the last second.
Others looked ready to cry.
Even the teachers seemed unusually serious.
When Ava entered the classroom, conversations immediately lowered.
Not because of gossip this time.
Because everybody knew what day it was.
Exam day.
The day that would settle weeks of arguments.
Ava looked across the room.
Ethan was already there.
For once, neither spoke.
Neither glared.
Neither argued.
The rivalry could wait.
Today wasn't about words.
It was about results.
The exam came.
Then it ended.
Hours passed.
Days passed.
The waiting somehow felt worse than the test itself.
Every student checked their phones constantly.
Every conversation led back to one question.
Who won?
Ava tried to act calm.
Failed.
Miserably.
Then finally...
Results day arrived.
And Kingsley Academy was ready to explode.
- Writer
