Chapter 15: Target Acquired
920 Words
For the first time in years, Ethan Blackwood lost.
The realization followed him all the way home.
Not the whispers.
Not the stares.
Not the messages flooding his phone.
The result itself.
Second place.
Two words he wasn't used to seeing beside his name.
Ethan sat at his desk, staring at the printed rankings lying in front of him. He'd looked at them at least ten times already.
The names hadn't changed.
Ava Williams.
First.
Ethan Blackwood.
Second.
A normal person would've moved on by now.
Unfortunately, Ethan had never been normal.
A knock sounded against his door.
Before he could answer, Liam walked in carrying a bag of snacks.
"Still alive?"
Ethan didn't look up.
"Barely."
Liam dropped into a chair.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then—
"You know the entire school thinks you're having a breakdown."
Ethan finally looked up.
"I'm not."
"Good."
Liam opened a bag of chips.
"Because Noah bet twenty dollars that you'd disappear into the mountains and become a monk."
Ethan stared.
Liam shrugged.
"You know Noah."
Despite himself, Ethan laughed.
Just a little.
The first genuine laugh he'd managed all day.
---
The next morning, Kingsley Academy was unbearable.
Every hallway conversation seemed to stop when Ethan walked past.
Students looked at him differently.
Not disrespectfully.
Just differently.
Like they'd realized something.
Like he'd become human.
Ethan hated it.
He preferred when people expected him to win.
At least that made sense.
This?
This felt strange.
Things got worse when he entered class.
The room was buzzing with conversation.
Most of it centered around one person.
Ava.
Again.
"Did you see the rankings?"
"She's actually insane."
"I knew she was smart, but—"
Ethan dropped into his seat.
Immediately, the conversations lowered.
Not because they were afraid of him.
Because they were embarrassed.
Which somehow annoyed him more.
Across the room, Ava was talking to another student.
She looked happy.
Not arrogant.
Not smug.
Just happy.
And for some reason, that bothered him.
Not because she'd won.
Because she looked like she hadn't expected to.
Like she genuinely didn't realize what she'd done.
---
By lunch, Ethan had heard enough.
He was sitting with Liam, Noah, and Jace when Noah casually checked his phone.
"Oh wow."
"What?"
"Someone made a poll."
Liam groaned.
"Please tell me you're joking."
"I'm not."
Noah turned the screen around.
The title read:
WHO WILL FINISH NUMBER ONE THIS YEAR?
Ethan.
Ava.
Thousands of votes.
Comments.
Arguments.
Predictions.
Liam immediately started laughing.
"This school needs hobbies."
Noah nodded.
"Or therapy."
Jace took a bite of his sandwich.
"Preferably both."
Ethan looked away from the screen.
Normally, he would've found it ridiculous.
Today he didn't.
Because for the first time, the question wasn't obvious.
And he hated that.
---
That afternoon, something unexpected happened.
During Advanced Mathematics, the teacher returned a difficult assignment.
Ava scored highest.
Again.
Not by much.
But enough.
The classroom reacted immediately.
Ethan didn't.
At least not outwardly.
Inside, however, something shifted.
A realization.
A dangerous one.
This wasn't luck.
This wasn't a one-time result.
Ava was actually good.
Very good.
Good enough to beat him.
Good enough to stay ahead.
Good enough to become a real threat.
The thought should've worried him.
Instead, it did something else.
It excited him.
For years, school had become predictable.
The same rankings.
The same results.
The same victories.
Now there was finally someone capable of pushing him.
Someone capable of forcing him to work harder.
Someone worth beating.
Ethan looked across the classroom.
Ava was focused on her notebook, completely unaware she was being watched.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Not a friendly smile.
Not an angry one.
A determined one.
For the first time since she'd arrived at Kingsley, Ethan stopped seeing Ava as an annoyance.
Or a problem.
Or the scholarship student.
He saw her for what she really was.
Competition.
---
The opportunity came sooner than expected.
The following morning, students entered the auditorium for a special assembly.
Nobody knew why they'd been called there.
Naturally, theories spread everywhere.
"Someone got expelled."
"No."
"A teacher's retiring."
"No."
"We're all failing."
"That's the most believable one."
The auditorium filled with laughter.
Ava sat with her classmates near the middle while teachers moved around the stage preparing something.
The atmosphere felt strangely excited.
Like everyone was waiting for a surprise.
A few minutes later, the principal stepped forward.
The room immediately quieted.
"Good morning, students."
"Good morning, sir."
The principal smiled.
"As many of you know, Kingsley Academy prides itself on excellence."
Several students groaned.
The speech had begun.
The principal ignored them.
"This year, we have decided to introduce something new."
That got people's attention.
Students straightened.
Whispers spread through the room.
The principal gestured toward a large screen behind him.
"Next month, Kingsley will host its annual Academic Challenge."
The screen lit up instantly.
Students erupted.
Ava blinked.
Academic Challenge?
The principal continued speaking, but most students were already reacting.
The competition was famous.
Teams.
Prizes.
Recognition.
The chance to represent Kingsley publicly.
And most importantly—
Only the best students qualified.
Ava's stomach tightened.
Across the auditorium, Ethan sat up straighter.
For the first time all week, they were thinking about the same thing.
Another competition.
Another chance to win.
Another chance to prove who deserved the top spot.
The principal smiled as the noise continued to grow.
"This year's challenge begins with individual qualifiers."
The room exploded again.
And somewhere in that noise, a new battle quietly began.
- Writer
