Chapter 10: Game On
855 Words
Ava should've known Liam's warning wasn't the end of it.
People like Liam didn't walk into classrooms, deliver dramatic speeches, and leave for no reason. Looking back, she realized that conversation had never really been about advice.
It had been a warning.
And judging by the way Ethan Blackwood was staring at her across the classroom the next morning, she was finally about to find out why.
The day started normally enough. Students filed into class, conversations buzzed around the room, and Ava settled into her seat determined to keep a low profile.
That plan lasted less than twenty minutes.
"Can anyone solve this?"
Their Mathematics teacher wrote a difficult equation on the board and turned to the class.
A few students looked down immediately.
Others pretended to be busy.
The teacher sighed.
"Nobody?"
Ava hesitated before raising her hand.
The question wasn't difficult.
The teacher smiled. "Go ahead, Ava."
Ava explained her answer, working through the problem step by step. By the time she finished, the teacher looked impressed.
"Excellent."
A few students nodded.
One even muttered, "Of course."
Ava sat down, hoping that would be the end of it.
Then Ethan spoke.
"That's one way to solve it."
The classroom went quiet.
Not because of what he said.
Because Ethan rarely volunteered comments during lessons unless he had something worth saying.
The teacher looked interested.
"Oh?"
Ethan nodded and stood. "It's correct. Just longer than necessary."
Several students immediately turned toward Ava.
A familiar feeling of irritation crept into her chest.
Ethan walked to the board, erased part of her solution, and rewrote it in less than half the space.
The answer was exactly the same.
Unfortunately, his version was cleaner.
And faster.
The class reacted instantly.
"Wow."
"That was quick."
"I didn't even think of that."
Ethan returned to his seat without another word.
Ava clenched her jaw.
Technically, he hadn't insulted her.
Technically.
But somehow it still felt like losing.
The worst part?
He knew it.
She could see it in the tiny smirk that appeared for half a second before disappearing.
---
Things got worse in Literature.
The class was discussing symbolism in a novel when Ava offered an opinion. The teacher seemed pleased with her answer and asked the class what they thought.
Before anyone else could speak, Ethan casually raised a hand.
"I disagree."
Ava immediately rolled her eyes.
Of course he did.
The teacher looked delighted.
"Let's hear it."
For the next few minutes, Ethan calmly dismantled her argument piece by piece. Not rudely. Not aggressively.
Just thoroughly.
By the end, half the class looked convinced.
The teacher nodded thoughtfully.
"Interesting perspective."
Interesting perspective?
Ava wanted to throw the book at him.
As the lesson continued, she caught Ethan writing something in his notebook.
He looked annoyingly pleased with himself.
---
At lunch, Ava complained to the girl beside her.
"He's doing it on purpose."
The girl nearly choked on her drink.
"Of course he's doing it on purpose."
"So you noticed?"
"Everybody noticed."
That wasn't comforting.
At all.
The girl leaned forward.
"Ethan Blackwood doesn't argue with people unless he cares."
Ava blinked.
"That sounded weird."
"It did sound weird."
The two of them laughed.
Still, the comment stayed in Ava's mind.
Because Ethan wasn't treating anyone else this way.
Only her.
---
The pattern continued throughout the day.
Whenever Ava answered a question, Ethan had something to add.
Whenever she made a point, Ethan found a flaw.
Whenever she got praised, Ethan somehow managed to make the praise feel smaller.
By the final lesson, she was exhausted.
Not because he was smarter.
Not because he was better.
Because he was relentless.
It was like being chased by an extremely intelligent mosquito.
---
Near the end of the day, their History teacher asked a difficult question that left the room silent.
Nobody volunteered an answer.
Nobody except Ava.
She raised her hand and gave her response.
The teacher nodded.
"Good."
Finally.
A win.
Then came Ethan's voice.
"Almost."
Ava slowly closed her eyes.
The classroom immediately became interested.
The teacher looked between them.
"Almost?"
Ethan nodded. "She missed one detail."
Ava turned toward him.
"What detail?"
Ethan told her.
The annoying part?
He was right.
Again.
Several students laughed.
Not cruelly.
Just enough to make her feel embarrassed.
Ava forced a smile.
"Congratulations."
Ethan looked amused.
"For what?"
"For finding another way to be annoying."
The class went silent.
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
Ava stood and gathered her books.
She was done.
Completely done.
For days she'd listened to the whispers, ignored the rumors, tolerated the warnings, and pretended Ethan wasn't deliberately trying to get under her skin.
But she was reaching her limit.
She looked directly at him.
"If you're trying to prove you're smarter than me, save your energy."
The classroom froze.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Ava continued before she could stop herself.
"Honestly, Ethan, if being number one is that important to you, you can keep it."
Silence.
Pure silence.
For the first time all day, Ethan looked genuinely surprised.
And judging by the shocked expressions around the room...
So was everyone else.
- Writer
