Chapter 7: The Number One Spot
1030 Words
The next day, Ava walked into Class 12A and immediately knew something was wrong.
Nobody pointed at her. Nobody called her name. Nobody even stopped talking.
Somehow, that made it worse.
Conversations lowered when she passed. Heads turned for a second before quickly looking away. Two girls near the window whispered to each other, then glanced in her direction. A boy she had never spoken to before actually smiled and waved.
Ava stopped beside her desk.
"Okay," she said slowly. "What happened?"
The girl beside her laughed.
"You really don't know?"
"Know what?"
"The whole school is talking about you."
Ava dropped into her seat and groaned. "Again?"
"Trust me, this one's worse."
That was the last thing Ava wanted to hear.
Yesterday had been bad enough. She'd argued with Ethan Blackwood, accidentally embarrassed him in front of the entire class, and somehow become school gossip before completing her first week at Kingsley.
How could it possibly get worse?
Unfortunately, Kingsley Academy seemed determined to answer that question.
At the back of the room, a group of boys were already in the middle of an argument.
"I'm telling you, nobody's taking first place from Ethan this year."
"Nobody takes first place from Ethan. Ever."
"Exactly. The guy's basically a machine."
Ava rolled her eyes and opened her notebook.
There it was again.
Ethan.
She was beginning to think the school paid students every time they mentioned his name.
The girl beside her noticed her expression and laughed.
"You don't get it yet."
"I don't want to get it."
"You will."
Before Ava could ask what that meant, the classroom door opened and their teacher walked in carrying several folders. The room gradually settled, though excitement still lingered in the air.
The teacher placed the folders on her desk and smiled.
That smile immediately made students nervous.
"Why are you looking at us like that?" someone asked.
The class laughed.
"Because," the teacher replied, "I came across something interesting."
Ava's heart sank.
Interesting never meant good.
The teacher picked up one of the folders and looked around the room.
"As most of you know, Kingsley Academy reviews the records of every admitted student. Yesterday, while going through this year's entrance examination results, I noticed something that surprised even the admissions board."
The room grew quiet.
Students exchanged curious looks.
Ava suddenly had a very bad feeling.
The teacher glanced down at the paper before lifting her eyes.
"Ava Williams."
The class immediately turned toward her.
Ava closed her eyes.
Not again.
A few students laughed.
"You always look terrified when someone says your name," the teacher said.
"That's because every time someone says my name lately, something bad happens."
The classroom burst into laughter.
Even the teacher smiled.
"Well, this isn't bad."
That wasn't reassuring.
The teacher held up the document.
"This year's highest entrance examination score belongs to Ava Williams."
The room reacted instantly.
Some students looked impressed.
Others looked shocked.
One girl actually sat up straight in disbelief.
"The scholarship student?"
"Wait, seriously?"
"That's crazy."
Ava wished they would all calm down.
The teacher wasn't finished.
"In fact," she continued, "her score wasn't just the highest among this year's intake."
The whispers faded.
Everyone listened.
The teacher looked toward the other side of the room.
"So whose score did she beat?" a student asked.
The teacher blinked.
Then answered casually.
"Ethan Blackwood's."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The kind that seemed to suck all the air out of the room.
Ava slowly turned her head.
Across the classroom, Ethan had stopped writing.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Then chaos erupted.
"NO WAY."
"She beat Ethan's record?"
"That's impossible."
"I thought nobody had ever beaten it."
A boy near the front looked genuinely distressed.
Another student leaned back in his chair as though he had just received life-changing news.
"This has to be a mistake."
The teacher laughed.
"It isn't."
That only made things worse.
Students immediately started talking over one another.
"How much higher was it?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Of course it matters."
"No, seriously, how much?"
The teacher shook her head, clearly amused by the reaction.
Ava, meanwhile, wanted to disappear into another dimension.
She hadn't even known Ethan had a record.
Now she'd apparently broken it.
Fantastic.
A girl near the window crossed her arms.
"It's just an entrance exam."
Several students nodded.
"Exactly."
"One exam doesn't mean anything."
"Let's see what happens during the school year."
Ava noticed the shift immediately.
Not everyone was impressed.
Some people looked annoyed.
Some looked threatened.
Some seemed determined to prove she didn't belong there.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The teacher raised a hand for silence.
"Whether you like it or not, the score is real. Ava worked hard for it."
The room quieted.
Then the teacher smiled.
A dangerous smile.
The kind that always caused problems.
"Honestly, I think this is exciting."
Students exchanged looks.
The teacher continued.
"Ethan has been the top academic student in this class for years. With Ava here now, this could become the most competitive year Kingsley has seen in a long time."
The classroom exploded.
Again.
Someone slapped a desk dramatically.
Someone else laughed.
A few students immediately started debating who would finish first at the end of the year.
Ava nearly dropped her pen.
Competitive?
She wasn't competing with anyone.
At least she hadn't planned to.
But judging by the looks around the room, nobody believed that.
The bell eventually rang, yet nobody rushed to leave. Conversations erupted all over the classroom. Students gathered in groups, discussing rankings, records, and whether Ethan Blackwood had finally found someone capable of challenging him.
Ava packed her books quickly, hoping to escape before anyone dragged her into the discussion.
Then she felt it.
A stare.
Not one of the curious stares she'd been getting all morning.
Something heavier.
More focused.
Slowly, she looked up.
Ethan Blackwood was watching her from across the room.
Not with annoyance.
Not with arrogance.
Not even with embarrassment over yesterday.
For the first time since she'd arrived at Kingsley Academy, Ethan looked genuinely interested.
As if he'd finally decided she was worth paying attention to.
And somehow, that felt like the beginning of a problem.
- Writer
