Rock-paper-scissors
1584 Words
We entered our classroom, then Icarus and his friends saw us enter. They looked at us in despise and they laughed. They didn't touch us or anything, but they just let us go to sit on our own seats. I feel angry, but then when I looked at Philip and Sander's faces, I saw no anger in them. They looked calm as a pond. Maybe they are thinking that we are gonna beat them up when the time comes. We just have to wait. I let go of my anger and just walked straight to my seat.
We talked from time to time, about the gods, and about my sister that I called just this morning.
"So, how old is she?" asked Philip. He turned his whole body to face Sander and me because he is on the seat in front of me.
"She's five," I answered. "and she's the jewel of our family!"
"Really? Do you have a picture of her?"
"Yeah, I always carry it with me." I pulled the picture from my wallet inside my pocket. I showed it to them.
"She's so cute!" said a girl behind Philip. I was surprised that a demigod girl tried to talk to us. "What's her name?" she asked as she went closer to my seat so she could take a closer look.
Damn... She's too close.
"Uhh... Hera."
"Oh, like that first Goddess of Women, Hera, and the biggest human district?"
"Yeah," I said hesitantly.
"Let me see," she held the picture.
It is a picture of Hera sitting on the beach, playing with sand. She was three years old at that time, and I was eight. In that picture, she makes a small hole on the ground using a small plastic shovel, while I buried myself in the sand.
"She's so cute!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, she is," I smiled with my eyes closed. Then I heard the sound of a torn paper. I opened my eyes only to see the picture being torn by the girl. She looked at me with despise. A tear began to flow from my eye.
"You think I find it cute?" she said. "No, I find it disgusting!"
She threw the pieces at my face and everyone in the class, except us three, laughed. I couldn't do anything but picked up the two pieces of the picture. The other half where Hera's face was on, became wet when it came in contact with my teary cheek. My glasses became full of tears as I looked down. I removed it and dried it up with my uniform. Sander and Philip helped me to get up.
I want to hit that girl! But I would be a joke if I hit her because she's a girl. Also, my father told me that hitting a defenseless girl means burning your own sense of manhood. But what this girl did is unforgivable, and she has to be corrected! By what means? I can't stop them doing these things to me just by talking! Then I realized there could only one way I know.
"Philip," I said as I stopped crying and sat on my seat. "Is the tournament mixed gender?"
"Yes, but-"
"I'll make her pay for what she's done."
-
*
Mr. Howry entered the classroom, and he made them read the book while he slept, again.
Philip and Sander looked at their serious friend in a little bit of awe, as they wonder if he is actually gonna do it. Considering that he is far from beating a demigod in a fair fight in his present state. Leo just took his notebook and began writing notes in what the person is reading in front, while the others didn't listen.
During the day, he studies with his notes when he has a chance. In the morning, recess, lunch, and an hour after school are when he opens his notes to study. In the afternoon, he goes out to jog for an hour and returns all sweaty. It doesn't end there, but he trained his whole body very intensely. When he felt he cannot move anymore, he stops and takes the medicine. They go to the cafeteria to get some dinner, and they were amazed at Leo's appetite. All that training and studying have significantly drained his energy that resulted in his monstrous appetite.
Philip and Sander couldn't even keep up with his amount of time he spent training and studying. They only studied from time to time, and trained often, but not as intense as Leo did his. They felt like they are loosing from his determination, so they pushed themselves harder too. This whole thing of training turned out into a competition between them.
This became their routine for a week.
*
-
I pushed up while counting, "One thousand, one hundred and twelve!" My arms gave up. and I lied down the floor of the dorm room.
"What?" said Philip when he looked at me with his arms folded. "That's all you can do? I did twice your number!" He laughed.
I stood up, feeling humiliated. "Hey, that's because you guys have Olympian strength, and I don't!" He didn't look at me or even listened but laughed harder. "Don't look down on me!"
"He did two thousand, five hundred and thirty-four," said Sander while recording it with his notebook. "Philip, you did one hundred and sixty-one more than you did yesterday. Leo did two hundred and five more than he did yesterday."
"Wooooooo!" I celebrated. "I improved better than you!" I laughed at Philip's face.
"Hey," he said. "that's because you are well supplied with recovery medicine!" I didn't mind what he said but continued to laugh. I can feel his envy.
Today is Saturday, and there is no class. We decided to visit each other's home, except mine of course. We packed our things because we might have to sleep in the home of the one who loses this rock-paper-scissors match between Philip and Sander. Philip said that his family is too hospitable that makes the visitors feel awkward. Sander said that his family is not good at handling visitors, because they are shy, and will make the visitors lonely. Both of them feel uncomfortable bringing in some friends into their homes, so this happened.
"Okay," I said. "I will be the judge of your match." Sander is at my right, and Philip at the left. They looked at each other in the eyes as if this is like one of those cowboy face-offs I saw on TV. Somehow, I felt a tension in the air. "This will be a match of five rounds. The one who gets three points first, wins. The one who loses will have to make us sleep in his home tonight. I expect good sportsmanship and a fair fight from you guys. Fist bump!"
They bumped into each other's fists. I waited for them to pulled their hands so that we could get started, but it's taking them too long. I found out that they are pushing each other's fists.
"Hey!" I said. "This is not the real fight!" I tried to push them away from each other, but I can't, they are too strong. "Come on, guys!" I used my power to repel them, and they came falling down on their butts. They stood up again, and I cleared my throat. "Okay, you already know the rules?" They both nodded. "Let's start the first round!"
They both formed a knuckle and counted, "One, two three!" Both of them are scissors.
"Draw!" I announced. "Start again." So they did.
"One, two, three!"
"No!" said Philip when he lost as a rock.
"Wohooo!" celebrated Sander.
"I'll win the next one!"
"That's one point for Sander!" I said. "You may proceed to the second round!"
We are alone on the road where we had this match, so they didn't care to minimize their voices in counting, "One, two, three!" It took three draws until Sander won again with the scissors.
"That's two for Sander!" I said. "Only one point left and he takes- I mean.... not take this home!"
"That's a lame pun," said Philip.
"Oh, shuttup. Be grateful that you have a commentator and a referee. Start the third round!"
Is it gonna be a sweep for Sander? Or will Philip make a comeback? They started the count.
"One, two, three!"
Philip won.
"Yes!" he said.
Man, there is a possibility that Philip is gonna make a comeback, but Sander looked calm as we started the fourth round.
"One, two, three!"
Philip won again. My gods... This could be a miracle!
"The score is tied!" I said. "The final round will decide the winner! Who will win? Sander who had a strong start, or is it Philip who might be able to make a comeback? We will find out after they draw their hands in the final round!"
I felt myself sweating that I don't know why. I looked at their faces too. They look tense.
"You may start the final round!"
They counted, "One..."
The final round...
"Two..."
...that decides the winner. Who will win? What family will handle our fate? Is it the family that is too hospitable that makes the visitors feel awkward? Or the family that is so shy that it makes the visitors feel lonely? What will be our weekend? Awkward or Lonely? My heart is beating fast in finding out now!
"THREE!" I screamed with them.
- Writer
