Delilah's POV
"Where is this guy?" I mumbled.
I went to his class, and he wasn't there. David found his partner when I went there. I had to leave that class, it was too crowded. Standing around was way too awkward. Luckily, I know what he looks like, so he shouldn't be this hard to find. No other person in this academy has red highlights in their hair.
I sighed, wandering aimlessly through the corridor.
I don't know why I'm walking around. Maybe I should go back to his class or wait outside for him.
I shouldn't be this anxious. He's in 1-A and in the top ten. At least I know my partner is somewhat reliable. It could've been worse. I could've gotten someone who doesn't care. We should be able to complete this challenge and get our points.
I smirked to myself.
I need to find him first.
"Delilah!".
The voice came from behind me, a little too loud and a little too cheerful. I turned around and saw the source of the voice. A boy with red highlights in his hair was walking towards me with a big grin.
"Ace?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I found you", he said, his grin widening.
"Are you Ace?" I asked, double-checking.
"Yes, ma'am", he answered with the grin still glued to his face, looking down at me.
"Okay… cool", I said awkwardly.
He tilted his head slightly, "You're so much prettier up close", he said, staring at me.
I blinked. I looked at his facial expression to process what he said and to see if he meant it.
"Thanks…", I said cautiously, still trying to gauge if he was joking or insane.
"You don't need to look at me like that", he said, hands raised slightly in surrender. "I was only giving you a compliment".
"I'm not angry", I replied, half-smiling. "Just confused".
"That's a relief", he said, laughing softly. "When I saw I was your partner, I was so happy. There's so much I want to talk to you about", he continued with his grin that was starting to annoy me.
Great. He's a weirdo.
Sigh. Don't worry, Delilah. He's in 1-A. He's smart. Just focus on the challenge.
"Should we go get our device from the main office?" I asked, trying to cut the small talk.
"We don't have to right now", he replied, hands slipping into his pockets. "I'm starving. I didn't have breakfast".
You've got to be kidding me.
"We could get the device first, and then you could get something to eat after", I suggested, trying to be as nice as I could.
"The challenge lasts the whole week", he casually replied. "So we've got hella time".
"But we've got a couple of hours free now", I said. "The time we have now is for this specific reason".
"I don't feel like it", he said with a shrug. "Let's go to a coffee shop instead. That would be way more fun".
Kill me now. He's a weirdo, and he doesn't care about the challenge. How the hell is he in the top ten?
Maria's POV
I wish my partner were a girl. I haven't spoken to girls from other classes, so this would've been a good chance. It would be nice to have friends from different classes. I get the feeling that a few girls don't like me.
"Have your friends found their partners yet?" Owen asked, walking beside me, his voice calm.
"Some of them have ", I replied. "We found each other pretty quickly".
"Yeah", he nodded. "It was lucky we bumped into each other". He turned his head slightly. "Were you going to my class?".
"Yeah. Waiting in my own class would've been selfish of me", I replied.
He gave a short laugh, "I wouldn't blame you if you did".
My partner seems fine. He's nice. It's weird that I got a partner from 1-B again. In the fourth challenge, I got Ryan, and now I've got him. It would've been cool to be paired with someone from 1-A this time. I know Delilah got someone from 1-A.
I wonder who Malakai got paired with...
I stopped spacing out and asked, "Have your friends found their partners?".
"I don't know", he said, shrugging his shoulders and keeping his gaze low. "I don't really talk to anyone in my class".
"You don't?".
"Nah", he said, faintly smiling and shaking his head, not looking at me. His hands were tucked into his pockets.
"Is that because you'd rather be alone?" I asked gently.
The faint smile stayed on his face, "Okay, I lied a little. I do talk to everyone in my class", he admitted. "But I don't consider anyone in that class as my friend. I'm not close to anyone".
"But I thought everyone in 1-B was close", I said, genuinely surprised.
He blew air out of his nose and his small smile turnt into a smirk.
"I hate my class".
I froze mid-step. My feet stopped moving for a split second. Hearing that out of the blue was a shock to my system. His tone wasn't joking either. It was the most sincere he's sounded.
He hates his class? Did he really say that?
"Why?" I cautiously asked, matching his steps again.
"They're not..." he paused and looked away, shaking his head. "They're not good enough".
I blinked, "What do you mean by not good enough?".
He exhaled through his nose before he continued, "Compared to other classes, it's like we want to win challenges the least", he said. "To me, it looks like everyone from other classes is hungrier and wants it more".
"Your class still does well in challenges", I said softly.
"Not in the last challenge. I saw everything I needed to see", he said, still not looking at me. "All of them are sheep", he said under his breath. He exhaled again and straightened his neck before turning his head to me. "Let's talk about something else. What about you? You should definitely be in 1-B. You're smart.
"Thank you", I said with a small smile. "Compared to everyone else, I'm not that smart. And the classes aren't just based on intelligence".
"I know", he said. "But I heard from some of the girls in my class that you're good at sports too".
I smiled, "I try too hard in P.E so I look better than I am", I honestly replied.
I'm not lying. I'm okay, but there are definitely other girls who are better than me.
"I don't know. You being in 1-C doesn't suit you", he said.
I looked at him with an eyebrow raised, "Really, how?".
"1-B or 1-A would suit you much better", he said simply.
I understand what he's trying to say, but the classes don't really matter. Maybe he's comparing me to girls in his class.... or he's saying this because I'm Maria Rodriguez.
"I think 1-C suits me", I said. "I love my class. I've got my best friend with me, and I made friends with most of the class, so every day is fun".
He looked at my face, and that faint smile appeared on his face again.
"Can't argue with that. Your class looks fun", he replied. "Must be nice", he mumbled, averting his eyes again.
I watched him from the corner of my eye as we approached the main office.
Is he jealous? I feel sorry for him. I thought 1-B was a good class. Is he sad because he doesn't have a lot of points, and they didn't do well in the last challenge? Is that the only reason he hates his class? He also said everyone was a sheep. I'm so confused.
"We're here", he said. "It looks like we're one of the first people here".
"Yeah".
Why did he tell me all of that?
Dillon's POV
Who the fuck is Leroy?
Don't tell me he's friends with Malakai. Tch. Why am I paired up with a guy from 1-C again? Tch. This is a shit challenge.
I walked down the corridor, seeing a lot of people passing by. A couple of them gave me sly looks as I passed them, which was getting common now.
When I reached 1-C's classroom, my eyes widened in mild surprise.
Why is there barely anyone here? There's only six people.
I looked at the different people and didn't recognise a single one.
I thought this class would be jam-packed. Whatever, it's better this way. I might as well ask one of them if they know this Leroy guy.
I stepped inside the class and walked up to this guy leaning back on his seat with his feet kicked up on the desk, scrolling on his phone. He was dark skinned with braids tied back with two loosely hanging out the front.
"Yo, do you know where Leroy is?" I asked.
The guy looked up slowly from his phone,
"He's right here".
I took a moment and stared at the person in front of me. Sizing him up.
Is this guy gonna be a pain in the ass? Tch. Why am I even asking that? Everyone in this academy is.
Ray's POV
"Who do you know from 1-E?" Benjamin asked as we walked down the corridor.
"About that, I only know one person", I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck.
Benjamin chuckled.
"We know Nada too, so if we see her, we could just ask her", I quickly added.
"True", he replied with a nod.
"Do you know anyone from 1-E?" I curiously asked.
"Nah", he shook his head. "There's one or two guys in the basketball club, but I haven't spoken to them".
"Oh, right. You're in the basketball club", I said. "That means you know a couple of second and third years".
"Yeeaah, but I don't speak to them outside of basketball club", he replied.
"You've still got some connections", I said.
"Not really", he replied. "The only thing we talk about is basketball. No one brings up the academy. All the seniors hate talking about the academy".
"Really?".
"Yeah, bro. They ask us about how we're doing and what challenges we have, but when we ask them back, they don't answer. They go quiet or change the subject", he said.
"Whoa. Are we going to end up like that?" I jokingly asked, laughing a little.
"Nah. Based on their reactions, our year group is having better treatment in terms of fun challenges", he replied. "Plus, I think my basketball teammates don't have the highest rank on the leaderboard, so they probably just wanna focus on the club".
"That makes sense".
As we approached the 1-E classroom, I saw from a distance that there were a couple of people standing outside the classroom.
I squinted my eyes to see if I recognised anyone. One figure stood out to me. A brunette girl.
Is that...?
"Paige?" I called as soon as I was close enough.
She turned around. The girl had clear skin and autumn brown eyes with long eyelashes and eyeliner.
Her features are clearer to me now. The last time I saw her was at the club. The flashing lights didn't help.
"Yeah? Are you Felipe?" she asked.
"N-no I'm, I'm Ray", I stammered.
"Ray…" she repeated, looking at me, lost. "Do I know you?".
"I'm Emily's friend", I replied. "We met at the club".
She didn't reply straight away. It looked like she was jogging back her memory.
"When was this?" she slowly asked.
"…Like a couple of months ago", I asked, dying on the inside.
Her eyes wandered elsewhere. She was trying to make it seem like she was trying to remember, but it was clear she couldn't.
"I'm sorry. I don't remember", she said, being polite.
I could feel Benjamin awkwardly standing next to me while my own body heated up.
This is so awkward. Of course, she wouldn't remember me. We met at the start of the year at the club, and she was tipsy. Actually, she might've been drunk. This is too cringe. My body's hot. Get me out of here.
"It's fine", I said, forcing a smile, trying to hide my embarrassment. "I just wanted to ask if you knew where she is ", I asked, showing my phone to her.
She leaned forward to get a closer look at the name on my phone, "Molly? She just left". She turned around, "She's over there", she pointed.
I followed her finger and looked down the hall, and saw a girl with silky black hair walking away.
"Molly!" Paige called out, cupping her hands around her mouth.
Molly turned around to look at us. I couldn't properly see her features.
"You're partner is here!" Paige continued pointing at me.
After a couple of awkward, silent seconds, Molly was in front of us. "Are you Ray?" she asked, standing pretty close in front of me.
She had long, glossy black hair with light brown eyes and braces that shone when she spoke.
"Yeah", I answered, a little nervous.
"Okay.... You're cute", she randomly said.
I froze, blinking. I slowly tilted my head to Paige, who looked unbothered and calm.
"I'm not flirting. I'm just saying you're cute", Molly innocently said.
What is going on?
"Don't worry about her. She's like that", Paige said. "She's a little weird".
"That's... okay", I said, confused.
I looked at Molly, who kept the same innocent, neutral face the whole time.
"Good luck", Benjamin whispered next to me.
I should be fine… right?
Destiny's POV
"Why is this box so big?" I said, holding it with both hands.
"Let's open it", Nicole nonchalantly said.
"Where are we going to sit? On the floor?" I sarcastically asked.
"Yeah, why not?" she shrugged.
I paused, "Are you sure? You don't mind sitting on the grass?".
She looked down at the grass away from the path.
"It's cold, but it didn't rain", she said. "It should be fine to sit on".
The look on her face was genuine. She wasn't being sarcastic.
I smirked, "I like you already".
My partner is a girl from 1-C called Nicole. I don't know anything about her, but just by looking at her, I know we'll get along. The easy posture, the sleepy but sharp eyes, her peekaboo hairstyle. She isn't like most girls.
We both moved off the path and sat down on the grass. I put the box on the floor and started unboxing it.
"What is this?" I rhetorically asked, leaning forward and looking inside.
"There's a Polaroid here", Nicole said, picking it up and inspecting it.
"We're not working for NASA. Who do they think we are? Are we building a mini spaceship?".
Inside the box were neatly packed plastic packets, each filled with unfamiliar parts and little screws. Some pieces were metal, others transparent, some weirdly shaped.
"He wasn't lying when he said it would be like building something from IKEA", Nicole said, rummaging through the packets.
She reached inside and picked up a booklet hidden underneath the packets. She flicked through the pages, scanning the diagrams briefly and only properly examined the last page.
"Look", she said, flipping the booklet to me. "We have to build a cylinder capsule. Then, when we finish, we take a picture of both of us and put it in the capsule".
I glanced at the Polaroid.
"That's cute", I commented. "But why is it so complicated to build a cylinder?".
"Everything at this academy is over the top", she said. "It looks complicated, but it might be fun", she smiled with a slight shrug.
The wind brushed against us, lifting strands of her hair. The platinum highlights were showing themselves beneath her black layers. The peekaboo streaks caught light every time she turned her head.
Her sleepy eyes looked sharper when she smiled.
Who is this girl? And why is she so cool? I'm jealous 1-C has this girl and Delilah. I wanna be in 1-C now.
"Did I already tell you I like you?" I joked.
She lightly smiled, "You might've mentioned it once before".
Yep. Might've found my new bestie.