At lunch, the cafeteria buzzed with noise- the clatter of trays, the low hum of conversations, and bursts of laughter echoing from every table. I sat alone near the window, idly stirring the straw in my drink, half-listening to the voices around me.
A shadow fell across the table.
"Hey, you're in Group Eleven, right?"
I looked up. A boy with light brown hair and an easy confidence stood there, balancing a tray in one hand.
"Yeah," I said, uncertain for a second.
He smiled. "Thought so. I'm Miles Dalton, from Class A. We're in the same group for the Academic Competition."
"Oh," I said, sitting up a little straighter.
He nodded and began speaking. "I'm actually here on behalf of Ashley Boone- she's our group leader, also from Class A. She wanted me to let you know we're holding a short practice session this afternoon during club activity time."
I blinked. "During club hours?"
"Yeah," Miles said, taking a seat across from me. "Since the Freshman Council announced that the Student Council gave us permission to use that time for competition prep, we figured we might as well get started early. It'll just be a quick meeting — introductions and a bit of brainstorming."
He spoke easily, his tone relaxed but organized. It was clear he'd done this kind of thing before.
"That sounds fine," I said quietly.
"Great!" He grinned, clearly pleased. "We'll meet in the study session classroom Ashley Boone reserved right after P.E. You'll meet the rest of the group there."
I nodded. "Got it."
He stood to leave. "Alright then+ see you later."
As he walked off, I watched him disappear into the swirl of students moving between tables.
I glanced down at my unfinshed lunch, my thoughts drifting. Part of me felt nervous- I didn't know anyone in the group yet- but another part felt… curious.
Maybe this was a chance to start connecting again.
When I sat at my desk later, my seatmate Noah Jackson turned to me.
"Hey, did you get an invitation from Miles Dalton? From Class A?"
I looked at him. "Yeah. You too?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I'm in the same group as you. He came up to me during lunch."
The final bell after P.E. rang, followed by the usual shuffle of students heading toward their groups practice meetings or out the gates. I made my way down the hallway lined with classrooms used for study sessions, Noah Jackson following close behind.
The door to study session classroom was already open. Inside, a few desks had been pushed together into a loose circle. Four students were already there- chatting as they unpacked notebooks.
A familiar voice called out as we stepped in.
"Hey, glad you made it!"
It was Miles Dalton, waving from across the room.
I nodded slightly and walked in.
Next to him stood a tall girl with a neat ponytail and a calm, focused expression. She looked up from her notes and smiled politely.
"You must be from Class B, right? I'm Ashley Boone, the group leader."
"Yeah," I said, keeping my tone calm as I looked around quietly scanning the other members.
Ashley Boone nodded, her tone friendly but efficient. "We're still waiting for a few more members, after they arrived we can start with introductions."
Within a few minutes, the rest of the group arrived- ten of us in total, from different classes. A mix of personalities filled the room: some talkative, others quiet and observant.
Ashley Boone clapped her hands lightly. "Alright, everyone. Since this is our first session, let's keep it simple. Quick introductions- your name, class, and which subjects or skills you're confident in Since we won't know the quiz subjects in advance, this will help us figure out who might fit best for each round."
She began first, calm and organized.
"I'm Ashley Boone, Class A. I'll handle coordination and communication with the teachers. My strengths are English and History."
Then Miles Dalton spoke up. "Miles Dalton, also Class A. I'm good with general knowledge and debate-style rounds."
One by one, everyone introduced themselves — some shyly, others with surprising enthusiasm.
When it was Noah Jackson's turn, he grinned. 'Noah Jackson, Class B. I'm good at Maths and Science."
Then it was my turn. I hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Madison Jones, Class B. I guess I'm okay with English and writing rounds."
As introductions ended, she unfolded a printed chart- the Third Bracket schedule, showing 14 matches in total across October 4th and 5th- four in the morning and three in the afternoon each day.
"We've got three matches on the first day," she explained. "Our first is against Group 26, the second against Group 12, both in the morning, and one more in the afternoon against Group 10. Before that, though, we'll focus on understanding how each round works. Today's just brainstorming and dividing responsibilities."
Miles Dalton leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "We can start by figuring out who's best suited for which event. Like, who's comfortable speaking in front of people?"
A few hands went up, and light laughter followed as names were tossed around for the speech round.
The meeting flowed easily after that — ideas bouncing between the group, some serious, others playful. The atmosphere wasn't tense; it felt cooperative, even encouraging.
As the session wrapped up, Asley Boone summarized everything. "Alright, great work for today. We'll meet here every day during club time to start actual prep. Until then, just review the subjects you're most confident in."
Everyone began packing up. I stood, tucking my notes into my bag. Noah Jackson, who had been sitting beside me, glanced over.
"Not bad for a first meeting, huh?" he said with a grin.
"Yeah," I replied softly.
As I stepped out into the fading afternoon light, I realized I didn't feel as distant from it all anymore. The competition wasn't just an event on paper- it was becoming something real, something shared.
Maybe Emilia had been right after all.
Maybe this really was a reason to start again.