MARIANA

Despite taking a car to school, we were still twenty-five minutes late due to the morning rush. Mrs. Hathaway stopped the car in front of the school, and both Vanessa and I got out.

“Have a good day at school, girls. Bye!” she said, and we nodded as we waved goodbye, watching her drive off. Vanessa and I turned toward the school and walked through the gate.

We first went to our lockers to grab the necessary books, then headed toward our classroom. Vanessa and I let out nervous breaths as we approached the door. I opened it and stepped inside first, with Vanessa following closely behind. All eyes immediately fell on us, including the teacher’s, who was glaring at us as if we’d committed a crime for being late and interrupting his class.

“Alas! Miss Jackson and Miss Hathaway have finally decided to join us,” Mr. Stankiewicz exclaimed with his thick Polish accent.

“Can the two of you explain why you’re thirty minutes late?!” he demanded angrily. Mr. Stankiewicz had always been quick to anger when students disrupted his class, and unfortunately, we were his targets this morning.

“We’re really sorry, Sir, but we have a valid reason for being late,” I spoke up.

“Really? Then tell us the reason,” he said, eyes narrowing.

“We got stuck in traffic,” Vanessa chimed in.

“So, you’re telling me there was a traffic jam this morning?” he asked, his tone skeptical.

“Yes, there was,” Vanessa answered.

“Alright, fine. I’ll let the two of you off the hook this time because you don’t usually come late. Go to your seats and listen to the lecture,” he said, sighing dramatically. A collective sigh of relief escaped from us. Mr. Stankiewicz resumed his teaching, and we made our way to our seats.

“So, did you study for the exam today?” Vanessa whispered as we sat down in the back of the class. If Mr. Stankiewicz heard us talking, he would definitely lose it.

“Yeah, I studied like my life depended on it,” I whispered back.

“Well, I studied like crazy too. I really hope we’re going to be part of the best students they’ll give scholarships to. Royal Gate High School has been my dream school for as long as I can remember, but my parents could never afford to send me there,” Vanessa said, her voice tinged with sadness.

“Same here… I’ve always wanted to go there, but we can’t even afford it, even if we sold our house!” I exclaimed.

“But on the bright side, if we pass our exams, we might actually get to attend. We’re among the best students in this class, so we have a real chance of getting those scholarships,” I said, trying to lift her spirits.

“Alright, let’s keep thinking positive thoughts,” she replied.

“Now, let’s focus before Mr. Stankiewicz notices we’re talking,” I said, and we both turned our attention back to the front, only to find him glaring at us.

“Care to share what you two were discussing?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, Sir, we weren’t discussing anything,” I quickly responded, squirming in my seat under his intense gaze.

“You’d better behave yourselves, or I’ll send you both to detention,” he warned, and that silenced us. He turned back to the class and continued his lecture.

We listened attentively as he went over some last-minute revision before the exam papers arrived. A few minutes later, Mr. Stankiewicz wrapped up the revision and left the classroom. The once quiet room exploded into noise, with students chatting and laughing. A few of us, including Vanessa and I, pulled out our books and continued revising, ignoring the chaos around us.

Our focus was broken when a teacher walked in with a stack of exam papers. Everyone stopped what they were doing and grabbed their writing materials. The teacher started distributing the papers, and I waited patiently for mine. Thank God Brianna had already paid the school fees I owed, or I wouldn’t even be sitting for these exams.

I glanced around the room and noticed some students with defeated expressions, while others looked confident. I skimmed through the exam papers and couldn’t help but smile. About 90% of the questions were from the material I’d studied. Vanessa and I exchanged a quick look and smiled. Maybe we could actually pass this exam.

The teacher gave us two hours to finish the exam, but I was done in an hour and thirty minutes. Vanessa finished five minutes after me. I looked around—some students were already finished, while others were still struggling. I couldn’t help but giggle quietly to myself. While others should have been studying, they’d spent their time playing and gossiping. Serves them right.

When the bell rang for lunch break exactly two hours later, the teacher began collecting our papers. Some students were smiling, while others groaned.

“I’m starving, Vanessa! Let’s go get lunch. It feels like I haven’t eaten all morning,” I groaned.

“Same here. Let’s go,” she replied, and we stood up and headed for the cafeteria.

We grabbed our lunch from the counter, where spaghetti and apple juice were on the menu today, then carried our trays to our favorite table, where our friends were already sitting. They were talking so loudly they didn’t notice us approach. Guess what they were discussing?

“Kim Taehyung is way more handsome than Jungkook,” Katherine, one of our friends, said.

“No, Jin is more handsome than both of them,” Julia, another friend, argued.

“Why are you guys arguing about guys you’ll never meet? You can’t even see them in real life,” Anthony, also known as Tony, said with a bored expression.

Vanessa and I cleared our throats loudly, and they both snapped their heads toward us.

“So, what are we talking about?” I asked, though I already knew they were arguing over who was the most handsome member of BTS.

“Julia and Katherine are debating which member is the best-looking, even though they’ll never meet them,” Tony replied, staring pointedly at the two girls.

“But seriously, Jimin is the most handsome,” Vanessa chimed in, and an argument immediately broke out between the three of them, while Tony and I exchanged looks as if they were insane. I think I’m the only teenage girl who isn’t a hardcore BTS fan. I mean, I love their music and dancing, but I don’t get why some girls are so obsessed with them.

“You guys really need to stop this senseless argument,” I shouted after I’d had enough. A few heads turned to look at me, but I ignored their stares.

“How did you find the exam?” I asked, hoping to change the subject.

“The questions were kind of hard, but I think I did okay,” Julia said. She’s the average one among us.

“Let me just say, none of what I studied came out,” Katherine sighed. Katherine’s always been the nonchalant one—she couldn’t care less about school.

“Well, the questions were pretty easy for me,” Tony said. He’s the genius in our group. He can solve anything—calculus, algebra, you name it. I always go to him when I need help with a topic.

“I thought the questions were simple too. I’m almost confident I’ll pass,” I said, and Vanessa nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, me too,” she added.

“I just hope we all get the Royal Gate scholarship. I’d be so happy. I don’t want to be separated from you guys,” I said, feeling a little emotional.

“Let’s just study hard, and we might be able to attend the school together,” Julia said, and we all nodded in agreement.

“Well, let’s forget about the exams for now and eat before our spaghetti gets cold, or they ring the bell to end lunch break,” Katherine said, and we picked up our forks and started eating. I really love my friends, and I hope we all pass the scholarship exams.