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Chapter Twenty Five

I wanted today to be like any other day. But I knew that it wasn't possible. My heart was racing frantically as I searched for Xavi amidst the crowd of students. Iris grips my arm, stopping me from pushing past everyone.

"Calm down, Aly. I'm sure he's fine."

I am not too sure about that. After informing the group about what happened last night, Adrien seemed to be the most worried of them all. The rest of them, including me and Iris were just hanging on a loose thread of hope.

I reach for the strap of my bag, wanting support but realise it soon enough that we didn't have to carry one today. So I didn't.

No classes, no home works, no lectures, yet I was in more stress than usual.

The auditorium seemed like it was miles away and walking felt like a burden. 

Everything will be fine. We'll be fine. Nothing bad will happen.

I kept repeating the words in my mind, like a mantra.

"Good Morning Students! I request all of you to please be seated and maintain silence."
I didn't realise we were in the auditorium until the voice blared through the speakers and rang in my ears. 

Iris takes a seat and I join, beside her.

"You know, if it makes you feel any better, you can slap me. Lightly."

I look over at Adrien who had taken the seat next to mine. Soon..Justin, Dave and Max joined us too.

If they were nervous, I couldn't tell. Either they have mastered the art of masking their expressions or they just have the confidence that nothing would go wrong.

I was hoping for the latter.

"And why would I slap you?"

"So that you feel better?"

"Why would slapping you make me feel better, Adrien?"

"I don't know. I just thought that it should!"

I chuckle at his words and a smile forms on his face.

"At least, I made you laugh."

"Thanks. I needed that."

I turn to look at the stage, a bit light hearted than before. A few teachers seemed to be scattered around, doing some last minute preparations and set up. I scan the entire hall, my eyes searching for Xavi or even Mr. Shane.  But they weren't here.

"Where is Xavi? He isn't planning to show up on stage, is he?" I finally question Adrien.

"I saw him in the hallway, then he just disappeared. But trust me, he wouldn't show up on stage. He's too shy for that."

A small smile makes way onto my face but leaves just as soon as it came, on hearing the Principal's voice. Who was now standing on the stage along with the Chairman.

I block out most of the words that he spoke, welcoming the Chairman, acting all high and mighty in front of him. But then, the word 'result' grabs my attention and I listen to what he had to say.

"The top five students have achieved excellent scores, which makes our school rank even higher than last year! I hope you give them a round of applause."

Anger boils inside me as I recall my results. Even though my score was good, my rank was too low and if that's not surprising, a guy like Xavi had ranked below the top fifteen!

The sound of claps make me clench my fist and close my eyes.

Even with my eyes shut, I could feel the atmosphere shift inside the auditorium. The sound of applause had died down within seconds. I snap my eyes open at the sudden change. All I could hear and see was silent chaos.