"You've got to be kidding me." Milan muttered when the newest member of the Mathletes walked into the room, ten minutes late.
Leo strolled inside the class, and casually took a seat as the rest of the members looked at him in confusion. Apart from Milan, the other two members were Delilah Halstead, and Jai Sinha.
Delilah was a preppy blonde, captain of the cheer team, and one of the most popular girls in school. She was also dating Jai, who was what one would describe as a stereotypical nerd. The two made quite the dynamic duo, they had met in the same club their freshmen year, and started dating not long after that.
"He's the person you were telling us about?" Jai asked Mr. Sorkin, looking just as puzzled as the rest.
"Yes, Leo is the newest member of our club. I expect all of you to be welcoming." Mr. Sorkin stated.
"Are you sure this isn't some kind of a mistake?" Jai questioned again, making Leo roll his eyes, "No offence, bro."
"None taken, bro." Leo muttered, he was expecting this exact response.
"Leo is one of the top students in my class, he's the right fit for the team." Mr. Sorkin said.
"Just because he scores on paper doesn't mean the same will reflect in competitions. Mental math and quick thinking is a completely different area." Milan pointed out.
"How about we test it out? Milan? Why don't you do a quick rapid fire with Leo?" Mr. Sorkin suggested, and suddenly everyone looked interested.
"Sure. You ready?" Milan looked at Leo as he asked. The dark haired boy shrugged in response, "What number is 17 less than its negative?"
"69." Leo answered without wasting a second, and everyone in the room stared at him with a blank expression.
"Nice." Quinn finally said.
"Quinn," Mr. Sorkin sighed, looking exhausted, "You're not part of the club. What are you even doing here?"
"I'm here to show my support!" Quinn grinned as they scratched the back of their neck, "Think of me as your personal cheerleader."
"Be a silent cheerleader then, please," Mr. Sorkin said, "And Leo? Will you please take this seriously?"
Leo stared at the teacher, a bored look on his face before he exhaled deeply and nodded. He turned his head towards Milan again, as if asking him to continue.
"How many positive even integers are there less than 1000 whose digits multiply to 168?" Milan read out the question from the worksheet. Leo paused for a moment, giving it a thought before answering.
"6." Leo stated.
"Correct," Milan muttered before continuing, "What is the highest power of 39 that divides 2018?"
"166."
"Correct. A staircase has 10 steps. How many ways are there to ascend the staircase it you either take one step at a time or three steps at a time?" Milan questioned.
"28."
"Correct." Milan said, as he looked up at the boy in surprise.
"Damn," Jai spoke up, "What is 236 multiplied by 562?"
"132,632." Leo answered for a short pause.
"Okay, I don't know the answer, I just made it up." Jai shrugged.
"Wait," Delilah pulled out her phone from her bag, and opened the calculator app, "That was.. correct."
"Welcome to the Mathletes!" Quinn stated with a wide grin on their face, and the five others just stared at them blankly.
YOU ARE READING
Delicate
Romance"You should..." "I should what?" Leo asked softly as he looked into Milan's eyes. Leo traced Milan's jawline with his finger, before moving it down his neck, making the other visibly shiver. "Do the math worksheet," Milan finished his sentence. ~~...
